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About the Eco Resort Management Reading Passage
This passage examines Couran Cove Island Resort, a large ecotourism resort on South Stradbroke Island near the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. It covers the resort's history, its water and energy management systems, and its approach to sustainable development. The Cambridge source for this passage is listed as a practice passage.
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1–13, which are based on the passage below.
The passage contains three question types: Multiple Choice (Q1–5), Summary Completion (Q6–10), and Multiple Select (Q11–13).
Eco Resort Management: Full Reading Passage
Paragraph A
Ecotourism is a category of nature-based tourism that has gained popularity as a viable alternative source for vacationers. Moreover, in addition to the usual resort-leisure offerings, ecotourism resort management should also focus on best practices like sustainable development, informative and interpretive component, and direct and indirect efforts to preserve the natural and cultural environment. (Ayala, 1996).
Paragraph B
Couran Cove Island Resort is a huge integrated ecotourism-based resort just on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, located in the southern part of Brisbane. As the world's population gets more urbanised, the market for ecologically friendly, peaceful tourist places that offer other features has risen dramatically. One such tourist site is Couran Cove Resort, which is based on South Stradbroke Island and covers roughly 150 acres. South Stradbroke Island is separated from the mainland by the Broadwater, a stretch of sea of nearly 1.86 miles. There was just a single Stradbroke Island more than 100 years ago when at least four native groups lived and hunted on the island.
Unfortunately, by the end of the nineteenth century, most of the initial archipelago inhabitants had died from diseases such as tuberculosis, smallpox, and influenza. An enormous depression in the high desert of Stradbroke Island was created by the second shipwreck on the island in 1894. As well as the subsequent annihilation of the ship (the Cambus Wallace), since it had explosives, a massive crater was created in the sandhills of Stradbroke Island. The ocean explodes soon through the weaker landform, dividing Stradbroke into two islands. The Couran Cove Island Resort is situated on one of the world's few naturally existing sand lands, which is rich in a diverse range of plant groups, as well as one of the last remaining vestiges of the rare Livistona rainforest on the Gold Coast. In the first part of the twentieth century, many mangrove and rainforest areas, as well as Melaleuca wetlands on South Stradbroke Island (and in Queensland), were swept, emptied, or occupied for housing, commercial, agricultural, or urban development. Graziers and farmers were compelled to abandon South Stradbroke Island in 1939 since the vegetation and soil conditions were unsuitable for farming.
Paragraph C
The resort is now only accessible by sea owing to its proximity to an outlying island. The resort offers a round-trip ferry service every 60 minutes to the archipelago from the port. Walking routes, cycling paths, and the seaside train are all available within the resort. The welcome area is the shop counter, which hasn't been furnished for a few years. The technology is outdated, and, in some situations, it is barely working. For instance, our fans only work at high speeds. There is a TV, a radio, an outdated air conditioner, and a small refrigerator, and the beds are rough but clean. Since these "buyers" are so close together and dark noises can be overheard, be particularly cautious and do so. The only inconvenience is mosquitoes, but if you accidentally leave mosquito repellent at home, the island supplies it. These resorts mostly plan and develop attractions and have been concentrating on the need to survive in the fragile natural environment of South Stradbroke Island to achieve sustainable development.
Paragraph D
Groundwater can be found in the centre of South Stradbroke Island, which rises to a maximum height of three meters above sea level. Rainwater recharges the water supply, which is referred to as an unrestrained freshwater reservoir. The water supply for Couran Cove Island Resort comes from this aquifer, which is tapped and extracted via a bore system. Pollution, contamination, and overconsumption are just a few of the issues threatening the island's freshwater supply. According to the resort, washers are detrimental to the island's freshwater supply, and detergents contain high levels of phosphates, which are the main source of water contamination. The resort's energy supply is provided by LPG-powered generation, which is complemented by a wind turbine, which reduces carbon emissions by 70% compared to diesel-equivalent generation techniques. The swimming pool is heated with the excess heat collected from the generator. The resort's energy supply is provided by LPG-powered generation, which is complemented by a wind turbine, which reduces carbon emissions by 70% compared to diesel-equivalent generation techniques. The swimming pool is heated with the excess heat collected from the generator. Solar electricity provides boiled water to the environment, including some of the resort's cars. Showers and toilets are also equipped with water-saving fixtures. However, not all of the resort's appliances, such as refrigerators, are energy efficient. Visitors to the hotel are urged to check their energy and water usage via the in-house television system, and if their usage is low, they are awarded rewards (such as a complimentary return trip to the resort).
