黑色旅游

 　　Rob: Welcome to 6 Minute English. I’m Rob.

　　Neil: And I'm Neil. Hello.

　　Rob: Today we’re talking about an unusual type of tourism. Tourism is the business of providing services such as transport, places to stay, or entertainment for people who are on holiday.

　　Neil: But instead of providing sunny holidays in a nice hotel by the sea - this is where tourists travel to sites of death, brutality¹ and terror. It's being called 'dark tourism'. Rob, have you ever been to any dark tourist destination - or place?

　　Rob: Yes. I've visited Auschwitz in Poland - a fascinating trip to an obviously depressing place. And next month I'm planning to go to Chernobyl - the site of a catastrophic nuclear accident in 1986.

　　Neil: So these are not your typical sightseeing trips but a visit to places that make you curious because of their significance - their importance - in history?

　　Rob: Exactly. We'll talk more about this soon but not before I set you today's question. Robben Island in South Africa is one dark tourism destination. It's where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned² for 18 years. Do you know in which year it finally closed as a prison?

　　a) 1991

　　b) 1996

　　c) 1999

　　Neil: I don't know but I'm going to guess a) 1991 because I think he was released in 1989 and surely they would have shut it down pretty quickly after that.

　　Rob: I'll reveal the answer later. So let’s talk more about 'dark tourism'. The word 'dark' is used here because it relates to places that are connected with bad or sinister³ things or things that could be considered morally wrong.

　　Neil: It's strange to want to visit places like these. There is what we call a morbid⁴ fascination⁵ - that's showing an interest in things connected with death and destruction. And these kinds of trips are on the increase.

　　Rob: Yes, there are organised tours to places like Ground Zero in New York, the killing⁶ fields in Cambodia and the nuclear power station in Chernobyl.

　　Neil: And there are the battlefields of World War I and II - and the top security prison of Alcatraz.

　　Rob: There are also plans to turn the disaster site of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan into a tourist destination - once the radiation is reduced.

　　Neil: But why do people want to visit these macabre⁷ sites? Well I mentioned curiosity and a chance to learn about history - but sometimes people just feel compelled to visit them.

　　Rob: But what about the ethics⁸ of dark tourism - is it wrong to make this trip? Are we not just exploiting - making money or cashing in on someone's suffering?

　　Neil: Doctor Phillip Stone is an expert in this subject. He's director of the Institute for Dark Tourism Research. He says this type of tourism isn't new - people have been visiting these types of places for years. He says it's always been there…

　　Doctor Phillip Stone, Director of the Institute for Dark Tourism Research:

　　It's not new in the sense that we are fascinated by other death and people's suffering. But it's how it's packaged up by the tourist industry.

　　Rob: So he says dark tourism isn't new. In fact a medieval execution was an early form of dark tourism. Maybe it's just human nature that draws us to these places? Doctor Stone says it's all about how these dark trips are packaged. So it depends how they are sold and how tasteful they are - are they sensitive to the horrors of what has taken place?

　　Neil: Yes, being able to walk around a historic site or visit a museum is one thing but how about staying in a former prison in Latvia and paying to be treated like a prisoner? Or how about crawling around Vietnamese war tunnels whilst people fire guns outside?

　　Rob: Maybe that is taking the experience too far. Doctor Stone says there is a "blurred⁹ line between memorialisation and tourism". He means it is hard to separate going to remember an event and the people who've died with visiting somewhere as part of a holiday.

　　Neil: Another issue when visiting these places is how you remember your visit - you must be respectful - perhaps taking photos, yes, but should you take a 'selfie'? And should you buy a souvenir or send a postcard home?

　　Rob: Well you certainly wouldn't write on your postcard 'wish you were here'. Anyway, let's now reveal the answer to the question I set you earlier.

　　Neil: Yes, this was about the former prison on Robben Island which is now a popular destination for dark tourism.

　　Rob: I asked you when it finally closed as a prison. Was it in:

　　a) 1991

　　b) 1996

　　c) 1999

　　Neil: I said 1991.

　　Rob: And you were wrong actually. It was in 1996. About 350,000 people now visit the site every year - which shows how much interest there is in a place that you would have once never wanted to go near. Is it somewhere you would like to visit Neil?

　　Neil: I'm not sure about dark tourism to be honest.

　　Rob: Ok Neil, could you remind us of some of the vocabulary we’ve heard today:

　　Neil: Yes, we heard:

　　tourism

　　depressing

　　catastrophic

　　curious

　　morally wrong

　　morbid fascination

　　macabre

　　compelled

　　ethics

　　exploiting

　　human nature

　　tasteful

　　memorialisation

　　respectful

　　Rob: Thanks. We hope you’ve enjoyed today’s programme. Please join us again soon for 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English.

　　Both: Bye.

1 brutality   

n.野蛮的行为，残忍，野蛮

参考例句：

• The brutality of the crime has appalled the public. 罪行之残暴使公众大为震惊。
• a general who was infamous for his brutality 因残忍而恶名昭彰的将军

2 imprisoned   

下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was imprisoned for two concurrent terms of 30 months and 18 months. 他被判处30个月和18个月的监禁，合并执行。
• They were imprisoned for possession of drugs. 他们因拥有毒品而被监禁。

3 sinister   

adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的

参考例句：

• There is something sinister at the back of that series of crimes.在这一系列罪行背后有险恶的阴谋。
• Their proposals are all worthless and designed out of sinister motives.他们的建议不仅一钱不值，而且包藏祸心。

4 morbid   

adj.病的；致病的；病态的；可怕的

参考例句：

• Some people have a morbid fascination with crime.一些人对犯罪有一种病态的痴迷。
• It's morbid to dwell on cemeteries and such like.不厌其烦地谈论墓地以及诸如此类的事是一种病态。

5 fascination   

n.令人着迷的事物，魅力，迷恋

参考例句：

• He had a deep fascination with all forms of transport.他对所有的运输工具都很着迷。
• His letters have been a source of fascination to a wide audience.广大观众一直迷恋于他的来信。

6 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

7 macabre   

adj.骇人的，可怖的

参考例句：

• He takes a macabre interest in graveyards.他那么留意墓地，令人毛骨悚然。
• Mr Dahl was well-known for his macabre adult stories called 'Tales of the Unexpected'.达尔先生以成人恐怖小说集《意料之外的故事》闻名于世。

8 ethics   

n.伦理学；伦理观，道德标准

参考例句：

• The ethics of his profession don't permit him to do that.他的职业道德不允许他那样做。
• Personal ethics and professional ethics sometimes conflict.个人道德和职业道德有时会相互抵触。

9 blurred   

v.（使）变模糊( blur的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）难以区分；模模糊糊；迷离

参考例句：

• She suffered from dizziness and blurred vision. 她饱受头晕目眩之苦。
• Their lazy, blurred voices fell pleasantly on his ears. 他们那种慢吞吞、含糊不清的声音在他听起来却很悦耳。 来自《简明英汉词典》