Writing guidebooks

You are going to read a magazine article about travel guidebooks. For questions
(A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.
1-8, choose the answer
Writing guidebooks
Niclr. Inman on v'here trtntel gr.ricle ctuthctrs are gcting.
Whcn I tell sonreone I rvrite travel gr:idc's for a living, I can
see the envy in their eyes. '365 days'paid holiday a year,'
they think. Ancl rvhy sliould Itell thern it's really not at all
like that'l I've n'rade a pretty goocl living oui ol it. Only
norv. I'r.r.r tol{ the so-called holiday is about to end.
It
ri,as r.videly reported last year tlrat sales
fiÌling fast. thanks to developments
ol
gLridebooks
the Internet and
mobile phones. It rlakes sense. Why bother taking a heavv
book with you when you can download all the inforr.nation
yor.r need to yorrr phone as you r.valk arouncl the cathedral'/
are
ir.r
Wnting a ne\v book ttbout a place is a rer',,arding job.
but one that's becoming a rarity. PLrblishers are more
concerned rvith keeping existing books up to date t}ran
bringing out new ones in an already crorvded market. This
is understandirble. since every guidebook is actually out of
date as soon as it is pLrblished. It may have been researched
a yeatr before being printed ancl it could have sat o1l the
bookshop shell tòr a year or two, so its inf-ornration nright
be three years old by the tiure the reacler r.rses it ìn practicc.
It is hardly sLirprising. tlreref-ore. that son're publishers are
investing alniost as much in upclating and rcdcsigning
their books as tiley dicl creating tirenr. Updatins gLrides is
norvaciays a goocl rvay fbr ner.r' u,riters to get startecl.
if the Internet via a nrobile phone can deliver
intbrrnatior.r lLrst as ri cÌl as printed papcr br-rt mr-rch
fàster, at alnrost r'ìn cost. is thcre a luture tbr thc printed
gLriclebook'l Other books you lead at honre, but a trar,el
gLride\ nrain purpose is fbr urgenl rcference u'Ìren you're
clcsperate to fincl accournrodation or sonreu,lrere to eat.
Using a nroelern cellphone. any travelle'r ciìn ntru, eu-joy ir
BLrt
'paperless holiday'. Want to knolv the opening tinres o1'the
nruseur.r'r'.) Look thenr rrp online. Necd sonre infòrnration or.r
the ancient building yoLl re standing in'J Dorvnload it.
'We elid an erperinrent last year r,vhen u,e went to IFVRo'1
fVlacedouia and Scrbia.' says Jan Dodd, author olthe Roir.q/r
'The speaker is reierring to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
Guides to Vietnan.r and Japan. 'We had no guidebook but
got by fine with internet cafés. using online sources lor
train infòrmation. hoteÌs. even restaurants occasionally. We
the historical bacl<ground. bLrt you cor-rld probzrbly
fìnd tlrat online, too.'
n.rissc-d
Although sales
o1' son.rc guidebook series are not doins
rveli.
the
so
ef'fects of the lT rcvohrtior.r may not prove as
serious as they fìrst seenl. People get excited about ne'*,
technology and forget to think clearly. 'l sau' ont- toLrrist
couple lvho u,erc carrying around all their clorvnloads in a
pile olneat plastic enrelopes.' otrserved Nick Rider, author
ol Cado-eant Yucatiin and Mayan lVlerico guides, afier a
recent trip. 'The fact that people print things out means that
the prir-rted r,,'ord is still r,ery usetul, though a good book
r,r'oLrlcl actually be much e asier to carry around.'And books
still hai,e sor.ne advantages over cor.ìrputers and rrobile
phones. Not everyone likes looking at a screen. particuiarly
in bright sunlrght. Not everyrvhere on eartl.r l'ras a reliable
internet connection. Ancl ri,ho wiìnts to spend all that tinre
in a I'rotel roorn recharging batterics'.)
The lnternet's strengtll of total ciemocracy. enabling allyorle
to rvrite whatevcr they lrkc. is also its u,eakness.'A huge
aulollnt ol whzrt\ around on the net is boring. unediteci.
untesteci. uninforr.necl and untrustworthy,' says Ricler.
