1 . If you think about World Heritage Sites, you probably think of places associated with ancient art and culture and historical buildings. And of course, many of these are on the World Heritage List (WHL). These include remains of ancient cultures like Cuzco in Peru or the rock city of Petra in Jordan as well as old city centers such as Rome in Italy. Also common are places of artistic or cultural significance, like the Stonehenge stone circle in England. But the WHL contains a lot of sites that are not so obvious. Let’s look at a few of the more unusual sites on the WHL and why it is important to preserve them.

Citadel of Haiti

These monuments were built at the end of the 19th century when Haiti became independent and the many thousands of black slaves in Haiti were free for the first time. These ex-slaves built the monuments, which the WHL describes as “a universal symbol of liberty”.

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. The WHL has listed the site because it shows us about past European society through its landscape of villages, farms, fields, up land pastures and mountain roads.

The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway

This railway in India was opened in 1881 and is still operating today. It crosses a difficult area of mountain landscape and it is a great example of railway engineering. The WHL says that it is “the first, and still the most outstanding, example of a hill passenger railway.”

The city of Brasilia

Brasilia is a capital city that was created from nothing in 1956. The WHL calls it “a land mark 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 harmonize with each other.

1. What’s the function of the examples of World Heritage Sites in paragraph 1?

A．To highlight the importance of WHL.

B．To exemplify sites of artistic and cultural value.

C．To compare the differences between various sites.

D．To draw readers’ attention to more unique sites on the WHL.

2. Who built Citadel of Haiti?

A．Former slaves.	B．Citizens in Haiti.
C．Active revolutionaries.	D．Haiti government.

3. Which site will attract a town planner most?

A．Citadel of Haiti.	B．Borders of France and Spain.
C．The city of Brasilia.	D．The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.

2 . There are many great independent bookstores in North Carolina. If you’re looking for some good books to read, you can visit the bookstores listed below.

Purple Crow Books

It’s a literary meeting place right in historic downtown Hillsborough. It was opened in 2009. You can find new books, used ones or the latest works by local authors. Because it specializes in local writers, Purple Crow Books is a favorite tourist destination. It’s a great place to grab a signed copy of a book by your favorite local author.

109 West King Street, Hillsborough, NC 27278

Quail Ridge Books

This is an independent bookstore with friendly staff dedicated to (致力于) providing the best customer service. Founded in 1984 by Nancy Olson, the store provides a wide variety of carefully selected books, events, discussion groups and town hall meetings. The owner Lisa Poole bought the store in 2013 and is dedicated to serving the locals.

4209-100 Lassiter Mill Road, Raleigh, NC 27609

Pomegranate Books

This bookstore is located in the historic Borkenhagen House in the Winter Park neighborhood of Wilmington, North Carolina. It has been finding good homes for great books since 2005. It stocks a carefully selected collection of literary and life-enhancing titles for all ages and also features locally-made cards and gift items.

4418 Park Ave, Wilmington, NC 28403

Scuppernong Books

This bookstore was opened on December 21, 2013 and has been an important part of the rebirth of downtown Greensboro ever since. It features fiction and poetry along with a remarkable children’s section and a broad range of general interest titles. Within the store is a busy cafe serving coffee, wine, and beer sourced primarily from local small businesses.

304 South Elm Street, Greensboro, NC 27401

1. What is special about Purple Crow Books?

A．It holds various reading activities.	B．It mainly sells books by local writers.
C．It focuses on selling second-hand books.	D．It is supported by local small businesses.

2. Which bookstore has the longest history?

A．Quail Ridge Books.	B．Purple Crow Books.
C．Pomegranate Books.	D．Scuppernong Books.

3. Who would prefer to visit Scuppernong Books?

A．People loving non-fiction books.	B．People liking handmade cards and gifts.
C．People enjoying a very quiet environment.	D．People fond of buying collections of poetry.

3 . When temperatures climb, many people reach for ice-cold beverages (饮料) to cool down. But others put the kettle on: Hot tea is a go-to beverage year-round in countries such as Bangladesh, China, Japan and Saudi Arabia. Many people find hot tea refreshing on hot days. Can hot drinks really cool you down on a hot day?

