The Reading / Listening - Tourism - Level 6

It's great being a tourist and leisurely wandering around old towns and villages seeing the sites, but is it such a thrill for the local residents? Villagers living in the area known as 'Old Holland' outside of Amsterdam have had enough of visitors traipsing around and of tour guides with megaphones disturbing their peace. They have got together with local tour companies to create rules of conduct for tourists. The rules include not photographing residents without permission, not strolling into their gardens and not dropping litter. The new code of conduct is an attempt to deal with the growing popularity of the region. Tourism is booming and the number of tourists is expected to rise by 50 per cent in the next decade.

Old Holland is an idyllic area that matches people's image of Dutch life from a slower, bygone age. There are windmills everywhere and locals live in beautifully preserved, traditional wooden houses. Local resident Peter-Jan van Steenbergen told Holland's Het Parool newspaper that the village of Zaanse Schans is like an open-air museum. He said: "I talked to one resident who opened his curtains in the morning and looked into the camera lenses of nine amateur photographers." He added: "The visitors seem happy to knock on the wooden houses to see if it is real wood. If you are the resident of that house, that is not pleasant, of course." He said the busloads of tourists were the biggest nuisance.

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

    Tourism - Level 4  or  Tourism - Level 5

Sources
  • http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2017/03/tourists-told-to-behave-in-old-holland-as-popularity-surges/
  • http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-39281245
  • http://www.parool.nl/amsterdam/gedragsregels-moeten-overlast-in-old-holland-tegengaan~a4474122/


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Warm-ups

1. TOURISM: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about tourism. Change partners often and share your findings.

2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, talk about these topics or words from the article. What will the article say about them? What can you say about these words and your life?

       leisurely / old towns / villages / thrill / tour guides / tourists / litter / popularity /
       idyllic / windmills / preserved / traditional / museum / photographers / nuisance

Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.

3. RULES: Students A strongly believe there should be strict rules for tourists when they visit places; Students B strongly believe otherwise.  Change partners again and talk about your conversations.

4. CODE OF CONDUCT: Make some rules for tourists for these things? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

 

Rules

Why?

Clothes

 

 

Groups

 

 

Photos

 

 

Food

 

 

Local people

 

 

Souvenirs

 

 

MY e-BOOK
ESL resource book with copiable worksheets and handouts - 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers / English teachers
See a sample

5. VISITOR: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "visitor". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.

6. SITES: Rank these with your partner. Put the best at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

  • The Amazon
  • Machu Picchu
  • Masai Mara
  • Mount Fuji
  • The Pyramids
  • The Statue of Liberty
  • The Great Wall of China
  • Sydney Opera House

 

Before reading / listening

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if a-h below are true (T) or false (F).

  1. The article said receiving tourists is a thrill for local people.     T / F
  2. 'Old Holland' is a part of central Amsterdam.     T / F
  3. New rules for tourists say there is to be no photography in villages.     T / F
  4. The number of tourists may increase by 50% in the next 10 years.     T / F
  5. 'Old Holland' does not fit people's idea of life in Holland in the past.     T / F
  6. A resident said one village was like an open-air museum.     T / F
  7. One resident opened his curtains to find 9 photographers outside.     T / F
  8. A resident said busloads of tourists were the most annoying thing.     T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.

  1. leisurely
  2. thrill
  3. disturbing
  4. permission
  5. booming
  6. idyllic
  7. preserved
  8. resident
  9. real
  10. nuisance
  1. picturesque
  2. annoyance
  3. relaxed
  4. mushrooming
  5. local
  6. interrupting
  7. authentic
  8. excitement
  9. maintained
  10. say-so

3. PHRASE MATCH: (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.)

  1. leisurely wandering
  2. tour guides with megaphones
  3. deal with the growing popularity
  4. the number of tourists is expected to
  5. in the next
  6. an idyllic
  7. life from a slower,
  8. like an open-
  9. amateur
  10. busloads of tourists were
  1. the biggest nuisance
  2. rise by 50 per cent
  3. area
  4. bygone age
  5. around old towns
  6. photographers
  7. disturbing their peace
  8. decade
  9. air museum
  10. of the region

Gap fill

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
conduct
litter
leisurely
decade
enough
permission
thrill
popularity

It's great being a tourist and (1) ____________ wandering around old towns and villages seeing the sites, but is it such a (2) ____________ for the local residents? Villagers living in the area known as 'Old Holland' outside of Amsterdam have had (3) ____________ of visitors traipsing around and of tour guides with megaphones disturbing their peace. They have got together with local tour companies to create rules of (4) ____________ for tourists. The rules include not photographing residents without (5) ____________, not strolling into their gardens and not dropping (6) ____________. The new code of conduct is an attempt to deal with the growing (7) ____________ of the region. Tourism is booming and the number of tourists is expected to rise by 50 percent in the next (8) ____________.

