For thousands of years men have been wandering around—for
pleasure, for profit, or to satisfy their curiosity. When the only means of
transportation were horses, camels and small boats, travelers were already
crossing seas and deserts to acquire rare goods or to visit famous places. For
the pure joy o{ learning, scholars ventured into distant kingdoms and observed
their customs. They tasted the foods; they questioned the wise men about their
gods and their history; they sat in fearful admiration on the banks of newly
discovered rivers. Then they went back home reflecting upon what they had seen,
and perhaps they wrote a book or two about their discoveries. Slowly, nations
learned about each other, men met and ideas spread—for better or
worse. There was a time, close to ours, when artists and writers
traveled all over Europe and sometimes further to study ancient works of art and
to exchange ideas and methods with their foreign colleagues. Poor adventurers
traveled on foot while rich ones in comfort. Two centuries ago, it became
fashionable for wealthy families to send their grown children to foreign
countries where they would complete their education. A young man was expected to
acquire good manners and a taste for literature in France, an appreciation of
music in Germany, and some feeling of history in Roman Forum.
Thus all kinds of travelers learned and dreamed through the centuries. But
their number was always limited, for they were only a privileged minorities—the
rich, the free, the talented and the adventurous—who could enjoy a pleasure
unknown by the great masses. This is not true any more.
Railroads, ships, buses, and airplanes have made travel easier, faster and
cheaper, and the number of people who can spare the time and the money to take
trips has grown enormously. It is not reserved to a lucky few, nowadays, to
admire Inca temples, giant Buddhas, French castles and Australian kangaroos.
Millions of people do each year. But instead of being called travelers, they are
known as tourists and they are seen all over the world—floating down the Amazon,
taking a pleasure trip by boat to Alaska, flying from Timbuktu(延巴克图，马里) to
Easter Island, and taking picture of Norwegian churches and Pakistani
costumes. What’s the function of traveling according to Paragraph 1