According to Peter McNaughton, a professor at King’s College London who studies thermoregulation (温度调节), hot drinks really can cool you down. “It seems totally counterintuitive (反直觉的，违反直觉的),” McNaughton said. “Drinking a hot drink really does make you drop your temperature if it’s not too humid out.”

“If a drink is warmer than your body at first, obviously, that drink makes you hotter,” McNaughton said. But humans, like all warmblooded animals, are constantly adjusting to maintain a consistent internal temperature. McNaughton found that hot drinks activate a receptor (接受器) in our nerves called TRPV1, which tells the body it needs to cool down. In response, humans sweat.

“Sweat pooling on skin is uncomfortable, but add a breeze or a fan, and the air blowing past helps sweat evaporate (蒸发), taking heat with it,” McNaughton said. “In general, your life depends on sweating. Sweating can help humans survive in some of the highest temperatures documented on Earth, at least in dry heat. Sweat is less effective in high humidity because the air is already full of water vapor and can’t absorb as much from the skin, that’s why in high humidity, the survivable temperature is much lower.”

A 2012 study in the journal Acta Physiologica found that when sweat fully evaporates, hot drinks can help cool people off overall, at least temporarily. That study looked at cyclists biking quickly enough to create their own breeze in a climate with no humidity: ideal conditions for sweat evaporation.

In the reverse effect, cold drinks lower body temperatures and then make the brain reduce sweating in order to bring body temperature back to its baseline. A 2018 paper suggests that with less wind, more humidity, or other barriers to effective sweating—like the heavy clothing worn by firefighters—it may make more sense to cool off by drinking crushed ice.

1. What do we know about people in Bangladesh, China, Japan and Saudi Arabia?

A．They like ice-cold beverages on hot days.

B．They favor hot tea over cold drinks year-round.

C．They doubt whether hot tea can help cool them down.

D．They believe ice-cold beverages are harmful to their health.

2. What can we learn from paragraph 3?

A．TRPV1 helps adjust blood temperature.	B．Blood helps add heat to the human body.
C．Sweating helps increase our body temperature.	D．TRPV1 sends signals related to body temperature.

3. Why does the author quote McNaughton’s words about sweating paragraph 4?

A．To show the danger of high humidity.	B．To reveal why some people sweat more.
C．To tell us about the function of sweating.	D．To display how people survive extreme heat.

4. What can we conclude after reading the text?

A．Drinking enough water benefits our bodies.

B．We should avoid cold water in high humidity.

C．Hot water cools us down better than cold water.

D．Hot drinks help cool the body under certain conditions.

5 . When I was a little boy growing up, my Mom, Dad, brothers and I lived in my Nana’s old house. It was surrounded by four huge vegetable gardens. And around the house so many flowers were planted. It was so beautiful there in the spring and summer. That wasn’t all, though. On the back porch Nana had dozens of potted plants hanging on hooks. She watered them, talked to them and nurtured them. And in the winter she would carry them all inside and set them on shelves near the windows of our enclosed front porch. There with a little water and a lot of love she kept them alive, green, and growing even during the coldest, darkest months.

As a boy I was puzzled by all the effort she put into them. I understood the vegetable gardens. They helped to feed the family all winter long. I even understood the flowers around the house. They were pretty and smelled so sweet in the summer months. The reason she put so much effort into caring for those potted plants, however, eluded me. They didn’t give us any food and they rarely had any flowers on them. They remained a mystery to my child’s mind.

Now as I’ve grown older I am beginning to understand why my Nana had those potted plants. It is the same reason I have so many pictures of sunrises and forests hanging in my home. They remind me during the dark, cold, winter months full of bare trees and yellow grass that light, love, and growth still exist. They remind me that Spring will come again. They remind me that God loves us and is still with us even when the earth doesn’t show it.