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
air
age
real
nuisance
preserved
pleasant
idyllic
resident

Old Holland is an (9) ____________ area that matches people's image of Dutch life from a slower, bygone (10) ____________. There are windmills everywhere and locals live in beautifully (11) ____________, traditional wooden houses. Local resident Peter-Jan van Steenbergen told Holland's Het Parool newspaper that the village of Zaanse Schans is like an open- (12) ____________ museum. He said: "I talked to one (13) ____________ who opened his curtains in the morning and looked into the camera lenses of nine amateur photographers." He added: "The visitors seem happy to knock on the wooden houses to see if it is (14) ____________ wood. If you are the resident of that house, that is not (15) ____________, of course." He said the busloads of tourists were the biggest (16) ____________.

Listening — Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1)  enough of visitors traipsing around and of tour guides with megaphones ______
     a.  disturbing their piece
     b.  disturbing there peace
     c.  disturb in their peace
     d.  disturbing their peace

2)  They have got together with local tour companies to create ______
     a.  rules off conned duck
     b.  rules of contract
     c.  rules of conduct
     d.  rules off conduit

3) photographing residents without permission, not strolling into their gardens and ______
     a.  not drooping litter
     b.  not dropping litter
     c.  not dropping letter
     d.  not drooping letter

4)  The new code of conduct is an attempt to deal with the growing popularity ______
     a.  of the region
     b.  of the regional
     c.  of the regions
     d.  of the legion

5)  the number of tourists is expected to rise by 50 per cent in ______
     a.  the next decades
     b.  a next decadence
     c.  the next decade
     d.  the next decadent

6)  matches people's image of Dutch life from a slower, ______
     a.  bygone age
     b.  be gone age
     c.  bye gone age
     d.  beginning age

7)  told Holland's Het Parool newspaper that the village of Zaanse Schans is like an ______
     a.  open-airy museum
     b.  open-air museum
     c.  open-aired museum
     d.  open-airs museum

8) The visitors seem happy to knock on the wooden houses to see if ______
     a.  it is real wood
     b.  it is real wooden
     c.  it is real woods
     d.  it is real woody

9)  If you are the resident of that house, that ______
     a.  is not pleasing
     b.  is not pleasantry
     c.  is not pheasant
     d.  is not pleasant

10)  He said the busloads of tourists were the ______
     a.  biggest nuance
     b.  biggest nonsense
     c.  biggest nuisance
     d.  biggest nascence

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

It's great (1) ___________________ and leisurely wandering around old towns and villages seeing the sites, (2) ___________________ thrill for the local residents? Villagers living in the area known as 'Old Holland' outside of Amsterdam have had enough of visitors traipsing (3) ___________________ guides with megaphones disturbing their peace. They have got together with local tour companies to create (4) ___________________ tourists. The rules include not photographing residents without permission, not strolling into their gardens (5) ___________________ litter. The new code of conduct is an attempt to deal with the growing popularity of the region. Tourism is booming and the number of tourists (6) ___________________ rise by 50 percent in the next decade.

Old Holland (7) ___________________ area that matches people's image of Dutch life from a slower, bygone age. There are windmills everywhere and locals live in beautifully preserved, (8) ___________________ houses. Local resident Peter-Jan van Steenbergen told Holland's Het Parool newspaper that the village of Zaanse Schans is (9) ___________________ museum. He said: "I talked to one resident (10) ___________________ curtains in the morning and looked into the camera lenses of nine amateur photographers." He added: "The visitors seem (11) ___________________ the wooden houses to see if it is real wood. If you are the resident of that house, that is not pleasant, of course." He said the (12) ___________________ were the biggest nuisance.

Comprehension questions

  1. What did the article question tourism might not be for local residents?
  2. What do tour guides have that disturb locals' peace?
  3. What do tourists need permission to take photos of under the new rules?
  4. What did the article say was booming?
  5. By when is the number of tourists expected to rise by 50%?
  6. What kind of area did the article say Old Holland was?
  7. What are the houses made from that the locals live in?
  8. How many photographers did a resident find outside his window?
  9. What do some tourists knock on?
  10. What did a resident say was the biggest nuisance?

