It comes as some surprise to discover that, in previous centuries, this pretty simple backwater was one of the main
The Great Silk Route, or Silk Road, was the fabled overland supply chain famously
In an ancient world without trains or planes,
These would usually seek overnight
Despite
2 . Over the past 5,000 years, China has given birth to a large number of cultural heritages, Among these are the beautiful porcelain wares (瓷器) produced in Jingdezhen in East China’s Jiangxi Province. Here we explore their development and importance in today’s society.
Jingdezhen is well-known around the world for Its porcelain, It has produced porcelain since the Five Dynasties (907 ~ 960). Jingdezhen in known as the “porcelain capital” for its different kinds of porcelain wares with rich and cool styles, Of all the products, blue and white porcelain is the most famous, Such unique porcelains with the fine style have been praised as “the Treasure of China”.
Starting in the Song Dynasty (906 ~ 1279), kiln (窑) appeared in every household in every village in Jingdezhen, which was key to the establishment of its porcelain tradition.
During the Yuan Dynasty (1271~ 1368), a new technique for blue and white porcelain was invented. During the Ming (1368~ 1644) and Qing (1644~1911) dynasties, techniques for mining, painting, and firing were advanced, bringing Jingdezhen’s porcelain craftsmanship (工艺) to a historic high. At that time, the establishment of the Zhushan Imperial Kiln and the growing porcelain market overseas accelerated the development of the industry, turning Jingdezhen into a major porcelain production center.
The Republic of China (1912~1949) saw the growth of porcelain industry as well as a rise in shops and traders, which helped increase ties between Jingdezhen and other areas in China and other countries, After the People’s Republic of China was founded in 1949, the porcelain industry saw its development at high speed.
However, with the economic growth and the use of new technology over the last decades, the traditional porcelain production worsens. Although some traditional techniques have been preserved, a large part of them were lost. In 2006, Jingdezhen porcelain craftsmanship was listed as a national cultural heritage.
1. Why is the blue and white porcelain regarded as “the Treasure of China”?| A．For its producer. | B．For its timing. | C．For its weight. | D．For its style. |
| A．In the Five Dynasties. |
| B．In the Song Dynasty. |
| C．In the Yuan Dynasty. |
| D．In the Ming and Qing dynasties. |
| A．Missed out. | B．Held back. | C．Sped up. | D．Mixed with. |
| A．The Importance of Porcelain |
| B．The Porcelain in Jingdezhen |
| C．The Rise of Porcelain Industry |
| D．The Economic Growth in China |
Huang He or The Yellow River, flowing through nine provinces, is the second longest river in China. It is also the sixth longest in the world at the estimated
The Yellow River is called “the cradle(摇篮)of Chinese civilization” as
Whether you’re a history fan or not, the river is
Originating in the Bayan Har Mountains in Qinghai Province in western China, it flows
The Yellow River used to be called “China’s Sorrow” because of the frequent floods hitting. In 1955, Chinese government
Huangguoshu Waterfall, also called Huangguoshu or Huangguoshu Falls, is the largest waterfall in Asia and the third largest waterfall in the world.
Located on the Baishui River in Anshun, Guizhou (about 128 kilometers away from Guiyang,
If you are looking to find out why China is called China, you could go to Jingdezhen to find out the answer. Its relationship with ceramics (制陶艺术) dates
Today Jingdezhen is a popular destination attracting
In the northeast of Jingdezhen City lies Yaoli Ancient town, which
Porcelain is very important in Jingdezhen, but there is no lack of
6 . Located in the southeast of Canada and with a population of approximately 6 million, Toronto is a big and beautiful city, which has developed from a relatively unknown place over the past half century to the center of culture, trade and communication in Canada.
With its colorful ethnic mix, rich history and breathtaking buildings. Toronto offers non-stop adventures to the tourists. To get a sense of how big, various and magical Toronto is, the best place to start is the CN Tower. From this point, visitors can get a bird's-eye view of the city's amazing scenery and unique geography.
