UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Latin America
Below are some of the best UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Latin America. There are currently many sites listed, so narrowing this list down to only 5 was quite the task.
Chichen Itza, Mexico
The centre of pilgrimage for more than 1,000 years and previously the Yucatán’s most powerful city, the Mayans really did us a favour by creating Chichen Itza. One of the greatest places to visit in Mexico, there’s still so much to enjoy here from ancient carvings in the structures to sound and light shows in the evenings. Highlighted by El Castillo, the striking 30-meter step pyramid makes Chichen Itza stand out among Mexico’s best ruins.
Easter Island, Chile
This remote Polynesian island is famed for its 887 surviving monumental statues. With monuments dating back to the 10th century, the landscape is unlike any other you’ll ever see.
Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala
The former Guatemalan capital is an amazingly well-preserved colonial city known for its colonial church ruins and Spanish Baroque architecture. In 1773, the earthquake-prone area was majorly damaged by an earthquake, which led to its main structures being preserved as ruins and the capital being moved to Guatemala City.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
While Rio is known for many things, its carioca landscapes definitely take the cake. The landscapes comprise major natural elements that have moulded the development of the city and stretch from the top of Tijuca National Park’s highest peak at 1,021 meters down to the sea. Some of its key sites are the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden, hills around Guanabara Bay, and the renowned Christ the Redeemer statue.
Los Glaciares National Park, Argentina
Highlighting the list of the most beautiful places in the world, glacial lakes and rugged mountains are only the beginning of one of South America’s best parks. With ⅓ of the park being covered in ice, the glaciers are some of the most accessible in the world. Wildlife viewing, hiking, and climbing are super popular here along with helicopter rides over the park.
1. What is Chichen Itza, Mexico famous for now?| A．The centre of economy. | B．The most powerful city. |
| C．Mayans’ living place. | D．Ancient carvings and pyramid |
| A．Mexico. | B．Chile. | C．Brazil. | D．Argentina. |
| A．It’s the capital of Guatemalan. |
| B．It’s famous for its Cathedral architectures. |
| C．It was struck by a big earthquake. |
| D．The damaged buildings have been restored. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Are you interested in some holiday information? Welcome to our Festival—Informing Program to get to know some winter festivals!
Diwali
Diwali is a five-day festival of lights celebrated by Indians worldwide in October or November. As part of the festivities, houses, stores and other public places are all decorated with diyas. People celebrate Diwali by cleaning their homes, then leaving the windows and doors of their houses open so that Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, can come in. They dress up in new clothes, exchange gifts, play card games and eat together.
Hanukkah
Hanukkah begins in November or December and lasts for eight days. This Jewish festival celebrates the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem in 165 BC. It's celebrated by lighting one candle each night on a special candleholder. Kids often play games during Hanukkah The most popular game includes a dreidel, a four—sided spinning top with Jewish letters on each side.
Kwanzaa
Kwanzaa is to celebrate African heritage and culture. It was created in 1966 by Dr Maulana Karenga, a professor of Africana Studies and California State University, Long Beach. The festival begins on Dec. 26 and ends on Jan. 1. On each of the nights, the family gathers and a child lights one of the candles on the Kinara (candleholder), and discusses one of the seven principles, which are ideals created by Karenga. People also celebrate Kwanzaa with meals, music, poetry and dancing.
Chinese New Year
The Chinese New Year, or the Spring Festival, falls between mid-January and mid-to-late February and usually lasts for fifteen days. People celebrate by cleaning their homes, then decorating with red paper cutouts, lanterns, etc. Fireworks are set off and there are dragon and lion dances. Family members come together to celebrate. Children receive “luck” money, given in red envelopes.
1. Why do people keep their doors and windows open on Diwali?| A．To let wealth in. | B．To exchange gifts. |
| C．To receive some letters. | D．To make their houses brighter. |
| A．Play a dreidel. | B．Read poems. | C．Attend lectures. | D．Set off fireworks. |
| A．Diwali. | B．Hanukkah. | C．Kwanzaa. | D．Chinese New Year. |
【推荐2】Technology makes our life easier than what we can imagine. Now we don' t need to leave our homes to purchase something because everything is reachable and can be easily found in front of us through a few clicks. Here's a quick glance at the best online shopping sites in the world to make it easier for you to find the best items you need.
Amazon
It is the most popular as the biggest online shopping store in the USA and the whole world. It was founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos and is headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States as an online bookstore and quickly diversified to offer everything you need. It provides its customers with several features such as discounts, fast delivery and a wide range of items at good prices.
eBay
It is one of the most popular online auction and shopping websites that can be found in the whole world. It was founded in 1995 by Pierre Omidyar and is headquartered in California, United States. It helps you to buy and sell different products, which makes this site beneficial for both buyers and sellers.
