Long ago, children in the 1. ________ (industry) areas of Europe and America seldom left their smoky cities to see the beauty of the countryside. Thatˈs 2.________ the woods and fields were too far from the city to permit people 3. ________ (make) a round trip between morning and nightfall. Whatˈs more, factory workers 4. ________ (have) no extra money to send their children on country holidays away from home.
In 1907 a young German schoolmaster had an idea 5. ________ changed the
situation. He decided to turn his little schoolhouse 6. ________ a dormitory for the
summer holidays. Anyone who brought his sleeping bag and cooking 7. ________ (equip) along could stay there for a very small amount of money. The idea was 8. ________ success. A few years later the schoolhouse became too small to hold so many young people who wanted to stay there. So, another dormitory 9. ________ (build) in an old castle nearby. This was the first youth hostel (青年旅社).
Today young students and workers of every country can meet in hostels. They spend a week 10. ________ more there, seeing the surrounding sights and meeting the people of the area.