In addition to being an important center of culture, trade and communication in Canada, Toronto is also a major muti-ethnic city. It is the most populous city in Canada and its citizens come from countries around the world and from different kinds of ethnic backgrounds. Every day, in most places of the city, a hundred different languages can be heard on the streets, from Hindi to Greek to French. This, perhaps, explains why former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau once said that Canada is a mosaic（嵌合体）of cultures and languages rather than a melting pot.
Street signs in Toronto are mostly in English. Weekly and daily newspapers are published in various languages, and the city hosts the successful international film festival each September. It is also home to a popular baseball team the Toronto Blue Jays. Toronto has something for everyone.
Moreover, Toronto has been rated one of the most livable cities in the world by United Nations Human Settlements Programme for many years. At the same time, Toronto is one of the safest, richest cities in the world with the highest standard of living.
1. What's the purpose of the text?| A．To draw more tourists to Toronto. |
| B．To introduce something about Canada. |
| C．To introduce some famous sights of Toronto. |
| D．To tell us how Toronto develops from the past. |
| A．Toronto is in the center of Canada. |
| B．Toronto is a city with a history of half a century. |
| C．The street signs in Toronto are all written in English. |
| D．From the top of the CN Tower we can see the whole Toronto. |
| A．It's worth visiting. |
| B．It's just a common city in Canada. |
| C．There are too many foreigners in the city. |
| D．There aren't many places of interest to visit. |
| A．A personal diary. | B．A news report. |
| C．A tourist handbook. | D．A student's notebook. |
7 . Scientists have discovered an underwater coral tower near the Great Barrier Reef(大堡礁) that’s taller than New York’s Empire State Building. It’s the tallest underwater structure discovered in over 120 years.
The researchers who discovered the reef were on a year-long trip aboard the Schmidt Ocean Institute’s research ship Falkor, where they were working to map the sea floor around Australia.
The scientists used a special underwater robot called SuBastian to help them explore and develop 3D maps. In late October, as part of their exploration, the team came across the tower. It’s known as a “detached reef”, since its structure isn’t attached to the Great Barrier Reef, but rises on its own from the sea floor.
At the bottom, the tower is nearly a mile wide. But from there, it becomes much more narrow, rising 1,640 feet and stopping just 130 feet below the surface of the ocean. The lower is one o£ eight similar towers near Northern Australia’s Cape York Peninsula. The other seven towers were discovered in the 1880’s.
“It’s a big reef not to have known about,” said Tom Bridge, “What it highlights is how little we know about the ocean, even the Great Barrier Reef. The Great Barrier Reef is bigger than many European countries and that only a small part of it is made of the shallow water reefs it’s famous for.”
Overall, the Great Barrier Reef is struggling. Recent studies have shown that about half of its corals have died in the last 25 years, in part because of rising ocean temperatures due to the climate crisis. Over the last year, the Falkor’s scientific team has discovered 30 new kinds of sea creatures. In March, they discovered what they believe is the longest sea creature ever recorded. The animal is called a “siphonophore” and it’s 150 feet long.
1. What did researchers do by Falkor around Australia?| A．Seek for coral lowers. | B．Make a map of sea floor. |
| C．Research unknown species. | D．Film the Great Barrier Reef. |
| A．It’s the most advanced underwater robot. |
| B．It contributes to the discovery of the tower. |
| C．It is suitable to detect building structures. |
| D．It reports important discoveries under water. |
| A．The shape of the tower. | B．The history of the tower. |
| C．The position of the tower. | D．The information of the tower. |
| A．Europe used to ignore the Great Barrier Reef. |
| B．Climate crisis is ruining the Great Barrier Reef. |
| C．Tom Bridge has been researching the Great Barrier Reef. |
| D．More research should be done on the Great Barrier Reef. |
8 . In 1872, the first national park was set up in the US. It's the Yellowstone National Park, which was listed as a World Heritage Site in 1978. Today the country is home to 59 national parks. Here is a list of some of the best received ones.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
This park is a part of the Smoky Mountains. It lies at the border between the US states of North Carolina and Tennessee. It's the country' s most visited national park. It was listed as a World Heritage Site in 1983. Tourists visiting the park can enjoy different activities like biking, hiking, horseback riding, fishing, etc.
