UNIT 4 – FOOD AND DRINK

Exercise 1:

Green Tourism

Read the following passage from a newspaper article about ‘green tourism’.

A) Interested in making your holiday greener and more sustainable, ensuring that local people get a fair
cut of the money you’ve handed over, and that no rivers are being dried up or forests felled to
accommodate your trip? Congratulations – for being in a well-meaning minority.

B) A recent survey by the travel trade body, Abta, found that just 20 per cent of travel agents have ever
been asked for such holidays or asked questions about sustainability, though they did report a “feeling”
that interest in sustainability was growing. Despite apocalyptic warnings about climate change, water
scarcity, pollution, and peak oil, there isn’t exactly a stampede to the travel industry’s door demanding
it play its part.

C) “The industry feels there isn’t a huge demand out there,” says Sue Hurdle, chief executive of the
independent charity The Travel Foundation. “They don’t have a lot of people banging on the door
asking for greener holidays.”

D) Others are more specific, such as Professor Harold Goodwin, of the International Centre for
Responsible Tourism (ICRT), an independent academic research centre. “There is a big shift in values
and approach – it’s not just travel, it’s a general consumer trend,” he says. “If you’re worried about
where your pork comes from at home, why wouldn’t you worry about that when on holiday?”

E) For those of us who are bothered, working out when the travel industry is doing its bit, and when it
isn’t, and separating good operators from charlatans peddling greenwash, is a bewildering and
frustrating experience. England alone usually has around 20 certification schemes or logos on the go at
any one time, split into two categories: awards, where hotels and operators are judged independently;
and certification schemes, where they generally pay to be included. It also helps to know what the
industry is aiming for. We’re not talking about genuine eco-tourism – which remains a niche and
narrow market – but on what the industry prefers to call “sustainable”, or “responsible” tourism.

F) “Many people make the mistake of thinking that when anyone describes a business or activity as
being ‘green’ that they are environmentally friendly,” says Jason Freezer, destinations manager for
Visit England. “Being green, sustainable, or responsible is about ensuring economic viability, social
inclusion and contributing to the natural environment. A sustainable business is doing its most to
enhance its own success financially, while contributing to the local economy and minimising or
negating the damage it might do to its environment or community.”

Which paragraph contains the following information?

1. A difficult task for concerned consumers.

2. Confusion about what it means to be green.

3. Lack of interest despite some worrying predictions.

Exercise 2:

The meaning of ‘genius’

Read the following passage about the meaning of ‘genius’.

A genius is a person who displays exceptional intellectual ability, creativity, or originality, typically to
a degree that is associated with the achievement of an unprecedented leap of insight. Various
philosophers have proposed definitions of what genius is.

In the philosophy of David Hume, a genius is seen by others as a person disconnected from society,
who works remotely, away from the rest of the world. For Immanuel Kant, genius is the ability to
independently arrive at and understand concepts that would normally have to be taught by another
person. Arthur Schopenhauer defined a genius as someone in whom intellect predominates over “will”.
According to Bertrand Russell, a genius possesses unique qualities and talents that make him or her
especially valuable to society.

Match each of the following statements to one of the philosophers below.

1. A genius is someone who does not require instruction.

2. We tend to regard geniuses as solitary figures.

3. A genius has the ability to make an exceptional contribution to society.

A. Hume B. Kant C. Schopenhauer D. Russell

Exercise 3: Task 9 + 10 (Exam skills – page 76, 77)