Multiple choice quiz

1) What did the article question tourism might not be for local residents?
a) profitable
b) a thrill
c) the dream life
d) touristy

2) What do tour guides have that disturb locals' peace?
a) giant loud speakers
b) mobile phones
c) fights
d) megaphones

3) What do tourists need permission to take photos of under the new rules?
a) the inside of churches
b) the houses
c) the local residents
d) windmills

4) What did the article say was booming?
a) tourism
b) the voices of tour guides
c) a 12th-century cannon
d) fireworks

5) By when is the number of tourists expected to rise by 50%?
a) 2050
b) in the next decade
c) 2020
d) the end of next year

6) What kind of area did the article say Old Holland was?
a) idyllic
b) age
c) matchless
d) slow

7) What are the houses made from that the locals live in?
a) steel
b) brick
c) wood
d) rocks

8) How many photographers did a resident find outside his window?
a) 9
b) 8
c) 7
d) 6

9) What do some tourists knock on?
a) trees
b) windows
c) buses
d) the wooden houses

10) What did a resident say was the biggest nuisance?
a) tourists breaking flowers
b) rush hour
c) busloads of tourists
d) litter

Role play

Role A — The Pyramids

You think The Pyramids is the world's best site. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their site is not as good. Also, tell the others which is the least interesting of these (and why): the Statue of Liberty, the Amazon or Mount Fuji.

Role B — The Statue of Liberty

You think the Statue of Liberty is the world's best site. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their site is not as good. Also, tell the others which is the least interesting of these (and why): The Pyramids, the Amazon or Mount Fuji.

Role C — The Amazon

You think the Amazon is the world's best site. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their site is not as good. Also, tell the others which is the least interesting of these (and why): the Statue of Liberty, The Pyramids or Mount Fuji.

Role D — Mount Fuji

You think Mount Fuji is the world's best site. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their site is not as good. Also, tell the others which is the least interesting of these (and why): the Statue of Liberty, the Amazon or The Pyramids.

After reading / listening

1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionary / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words...

'code'

  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • and 'conduct'.

  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • • Share your findings with your partners.

    • Make questions using the words you found.

    • Ask your partner / group your questions.

    2. ARTICLE QUESTIONS: Look back at the article and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.

    •Share your questions with other classmates / groups. •Ask your partner / group your questions.

    3. GAP FILL: In pairs / groups, compare your answers to this exercise. Check your answers. Talk about the words from the activity. Were they new, interesting, worth learning…?

    4. VOCABULARY: Circle any words you do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find their meanings.

    5. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall how they were used in the text:

    • area
    • traditional
    • open
    • camera
    • real
    • biggest
    • great
    • outside
    • peace
    • include
    • attempt
    • next

    Student survey

    Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

    (Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

    Discussion - Dutch towns tell tourists how to behave

    STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

    1. What did you think when you read the headline?
    2. What springs to mind when you hear the word 'tourism'?
    3. What kind of tourist are you?
    4. What kind of tourism is there in your town?
    5. What responsibilities do tourists have?
    6. What are the bad things about tourism?
    7. Why is tourism such a big industry?
    8. What rules for tourists would you add?
    9. What should happen to tourists who break these rules?
    10. What benefits do tourists bring to a town or area?

    STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

    1. Did you like reading this article? Why/not?
    2. What do you think of when you hear the word 'tourist'?
    3. What do you think about what you read?
    4. What kind of bad behaviour can tourists have?
    5. Should people have culture lessons before going to other countries?
    6. What image do people from your country have overseas?
    7. Do you like being a tourist?
    8. Do you prefer solo travel or being part of a tour group?
    9. Would you be a good tour guide? Why?
    10. What questions would you like to ask the villagers?

    Discussion — Write your own questions

    STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

    (a) ________________

    (b) ________________

    (c) ________________

    (d) ________________

    (e) ________________

    STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

    (f) ________________

    (g) ________________

    (h) ________________

    (i) ________________

    (j) ________________

    Language — Cloze (Gap-fill)

    It's great being a tourist and (1) ______ wandering around old towns and villages seeing the sites, but is it such a (2) ______ for the local residents? Villagers living in the area known as 'Old Holland' outside of Amsterdam have had enough of visitors traipsing around and (3) ______ tour guides with megaphones disturbing their peace. They have got together with local tour companies to create rules of conduct for tourists. The rules include not (4) ______ residents without permission, not strolling into their gardens and not dropping (5) ______. The new code of conduct is an attempt to deal with the growing popularity of the region. Tourism is booming and the number of tourists is expected to (6) ______ by 50 percent in the next decade.

