阅读理解

　　When the earthquake hit Japan on March 11,workers in a supermarket in Japan didn't run away when they felt the shaking．Instead, they held on to the shelves and tried to stop the goods(货物)from falling down．

　　Reporters from NHK, the country's largest TV station, stayed calm in front of cameras during the earthquake, even though some were facing real danger．

　　The earthquake was the most powerful one to hit Japan in the country's history．But Japan's reaction(反应)to the accident has shown that it is the most earthquake-prepared country in the world．The calm the Japanese showed during and after the quake has impressed the world．

　　This is because Japan has “an earthquake culture”．Japanese people are taught how to prepare for and react to earthquakes from a young age．

　　Schools in Japan organize earthquake practices every month．They make students become familiar with being in an earthquake．

　　Japan also has a good earthquake warning system(警报系统)．Warnings were broadcast on television, radio and mobile phones nine seconds after experts(专家)first knew about the quake on March 11．

　　The warning system is unable to predict earthquakes．But it can usually alert people about 15 seconds before they feel the effects．Even 15 or 20 seconds can be enough time to save people's lives．

阅读理解

　　What's your dream vacation? Watching wildlife in Kenya? Boating down the Amazon? Sunbathing in Malaysia? New chances are opening up all the time to visit the world．So we visit travel companies, compare prices, and pay our money．

　　We know what our vacation costs us．But do we know what it might cost someone else? It's true that many poorer countries now depend on tourism for foreign income．Unfortunately, though, tourism often harms the local(本地的)people more than it helps them．

　　It might cost their homes and lands．In Myanmar, 5,200 people were forced to leave their homes among the pagodas(佛塔)in Bagan so that tourists could visit the pagodas．

　　Tourism might also cost the local people their jobs and dignity(尊严)．Local workers often find only low-paying jobs in the tourist industry．And most of the money do not help the local economy(经济)．Instead, money return to the tour operators in richer countries, When the Maasai people in Tanzania were driven from their lands, some moved to poor places of the city．Others now make a little money selling things or acting for photos．

　　Problems like these were noticed more than 20 years ago．But now tour operators and local governments are working together to begin correcting them．Tourists, too, are putting on the pressure．

　　The result is “ethical(合乎职业道德的)tourism”．Ethical tourism has people at its heart．New international agreements and rules can help protect the people's lands, homes, economies and cultures．The beginnings are small, though, and the problems are complex(复杂的)．

　　But take heart．The good news is that everyone, including us, can play a part to help the local people in the places we visit．Tour operators and companies can help by making sure that local people work in good conditions and earn the money they should get．

　　They can make it a point to use only locally owned hotel, restaurants and guide services．They can share some money to help the local economy．And they can help the local people plan and manage tourism．

　　What can tourists do? First, we can ask tour companies to provide information about the conditions of local people．We can then make our choices and tell them why．And while we're abroad, we can：

　　Buy local foods and products．

　　Pay a fair price for goods and services and not bargain for the cheapest price．

　　Ask before taking photographs of people．

　　They are not just part of the scenery!

　　Let's enjoy our vacation and make sure others do, too．