ASOS
Founded in 2000 by Nick Robertson, Asos is one of the biggest online shopping UK that specializes in presenting everything related to beauty and fashion including men’s and women’s wear. It helps you to narrow your search through making use of trends an collection features in addition to the ability to buy and sell pre-owned clothes through the online marketplace that is presented to you.
Mr. Porter
It is an online retailer that was launched in 2011 in London and specializes in offering what is related to men's style including shoes, clothes and accessories to make you a stylish man. You can find products for major designers such as Alexander McQueen and Ray Ban.
1. Which of the following shopping sites has the longest history?| A．Amazon | B．eBay |
| C．Asos | D．Mr. Porter |
| A．It sells products related to beauty and fashion. |
| B．It offers customers delivery for free in the USA. |
| C．It provides a platform for you to sell your goods. |
| D．It's the biggest online shopping store worldwide. |
| A．Jeff Bezos. | B．Pierre Omidyar. |
| C．Nick Robertson. | D．Ray Ban. |
【推荐3】There are many activities of some famous festivals. Let’s have a look.
Creamfields
The UK’s biggest dance music festival, Creamfields, is preparing a special party for its 25th anniversary (周年纪念日). Held in every August, Creamfields has announced another party of its similar size to take place in the northwest of England to celebrate Creamfields’ tradition.25-28 August; Warrington, England.
Primavera Sound
Barcelona’s ten-day festival Primavera Sound features an impressive list of names from the music field to celebrate its 20th anniversary. Coupled with quiet setting of the city’s Parc del Forum, Primavera Sound may set a new standard for future festivals. 2-11 June; Barcelona, Spain.
Awakenings Festival
Spaarnwoude just outside of Amsterdam will be lit up again with techno brand Awakenings celebrating their 25th anniversary. One of the biggest festivals in electronic music brings the biggest names to Holland. 16-17 July; Spaarnwoude, Netherlands.
Coachella
North America’s most famous music festival firstly intended to celebrate its 25th anniversary in the desert. This year, it has been finally ready, with famous singers waiting to occupy the social media channels of the 125,000 fans. 15-17 October; Indio, California, USA.
1. Which festival will last the longest?| A．Creamfields. | B．Primavera Sound. | C．Awakenings Festival. | D．Coachella. |
| A．Get some nice names. | B．Light Spaarnwoude up. |
| C．Enjoy electronic music. | D．See the views of California. |
| A．They are about music. | B．They will be held in June. |
| C．They will be free of charge. | D．They are the most famous. |
【推荐1】Ru Ling loves spending time in skywells. To her, these courtyards of old houses are the perfect place to be in on a hot and humid day. From 2014 to 2021, Ru lived in a century-old wood-framed home in the village of eastern China’s Anhui province. She moved there for a change of life after living and working in air-conditioned buildings for many years.
A skywell, or “tian jing”, is a typical feature of a traditional home in southern and eastern China. They are relatively common in historic residences in Sichuan, Jiangsu, Anhui and Jiangxi. In today’s rapidly urbanizing (城市化) China, fewer and fewer people live in skywell dwellings—air-conditioned flats in multi-storeyed buildings and tower blocks are the main forms of homes.
But a revival (复苏) of interest in traditional Chinese architecture is leading some of historic buildings with skywells to be restored for modern times. Meanwhile, as a government push has made low-carbon innovations in the building sector a trend, some architects are drawing inspiration from skywells and other traditional Chinese architectural features to help keep new buildings cooler.
Ancient “green wisdom” such as skywells continues to inspire today’s climate adaptive design and innovations in passive cooling, according to Wang Zhengfeng, a researcher at the Institute for Area Studies at Leiden University in the Netherlands. Passive cooling is a method that incorporates design and technology to cool a building without the use of power.
However, Wang points out some challenges for bringing skywells into modern designs. The mechanisms of courtyards facilitating natural lighting, ventilation and rain collection are well known, but applying these principles needs to be site-specific. Because traditional skywells had different shapes, sizes and features, adding skywells into modern buildings requires designers to be sensitive to their project’s context (环境) and situation, she explains. When asked about why skywells have appealed to modern Chinese people, Wang says that the courtyard is also designed to serve as a gathering space for families or communities. “Perhaps changes in the lifestyle could also lead to nostalgia among people living in concrete and glass forests.”
1. What is the purpose of the first paragragh?| A．To introduce Ru Ling’s love for skywells. |
| B．To inform readers of the benefits of skywells. |
| C．To lead in the topic of popularity of skywells. |
| D．To support the idea of living in skywells. |
| A．Features and importance of the historic residences. |
| B．Appreciation for traditional Chinese architecture. |
| C．Reasons for the comeback of traditional skywells. |
| D．Great efforts to restore the past glory of skywells. |
| A．combine | B．collect | C．invent | D．replace |
| A．Lack of enough money and experience. | B．Dependence on natural surroundings. |
| C．People’s specific requirements. | D．The fast speed of urbanization. |
【推荐2】Following the tradition of wearing new clothes for the Chinese New Year, hanfu, or traditional Chinese clothing, has experienced substantial growth during the festive season. The horse face skirt is particularly popular for its combination of traditional and modern elements, especially among young Chinese.