    Old Holland is an (7) ______ area that matches people's image of Dutch life from a slower, bygone (8) ______. There are windmills everywhere and locals live in beautifully preserved, traditional wooden houses. Local resident Peter-Jan van Steenbergen told Holland's Het Parool newspaper that the village of Zaanse Schans is like an open-(9) ______ museum. He said: "I talked to one resident who opened his curtains in (10) ______ morning and looked into the camera lenses of nine amateur photographers." He added: "The visitors seem happy to knock on the wooden houses to (11) ______ if it is real wood. If you are the resident of that house, that is not pleasant, of course." He said the busloads of tourists were the biggest (12) ______.

    Which of these words go in the above text?

    1. (a)     leisurely     (b)     leisure     (c)     leisured     (d)     leisureliness    
    2. (a)     trill     (b)     till     (c)     thrill     (d)     thriller    
    3. (a)     have     (b)     by     (c)     of     (d)     to    
    4. (a)     photographed     (b)     photo     (c)     photograph     (d)     photographing    
    5. (a)     litter     (b)     kittens     (c)     mittens     (d)     smitten    
    6. (a)     risen     (b)     rise     (c)     arise     (d)     raise    
    7. (a)     metalic     (b)     alcoholic     (c)     acrylic     (d)     idyllic    
    8. (a)     old     (b)     age     (c)     history     (d)     before    
    9. (a)     oxygen     (b)     wind     (c)     air     (d)     breeze    
    10. (a)     a     (b)     that     (c)     one     (d)     the    
    11. (a)     watch     (b)     look     (c)     view     (d)     see    
    12. (a)     nuance     (b)     nuisance     (c)     nascence     (d)     nonsense

    Spelling

    Paragraph 1

    1. llueyisre wandering around old towns
    2. the local esnretsdi
    3. tour guides with aengmehsop
    4. without emssopinri
    5. the growing popularity of the iergon
    6. rise by 50 per cent in the next ddeeca

    Paragraph 2

    1. Old Holland is an llydcii area
    2. beautifully sevperrde, traditional wooden houses
    3. like an open-air summue
    4. nine rteaaum photographers
    5. that is not natelaps
    6. tourists were the biggest ianucnes

    Put the text back together

    (    )     thrill for the local residents? Villagers living in the area known as 'Old Holland' outside of Amsterdam have had enough

    (    )     of visitors traipsing around and of tour guides with megaphones disturbing their peace. They have got together

    (    )     age. There are windmills everywhere and locals live in beautifully preserved, traditional wooden houses. Local

    (    )     resident Peter-Jan van Steenbergen told Holland's Het Parool newspaper that the village of Zaanse Schans is like

    (    )     seem happy to knock on the wooden houses to see if it is real wood. If you are the resident of that

    (    )     with local tour companies to create rules of conduct for tourists. The rules include not

    (    )     house, that is not pleasant, of course." He said the busloads of tourists were the biggest nuisance.

    1  )     It's great being a tourist and leisurely wandering around old towns and villages seeing the sites, but is it such a

    (    )     litter. The new code of conduct is an attempt to deal with the growing popularity of the region. Tourism is booming and

    (    )     curtains in the morning and looked into the camera lenses of nine amateur photographers." He added: "The visitors

    (    )     the number of tourists is expected to rise by 50 per cent in the next decade.

    (    )     photographing residents without permission, not strolling into their gardens and not dropping

    (    )     Old Holland is an idyllic area that matches people's image of Dutch life from a slower, bygone

    (    )     an open-air museum. He said: "I talked to one resident who opened his

    Put the words in the right order

    1. old   and   towns   leisurely   Being   wandering   a   around   tourist   .
    2. megaphones   their   Tour   with   disturbing   peace   guides   .
    3. photographing  not  include  rules  The  permission  without  residents  .
    4. with  the  growing  popularity  of   the  region  An  attempt   to   deal   .  
    5. 50   by   rise   to   expected   is  tourists   of   number  The  cent  per   .
    6. preserved  Locals  ,  live   traditional   in  wooden  beautifully  houses   .
    7. resident   in   who   the   opened   morning   his   One   curtains   .
    8. nine  the  amateur   camera  photographers  lenses  Looked  of   into   .
    9. to   the   The   happy   on   houses   seem   knock   wooden   visitors   .
    10. the   nuisance   of   were   biggest   Busloads   tourists   .