Grand Canyon National Park
Almost every international tourist to the US visits this national park, making it the second most visited national park in the US. It lies in northwestern Arizona and is home to the Grand Canyon of the Colorado River. It was listed as a World Heritage Site in 1979. Covering an area of 4. 920. 08 square km, the park offers many activities to the visitors like driving and walking tours, hiking biking, etc.
Yosemite National Park
This national park lies in the Sierra Nevada mountain range of Northern California. It's known for its waterfalls, mountains, lakes, and wildlife. It was listed as a World Heritage Site in 1984. The 3 ,026. 87-square-km-harge park is home to different animals such as black bears, red foxes, etc.
Cuyahoga Valley National Park
The national park lies in northeast Ohio. Set up in 2000, it offers a lot of activities like bicycling, hiking, wildlife watching, etc. The waterfalls, caves, hill, farmlands, and more make the experience of visiting the national park a memorable experience.
1. Which of the following parks is the first to become a World Heritage Site?| A．Great Smoky Mountains National Park. |
| B．Grand Canyon National Park. |
| C．Yellowstone National Park. |
| D．Yosemite National park |
| A．They both have waterfalls |
| B．They both lie between two states. |
| C．They both allow visitors to hunting. |
| D．They both offer biking and biking activities. |
| A．Standards of becoming national parks. |
| B．A brief history of American national parks. |
| C．Benefits of visiting American national parks. |
| D．Some most popular national parks in the US. |
9 . Australia is divided into three separate time zones： Australian Eastern Standard Time （AEST）， Australian Central Standard Time （ACST）， and Australian Western Standard Time （AWST）．
AEST is equal to Coordinated Universal Time plus 10 hours （UTC +10）． ACST is equal to Coordinated Universal Time plus 9½ hours （UTC +9½）． AWST is equal to Coordinated Universal Time plus 8 hours （UTC +8）．
Australian Eastern Standard Time （AEST） covers the eastern states of Queensland， New South Wales， Victoria， Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory （ACT）． AEST is equal to Coordinated Universal Time plus 10 hours （UTC +10）
Australian Central Standard Time （ACST） covers the state of South Australia， the town of Broken Hill in western New South Wales and the Northern Territory． ACST is equal to Coordinated Universal Time plus 9½ hours （UTC +9½）．
Australian Western Standard Time （AWST） covers the state of Western Australia． AWST is equal to Coordinated Universal Time plus 8 hours （UTC +8）．
Does Australia observe daylight saving time？
In the Australian summer， New South Wales， Victoria， South Australia， Tasmania and the ACT turn their clocks forward one hour to Daylight Saving Time （DST）． Daylight Saving Time begins at 2am （AEST） on the first Sunday in October and ends at 3am （Australian Eastern Daylight Time） on the first Sunday in April．
NSW， ACT， Victoria and Tasmania move from AEST to Australian Eastern Daylight Time （AEDT）， UTC +11． South Australia and the NSW town of Broken Hill move from ACST to Australian Central Daylight Time （ACDT）， UTC +10½．
Daylight saving is not observed in Queensland， the Northern Territory or Western Australia．
How many hours will I gain/lose traveling to Australia？ The International Date Line crossing the Pacific Ocean changes the date by one day． If you cross the date line moving east， you subtract a day； if travelling west you add on a day （with local variations）． Travelling direct from Los Angeles or London to Australia you arrive two days later； travelling back， you arrive the same day you departed．
1. How many time zones are there in Australia？ ______| A．one | B．two |
| C．three | D．four |
| A．Queensland | B．the Northern Territory |
| C．Western Australia | D．Victoria |
| A．yes | B．no |
| C．uncertain | D．the author doesn't mention it． |
| A．March 7 | B．March 10 |
| C．March 9 | D．March 6 |
