【推荐1】You might have heard a lot about ancient towns and ancient cities in China. Here, we list several of the most beautiful ancient villages in China.

Baoshan Stone Village, Yunnan Province

Baoshan Stone Village was built on a huge mushroom­shaped rock, and only has about one hundred houses. The houses are laid out in an orderly way, built on the rock, and linked by stone steps. The Naxi people there still lead an original life and grow crops in terraces; you can experience the colorful culture of the Naxi ethnic group there.

Tuvas Village in Kanas, Xinjiang

Kanas Tuvas Village is near the mysterious Lake Kanas. The small village is located in a valley, and only has about 80 houses. These Swiss­style wooden houses are all surrounded by wooden fences. Tuvas is an ancient minority group. They traditionally lived as hunters. You can visit a local family, go herding with the locals and experience the peaceful ancient village life.

Jiaju Tibetan Village, Danba, Sichuan Province

Jiaju Tibetan Village is known as the “Tibetan fairyland”. It stands on a mountain slope, and consists of about 140 houses. These unique houses are all built with crown­shaped roofs, red caves, and white walls, which make the houses look like little castles among the forest.

Xijiang Miao Village, Guizhou Province

If you're interested in the Miao Minority, Xijiang Miao Village can be a great destination for deepening your understanding of Miao history and culture. It's the largest Miao village in China, and now has 1,432 households with a population of over 5,000, of which 99.5% are Miao ethnic group. It's also famous for the houses built on stilts of different heights.

1. What can you do in Kanas Tuvas Village?

A．Hike in terraces.	B．See houses of a foreign style.
C．Experience the modern village life.	D．Learn about houses built on stilts.

2. Where can you admire the houses like castles?

A．In Baoshan Stone Village.	B．In Kanas Tuvas Village.
C．In Jiaju Tibetan Village.	D．In Xijiang Miao Village.

3. What can we infer about the villages mentioned in the text?

A．They remained secret to the outside world in the past.

B．They are the ethnic villages with unique architecture.

C．They are still cut off and difficult to access nowadays.

D．They were originally built to defend their homeland.

【推荐2】It’s Saturday morning in a large courtyard. Young designers sell their creations, from fine tea sets to hand-pained ceramic(瓷质的) earrings. I could be in east London, that is, until standard Chinese tones remind me I’m in Jingdezhen, a small Chinese city.
     Centuries ago, when Europeans first saw Chinese porcelain, for example, it seemed so fine that they concluded it must have been made with magic and called it “white gold”.
     They couldn’t find out how it was made, but they knew where it came from: the town of Changnan. Changnan porcelain was so in demand that early traders began calling the whole country by this town’s name, mixed by foreign tongues, Changnan transformed into China.
     Two million years after porcelain’s invention, the town, now called Jingezhen, is still one of the world’s most important centres for porcelain production.
     “The people are the most important treasure here, their roots are deep in history,” says Zhang Jia. She’s part of a new wave of designers who have come to Jingezhen to learn techniques handed down and refined(使精美) over a hundred generations. “This is the best place to study porcelain in China, perhaps in the entire world.” She adds.

Chinese artists aren’t the only ones drawn here. Founded in 2005 by Caroline Cheng, the Pottery Workshop runs classes for visitors from around the world.

In the Pottery Workshop’s second floor studio, I meet Trudy Golley and Paul Leather, a husband-wife duo from Canada. Paul tells me that when he first visited Jingdezhen there were no street lamps and only dirt pavements. There were workshops but their goods were bought by traders and sold on elsewhere. These days, stylish cafés and bars pop up next to concept stores. At one such shop, I admire some tiny teacups settling on a thick wooden branch like birds.

With the popularity of the Pottery Workshops, China’s young people are more interested in unique, individually-made products. Many of the designers are using Jingdezhen’s master craftsmen(工匠) to make them because they know they offer quality, attention to detail.

1. What made the writer realize that he was in China?

A．Fine tea sets.	B．Hand-painted ceramic earrings.
C．Standard Chinese.	D．Fine Chinese porcelain.

2. Zhang Jia came to Jingdezhen in order to _________.

A．know something about Jingdezhen’s history

B．enjoy the beautiful scenery of Jingdezhen

C．study techniques of making porcelain

D．pay a visit to some of her foreign friends

3. From what Paul said we can learn ____________.

A．many foreign visitors came to Jingdezhen to study porcelain

B．in the past Jingdezhen was a poor and dirty town

C．their goods were not popular in western countries

D．China’s young people are more interested in unique products

4. What is the purpose of the passage?

A．To appeal to people to buy Chinese porcelain.

B．To tell people traditional Chinese porcelain earns great reputation in Jingdezhen.

C．To advertise porcelain products in Jingdezhen.

D．To introduce some information about one traditional Chinese art in Jingdezhen.

【推荐3】If you think about World Heritage Sites, you probably think of places associated with ancient art and culture, historical buildings and monuments. And of course, many of these are on the World Heritage List. But the World Heritage List contains a lot of sites that are not so obvious. Some of them are well known. Let’s get to know a few of them.

Robben Island in South Africa

This island was used through the centuries as a prison, a hospital and a military base. But it’s probably most famous as a maximum-security prison for political prisoners in the twentieth century. Nelson Mandela was one of its most famous residents. The WHL says it represents the triumph (胜利) of democracy and freedom over oppression (压迫) and racism.

Borders of France and Spain

This is an area of great natural beauty and the mountains have many interesting geological formations. But it is also an area of small farms. People there still use a type of agriculture that used to be common in mountainous areas of Europe but has almost completely disappeared in modern times.

The city of Brasilia, Brazil

Brasilia is a capital city that was created from nothing in 1956. The WHL calls it a landmark in the history of town planning. The different areas of the city and the buildings themselves were all designed at the same time so that they would harmonise with each other. Every part of the city shows the ideas of the planner and architect.

Simien National Park, Ethiopia

Simien National Park was one of the first sites to be listed in 1978. It is one of the highest mountain areas in Africa, and the WHL calls it one of the most spectacular landscapes in the world. It is also important for its wildlife. It is home to some rare animals, whose population is getting smaller and smaller. That’s why the site is now on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

1. What is the passage mainly about?

A．Several little known sites on the WHL.

B．The household heritage sites on the WHL.

C．Some of the unusual sites on the WHL.

D．Places of artistic and historical interest on the WHL.

2. Which of the following sites was listed on the WHL for its political symbol?

A．Robben Island in South Africa.

B．Borders of France and Spain.

C．The city of Brasilia, Brazil.

D．Simien National Park, Ethiopia.

3. Why is the city of Brasilia, Brazil included on the WHL?

A．For its natural scenery.

B．For its city planning.

C．For its unique wildlife.

D．For its special agriculture.