1 . Here’s our pick of the most beautiful European cities with hardly any tourists:
Orange, France
While Avignon draws in thousands of tourists thanks to its summer festival and amazing Popes’ Palace, nearby Orange is usually unnoticed. Easier to travel around, with far fewer visitors, the city’s key attraction is the Roman Theater, which was built in the first century AD.
Norwich, England
The saying goes that Norwich has a pub for every day of the year and a church for every Sunday. While that’s perhaps far from the truth, this most typical of English cities is certainly home to some of the most attractive medieval architecture in England.
Norwich Cathedral dates back to 1096 and the streets of Colegate and Elm Hill are home to picturesque, centuries-old homes.
Aarhus, Denmark
Denmark’s second largest city is considered to be less attractive than its capital Copenhagen. But Aarhus makes a perfect choice for a Danish long weekend thanks to its pretty beaches, towering Domkirke and the great ARoS Aarhus Art Museum.
ARoS’s Wine and Food Hall is one of the best places in the city to try delicious Nordic food.
Antwerp, Belgium
The UNESCO-protected Cathedral of Our Lady occupies the Antwerp skyline, but there’s so much more to this Belgian city than its most famous building.
There’s also the Red Star Line Museum, located on Antwerp’ old docks, which shows the city’s past as a center for migration (移民) to the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
1. What can you see in Orange, France?A.Roman Theater. | B.Wine and Food Hall. |
C.Medieval architecture. | D.Red Star Line Museum. |
A.Orange, France. | B.Norwich, England. |
C.Aarhus, Denmark. | D.Antwerp, Belgium. |
A.Old pubs can be seen everywhere. | B.People there go to church every Sunday. |
C.They are famous for museums. | D.They both have a cathedral. |
2 . Some Famous Libraries in the World
The Royal Library of AlexandriaThe Royal Library of Alexandria in Alexandria, Egypt is probably known as the largest and the most famous library in the ancient world. It is said that the ancient library was burned three times over the centuries. A likeness of the ancient library was built in Alexandria and was opened on October 16,2002.
Celsus LibraryCelsus Library was built in what had been a monument tomb of the governor of the Province of Asia, Celsus Polemaeanus in Ephesus, Turkey. It used to be the third richest of ancient times in the world,which had more than 12,000 works of art, but it was destroyed in wars, leaving some ruins. Even so, it is now still so world-famous for its beautiful structure that many visitors come to see it. There is a statue of Athena at its entrance as she is the Goddess of Wisdom. It remains delicate and appealing.
Bodleian LibraryBodleian Library is attached to Oxford University and mainly used as a research library. It is also a copyright library, which means it has a right to every book published in the United Kingdom. The library was designed by the architect, Sir Giles Gilbert Scott. Construction was completed in 1940.
The British LibraryThe British Library was set up in 1973 and is one of the world’s greatest libraries. This library has PACCAR gallery of living and workshop of words. The sounds and images offer shows and different programs at the theme exhibitions. They also have a wide collection of stamps of the world which are on show for visitors. The library also offers events like music and discussions.
1. Which of the following libraries has been reconstructed?A.The Royal Library of Alexandria. | B.Celsus Library. |
C.Bodleian Library. | D.The British Library. |
A.Read books. | B.Borrow books. |
C.See a stamp exhibition. | D.Enjoy the beautiful remains. |
A.It belongs to a university. |
B.It was once destroyed by fires. |
C.It is one of the famous ancient libraries. |
D.It is well-known for its beautiful structure. |
3 . Have you ever been into a cave? If not, please follow us and explore some of the most beautiful caves from around the world!
Marble Caves
Located in the center of Lake General Carrera, the Marble Caves in Chico, Chile, are only accessible by boat. The surrounding crystal clear waters allow visitors to see the rock formations beneath them while the rock ceilings above change color(depending on the writer levels and the season). The best time to visit: during sunrise and sunset, when the sun’s rays light up the cave walls, making it an experience to remember.
Reed Flute Cave
Reed F1ute Cave known as “the Palace of Natural Arts” is located in the northwest of Guilin in southern China.The limestone cave offers a grand fairyland of stalactites(钟乳石), stone pillars, stone curtains, birds, plants and animals in fantastic shapes and colors.
Fingal’s Cave
This incredible sea cave is located on the uninhabited island of Staffa in Scotland. The cave’s size, shape, and naturally—arched(拱形的) roof combine with the waves to create strange sounds that enhance its cathedral—like atmosphere.
The Blue Grotto
The Blue Grotto is the symbol of Capri. It is a sea cave found on the coast of the island and is a well-known spot to all who visit the area. This cave is unique for its brilliant blue light which comes from two sources: the entrance to the cave and a bigger hole beneath the entrance. When viewed from inside the cave, the entrance appears as a brilliant white light just above the waterline, while the underwater hole, which is the larger source of light, provides a blue light.