Paragraph E
We looked at a case study of solid management practice and an eco-proactive resort's approach to sustainable tourism. In all, Couran Cove Island Resort has earned 23 international and national honours in its three years of existence, such as the 2001 Australian Tourism Trophy in the four-star Accommodation category. The resort has accepted and implemented modern environmental management approaches with success. It has been stated that the successful adoption of sustainability principles should result in long-term social, economic, and environmental advantages, as well as ensure and improve the tourism industry's long-term viability. The Couran Cove Island Resort doesn't meet the criteria set forth by Prideaux for the Resort Development Spectrum (2000). As per Prideaux, the facility should be at least Phase 3 of the concept (National tourist phase), which specifies an integrated resort with 3–4 star hotel-style lodging. Interstate travellers make up the majority of the tourism sector in Stage Three of the model. The resort does, however, attract a modest number of interstate and foreign visitors, with the primary visitor market consisting of locals and people from adjacent cities and the Gold Coast region. The resort's management does not appear to be concerned about Couran Cove's carrying capacity. Because it is a private commercial eco-tourist operation, limiting the visitor numbers to the resort to reduce environmental harm on South Stradbroke Island would not be a legally required requirement. However, the resort's expansion will be limited by its load capacity, so operating should be part of the resort's strategy.
Eco Resort Management Reading Questions and Answers
Multiple Choice (Questions 1–5)
- Choose the correct letter: A, B, C, or D.
- Write your answers in boxes 1–5 on your answer sheet.
1. The Stradbroke became two islands
A. by intended destruction of the ship of the Cambus Wallace
B. by an explosion of dynamite on a ship and following natural erosion
C. by the movement of sandhills on Stradbroke Island
D. by the volcanic eruption on the island
2. Why are laundry activities for the resort carried out on the mainland?
A. To obtain its water supply via a bore system
B. To preserve the water and anti-pollution
C. To save the cost of installing onerous washing machines
D. To reduce the level of phosphates in the water around
3. What is the major water supplier in South Stradbroke Island by
A. desalinating the seawater
B. collecting the rainfall
C. transporting from the mainland
D. boring groundwater
4. What is applied for heating water on Couran Cove Island Resort
A. the LPG-power
B. a diesel-powered plant
C. the wind power
D. the solar-power
5. What does, as the managers of resorts believe, the prospective future focus on
A. More awards for the resort's accommodation
B. Sustainable administration and development in the long run
C. Economic and environmental benefits for the tourism enterprise
D. Successful implementation of the Resort Development Spectrum
Summary Completion (Questions 6–10)
- Complete the following summary of the paragraphs of the Eco Resort Management Reading Passage.
- Use NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the Reading Passage for each answer.
- Write your answers in boxes 6–10 on your answer sheet.
Being located away from the mainland, tourists can attain the resort only by (6) ________ in regular service. Within the resort, transports include trails for walking or tracks for both (7) ________ and the beach train. The on-island equipment is old-fashioned and is barely working, such as the (8) ________ overhead. There is a television, radio, an old (9) ________ and a small fridge. And you can buy the repellant for (10) ________ if you forget to bring some.
Multiple Select (Questions 11–13)
- Choose THREE correct letters from A–E.
- Write your answers in boxes 11–13 on your answer sheet.
- What is true as to the contemporary situation of Couran Cove Island Resort in the last paragraph?
A. Couran Cove Island Resort goes for more eco-friendly practices B. the accommodation standard only conforms to the Resort Development Spectrum of Phase 3 C. Couran Cove Island Resort should raise the accommodation standard and build more facilities D. the principal group visiting the resort is international tourists E. its carrying capacity will restrict the future business expansion.