'Another larrge percentage o1'net nraterial is basically
achcrtising, and so eqLrally urrtrurstr,vorthy. Also. internct
searches aboLrt destinations ofien produce facts ancl figr-rres
that are years t.lut of clate.'
Thc travel guidc lvilÌ have to adapt to changing travel habits
bLrt it isn't finished yet. 'The guiclc.book is not uoiug to
disappear -- at least not lor a consiclerable anrour.rt of tinre.
That's thc' general opinion anrong our rrernbers,' says Mary
-fr-avel
'Publisher-s
Annc Evans o1'thc Cuild ol
Writers.
thernselves really do not knolv vr'hat the Internct is capable
of. ancl currently the thinl<ing is thtt the tr,vo rvill coexist.'
Let's hope I'll be 'on holiday' lor a good rvhile yet.
1
How does Nick lnman feel about his job?
A
B
C
D
2
What is meant by 'lt makes sense' in line B?
A
B
C
D
3
whether a gurdebook was necessary.
facts about the two countries' history.
how good her own guidebook was.
how to travel and where to stay.
had made the best possible use of modern technology.
probably should have taken a guidebook with them.
need not have taken any written tourist informaiion.
had almost cerlainly printed out the wrong information.
Which of the followinq best describes what Nick Rider says about the lnternet?
A
B
C
D
B
They contain information that cannot be found elsewhere.
People tend to study them before they set off on a journey.
They are still cheaper than using more modern technology.
People use them when they need information in a hurry.
ln Nick Rider's opinion, the two people he observed
A
B
C
D
7
updating
investing
creating
redesigning
The main purpose of Jan Dodd's experiment was to find out
A
B
C
D
6
This is not surprising.
lt is foolish to thìnk that.
What does Nick lnman suggest about guidebooks in the fourth paragraph?
A
B
C
D
5
This is parlly true.
lt is not easy to understand.
What does 'did' in line 22 refer to?
A
B
C
D
4
He isn't paid enough money for it.
lt is a pity that it has now finished.
He likes being on holiday all the time.
People have the wrong idea about it.
lts travel adveftisements usually give the best information.
lt is quiie difficult to find reliable travel information there.
lnformation about the places tourists vtsit is regutarly updated.
The processing of information is not democratic enough.
What does Mary Anne Evans say about the future of traveller information?
A
B
C
D
People will want to use boih the lnternet and guidebooks.
Publrshers are sure the lnternet cannot compete with guidebooks.
Before long, guidebooks will no longer be available.
There will always be a demand for guidebooks as they are now.
Reading Part 2
you are going to read an article about blogs (the internet sites where individuals regularly write their
Choose from
own thoùghti and comments). Seven sentences have been removed from the arlicle.
you do
which
sentence
one
extra
is
(9-15).
There
gap
the sentences A-H the one which fits each
not need to use.
S% Get bloggingl
Do you want others to read what you write
online? Try setting up a blog with Susan
Purcell's guide to getting stafted.
Short lor'rveblogs'. blogs began as online diaries, but these
days many are useful and entertairlirrg sources ol neu's and
infbrmation. A blog is really a kind of rnini-rvebsitc. but
with one big difference: it costs nothir.rg. or very little' to
run. Wl'rat ntakes blogs difTerent frotrr tlost lvebsites is
that they are updated regularll" and they are interactive
readers can coultllent on rvhat you rvrite.
You type your text as if it \\rere anv article and
the softu,are of the blog colllpany does the rest. Each tirlre
a'post" that gets
,vou add another piece of text. knovu'n as
published at the top of the page ar.rd everything else llloves
frl--l
dou,n.
More tl-ran 130 ntillion blogs irave been started on the r'r'eb
and around a million blog posts are uritten ererl' dety'
Every blog is different: sonte have only one author. sorne
are tl-re rvork of t\\'o or n'rore people' sonle are strcat.ns of
nonsense about nothing in particLrlat Ifo T--_l These ate
ofien the ones that attract nlost colllments.
