2 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

On Horseback Among the Eagle Hunters

A. bond        B. covered        C. outwardly        D. demanding       E. famed F. currently        G. deserted        H. traditionally        I. accessing        J. extent K. tending

Nine-year-old Dastan, the son of a Kazakh (哈萨克族) eagle hunter, rode his pony alongside mine, running effortlessly without a saddle (马鞍) and giggling at my attempts to show my pony some affection. Surrounding us was the vast,     1     landscape of the Altai Mountains of western Mongolia, with a dusting of snow heralding the arrival of winter.

I spent almost three years living and working in northern Iraq, where I     2     the country’s efforts to defeat the Islamic State (伊斯兰国). In October 2019, I began working on a personal photography project. My goal was to explore the relationships between animals and the people whose livelihoods depend on them. To start, I flew to western Mongolia to meet and photograph the iconic Kazakh hunters, horsemen and animal herders (牧人).

Deep in the Altai Mountains, the Kazakh people have for centuries developed a special     3     with golden eagles. Alankush, an eagle hunter, said he looks after his eagle “as if she were a baby.” The ancient custom of hunting with eagles on horseback is     4     passed down from father to son and is considered a great source of pride.

In recent generations, many Kazakh families have migrated from the countryside to the country’s urban areas. This is partly because of the difficulties in     5     health care, education, social services and employment opportunities. Among those who have stayed, the ancient practice has provided an additional source of income from the visitors who pay to see the     6     birds in action.

Training and caring for golden eagles is just one aspect of an animal herder’s life. Others include training young horses,     7     sheep, and butchering meat. The daily demands of a traditional herding family’s life can leave little time for additional education. In response to their physically     8     lifestyles, parents who work as herders often send their children to boarding schools. They hope that their children will secure a more comfortable future. Paradoxically, such parental ambitions may result in the eventual disappearance of a culture and way of life that has survived for generations.

    9    , documenting the traditional ways of life in western Mongolia stands in contrast to my time spent photographing scenes of conflict and suffering in Iraq. The two subjects, however, share a common theme: the human struggle not just to survive, but to build a better future for oneself and one’s family. Despite the differences in the surroundings and the     10     of the challenges faced by the people I met, I felt a connection with the Kazakh horsemen, through our mutual affection for horses.

3 . Huizhou Architecture Comes to Life

Huizhou has a long history. When successful Huizhou businessmen got old,they often went back to their hometown and built houses to spend their remaining years.    1    Now, walking along the bluestone streets there,visitors can appreciate the distinctive Huizhou-style houses,featuring white walls,dark tiles (瓦片) and layered horse-head roofs, and feel like they are lost in a traditional Chinese ink painting.

Huizhou architecture, with its long tradition and great diversity, occupies an important place in Chinese architectural landscape, says Zhang Wangnan, director of the China Huizhou Culture Museum in Huangshan. Huizhou houses tend to be built on the natural places, since Huizhou is a mountainous area with few flat areas of land, according to Zhang. Moreover, daylight is valued in Huizhou houses, reflected in the building of open interior courtyards, allowing sunshine to enter the rooms. “Huizhou businessmen also believed that water symbolizes wealth.    2    It stands for keeping windfall profits,” says Zhang.

Huizhou is famous for its stone, wood and brick carvings, which are widely used to decorate local houses. “    3    In this way,they integrate their aesthetic (审美) values and emotions into the buildings,making them more beautiftul and educating their children through the meanings contained in the patterns,” says Zhang.

    4     “If you look at the outside of a Huizhou house, it seems simple, enclosed by walls, but the insides are open and broad, with complicated decorations. It is just like Huizhou people, who are often reserved toward strangers but friendly when you get to know them.” says Zhang. He also says that Ming houses differ from those of the QingDynasty in many aspects, for example, having fewer horse-head roofs and less complicated carvings.

A．When it rains, water falling on the roof soon flows to the courtyard.

B．Many of their houses are well-preserved today, especially in Xidi and Hongcun.

C．To talk about Huizhou culture, we must first understand Huizhou.