Today I see Nana’s potted plants in a new light. They are worth every bit of the love and care she put into them. But what tells me most about light and love is Nana herself. She is light to my soul even in my darkest times. And her love lives on in my heart even if she is in Heaven. May we all learn to love as she loved, shine as she shined, and live as she lived.

1. Which of the following is close in meaning to the underlined word “eluded” in paragraph 2?

A．Upset.

B．Misguided.

C．Confused.

D．Distracted.

2. Why was Nana fond of potted plants?

A．They were a sign of hope.	B．They resembled sunrise and forests.
C．They constantly kept Nana company.	D．They were portable and easy to nurture.

3. What is the author’s purpose of writing the passage?

A．To advocate growing potted plants.	B．To sing the praise of Nana’s spirit and love.
C．To stress the benefits of a positive lifestyle.	D．To recall beautiful memories spent with Nana.

4. What’s the type of the passage?

A．A non-fiction.	B．A book review.
C．An agricultural leaflet.	D．A celebrity biography.

6 . I was surfing the Internet, planning for our 15th-anniversary trip when a perfect spot attracted me: The Shire of Montana, a “hobbit house”, which Jim my husband had dreamed about. I knew he’d be impressed. And our six-year-old daughter, Aurora, would like it, too. I was about to book our reservation when I saw a note on the website: No kids allowed. That ruined everything!

Luckily, there was an email address on the site. I plucked up the courage to contact the owner. Soon, a reply arrived, saying, “If you promise that your daughter is responsible and will not touch, she can come.” I was relieved, thinking Aurora was a good kid. “This will be okay,” I wrote back.

The day finally arrived. We piled into the car. I couldn’t help being excited, imagining Jim and Aurora’s reactions. We passed a sign that read, “The adventure begins …” Turning onto the Hobbit Lane, I felt a pan g of anxiety. As soon as we got out of the car, I pulled Aurora aside. “Children aren’t usually allowed here,” I said. “So you have to be very, very careful. You can look at everything, but don’t touch.” I explained the rule and how terrible it would be to damage anything. Aurora’s eyes widened at my no-nonsense tone. “I promise, Mom,” she said.

Obviously, my concern was superfluous. We spent several days at The Shire. Aurora was delighted at each discovery but she never disturbed a thing. She took her responsibility to protect the owner’s work seriously. It turned out that respecting boundaries didn’t take away the beauty and wonder, it allowed The Shire to remain beautiful and wonderful into the future.

Not so different from a marriage, I thought. Now I understood why we went to this place to celebrate our fifteenth anniversary. Jim and I moved through life side by side as a couple, and we’d learned to accept each other’s individuality and boundaries as well. Marriage is full of surprises, challenges and adventures. The key to making it work is respecting each other.

1. What can we learn from the first paragraph?

A．The author met a problem while planning a trip.

B．The author and her husband had been married for 6 years.

C．Aurora didn’t want to take a trip to The Shire of Montana.

D．The trip was ruined because the author didn’t reserve a room.

2. Why did the author feel a pang of anxiety?

A．She felt it a burden to take care of her daughter.

B．She doubted if her daughter would behave well.

C．She worried her daughter wouldn’t be admitted.

D．She wasn’t sure whether her husband would like the place.

3. Which of the following can replace the underlined word “superfluous” in paragraph 4?

A．considerable

B．important

C．unnecessary

D．common

4. What does the author want to convey through the text?

A．Don’t give up until you try your best.

B．Good role models are essential for teaching kids.

C．Respect contributes to a happy and lasting marriage.

D．Obeying the rules is important when dealing with people.

9 . In a fascinating discovery, western lowland gorillas (大猩猩) at Zoo Atlanta have been caught summoning their keepers using a strange cough-sneeze mixture, which researchers have called a “snough”. Only two other species have displayed this ability to create new vocalizations to attract our attention: zoo-housed chimpanzees and orangutans. Now, we can add gorillas to that list.

As many of us know, Koko put a spotlight on gorilla intelligence in the 1980s and 1990s with her incredible ability to communicate with humans using sign language. She was trained and worked hard at it, but now it seems gorillas have taken it upon themselves to establish unique communication with us in their own way.

