【推荐1】Construction on Knolly's Tunnel began in 1896， and it was opened on August 13th， 1898 by the man it was named after--Sir Clement C． Knolly， Acting Governor of Trinidad． It linked Rio Claro with Port of Spain． Its architecture is still admired and studied today， and many are amazed that Knolly's Tunnel has stood up to the earth's movement over so many years．

Much research is being done on the tunnel． At the top of Knolly's Tunnel are cottages covered with leaves， where visitors can sit and enjoy the beauty of nature． Standing at the beginning of Knolly's Tunnel， you can see nothing but the tiny light at the end． The train tracks have been removed and replaced with small stones． Visitors can drive through the tunnel or walk through， but should do so in groups for safety． In the old days， there were no lights， but now there are street lights on the way to the tunnel， though not inside．

On your way in， you may notice some manholes on the walls of the tunnel． These were there for individuals to step into for safety as the train passed． Knolly's Tunnel can be accessed through Tabaquite and through Mitchell Gap． The road was recently improved， but is better when you enter from Tabaquite， and there are signs on the road directing you to Knolly's Tunnel．

On the drive to Knolly's Tunnel there are two other cottages where visitors can sit and just enjoy nature． At the site itself， there is nothing to purchase to eat or drink， but in Tabaquite there are several bars， a restaurant， and food outlets． A gas station and a health centre are also close by．

For those who admire architecture， Knolly's Tunnel is a must-see when visiting Trinidad． For the nature lovers， there is no better place for them to be and for the historians， they can walk or drive through Knolly's Tunnel knowing that many of our ancestors toiled （worked hard） on its structure． So when you visit Trinidad， don't forget to take a look at Knolly's Tunnel!

1. Knolly's Tunnel is special in ______ ．

A．its environment	B．its function
C．its location	D．its architecture

2. The underlined word "site" in the paragraph 4 refers to ______ ．

A．Trinidad	B．Tabaquite
C．Mitchell Gap	D．Knolly's Tunnel

3. What is the purpose of the passage？ ______

A．To suggest a visit to Knolly's Tunnel．

B．To introduce the history of Knolly's Tunnel．

C．To evaluate the value of Knolly's Tunnel．

D．To witness the change of Knolly's Tunnel

4. The passage above is probably taken from ______ ．

A．a geography textbook	B．a travel journal
C．a sports report	D．a health and fitness magazine

【推荐2】A couple of weeks ago my parents came to visit me in the southwest of France during my break. As a little surprise for them I planned a trip to a small village in the Pyrenees Mountains called Niaux to seethe famous “Grotte de Niaux”. My dad told me so many stories about the famous “grottes” of Southern France: Lascaux, Font-de-Gaume and the Cave of Niaux. These caves contain paintings drawn between17,000 and 11,000 years ago! Advances in science and technology have enabled scientists and historians to date the paintings accurately by carbon dating （碳定年法）and discover the tools with which people used to draw the paintings, as well as the materials they used. My dad studied these caves when he was a college student, but he didn't have the chance to see one personally. Therefore, I decided to change it!

Many caves that contain prehistoric paintings are no longer accessible to the public. The carbon dioxide that we breathe out and the harsh artificial lights quickly degrade the quality of the paintings, and for many caves, now visitors can only see reconstructions of the original paintings. However, Niaux is an exception. By limiting the number of people allowed in the cave at a time and limiting the artificial lights used to light the paintings, the paintings in Niaux have been well protected so that visitors can see the originals. They were unbelievable! We saw paintings of bison（北美野牛），mountain goats and deer carved on the walls as though they had been done yesterday. They were actually drawn around14,000 years ago!

Many people believe that these paintings were drawn as part of an almost religious ritual(仪式），while others believe they represent the life experiences of the men and women who lived in these caves many years ago. Maybe we will never know for sure why the paintings were drawn, but one thing is for certain - those cavemen were far better at drawing than I am!