1. Why is sunset the best time to visit Marble Caves?A.Because it has enough light in it. |
B.Because it has the most beautiful scenery. |
C.Because it is surrounded by clear waters. |
D.Because boats are only available at sunset. |
A.Reed F1ute Cave. | B.Marble Caves. |
C.The Blue Grotto. | D.Fingal’s Cave. |
A.C1ear waters. | B.Various birds and animals. |
C.Bright blue light. | D.Strange shapes. |
4 . It's always adventurous and romantic to visit an island country. Take a look at some breathtakingly beautiful island countries in the world, which everyone should visit at least once in his lifetime
Maldives
It' s believed that Maldives is one of the most popular honeymoon(蜜月) places as well as one of the most beautiful island countries. Situated in the middle of the Indian Ocean, Maldives is made up of a series of ancient coral reefs that grow up along the sides of ancient volcanoes, with fascinating beaches
Fiji
Fiji has plenty of surprises for any adventurous traveler. It is famous for the worlds best surf scenes, attracting many surfing lovers to ride the great waves. Well, if surfing is not for you and you love sitting on the beach and relaxing, hiking or seeing breathtaking waterfalls, Fiji is also a suitable island country to visit
Malta
Malta, a beautiful southern European country in the Mediterranean Sea, has a rich history and culture. There are amazing sky-high cliffs to climb>, wonderful temples to visit and lots of amazing places to go diving. There are plenty of interesting things to explore here and everyone can find something to enjoy. The historic part of Malta is shown in its architecture. great walled cities, and many underground tunnels.
1. Which place will be most likely to be chosen by a newly-married couple according to the text?A.Maldives | B.the Mediterranean Sea | C.Malta | D.Fiji |
A.You can see the world's most breathtaking waterfalls |
B.It is surfing lovers favourite island country |
C.There are sky-high cliffs to explore. |
D.You can try the world's longest |
A.Hike on green plains | B.Ride the greatest waves |
C.See breathtaking waterfalls | D.Explore underground tunnels |
5 . A previously unknown kind of human group disappeared from the world so completely that it has left behind the merest piece of evidence that it ever existed — a single bone from the little finger of a child, buried in a cave in the Altai Mountains of southern Siberia.
Researchers removed DNA from the bone and reported that it differed obviously from that of both modern humans and of Neanderthals(尼安德特人), living in Europe until the arrival of modern humans on the continent some 44,000 years ago.
The child carrying the DNA line was probably 5 to 7 years old, but it is not yet known if it was a boy or a girl. The finger bone was unearthed in 2008 from a place known as the Denisova cave.
Researchers are careful not to call the Denisova child a new human species, though it may prove to be so, because the evidence is initial.
But the genetic material removed from the bone, found in a layer laid down on the cave floor between 48,000 and 30,000 years ago, belonged to a distinct human line that traveled out of Africa at a different time from the two known ancient human species. Homo erectus(直立人), found in East Asia, left Africa two million years ago, and the ancestor of Neanderthals moved away some 500,000 years ago. The numbers of differences found in the child’s DNA indicate that its ancestors left Africa about one million years ago.
The region was inhabited by both Neanderthals and modern humans at that time. Counting the new human line, three human species may have lived together.
The standard view has long been that there were three human resettlements out of Africa — those of Homo erectus; of the ancestor of Neanderthals; and finally, some 50,000 years ago, of modern humans. But in 2004, archaeologists reported that they had found the bones of small humans who lived on the Indonesian island of Flores until 13,000 years ago, causing a serious problem to this view. The new line is the second such challenge.
If the nuclear DNA of the Denisova child should differ as much as its mitochondrial(线粒体) DNA does from that of Neanderthals and modern humans, the case for declaring it a new species would be strengthened. But it would be unusual for a new species to be recognized on the basis of DNA alone.
In new diggings starting this summer, archaeologists will look for remains more analytical than the finger bone. Researchers will also begin re-examining the fossil collections in museums to see if any wrongly assigned bones might belong instead to the new line.
1. According to the passage, ________.A.modern humans arrived in Europe before Neanderthals |
B.modern humans arrived in Europe about 44,000 years ago |
C.Neanderthals arrived in Europe about 44, 000 years ago |
D.Neanderthals arrived in Europe soon after modern humans did |
A.the Denisova child belonged to Neanderthals |
B.the Denisova child is a new human species |
C.its ancestor moved to Europe 1,000,000 years ago |
D.the habitat of its ancestor was in Africa |
A.Neanderthals. |
B.Modern humans. |
C.Small humans in Indonesia |
D.Homo erectus. |
A.some other bones of the new line must have been wrongly identified |
B.some other bones might give some evidence to support the new line |
C.some other bones could help find the belongings of the new line |
D.some other bones belonging to the new line might not have been found yet |
A.Bone May Reveal a New Human Group |
B.Bone of a New Human Group Is Found |
C.Human Group Once Existed in Southern Siberia |
D.Bone Gives Evidence to a New Human Group |