1 . Incredibly Beautiful Villages in China

Likeng Village

Built in the year 1010, Likeng Village in Wuyuan County, Jiangxi Province preserves the area’s unique Hui architecture. Though the village charges tourists an entrance fee, it is a worthwhile point from which they can view the blossoming canola flowers (油菜花) in the spring and admire the local calligraphy under camphor trees (樟树) as old as the village itself.

Danba Villages

With few tourists aware of Sichuan Province’s Garzȇ Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, those who do make the trip are rewarded with views unlike those anywhere else. And within the heart of the area, far away from polluted cities, lie the Danba Villages, considered by some as the most beautiful villages in China. Each village is made up of unique Tibetan-style folk houses.

Hongcun Ancient Village

Though Hongcun is one of China’s most well-known ancient villages，its popularity has not ruined its uniqueness. After a climb through the great Yellow Mountains in Anhui Province, rest for a while in this foothill village, which was the filming site for select scenes from Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Centered around a moon-shaped pond, the village was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000 for its well-preserved Ming-and Qing-era architecture.

Shuangfeng Forest Farm

Nicknamed “China Snow Town” for its annual seven-month-long snowfall, Shuangfeng Forest Farm in Mudanjiang City, Heilongjiang Province is where you want to go if you wish to experience China’s deepest snows. Over the years, the village has transformed into a charming tourist destination.

1. What can visitors see in both Likeng Village and Danba Villages?

A．Distinctive constructions.	B．Costumes of minorities.
C．Centuries-old camphor trees	D．Works of famous calligraphers.

2. Where is the village that was once a movie set?

A．In Anhui Province.	B．In Sichuan Province.
C．In Jiangxi Province.	D．In Heilongjiang Province.

3. Which would visitors choose if they want to play in the snow?

A．Likeng Village.	B．Danba Villages.
C．Hongcun Ancient Village.	D．Shuangfeng Forest Farm.

2 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容(1个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。

The power of Chinese emperors rose and fell with their control of the Grand Canal. Today, this waterway is shorter than it was once,     1     it is still the longest man-made river in the world.     2     (important), the Grand Canal continues to provide a vital cultural and economic link for modern China.

The original Canal system began around the year 605,     3     China’s emperor Yang realized that he needed a better way to move food and feed his army, so the emperor ordered the construction of the first section of the Grand Canal,     4     (connect) those existing canals, lakes and rivers.

For more than a thousand years, goods     5     (transport) along the Grand Canal. Even today the country’s watery highway plays an important economic role in China. Boats continue to carry tons of coal, food and other goods     6     Hangzhou and Jining. However, local governments eager to increase     7     (tour) and city development have torn down almost all of the older canal-side buildings. In 2005 a group of citizens proposed that the historic Grand Canal be made     8     UNESCO world heritage site, hoping this status would protect both the waterway and the architecture around it. With UNESCO status officially     9     (grant) in 2014, the world’s greatest engineering accomplishments continue to link north and south China for     10     (century) to come.

3 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Of all the notable mountains in China, the Huangshan Mountain is probably the most famous. The fairy-land like Huangshan national park     1     (occupy) an area of 160.6 square kilometers possesses not only attractive scenery but also rich resources and diverse animal species, for     2     it has been listed as a World Natural and Cultural Heritage Site.

It is famous for its splendid natural scenery     3     (compose) of four wonders, namely unique guest-greeting pines, absurd (怪) stones, sea of clouds and amazing hot springs.

In Huangshan, there are hundreds of precious pine trees     4     (rare) seen anywhere else. As one of the     5     (symbol) of Huangshan, the most famous Guest-Greeting Pine stretches out for about 10 meters from the cliffs in a     6     (respect) greeting gesture. The absurd stones can     7     (see) almost on every peak of Huangshan Mountain. From different viewing angles, the stones look like human beings, animals or other objects. You would be lucky to see the sea of clouds, as it only     8     (occur) around 50 days in a year. The whole mountain surrounded by the misty clouds is as pretty as a huge ink wash painting. The hot springs keep an average temperature of around 42.5℃ all year round. Taking a bath     9     a hot spring while appreciating the wonderful natural landscapes is     10     relaxing that you will get away from the tiredness after the Huangshan hiking.