1. Why did the author's father tell him many stories about the “grottes”？

A．The author asked him to do so.

B．It was his father's duty.

C．His father was interested in them.

D．They weren't known to the author.

2. What can visitors only see of the original paintings in many caves?

A．Shadows.	B．Copies.
C．Models.	D．Introductions.

3. What makes the paintings in Niaux unbelievable?

A．Good protection.	B．Great skill.
C．Good quality.	D．Dark light.

4. We can know from the text that________.

A．this was the second time that the author' s father had visited Niaux.

B．visitors don't know the material used to draw the pictures in Niaux.

C．only the carbon dioxide people breathe out degraded the quality of the paintings.

D．visitors don't know clearly why the paintings were drawn.

【推荐3】The Silk Road is arguably the most famous lung-distance trade route of the ancient world. This passage connected Europe in the West with China in the East, and allowed the exchange of goods, technology, and ideas between the two civilizations. Although merchants could make huge profit travelling the road, it was not without risk.

The main Silk Road started in Chang’an (known today as Xi’an), the early Han capital. Travelers commencing their journey from this city could take a northern route that would take them across China’s northwestern provinces. After this, they would face the Gobi Desert, arguably the greatest danger of the Silk Road.

The Gobi Desert, the largest desert in Asia, consists-mainly of rocky, hard earth. This feature made it easier for traders to travel across, compared to sandy deserts like the neighboring Taklamakan Desert. Like other deserts, the Gobi Desert is dry and hot, and therefore the biggest challenge travelers faced was obtaining enough water for themselves as well as for their camels.

So, rest stops were created along the route, allowing travelers to rest, cat and drink. These places also promoted the exchange of goods, and even ideas, amongst the travelers who stopped there. Usually, the rest stops were placed within a day’s journey of each other. In this way, travelers could avoid spending too much time in the desert, which would make them targets for robbers, another danger of the Silk Road.

Once through the Gobi Desert, travelers would continue their journey into Iran, Turkey, and finally Europe. Whilst this part of the journey may have been less dangerous, it is not entirely without its perils.

1. The underlined word “it” in the first paragraph refers to ________.

A．making huge profits	B．traveling the Silk Road
C．exchanging goods and ideas	D．connecting different civilizations

2. Why was the Gobi Desert easier to cross than other deserts?

A．The desert’s surface was easier to walk on.	B．Camels for transportation were easier to find.
C．It was smaller and could be crossed in less time.	D．There were more natural water sources available.

3. What can we guess about the rest stops in the Gobi Desert?

A．Travelers were offered free accommodation.

B．They were located around the edges of the desert.

C．Travelers staying there were often attacked by criminals.

D．They were shared by travelers from different countries.

4. What is the passage mainly about?

A．The origins of the Silk Road.	B．The benefits of the Silk Road.
C．The difficulties faced by Silk Road travelers.	D．The cultural exchanges among Silk Road travelers.

【推荐1】Earth Day is the name given to two different annual activities that are intended to raise awareness about a wide range of environmental issues and problems and to inspire people to take personal action to address them. Except for that general goal, the two events are unrelated, even though both were founded about a month apart in 1970 and both have gained wide acceptance and popularity ever since.

In the United States, Earth Day is celebrated by most people on April 22, but there is another celebration that predates that one by about a month and is celebrated internationally.

The first Earth Day celebration took place on March 21, 1970, the vernal equinox that year. It was the brainchild of John McConnell, a newspaper publisher and influential community activist who proposed the idea of a global holiday called Earth Day at a UNESCO Conference on the Environment in 1969. McConnell suggested the day to remind people of their shared responsibility of environmental protection. He chose the vernal equinox—the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere and the first day of autumn in the southern hemisphere—because it is a day of renewal.