During the Spring Festival, many performers and tourists in Luoyang, Henan Province, showcased the horse face skirts. Gorgeous hanfu shows in Caoxian County, Shandong Province, one of the major hanfu production bases in China, highlighted the elegance of the long tradition of Chinese clothing.
Consumers expressed their desire to promote traditional Chinese culture as hanfu styles become more common.
The sales of horse face skirts are booming, leading production enterprises to optimize processes to meet demand. With annual sales surpassing 7 billion yuan, the sales of new year’s clothes for the Year of the Dragon, primarily horse face skirts, exceeded 300 million yuan in Caoxian County.
Data from e-commerce platforms indicate a significant surge in the search volume for hanfu since January. Among the various hanfu styles, the horse face skirt has become the most popular item, with sales of many hot-selling items surpassing one million yuan.
Zhang Mingqiang, the general manager of Haining Xucun Mingji Fabric Factory, expressed both happiness and concern due to the steady stream of daily orders. He currently faces a pile of more than 30,000 orders for horse face skirts.
Expanding production capacity is a top priority for many local enterprises. Newly purchased fabric production equipment is being installed and commissioned by the fabric manufacturer and will be put into use after the Spring Festival holiday.
Additionally, local companies are making efforts to the production and development of more Chinese-style clothing fabrics. The new trend of Chinese-style fashion, led by horse face skirts, is gaining popularity among overseas consumers as well.
1. Why is the horse face skirt particularly popular?| A．Because of its sustainable growth. | B．Because of its combined elements. |
| C．Because of its display by people in Luoyang. | D．Because of its long tradition. |
| A．Unclear. | B．Neutral. | C．Supportive. | D．Opposed. |
| A．Because he was happy with the quality of his products. |
| B．Because he was pleased with the production capacity of his company. |
| C．Because he was worried about the slow-selling of horse face skirts. |
| D．Because he gained steady orders but couldn’t keep up with them. |
| A．The efforts local companies make to horse face skirts. |
| B．The improvement of production capacity. |
| C．The popularity of horse face skirts overseas. |
| D．The fame of horse face skirts in other seasons. |
【推荐3】Norwegians would perhaps highlight their custom of “gå på tur”— going on a journey on foot or on skis. In Denmark, everyone knows what “hygge” is — to freely enjoy the good life with the people you love. They’re the issues of “intangible cultural heritage”, things that cannot be physically touched such as traditions, stories, music, dance and craft skills.
In 2003, UNESCO, the education, science and culture organization of the United Nations, adopted an agreement to “preserve the intangible” and many developing-world countries were quick to get their traditions included on the official list. But it would take almost 10 years for “Agreement for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage” to be approved by the Scandinavian countries.
Annika Sjöberg is responsible for managing the work of the agency in Sweden. She has been, and continues to be, flooded with suggestions of intangible cultural heritage worthy of protection, submitted by committed citizens and organizations wanting to see their particular traditions included on the list that should be ready sometime in the next couple of years.
Suggestions have also been received concerning various maritime traditions: old shipwright skills such as the building of wooden hulled vessels, are in decline and at risk of being lost forever.
“Our work has attracted considerable attention as it is regarded as being a little out in left field,” says Sjöberg. “In addition, it’s also opened people’s eyes to the fact that the things we can’t physically touch indeed have a major bearing on the way in which we live. Even in an urbanized society, there is knowledge we carry with us that we’ve inherited from previous generations-knowledge that’s important to preserve and take care of.”
Sjöberg explains that the point is not to preserve this cultural heritage in a stony rigid form, as traditions must be allowed to change and evolve. She also emphasizes that her work should not be interpreted as a nationalistic project, rather as a means of multicultural spreading.
It’s actually a matter of documenting the knowledge that exists in the various traditions. What is most exciting is the diversity that now exists and the ways in which different cultures interact with each other.
1. Why are “gå på tur” and “hygge” mentioned at the beginning of the text?| A．To remind people to enjoy a healthy lifestyle. |
| B．To introduce the main topic of the text. |
| C．To appeal to the world to mind physical cultures. |
| D．To highlight how special the northern European countries are. |
| A．Date back to 2003. | B．Last for ten years old. |
| C．Meet the agreements of UNESCO. | D．Be in the developing country. |
| A．She is working for the UNESCO agency in Switzerland. |
| B．She monitors the protection of physical cultural heritage. |
| C．She tries her best to restore the world-wide particular traditions. |
| D．She has been managing the cases of the intangible cultural heritage. |
| A．Creation of the UNESCO. |
| B．Annika Sjöberg’s daily routine. |
| C．Intangible cultural heritage of UNESCO. |
| D．Safeguarding the cultures of the Scandinavian countries. |