4 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Malaysia lies in the tropics (热带) and     1     (bless) with plenty of rain and sunshine. Many types of trees and plants grow here, among     2     are those bearing delicious fruits.

The “King of Fruits” is without doubt the durian (榴莲). It is an oval-shaped fruit about the size of     3     rugby ball. Its skin is green or yellow and covered with many sharp thorns. Inside,     4    , the yellow flesh is soft and sweet. Its smell is very strong. The locals love the durian, but foreigners find the smell hard     5     (bear).

The durian is     6     (normal) in season twice a year. So are other fruits like the mangosteen and mango. We consume these fruits in great quantities.

Other fruits like the pineapple, banana and star fruit are not     7     (season). They are obtainable at all times. In a hot country like Malaysia, fruits provide us with much needed water and other     8     (nutrient) that are vital for health. Often the fruit-stalls (水果摊) are crowded with people     9     (wait) to buy a slice of watermelon to beat their thirst.

In     10     (add), we get imported fruits, but they are more expensive. So we spend our money mainly on local fruits.

5 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容(不多于3个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。

The Hotan—Ruoqiang railway, part of a 2,712-kilometer-long loop line circling the Taklimakan, was put into     1     (operate) on June 16, 2022, forming the world’s first railway loop line in desert. The line, with a     2     (design) speed of 120 km per hour, connects to the Korla—Kashgar, Kashgar—Hotan and Golmud—Korla railways. The line has 22 stations, half of which provide passenger service,     3     (shorten) the journey from Hotan to Ruoqiang to about 11—and-a-half hours.

The Hotan—Ruoqiang Railway is     4     record of all of the workers’ efforts to overcome a series of technical difficulties brought by the harsh environment in the west desert.   In the sections     5     sandstorms are particularly serious, plants and trees were planted along the line. To reduce any harm     6     the line, bridges have been built over the sand, which allow the sand     7     (come) across down the bridges. It can not only protect its existing plants and animals, but also help with the governance of the desert without destroying the     8     (origin) ecology.

The line so far     9     (bring) railway service to some new places in southern Xinjiang. It benefits the local people in the region     10     (economic) and environmentally.

6 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Those who haven’t been to the Mu Us may not have an opportunity to do so. The desert is disappearing from    1     map as it has been turned into an oasis(绿洲)!

The Mu Us     2     (stretch) over 42,200 square km between Shaan Xi and inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, lying north of the Great Wall. In Mongolian, “Mu Us” means barren land     3     nothing can grow.

However, the area was no desert in ancient times. It used to be grazing land     4     (sufficient) supplying grass and water for sheep and cattle. Since the Tang Dynasty, it began to degrade because of excessive farming and overgrazing and     5     (year) of war.

In modern times, the Mu Us, the fourth     6     (large) desert in China, began to move southward and passed the Great Wall,     7     (attack) Yulin (Shaan Xi province). Local pastures(牧场) faced serious desertification, salinization and degradation, and the villagers had to move as the desert advanced. By the time People’s Republic of China     8     (found), Yulin had only 0.9 percent of forest cover. It became an urgent task     9     (block) the sands.

Thanks to greening, the desert is poised to disappear. The feat(丰绩) wouldn’t have been achieved     10     national anti-desertification policies and the efforts of generations of eco-warriors.

7 . A 2020 study in the journal Science concluded that marine heat waves have increased more than 20-fold as a result of climate warming. The authors found that in the first decade after satellites began recording ocean temperatures (i.e., after 1981), there were 27 large marine heat waves, with an average duration of 32 days and an average peak temperature anomaly of 8.5°F; in the 2010s, there were 172, which lasted 48 days on average with an average peak temperature almost 10°F above normal.

