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 pictures 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 tot 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 why 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. Italy’s 30,000 hotels are booked solid every summer. And 13 million people camp out on French beaches, parks and roadsides. Spain’s 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 tourists than it can handle. The Mediterranean is already one of the most polluted seas on earth. And with increased tourism, it’s getting worse. The French can’t 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 anyone’s fun. The Mediterranean gets more popular every year with tourists. Obviously, they don’t go there for clean water and solitude. They tolerate traffic jams and seem to like crowded beaches. They don’t even mind the pollution. No matter how dirty the water is, the coastline still looks beautiful. And as long as the sun shines, it’s still better than sitting in the cold rain in Berlin, London, or Oslo.

The writer seems to imply that Europeans travel mostly for the reason that ...............

Câu hỏi liên quan

• What does the word “which” in the fourth paragraph refer to?

• Which of the following phrases best explains the meaning of the word “verbal”?

• What does “its” in line 5 refer to?

ZUNIA12

• Why does the author refer to Gilbert White’s book in line 2?

• The phrase “For example,” line 19, introduces a sentence that gives examples of ........

• What is NOT TRUE about the Beatles?

• It can be inferred from paragraph 1 that___________

• If you have a desire to travel, when does the writer suggest that you do it?

• According to the passage, which of the following is learning in broad view comprised of?

• Why does the author mention Lady Gaga?

• It can be inferred from the passage that limestone deposits serve as the basis of .................

• What will happen if a dodder plant starts growing where there are no other plants around?

• The word "fused" in line 2 is closest in meaning to .......

• Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?

• The word “intricate” in paragraph 2 could best be replaced by ___________.

• The word “checked” in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to ______.

• That Social Security payments will be a burden comes from the concern that ______.

• According to the writer, why is the choice of your second job important?

• Which is the most popular sport in the US?

• The phrase ‘suck out’ in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to which of the following?