At the vernal equinox (always March 20 or March 21), night and day are the same lengths everywhere on Earth. McConnell believed that Earth Day should be a time of equilibrium when people could put aside their differences and recognize their common need to protect Earth's resources. On February 26, 1971, the United Nations announced that it would celebrate Earth Day annually on the vernal equinox, thereby officially establishing the March date as the international Earth Day.

1. Which of the following is probably NOT included in Earth Day's issues?

A．Climate changes.	B．Green travel.
C．World peace.	D．Industrial pollution.

2. The reason why the first Earth Day was celebrated on March 21 is that     .

A．it was proposed by a famous person who had wide influences in public

B．people usually share responsibilities of environmental protection on that day

C．it is a day that indicates spring or autumn is going to come in

D．it inspires people's common concern for protecting Earth's resources

3. What does the underlined word “equilibrium “in paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．Celebration.

B．Equipment.

C．Definition.

D．Balance.

4. What is the common feature of the two Earth Days?

A．They are both celebrated worldwide.	B．They are related with each other closely.
C．They cover many environmental issues.	D．The United Nations admitted them officially.

【推荐2】The United States is a country of immigrants. It is a place where people from all over the world come to build a better life. Some immigrants bring their families. Some bring a few of their favorite things. Others come alone with nothing but determination. One thing that every immigrant brings with them is their culture.

American immigration began in 1607 with the colony of Jamestown. In 1620, another group of people left England to build a settlement in America. They wanted to go to a place where they could practice their religion freely. Then many more people left their homes in Europe to build a better life in America. Many also came to America from Africa. By 1770, more than two million people had moved to America. Later on, more people came to the United States than ever before. In cities all over America, you can see different cultures that formed this country. Many things that you may think of as being “American” are actually from a foreign culture. Some of the best examples of this are the foods people eat. Pizza and spaghetti are foods that all Americans know and love. But both of them are from Italy. Baseball is an all-American sport. But the hot dogs that people eat during the game are a type of food that was brought to America by German immigrants.

Over time, pizza and hot dogs have become a part of what is considered to be American food. In the same way, different groups of people have come together to define what an American is. An American can be a person of any background. An American can be of any faith. An American can be of any skin color. They can speak English clearly. They can speak English with an accent. Each new immigrant adds something new to American culture. It will keep changing as more people come to this country.

1. Why do many foreigners move to America?

A．To achieve individual dreams.	B．To avoid political punishment.
C．To reunite with the beloved ones.	D．To improve the life quality.

2. Several foods are mentioned in the text to show ______.

A．they have a long history in America	B．America is made up of different cultures
C．America is a country full of tasty foods	D．they are very popular with Americans

3. The author probably agrees that American culture is________.

A．diverse

B．strange

C．simple

D．advanced

4. What would be the best title for the text?

A．Immigrants and Their American Dreams	B．America: a Land of Opportunity
C．America: a Melting Pot of Cultures	D．Life in the US: Culture Shock

【推荐3】Some penguins(企鹅)adapt their calls to become more similar to their partners over time，an ability that was previously known in only a few species, including humans.

Luigi Baciadonna at the University of Turin, Italy, and his coworkers recorded African penguins from three different colonies(群体)over three years, and also observed the behavioral patterns of one of the colonies to see which penguins were partners or friendly.

They then analyzed specific vocal(嗓音的)calls, which the penguins made when they were alone or trying to keep track of their friends.They compared four distinct vocal signatures such as the frequency of the calls. The signatures became more similar over time for penguins that were partners or in the same colony, and for penguins that heard more of each other’s calls.

This adaptation could make it easier for penguins to find their partners and friends in a colony. “Imagine that you are in a pub, you are with your friends and your environment is quite noisy,” says Baciadonna. “What you do is try to talk in a certain way so that your communication is more effective.”

The ability to adapt calls in response to the environment, known as vocal accommodation, is a key part of vocal learning, a more complex set of skills such as producing new sounds through learning. Identifying which species display vocal accommodation could provide clues to how vocal learning developed. Baciadonna and his team also propose that this accommodation could help with group harmony and social bonds between individual penguins.