    Circle the correct word (20 pairs)

    It's great being a tourist and leisurely / leisure wandering around old towns and villages seeing the sites, but is it such a thrilling / thrill for the local residents? Villagers living in the area known / knowing as 'Old Holland' outside of Amsterdam have had enough for / of visitors traipsing around and of tour guides with / within megaphones disturbing their peace. They have got together with local / locally tour companies to create rules of conduct for tourists. The rules include not photographs / photographing residents without permission / persimmon, not strolling into their gardens and not dropping litter. The new code of conduct is an attempt to deal by / with the growing popularity of the region. Tourism is booming and the number of tourists is expected to raise / rise by 50 percent in the next decade.

    Old Holland is an idyllic area that match / matches people's image of Dutch life from a slower, bygone / begin age. There are windmills everywhere and locals live in beautifully preserved / preservative, traditional wooden houses. Local resident / residence Peter-Jan van Steenbergen told Holland's Het Parool newspaper that the village of Zaanse Schans is similar / like an open-air museum. He said: "I talked to one / once resident who opened his curtains in / on the morning and looked into the camera lenses of nine amateur photographers / photographs." He added: "The visitors seem happy to knock on the wooden houses to see / view if it is real wood. If you are the resident of that house, that is not pleasant, of course." He said the busloads of tourists were the biggest nuance / nuisance.

    Talk about the connection between each pair of words in italics, and why the correct word is correct.

    Insert the vowels (a, e, i, o, u)

    _t's gr__t b__ng _ t__r_st _nd l__s_r_ly w_nd_r_ng _r__nd _ld t_wns _nd v_ll_g_s s___ng th_ s_t_s, b_t _s _t s_ch _ thr_ll f_r th_ l_c_l r_s_d_nts? V_ll_g_rs l_v_ng _n th_ _r__ kn_wn _s '_ld H_ll_nd' __ts_d_ _f _mst_rd_m h_v_ h_d _n__gh _f v_s_t_rs tr__ps_ng _r__nd _nd _f t__r g__d_s w_th m_g_ph_n_s d_st_rb_ng th__r p__c_. Th_y h_v_ g_t t_g_th_r w_th l_c_l t__r c_mp_n__s t_ cr__t_ r_l_s _f c_nd_ct f_r t__r_sts. Th_ r_l_s _ncl_d_ n_t ph_t_gr_ph_ng r_s_d_nts w_th__t p_rm_ss__n, n_t str_ll_ng _nt_ th__r g_rd_ns _nd n_t dr_pp_ng l_tt_r. Th_ n_w c_d_ _f c_nd_ct _s _n _tt_mpt t_ d__l w_th th_ gr_w_ng p_p_l_r_ty _f th_ r_g__n. T__r_sm _s b__m_ng _nd th_ n_mb_r _f t__r_sts _s _xp_ct_d t_ r_s_ by 50 p_rc_nt _n th_ n_xt d_c_d_.

    _ld H_ll_nd _s _n _dyll_c _r__ th_t m_tch_s p__pl_'s _m_g_ _f D_tch l_f_ fr_m _ sl_w_r, byg_n_ _g_. Th_r_ _r_ w_ndm_lls _v_rywh_r_ _nd l_c_ls l_v_ _n b___t_f_lly pr_s_rv_d, tr_d_t__n_l w__d_n h__s_s. L_c_l r_s_d_nt P_t_r-J_n v_n St__nb_rg_n t_ld H_ll_nd's H_t P_r__l n_wsp_p_r th_t th_ v_ll_g_ _f Z__ns_ Sch_ns _s l_k_ _n _p_n-__r m_s__m. H_ s__d: "_ t_lk_d t_ _n_ r_s_d_nt wh_ _p_n_d h_s c_rt__ns _n th_ m_rn_ng _nd l__k_d _nt_ th_ c_m_r_ l_ns_s _f n_n_ _m_t__r ph_t_gr_ph_rs." H_ _dd_d: "Th_ v_s_t_rs s__m h_ppy t_ kn_ck _n th_ w__d_n h__s_s t_ s__ _f _t _s r__l w__d. _f y__ _r_ th_ r_s_d_nt _f th_t h__s_, th_t _s n_t pl__s_nt, _f c__rs_." H_ s__d th_ b_sl__ds _f t__r_sts w_r_ th_ b_gg_st n__s_nc_.

