职称英语2015综合类考试阅读理解精选文章(3)

　　现代日光浴崇拜者

　　人们出外观光旅游的原因有许多，一些旅游者去看古战场或是宗教圣殿;一些旅游者去追寻文化之源或是仅仅在名胜之地请人给他照几张相。但大多数欧洲游客愿意寻找阳光充足的海滩洒日光浴。

　　北欧人心甘情愿花大笔钱，容忍诸多不便去获得阳光，因为阳光对他们来说太难得了。由于冬季白天很短，像伦敦、哥本哈根和阿姆斯特丹的居民在冬季的大部分时间里，都是在昏暗中度过的，而其余的季节又都是阴雨连绵。这就是地中海地区成为人们向往之地的原因。每年夏天，有2500多万旅游者来到地中海的一些旅游胜地和海滨度假。他们都是为了同一个原因而来：日光!

　　众多原因的游客意味着为地中海地区的国家带来巨大的经济财富。每年夏季，意大利的3万多家旅馆全部客满，而且还有1300多万的游客要在法国的海滩，公园和路边宿营。西班牙那漫长的海岸线更成了众多旅游者慕名前往的地方，每年有1700多万游客，换句话说，旅游者与西班牙居民人数相当，即1:1。

　　但是，有一些迹象表明，旅游业的发展已超过该地区的承受能力。地中海已成了地球上污染最严重的海洋。而随着游客的增多，情况变得更糟。法国人想不出什么好办法来处理宿营在圣特罗佩周围的那些游客所丢掉的废物垃圾。而且在许多地方因为海水受到了污染，游泳已成为一种危险的运动。

　　然而，这些都没有破坏人们的兴致。每年到地中海观光的游客越来越多。很显然，他们不是为了清洁的海水和清静自在而前往的。他们忍受着交通堵塞的煎熬，而且似乎很喜欢拥挤的海滩。他们甚至不在乎污染。不管海水是怎样的污浊不堪，海岸线看起来仍是那么美。只要有阳光照耀，总要比坐在伦敦、柏林或奥斯陆的凄风冷雨中好得多。

　　Modern Sun Worshippers

　　People travel for a lot of reasons. Some tourists go to see battlefields or religious shrines. Others are looking for culture, or simply want to have their picture taken in front of famous places. But most European tourists are looking for a sunny beach to lie on.

　　Northern Europeans are willing to pay a lot of money and put up with a lot of inconveniences for the sun because they have so little of it. Residents of cities like London, Copenhagen, and Amsterdam spend a lot of their winter in the dark because the days are so short, and much of the rest of the year in the rain. This is the reason the Mediterranean has always attracted them. Every summer, more than 25 million people travel to Mediterranean resorts and beaches for their vacation. They all come for the same reason: sun!

　　The huge crowds mean lots of money for the economies of Mediterranean countries. Italys 30, 000 hotels are booked solid every summer. And 13 million people camp out on French beaches, parks, and roadsides. Spains long sandy coastline attracts more people than anywhere else. 37 million tourists visit yearly, or one tourist for every person living in Spain.

　　But there are signs that the area is getting more tourism that it can handle. The Mediterranean is already one of the most polluted seas on earth. And with increased tourism, its getting worse. The French cant figure out what to do with all the garbage left by campers around St. Tropez. And in many places, swimming is dangerous because of pollution.

　　None of this, however, is spoiling anyones fun. The Mediterranean gets more popular every year with tourists. Obviously, they dont go there for clean water and solitude. They tolerate traffic jams and seem to like crowded beaches. They dont even mind the pollution. No matter how dirty the water is, the coastline still looks beautiful. And as long as the sun shines, its still better than sitting in the cold rain in Berlin, London, or Oslo.