【推荐1】More than 10 million Chinese cultural relics have been lost overseas, most of which were stolen and illegally shipped out of China during the times of war before 1949. About 1.67 million pieces are housed in more than 200 museums in 47 countries, which accounts for 10 percent of all lost Chinese cultural relics, and the rest are in the hands of private collectors.

Most of these treasures are owned by museums or private collectors in the United States, Europe, Japan and Southeast Asian countries. There are more than 23,000 pieces in the British Museum, most of which were stolen or bought for pennies more than 100 years ago.

The major method to recover these national treasures was to buy them back. In some cases, private collectors donated the relics to the government. Also the government can turn to official channels (渠道) to demand the return of relics.

In 2003, a priceless bronze pig's head dating from the Qing Dynasty was returned to its home in Beijing after it was removed by the Anglo-French Allied Army over 140 years ago. Macao entrepreneur (企业家) Stanley Ho donated 6 million yuan to buy it back from a US art collector and then donated it to the Poly Art Museum in Beijing.

Although buying-back is the most feasible way to recover the lost treasures, limited funding is always a big headache.

In recent years, the Chinese government has improved efforts to recover the precious cultural relics lost overseas. It has started a national project on the recovery of the treasures and has set up a database (数据库) collecting relevant information. It has signed several international agreements with many countries on this matter, and is also looking for international cooperation to recover the relics by working closely with several international organizations.

1. What is the passage mainly about?

A．The efforts to recover Chinese cultural relics.

B．How to recover cultural relics.

C．Stanley Ho donated a bronze pig's head to Beijing.

D．Chinese cultural relics were stolen by the Anglo-French Allied Army.

2. Which of the following statements about the bronze pig's head is NOT true?

A．It was made in the Qing Dynasty.

B．It is now in the Poly Art Museum in Beijing.

C．It was donated by the French government to China.

D．It was removed by the Anglo-French Allied Army over 140 years ago.

3. We can infer from the passage that ________.

A．the Chinese government has done a lot to recover the lost cultural relics

B．many countries have returned the lost cultural relics to China for free

C．China has enough money to buy all the cultural relics back

D．China is preparing to set up a database to collect information about the lost cultural relics

4. The underlined word “feasible” in Paragraph 5 can be replaced by “________”.

A．careful

B．difficult

C．popular

D．possible

【推荐2】According to legend, the Bridge of Sighs in Venice, Italy, which connects the Palazzo Ducale to an ancient prison, got its name because the walk across it gave prisoners on their way to jail a final chance to enjoy the beauty of the city. The view from the bridge today, however, is more likely to be of a giant billboard selling Bulgari or Coca-cola.
But when the Coke billboards went up this summer on buildings near the Piazza San Marco,which is at the historic heart of Venice, there was a public debate.
"We can't commercialize everything, " said Alessandra Mottola   Molfino,   a Venetian.
"We couldn't stay quiet, " said Maria Camilla Bianchini d'Alberigo, president of a heritage protection association.
City of officials. however, argue that without these ads, the city could not afford to maintain its heritage. Many have been damaged by centuries of wear and are even a threat to public safety.
"I can't turn down the image of a bottle when there are pieces of the Palazzo Ducale falling to the ground, " said Renata Codello,   a Culture Ministry official.
The Culture Minister has a budget of about $ 47 million (315 million yuan) for restoration of monuments. but Italy has a rich architectural heritage, and funds are always tight. Of that amount,   $ 1. 8 million was given to the entire Veneto region, which includes Venice.
Two years ago, the city signed an agreement with the Dottor Group, a company responsible for the restoration of the Bridge of Sighs and the Palazzo Ducale. It allows it to sell ad space.
But there is a condition in the agreement: The ads should not offend public taste.
In August, Venice banned US actress Julianne Moore's Bulgrari ad from a billboard in the Piazza San Marco.
The photo shows a naked Moore covered with lion cubs. handbags and jewelry. Mayor Giorgio Orsoni called the image too racy (猥亵) and unsuitable for the Piazza San Marco.
"l consider the fact that Venice is part of the real world_ but we cannot accept these Hollywood-style images. There are wise sponsors. and we need to come up with advertising that suits Venice. not Times Square, " he said in a speech.
1. The article is mainly about__________in Venice.

A．restoration of cultural heritage

B．widespread commercialization

C．the conflict between ads and cultural heritage

D．the difficulty of restoring monuments

2. In the first paragraph, the beautiful view from the Bridge of Sighs is mentioned to__________.

A．introduce other monuments of the ancient city

B．show many ancient structures need repairing

C．indicate that the view is blocked by huge ads

D．attract readers' interest in the famous city

3. From the article we can conclude that Renata Codello__________   the advertising.

A．is in favor of

B．is worried about

C．objects to

D．doesn't mind

4. Why do many Venetians complain about the ads?

A．They support commercialization.

B．They feel the ads are damaging the city.

C．The ads are usually racy and in an American style.

D．The ads don't present a traditional view of Venice.

5. It can be inferred from the passage that

A．Hollywood stars' ads cannot go up in Venice

B．people can buy Bulgari or Coca-cola on the Bridge of Sighs

C．the Dottor Group may stop its restoration work for lack of funds

D．the mayor of Venice is expecting new advertising

【推荐3】Heritage is our legacy (遗产) from the past what we live with today, and what we pass on to future generations. Our cultural and natural heritage are both irreplaceable (无可取代的) sources of life and inspiration. Places as unique and diverse as the Pyramids of Egypt, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the Great Wall of China make up our world’s heritage.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) seeks to encourage the identification, protection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity. This is embodied in an international treaty called the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, adopted by UNESCO in 1972.