Much remains unclear about marine heat waves. For example, explains Nicholas Bond, research scientist at the University of Washington and Washington’s state climatologist, there is the question of why so many persist for weeks or months. “There must be something else going on that helps maintain them,” he says. He notes that one explanation is that as the ocean surface warms, it radiates heat into the atmosphere that prevents cloud cover from forming, exposing the seawater to increased sunlight and further warming.

However, enough is known about marine heat waves for scientists to be gravely concerned about their potential impacts. Of special note is the fact that those impacts can last long after the heat waves have disappeared. After three years of the Blob, the waters of the northeastern Pacific began to cool in 2016; but years later, scientists are still determining the extent to which the region’s ecosystem is likely to return fully to its pre-Blob status. Similarly, notes Scannell, who is a data scientist with Jupiter Intelligence, Inc., following the 2010-11 Western Australia event, “lots of kelp(巨藻) forests died, and it takes literally decades for those ecosystems to bounce back”.

Eric Oliver, a scientist from Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, Canada, expressed his own opinion about the potential impact of the heat waves in tropical waters. “I think that’s really a tough issue,” he says. Life in the tropics, he notes, is adapted to “quite a narrow range of temperatures. So that’s where things can get really messy. We can have complete shifts in tropical systems.”

1. What can we infer from the figures listed in para. 1?

A．The problem of marine heat waves is becoming worse.

B．The satellites enable scientists to record ocean temperature precisely.

C．Climate change is the main cause of the marine heat waves.

D．Marine heat waves have been found by scientists for about 30 years.

2. What does the 2nd paragraph mainly talk about?

A．Various factors that lead to marine heat waves.

B．The possible impacts of a warm ocean surface.

C．The possible reason why marine heat waves last long.

D．Scientists’ efforts in exploring the causes of heat waves.

3. What do we know about the impact of the marine heat waves?

A．The impact will disappear shortly after the sea water cools.

B．It takes long before the ecosystem makes a complete recovery.

C．Scientists have known enough to restore the impact.

D．The northeastern Pacific and Western Australia are the worst cases.

4. What is Eric Oliver’s attitude towards the heat waves in tropic waters?

A．Concerned.

B．Indifferent.

C．Doubtful.

D．Optimistic.

8 . Victoria Falls is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. Statistically speaking, it is the largest waterfall in the world. Victoria Falls is located on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. The falls are also close to the border of Botswana. The Zambezi River, which originates in northern Zambia, serves as the falls’ water source.

There are basically two seasons for the Victoria Falls area. The rainy season runs from late November to early April with the remaining months accounting for the dry season. One would imagine that the rainy season with more water would make the falls more spectacular (壮观的), however, the additional water and subsequent mist(水汽) in the air makes it nearly impossible to see the base of the falls.

The months of June and July are probably the best time to view the falls. The water levels are still high enough to show the beauty of the falls, but the amount of water is less, creating less mist and more visibility of the falls.

As you move into the later part of the dry season, August through October, it is quite possible that you will see more rock face than falls. However, this also opens the door for walking across the top of the falls, which can be a unique and exhilarating experience as well.

During the rainy season and high water, Victoria Falls can be a challenge to capture (抓拍) with a camera because of all of the mist in the air. However, this increases the probabilities that you will be able to capture rainbow images around the falls.

The lower water levels can create more dramatic pictures with various rocks cropping out between the falls. You should also be able to see the canyon and base of the falls. You will also be able to walk across the top of the falls and take images down the face of the falls.

1. Where does the water source of Victoria Falls originate?

A．In northern Zambia.	B．In southern Zimbabwe.
C．At the border of Botswana.	D．Between the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe.

2. When is the best time for travelers to walk across the top of the falls?

A．From November to April.	B．From August to October.
C．In the months of June and July.	D．In the months of May and June.

3. What does the underlined word “this” in paragraph 5 probably refer to?

A．A camera.	B．High water.
C．The rainy season.	D．All of the mist in the air.

4. What are the last two paragraphs mainly about?

A．Travel strategies at different water levels.	B．Challenges for falls travelers to overcome.
C．Photo opportunities in different seasons.	D．Different views of the falls all the year round.