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The world-famous Inca site Machu Picchu in Peru is [growing / going] to get an airport. Peru's government started [prepare / preparing] the ground for the airport [earlier / earliest] this week. Around one million tourists visit Machu Picchu every year. Government [officials / officially] hope the new Chinchero International Airport will make [them / it] easier for tourists to reach the site. Getting to Machu Picchu [currently / currency] takes time and requires a bus and train. The [nearest / nearly] airport is 120 kilometers away in the city of Cuzco. The new airport will allow direct international flights into the [lungs / heart] of the Machu Picchu area. The government says this will be a [boost / boast] for the country's tourism industry. More than 7 million passengers a year may [use / usual] the airport.

Machu Picchu was [building / built] in the 15th century by the Inca people. They built it 2,430 meters up on a [musty / misty] peak in the Andes Mountains. It [became / becomes] a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1983. Many people are [unhappily / unhappy] about the building of the new airport. Conservationists say it will [because / cause] a lot of damage to Machu Picchu and its surrounding [rural / royal] communities. Peruvian archaeologist Abel Traslaviña said: "The airport...[engenders / endangers] the conservation of one of the most important historical and archaeological sites in the world. An airport [in / on] the surroundings of the Sacred Valley will affect the integrity of a [complex / complexity] Inca landscape and will cause irreparable damage due to noise, [traffics / traffic] and uncontrolled urbanization."