People blog for diffèrent reasolls. Sorne blogs are platf-orl'rls
1'or the writers' or.vn opiniorls. some bloggers u'ritc to
prorllote themselves atrd sholv ofl their skills. souc el'etl
sell stuflon their blogs. Other bloggers rvrite to get in touch
u,ith people who l'rave similar viervs, while some blog to
f ilT-_l
Blogs can be passrvordprotectecl so that they can only be read by those who are
share their knowletlge.
allorved to vieu'them.
The best blogs are those that specialise- If you cover too
r'vide a topic area, you'll find it dilficult to attract a loyal
audience. People go to their tàvourite blog regularly. as
they know the1"ll alr'vays firtd somethiug of interesl there'
f12-f -l You'll corle across as knowledgeable and
otl.rers rvith the satl-re interest
will visit regularly'
It is very easy to set up a blog. You can be onlinc u'ithitr a
felv n'tinutes of operling all account. Start by looking at as
rrany blogs as possible to get ideas. Most blogs publish a
'blogroll', or list of links to other blogs. so click on those
to vieu, rnore exar.r1pt.t.
FET--I
The biggest and tnost
user-frientlly are free, althoLrgh their all offer slightly
diflerent leatures. so make sure you investigate and choose
the one tltat provides lvhat you want.
You catt write as rnuch or as littlc as you like br'rt you lllLlst
but
a<1d posts regularly. It is best to rvrite every lew da1's'
a
couple
or
rveekends
at
only
you
do
so
if
it doesn't nlatter
of tit'r'res a ntonth, so lor.rg as your readers know when to
expect posts. It is tiustrating to visit a fàvourite blog only
to find that it hasn't been updated as expected' You lr'on't
-l
Utogt.l-14TBlogging about items in the news will help iucrerlse yolLr
always have the time to write long
readership, as more people rvill bc searcl.rirlg for that topic'
It is oftcn more satisfying to attract regular
f15-n
readers r',4ro interact rvitl.r yotr. so rvrite about what you
kuow, check your facts anil don't be afrald to say things
people rnay disagree u'ith it's a good way of attr"acting
conllrerlts. You'll soon have a 1oyal audierrce who will
spread the u,ord about Your blog.
On those days, refer your visitors to another blog,
something in the press or a video clip on the
Internet.
Many, though, are clever, informative and well
written.
When yolr've done this, you'11 be asked to choose
a name for your blog, so have something ready.
They don't want a wasted visit, so stick to your
own particular subject.
E
No technical knowledge is required to blog.
F
Howevel blogging is not necessarily about
gaining a wide audience.
Teachers, for instance, often blog to help students
to catch up when they miss a class.
Next yon need to select
a
blog company.
Reading Part 3
You are going to read a magazine article about ways of reducing the environmental harm we do.
For questions 16-30, choose from the people (A-D) The people may be chosen more than once.
Which person
rry--l
avoids waste by selecting items carefully?
m--l
Frl-l
says other people have followed their example?
was illfor a short time?
believes the climate in their country has changed?
thinks that keeping things for long periods of time harms the environment?
.!
F!]--l
rei-l
sometimes forgets to do something that they feel they should do?
Ffl--l
claims that they are healthier than other people?
rET--l
tri--l
found it quite easy to change their daily habits?
makes different cÀoices according to the time
of
year?
lEl--l
has followed the advice of a colleague?
F{--l
changed their original plans for environmental reasons?
tr.1--l
sometimes feels physically uncomfortable because of a change they made?
says the damage to the environment is permanent?
agreed with the others they were wiih about what they should do first?
spent a lot more than they intended?
trT-l
r;[--]
t;-[-r
I-"ll
t;;[--l
ffimw&mg
&&rum
School stlrde nt Carla Ruiz lives iu a hot country and
has beconte very ziware oltlie necd to s:ìvc water.