How does a place become a World Heritage Site? It takes a lot of people to decide.

1.If a country wants one of its places to be on the World Heritage List, it has to ask UNESCO. The place must be important and special. UNESCO put the Great Wall on the list in 1987 because, it said, it was a great part of Chinese culture and beautifully made to go with the land. When a country asks, it must also make a plan for taking care of the place.

2.The World Heritage Committee of UNESCO talks about different places and decides whether to put them on the list. The committee meets every June. Many experts help the committee to decide.

3.After a new place goes on the list, UNESCO gives money to help keep it looking good. If a place is in serious danger, it may be put on the List of World Heritage Sites in Danger. UNESCO gives special care and help to those places.

4.Countries have to give UNESCO regular reports about places on the list. If UNESCO thinks a country isn’t taking good enough care of a place, the site will be taken off the lit.

1. About cultural and natural heritage around the world, UNESCO encourages all the following EXCEPT        .

A．identification

B．application

C．protection

D．conservation

2. If a place successfully becomes a World Heritage Site, the country         .

A．can ask UNESCO for more money and help

B．should continue to take special care of it

C．won’t take trouble of caring for it

D．will try to put it on the Lit of World Heritage Sites in Danger

3. The purpose of putting a place on the World Heritage List is        .

A．to attract more tourists from other countries

B．to get more money and help from other countries

C．to have it taken better care of

D．to make it known to other countries

【推荐1】The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the eleventh largest nation in Europe. England, Wales and Scotland make up the island of Great Britain, which takes up most of the Britain Isles. Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales are mountainous. The highest mountain is Ben Nevis in Scotland. Plains and valleys cover much of England. The British climate is mild.

About 58 million people live in the United Kingdom. Few other countries are so crowded. Four out of five people live in big cities such as Belfast, Glasgow, and London. Great Britain grows half of the food it needs. Its industries help to pay for the food that is bought from abroad. The United Kingdom manufactures (购买) a wide range of goods. Service industries, such as tourism, which provide services rather than producing goods, are increasing. Instead, traditional industries, such as coal mining, are declining.

London is the capital of the United Kingdom. It has about seven million people. The river Thames runs through London. People from all over the world visit London to see Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London. There are many museums, theatres and parks in London, as well as offices and factories. London began as a Roman settlement (殖民地) called Londinium, which is the origin of English traditions and cultures.

1. There are many mountains in ________.

A．Northern Ireland, Scotland and England

B．England, Wales and Scotland

C．Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland

D．Northern Ireland, Wales and England

2. In the United Kingdom, about ________ people live in big cities.

A．58 million	B．46.4 million
C．38.8 million	D．29 million

3. What can we learn from the passage?

A．The United Kingdom is not crowded at all.

B．The United Kingdom is able to grow all the food it needs.

C．The speed of producing goods in UK is increasing faster than tourism.

D．Roman culture has a great influence on the United Kingdom.

【推荐2】Recently, a research on how a new virtual reality (VR) experience educated primary children about the fire disasters was done. It was developed by the University of South Australia, aiming to educate children to learn how to be safer in a fire.

Focusing on children aged 10-12 years, the new VR experience presents a situation where children are tasked to look after a friend’s dog just before a fire event begins to unfold. They participate in a series of problem-solving activities to help save and protect themselves and the dog.

The findings showed that more than 80 percent of children reported that they felt more confident to calmly evaluate the options and make wise decisions to protect themselves from a fire. This is especially significant considering that 91 per cent of participants originally lacked any knowledge of fires, and that 67 per cent had said that they were too young to make safety decisions in a fire.

The researchers believed such immersive (沉浸式的) VR experiences had real potential to engage, educate and empower the young. “As children born in digital times, they are engaged by such technology and they can experience events realistically yet within the safe environment,” said Delene Weber, one of the researchers. “Well-designed VR can provide an opportunity for children to apply newly acquired knowledge, strengthen their learnt concepts, and enable immediate feedback — all incredibly valuable learning tools.”

Meanwhile, because children have fewer life experiences, aren’t as physically strong, and are less likely to have learned much about fire safety, they’re often most at risk. Yet the capacity for children to contribute to fire safety at their household should not be underestimated.

“Children do not need to be passive victims of disasters and with purpose-built virtual reality experiences such as these, we can help empower children to understand the risks but realize they can help,” said Weber.

1. How does the new VR experience try to educate children?

A．By introducing a virtual friend to them.	B．By analyzing the causes of a fire event.
C．By letting them solve virtual problems.	D．By guiding them to ask a dog for help.

2. What did the result of the research about VR experiences show?

A．Many children found it hard to adapt to them.

B．They could greatly help ensure children’s safety.

C．They benefited children with knowledge of fire.

D．Most children had a misunderstanding about them.

3. What does Weber think of the new VR experiences?

A．Unrealistic.

B．Dangerous.

C．Unnecessary.

D．Significant.

4. What can be the most suitable title for the text?

A．VR experiences educate kids to survive a fire

B．VR experiences make learning easier for kids

C．VR education appeals to the young generation

D．VR technology makes no sense in fighting a fire