The distance of penguins from humans on the evolutionary tree suggests that vocal accommodation could be common to many species, but a lot more data needs gathering first. “There could be a huge variety of different species that are able to adapt their calls slightly, but we don’t know that yet,” says Sara Torres Ortiz at the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology.

1. What does the underlined word “signatures” mean in paragraph 3?

A．Effects.	B．Characteristics.
C．Sources.	D．Adjustments.

2. What is the intention of the quotes from Baciadonna in paragraph 4?

A．To explain the reason why penguins adapt their calls.

B．To highlight the role communication plays in social life.

C．To prove humans’ ability to recognize each other's voices.

D．To stress the difference between human and animal sounds.

3. What remains to be explored according to Sara Torres Ortiz?

A．Whether penguins can promote group harmony.

B．Whether all species can adapt to the environment.

C．Whether more species display vocal accommodation.

D．Whether penguins and humans are similar in vocal learning.

4. What is the main idea of the text?

A．Vocal learning involves a complex set of skills.

B．Vocal accommodation helps build up social bonds.

C．Penguins produce similar sounds even in different colonies.

D．Penguins adapt their accents to sound more like their partners.

【推荐1】An ancient plant, amaranth, is drawing attention throughout the world and connecting indigenous people (土著人) to their history. It has become a billion-dollar food and cosmetic product since the 1970s. The ancient grain can be found in greater numbers of grocery stores in the US and Mexico, and increasingly in the Asia Pacific and Europe. 

“This is a plant that could feed the world,” Beata Tsosie-Pena, a coordinator of the environmental health and justice program at nonprofit Tewa Women United, told The Guardian.  

Amaranth is actually a grain, like buckwheat (荞麦), and native to Mesoamerica, a region including southern Mexico and many counties in Central America. Its seed is a highly nutritious source of protein, vitamins and minerals. It’s proved to be an attractive product for health-conscious shoppers.

A single amaranth plant produces hundreds of seeds and can be grown in a wide variety of climates and countries from India, China, Southeast Asia, West Africa and the Caribbean. Growing amaranth has also provided a degree of economic independence for indigenous farmers in Guatemala and the US, according to The Guardian. 

It’s this resilience that allowed the plant to survive over the centuries, even when the Spanish arrived in the America in the 16th century and outlawed (宣布……非法) amaranth. Even after facing a near-extinction event in Guatemala when state forces targeted the Maya people and burned their fields, farmers preserved their amaranth seeds by hiding them in jars in the field and under their floorboards. 

“What we want is for the whole world to produce their own food,” Maria Aurelia Xitumul, a member of agricultural community Qachuu Aloom, told The Guardian. “For the seeds, distance doesn’t exist. Borders don’t exist.”

Most recently, Xitumul said that during the pandemic, people with their own gardens, especially in locked down communities, felt secure knowing they had control over their food supply, thanks to amaranth.

“Amaranth has completely changed the lives of families in our communities, not only economically, but spiritually,” added Xitumul.

1. What do we know about amaranth?

A．It was found in Mesoamerica in the 1970s.

B．It mainly grows in the Americas and Europe.

C．It contains abundant vitamins and minerals.

D．It’s one of the most expensive foods in the world.

2. What does the underlined word “resilience” in paragraph 5 probably mean?

A．The quality of taking nutrients from other plants.

B．The ability to produce many seeds.

C．The quality of growing quickly in extreme weather.

D．The ability to adjust to different environments.

3. What does Xitumul point out?

A．Plants should be grown in line with local conditions.

B．Countries should work together to promote the seeds.

C．Amaranth gave people a sense of security during lockdown.

D．Amaranth helped lift many families out of poverty.

4. What is the best title of the article?

A．The value of amaranth.

B．The origin of amaranth.

C．The popularity of amaranth.

D．The wide application of amaranth.