'Spring and auturln used tcl bc quite rvct. but these days
it hardly rains at all.'she says. 'Neally all tl're rivers havc
dricci up. destloying all the wildlife in arrci arouncl theut.
and no nliìtter r,r,'hat'ul,e c1o they'11 ncver be the sante
again. At least. thoLrgh. we carl r-rse rvhat little uater
thcre is nrot'e seitsibly. That'.s rvhy iit honte I reccntly
dccidecl to do simplc things like ural<inq sut'c tltere are
no drippine taps. or taps lefi on u,hile I'rn brushirrg ntv
tecih ol n'ashing fòod. also having sholvers instcacl o{'
baths ancl not o\.e ru,rÌtcring thc plants. \Vithin a 1èi,i cla1.,s
I uas regularil,cloing these things u'ithoul er,cn ihinking.
and I kno*, thcy ntade a difl'erence because the rvatcr
bills u,ent dori,n qLrite a bit. ivi), parents noticed that so
thcy startcd doing 1he sante. and our bills are nou'a lot
lo\\
Trainee nlanager. Vinccnt Olven, is c'loing his bit to save
the planct by using less electricity alouncl llte honre. 'l
u,as talking to tltis euy at u,orl< and he tolcl nte that rve
\\,astc a huqc antour.rt ol'cncrgv every yeiìr by leaviitg
things liì<c tltc T\2. DVD ancl cornputer on standby all
the tinre . so novn,adays I tty to rerne utbe r - not always
-
to s\\,itclt them oflat niglit. Sontething
though. is keep tite irit'-conclitionirrg
off. c1,s11 if I gct a bit too sweaty here in suilllllcr.
lnciclenially. l'r,e noli, go1 solar pancls on thc i-ooi'so
that alltirc hot u'ater is pou,crcd by tirc sr-rn. Tltat vvas a
big investnrerrt. and ii citclcd up ri'eli or,cl budgei. but
l'nr surc it'll pay lbr iiself in the end. i r,vas hopine the
ncishboui.s nright go lor solar e lterg), too. bui as yet
tltere's no sign thcv u'ill.'
sLrcccssl'Lrll1,
I
alr.r,ays clo nou,"
Cl'.
Tanva Petrov rvorks in a restaurant ri'ith an ertcnsivc
nrenu. but at irontc site u,ill only,eat local or seasoual
lood: 'l strongly believe that transpol-ting ibod
thousands of kilornetrcs. or storing it ur.rclci' r-e fì'igelation
Whilc Lin Chen is on a gap year. she is travelling
rounti E,ulope lvith fì-iends. 'We had intendccl to 1ìy
cvcrvrl,here.' slre sa1,'s. 'but u,hen u,e u,orked oirt just
tbr nronths
hou' nrrich ertla pollu{ion that rvould callse. \,!'e decided
io clo it bY train instead. It u'as cheaper. too.'They beqan
the
W\emm&
ir iour- in (ìreece. 'trie all f-elt the obvious place to
start lvas u4te re European civilisation began. so ollr
first lailjourney begatr in Athens. \Ve travellecl to Patras
on the west coast. taking the lèrry across to Bari in
sor-rtl.iern Italv. Unlortunately
it was very rvindy and
I
had a bad case olsea-sickt'ress, thor.rgh, by the time rve
lvere
01ì
the traitl to Bologna. I'd recovered. Frorn ihere
rve took tl-re ove rnigl-rt train to Paris. and a ferv days later
w'e \\rent on the E,r-rrostar to London. We saw far n'rore
ol
the cour.rtrysicle than we u,ould have rlone by plane. and
ii rvas much more rclaxing" too.'
cnclilltintately has a highly negatir e
in'rpact on thc clinrate. I alr,,,ays try to buy t-ood that is
produced locally, and I have a special calendar 1o shou,
rre ri,hich kincls of fbod alc in season so that Iknor.r,
r.vhat I'r'n bLrying ts really l'r'esh. And I airi,ays check the
"best-bcfore" date s of fì'esh fi-uit ancl vegclables bcfore
I choose ther.n so I don't eud up hat,ing to throu,anlt
or-rt. Apart f'r-om ihe cnvirontlentaI cilnsiclerations. I'n.r
o.n
convinced the fbod I eat. u4rich has far fèrver chernicals
in it. helps r.ne avoid the kincl olilhtesses that seer.n to be
so comlllou these days.'

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