Roberta Salmi, a biological anthropologist at the University of Georgia, and colleagues ran an experiment to confirm the purpose of the “snough”, by placing eight of the zoo’s gorillas in three different situations. In the first, only the keeper was present; in the second only the food was present; in the final one, the keeper was holding the food. The food and keeper were in sight but out of reach. The gorillas involved used the “snough” vocalization most when there was a human present with food, indicating the call is likely an attempt to get the keeper’s attention.

This complex vocal learning — the ability to produce unique calls — is rare in the animal kingdom and confirmed only in some species of birds, bats and elephants. But they all do so by imitating. The analysis showed the gorilla’s “snough” is a unique sound, not an imitation — although they are certainly capable of imitating us in other ways.

“These results demonstrate that gorillas can change their calls to produce a novel sound and furthermore confirm that they can produce their calls and gestures intentionally to change the attention state of their caregiver,” the team concluded in their paper. We’ve clearly long underestimated these clever souls.

1. Which of the following can replace “summoning” underlined in paragraph 1?

A．pleasing

B．calling

C．finding

D．warning

2. How did the researchers carry out the research?

A．By ordering the gorillas to make the “snough” vocalization.

B．By training the gorillas to attract their keepers’ attention.

C．By comparing the gorillas’ reactions in different situations.

D．By gathering information about the gorillas from their keepers.

3. Why does the author mention some other animals in paragraph 4?

A．To illustrate gorillas can imitate humans in other ways.

B．To confirm only gorillas have the ability to produce unique calls.

C．To prove the animals can produce unique calls through imitation.

D．To show gorillas’ ability to invent the new vocalization is uncommon.

4. What can be inferred from the research?

A．Some animals have the ability to make new sounds.

B．Gorillas can create a new sound to draw zookeepers’ attention.

C．Some intelligent animals try to attract attention by imitating.

D．Gorillas are able to communicate with humans using unique gestures.

10 . I’m not a good traveler. Without curiosity to get out and ________, traveling has never been my strong point. Sightseeing is not an experience that I find ________: when it’s too hot, I’m uncomfortable; when it’s too cold, I’m uncomfortable. Not knowing what the food will be like at new places has always made me ________.

It would be kind to say that I have a low sense of ________. So, I was ________ about doing a travel show that centered on pushing my ________. But it just goes to show that we’re never too old to ________ ourselves.

South Africa was the biggest surprise. I had never really ________ to go on safari (观兽旅行) and was not excited about the prospect.

Once I was ________ there, all of a sudden, I knew why people say it’s exciting. I started to develop a great ________ for the animals. We visited a rhino conservation park (犀牛保护公园), where rhinos which have been badly injured by hunters are taken good care of. I even bottle-fed these beautiful babies. The most memorable part was the people I ________.

I’ve always been a very ________ person. But the experience of meeting so many new people has been ________, allowing me to ________ some of the cobwebs (蜘蛛网) that have formed for many years. Seeing the world has helped me ________ my natural cynicism (悲观情绪) and turned me into a more outgoing and positive person.

1.

A．exercise

B．experiment

C．explore

D．research

2.

A．dangerous

B．painful

C．suitable

D．enjoyable

3.

A．nervous

B．happy

C．angry

D．curious

4.

A．humor

B．adventure

C．direction

D．responsibility

5.

A．excited

B．serious

C．disturbed

D．hesitant

6.

A．plans

B．dates

C．boundaries

D．projects

7.

A．surprise

B．introduce

C．express

D．teach

8.

A．refused

B．failed

C．feared

D．wanted

9.

A．actually

B．usually

C．mainly

D．hardly

10.

A．respect

B．appetite

C．passion

D．understanding

11.

A．attracted

B．encountered

C．missed

D．helped

12.

A．patient

B．brave

C．shy

D．generous

13.

A．wonderful

B．tiring

C．boring

D．different

14.

A．build up

B．brush off

C．catch sight of

D．run away from

15.

A．accept

B．develop

C．find

D．lose