Back in the 1980s and early 1990s, when Africans first realized that tourism might be a way out of their desperate poverty, they built big concrete hotels on the beaches of Kenya, South Africa and other countries. For some time numerous charter flights came from Germany and Italy. Tourists hoping to see lions in nature reserves - but also expecting to eat sauerkraut and enjoy the other comforts of home - packed into overcrowded resorts that were trying to look like the Mediterranean.
That was then. Fortunately, a new kind of travel is in fashion now. Today’s tourists are leaving the European-style hotels for more authentic experiences, like horseback riding through the bush. Sitting by the fire at night after a typical dinner of meat stew, pumping leaves and wild spinach, they listen to the local Xhosa themselves, through a small, locally run firm called Amadiba Adventures. The money earned will provide the Xhosa tour guides with incomes two and a half times the average local wage.
In many ways, this vacation represents the future of global tourism - an industry on the road to fast growth and change. Despite difficulties, international and domestic tourism is expected to boom over the next two decades due to a rise in global wealth, improving transport technology, cheaper flights and the use of the Internet as a travel than ever before. The World Tourism Organization expects that number to increase to more than 1 billion by 2010. Tomorrow’s tourists will come from new places; the number of Asian, and particularly Chinese, tourists is predicted to explode as that region becomes more integrated into the global economy.
Future tourists will also want to do different things. While sun-and-sea tourism still dominates, overcrowding and time pressures mean that the standard two-week beach vacation is becoming less popular. Rather than spending two weeks on a beach, workaholic Americans and Europeans are taking shorter but more varied trips, causing the rapid development of adventure travel, ecotourism, cultural tours, spa holidays, cruises and sports vacations in ever more distant places: China, the Maldives, Botswana. Western travellers who have “been there and done that” choose more exotic, individualized experiences. Local governments and firms are trying hard to satisfy this new demand, which offers them the opportunity to make huge profits from tourism.
(Adapted from Oxford Exam Excellence by Danuts Gryes et al.)

More and more young people are choosing to take a gap year between finishing school and starting university. Alternatively, they may decide to take a gap year between graduating from university and starting a career, feeling the need for some time out before joining the rat race. Most students see the time as an opportunity to travel. The idea of travelling to as many foreign places as possible appeals greatly.
A large percentage of gap-year students have wealthy parents who can easily subsidize their travel. Others have to save up before they go, or look for some form of employment while travelling. For example, they may work on local farms or in local hotels. By doing so, they not only earn some money, but they are likely to meet local people and acquire some understanding of their culture.
There are some students who choose to work for the whole of their gap year. A number may decide to get work experience, either at home or abroad, in an area which they hope to make their career, such as medicine or computers. A large proportion of students are now choosing to work with a charity which arranges voluntary work in various parts of the world. The projects provide hands-on experience of a very varied nature, from teaching to helping build roads or dams.
The gap year is not just an adventure. Young people can benefit greatly from encountering new and varied experiences and from communication with a wide range of people. Perhaps most importantly, gap-year students have to learn to stand on their own two feet.
(Adapted from Thematic Vocabulary & Comprehension by Betty Kirkpatrick and Rebecca Mok)

WHAT IS HAPPINESS?
People have been asking this question for centuries, but only recently have scientists and psychologists joined the debate. Apparently, our genes play a big part in how happy we feel. And while money and material possessions can (44) our spirits for a short time, it seems the real key to happiness is life experiences. Buying new clothes or the latest electronic device may make us feel on top of the world for a short time, but after a while, the feeling starts to fade. We get used to seeing our (45) and our happiness loses its shine. What's more, we tend to compare ourselves to (46) and if we see someone with a better or newer version of what we've bought, it can leave us down in the dumps. Life experiences, (47) , are more satisfying and bring more lasting happiness. Apart from the enjoyment of the actual experience, they give us memories (48) we keep our whole lifetime. Life experiences bring us closer to people, too. So the next time you're tempted to spend money on material possessions, try saving the cash for a life experience instead. As you look back on your life, you'll be grateful.
(Adapted from Gateway by David Spencer and Gill Hooley)