2 . The Pharos, the great lighthouse of Alexandria, was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It stood on the island of Pharos, in the harbor of the city of Alexandria. In 290 B.C, Ptolemy I Soter, the ruler of Egypt, ordered the building of the lighthouse. Twenty years later, it was finished−the first lighthouse in the world and the tallest building on Earth except the Great Pyramid of Egypt.

The Pharos was designed by Sostrates, a Greek architect. Sostrates wanted to leave his name on the base of the lighthouse. But Ptolemy refused, ordering that only his own name appear on the building. But Sostrates found a way to do that. At the base of the Pharos, Sostrates left a message containing his own name. Then he covered it with plaster (建筑石膏) and left Ptolemy's name over it. After many years, the plaster disappeared and people knew the true architect of the lighthouse.

In 1302 and 1323, two strong earthquakes hit Alexandria, and the lighthouse was damaged. In 1326, it finally fell into the sea. Much of what we know about the lighthouse comes from the writings of Arabs who once visited the Pharos.

The Pharos was about 384 feet tall, the same height as a modern 40-storey building. At the top of the lighthouse stood a large statue of Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea. Under it was a beacon, the source of light for the lighthouse. The Pharos used two kinds of beacons. At night, a large fire created the light. During the day, a huge mirror made use of the sunlight to create the light.

It was said that the mirror was also used to set enemy ships on fire as they entered the harbor by directing the sun’s rays (sunlight) at them. Although it is clearly impossible, the idea is interesting.

1. Why did Sostrates use plaster at the base of the Pharos?

A．To follow Ptolemy's orders.

B．To hide his name left on the base.

C．To protect the base from damage.

D．To make the lighthouse more beautiful.

2. How long had the Pharos stayed standing?

A．For about 800 years.	B．For about 1,000 years.
C．For about 1,600 years.	D．For about 2,000 years.

3. What does the underlined word "it" in Paragraph 4 refer to?

A．The lighthouse.	B．The statue.
C．A large fire.	D．A huge mirror.

4. What can be a suitable title for the passage?

A．Sostrates and Ptolemy.

B．The function of an old lighthouse.

C．The Pharos, a wonder of the ancient world.

D．The architect of an old lighthouse.

3 . Rainforests are home to a rich variety of medicinal plants, food, birds and animals. Can you believe that a single bush（灌木丛）in the Amazon may have more species of ants than the whole of Britain! About 480 varieties of trees may be found in just one hectare of rainforest.

Rainforests are the lungs of the planet-storing vast quantities of carbon dioxide and producing a significant amount of the world's oxygen. Rainforests have their own perfect system for ensuring their own survival; the tall trees make a canopy（树冠层）of branches and leaves which protect themselves, smaller plants, and the forest animals from heavy rain, intense dry heat from the sun and strong winds.

Amazingly, the trees grow in such a way that their leaves and branches, although close together, never actually touch those of another tree. Scientists think this is the plants' way to prevent the spread of any tree diseases and make life more difficult for leaf-eating insects like caterpillars. To survive in the forest, animals must climb, jump or fly across the gaps. The ground floor of the forest is not all tangled leaves and bushes, like in films, but is actually fairly clear. It is where dead leaves turn into food for the trees and other forest life.

They are not called rainforests for nothing! Rainforests can generate 75%of their own rain. At least 80 inches of rain a year is normal-and in some areas there may be as much as 430 inches of rain annually. This is real rain-your umbrella may protect you in a shower, but it won't keep you dry if there is a full rainstorm. In just two hours, streams can rise ten to twenty feet. The humidity（湿气）of large rainforests contributes to the formation of rainclouds that may travel to other countries in need of rain.

1. What can we learn about rainforests from the first paragraph?

A．They produce oxygen.	B．They cover a vast area.
C．They are well managed.	D．They are rich in wildlife.

2. Which of the following contributes most to the survival of rainforests?

A．Heavy rains	B．Big trees.
C．Small plants.	D．Forest animals.

3. Why do the leaves and branches of different trees avoid touching each other?

A．For more sunlight.	B．For more growing space.
C．For self-protection.	D．For the detection of insects.

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

A．Life-Giving Rainforests	B．The Law of the Jungle
C．Animals in the Amazon	D．Weather in Rainforests

4 . 阅读下面文，在空处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

China’s Liangzhu Archaeological Site     1    (declare) on the list of World Heritage sites on Saturday by UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee during its 43^rd session in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan.

The site,     2    is located in Yuhang District in Hangzhou City in China’s eastern Zhejiang Province, showcases the civilization of prehistoric rice agriculture between 3,300 B.C.     3     2,300 B.C. The ruins of ancient Liangzhu city were discovered in 2007, and then large dam sites     4    (surround) the Liangzhu ancient city were unearthed continuously after 2009. It was     5     (official) submitted to UNESCO in 2019, hoping to win     6     (recognize) as a World Cultural Heritage Site. The site     7     (include) archaeological remains and unearthed cultural relics of the Liangzhu Ancient City as well as a wetland that covers     8     area of 908. 89 hectares in a plain river network. It is also found that the Liangzhu ancestors started to use characters about 5 ,000 years ago, 1 ,000 years     9     (early) than previously thought, according to Colin Renfrew, a retired professor of archaeology at the University of Cambridge.

The World Heritage Committee added Liangzhu to the UNESCO list    10     (encourage) better protection of the site, considered to be of “outstanding universal value” to humanity.

5 . Death Valley is one of the most famous deserts in the United States, covering a wide area with its alkali sand. Almost 20 percent of this area is well below sea level, and Badwater, a salt water pool, is about 280 feet below sea level and the lowest point in the United States.
Long ago the Panamint Indians called this place "Tomesha"-- the land of fire. Death Valley's present name dates back to 1849, when a group of miners coming across from Nevada became lost in its unpleasantness and hugeness and their adventure turned out to be a sad story. Today Death Valley has been declared a National Monument and is crossed by several well-marked roads where good services can be found easily. Luckily the change created by human settlement has hardly ruined the special beauty of this place.
Here nature created a lot of surprising, almost like the sights on the moon, ever-changing as the frequent wind moves the sand about, showing the most unusual colors. One of the most astonishing and colorful parts of Death Valley is the Devil's Golf Course, where it seems hard for one to tell reality from dreams. Sand sculptures stand on a frightening ground, as evening shadows move and lengthen.
1. The name of the valley comes from__________ .

A．an Indian name	B．the death of the miners
C．the local people	D．a National Movement

2. From the passage we can learn that__________.

A．no one had ever known the desert before the miners

B．it's still not easy to travel across the desert

C．people can find gas-stations, cafes and hotels in the desert

D．people have changed the natural sight of the desert

3. The Devil's Golf Course is famous for__________ .

A．the terrible sights	B．the moon-like sights
C．dream-like sights	D．the ever-changing sights

4. From the passage we can see that the writer__________the Death Valley.

A．appreciates

B．is fearful of

C．dislikes

D．is tired of