    Punctuate the text and add capitals

    it's great being a tourist and leisurely wandering around old towns and villages seeing the sites but is it such a thrill for the local residents villagers living in the area known as 'old holland' outside of amsterdam have had enough of visitors traipsing around and of tour guides with megaphones disturbing their peace they have got together with local tour companies to create rules of conduct for tourists the rules include not photographing residents without permission not strolling into their gardens and not dropping litter the new code of conduct is an attempt to deal with the growing popularity of the region tourism is booming and the number of tourists is expected to rise by 50 percent in the next decade

    old holland is an idyllic area that matches people's image of dutch life from a slower bygone age there are windmills everywhere and locals live in beautifully preserved traditional wooden houses local resident peter-jan van steenbergen told holland's het parool newspaper that the village of zaanse schans is like an open-air museum he said "i talked to one resident who opened his curtains in the morning and looked into the camera lenses of nine amateur photographers" he added "the visitors seem happy to knock on the wooden houses to see if it is real wood if you are the resident of that house that is not pleasant of course" he said the busloads of tourists were the biggest nuisance

    Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

    It'sgreatbeingatouristandleisurelywanderingaroundoldtownsandvill
    agesseeingthesites,butisitsuchathrillforthelocalresidents?Villagersli
    vingintheareaknownas'OldHolland'outsideofAmsterdamhavehaden
    oughofvisitorstraipsingaroundandoftourguideswithmegaphonesdis
    turbingtheirpeace.Theyhavegottogetherwithlocaltourcompaniestoc
    reaterulesofconductfortourists.Therulesincludenotphotographingre
    sidentswithoutpermission,notstrollingintotheirgardensandnotdrop
    pinglitter.Thenewcodeofconductisanattempttodealwiththegrowing
    popularityoftheregion.Tourismisboomingandthenumberoftouristsis
    expectedtoriseby50percentinthenextdecade.OldHollandisanidyllica
    reathatmatchespeople'simageofDutchlifefromaslower,bygoneage.
    Therearewindmillseverywhereandlocalsliveinbeautifullypreserved,t
    raditionalwoodenhouses.LocalresidentPeter-JanvanSteenbergent
    oldHolland'sHetParoolnewspaperthatthevillageofZaanseSchansislik
    eanopen-airmuseum.Hesaid:"Italkedtooneresidentwhoopenedhi
    scurtainsinthemorningandlookedintothecameralensesofnineamate
    urphotographers."Headded:"Thevisitorsseemhappytoknockonthew
    oodenhousestoseeifitisrealwood.Ifyouaretheresidentofthathouse,t
    hatisnotpleasant,ofcourse."Hesaidthebusloadsoftouristswerethebi
    ggestnuisance.

    Free writing

    Write about tourism for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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    Academic writing

    What are the pros and cons of tourism for a town? How should tourists behave?

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    Homework

    1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google’s search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.

    2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find out more about 'Old Holland'. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

    3. TOURISM: Make a poster about tourism. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?

    4. RULES: Write a magazine article about tourists having to follow the rules of conduct in a town. Include imaginary interviews with people who are for and against this.

    Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Write down any new words and expressions you hear from your partner(s).

    5. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT? Write a newspaper article about the next stage in this news story. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.

    6. LETTER: Write a letter to an expert on tourism. Ask him/her three questions about it. Give him/her three of your ideas on how to boost tourism in your town. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

    A Few Additional Activities for Students

    Ask your students what they have read, seen or heard about this news in their own language. Students are likely to / may have have encountered this news in their L1 and therefore bring a background knowledge to the classroom.

    Get students to role play different characters from this news story.

    Ask students to keep track of this news and revisit it to discuss in your next class.

    Ask students to male predictions of how this news might develop in the next few days or weeks, and then revisit and discuss in a future class.

    Ask students to write a follow-up story to this news.

    Students role play a journalist and someone who witnessed or was a part of this news. Perhaps they could make a video of the interview.

    Ask students to keep a news journal in English and add this story to their thoughts.

    Also...

    Buy my 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers eBook. It has hundreds of ideas, activity templates, reproducible activities for:

    • News
    • Warm ups
    • Pre-reading / Post-reading
    • Using headlines
    • Working with words
    • While-reading / While-listening
    • Moving from text to speech
    • Post-reading / Post-listening
    • Discussions
    • Using opinions
    • Plans
    • Language
    • Using lists
    • Using quotes
    • Task-based activities
    • Role plays
    • Using the central characters in the article
    • Using themes from the news
    • Homework

    Buy my book

    $US 9.99

    Answers

    (Please look at page 26 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

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