D．People carved beautiful patterns and historical stories on the walls, windows and wooden posts of their houses.

E．Features of Huizhou houses display the characteristics of local people.

F．Huizhou people have established many schools in the field of culture.

4 . When I step out onto the deck, I definitely feel the Arctic chill. That’s not surprising. I’m a good hundred miles inside the Arctic Circle; in fact, you can’t get much farther north and still be in Sweden. This is Abisko Mountain Station, perhaps the crown jewel of the Swedish mountain lodges (小屋). I’m back for a second time to this remote, scenic spot.

Last Autumn, a heavy snowstorm trapped me in my tent for days and eventually forced me to go to the station, a comfortable place. I discovered a different side to Abisko. People come here for many reasons – some to hike, some to climb, some to cross-country ski. But there’s yet another entirely different attraction here. Looking out from the deck of the train station, above a huge lake, in the upper sky of the North Pole, the Aurora, as we often refer to the northern light, mixed with green and red, was giving off ghostly light, rolling across the dark night sky.

The Aurora may be old hat to those who live this far north, but for the rest of us it is an unforgettable experience. The lights here were so appealing to us we quickly forgot the discomfort of the cold.

One of the attractions in Abisko is the Tornetrask. It’s a huge lake, which extends more than 70 kilometres long just north of the station, creates an unusual weather phenomenon that keeps the skies above the station clear even when fog or clouds blanket most of northern Sweden. The sky in this area is mostly clear all year around.

Abisko has a lot to offer to make it an ideal place to view the Aurora. It is far from any city lights. The station operates a ski lift to the top of Nuolja Peak, more than 3,000 feet high. For the first time this year, a cafe at the top of the mountain has been turned into a viewing platform for the Northern Lights, called the Aurora Sky Station. Also, the station posts forecasts each night of expected Aurora activity, collected from scientific observations arriving via computer, so visitors may choose the best viewing time.

1. What was the reason for the author’s first visit to the lodge?

A．He went there in search of the Aurora.	B．He needed equipment to keep him warm.
C．He was forced there by the weather.	D．He had to make his food supply there.

2. The phrase “old hat” in 3rd paragraph probably mean “________”.

A．severe and struggling	B．familiar and unexciting
C．strange and shocking	D．mysterious and adventurous

3. According to the last paragraph, which of the following is NOT a factor that makes Abisko an ideal place to view the Aurora?

A．There is a mountain viewing platform.	B．Weather forecasts are available.
C．There are no city lights nearby.	D．There is a café shop there.

4. The author’s overall opinion of Abisko is that ________.

A．despite the severe weather, it’s an impressive place

B．people have overestimated its popularity

C．it’s not as popular as it deserves to be

D．the cold weather worsens the Aurora viewing experience there

7 . We humans have always been obsessed with reaching higher, building taller, and touching the sky. In effect, we have been building towers and buildings each taller than the other. Today, we will look at four of the tallest buildings in the world.

Burj Khalifa

Since it opened on January 4, 2010, the Burj Khalifa has been the tallest building in the world. The United Arab Emirates broke world records in the 21st century for building a needle-like, 162 story skyscraper in Dubai. A public observation deck called “At the Top” is located on the 124th floor. The top floor is home to a private VIP club, closed to anyone except members.

Taipei 101

Featured in many videos, the tallest building in Taipei, China, is famous for its unique shape and awesome fireworks display every year. It houses lots of hotels, offices, apartments, and an observatory deck. There’s an outdoor round observatory square on the 91st floor of the building, at 392m above the ground, it’s now the third highest open-air observation deck in the world.

Shanghai World Financial Centre

The Shanghai World Financial Centre, is a soaring glass skyscraper with a distinctive opening at the top in Pudong District, Shanghai, China. The construction of this building began in 1997, but due to the crisis in Southeast Asia, it temporarily halted and resumed in 2003. Its final height is 492 metres and has 101 floors.

International Commerce Centre (ICC)

The ICC building, completed in 2010 in West Kowloon, is the tallest building in Hong Kong, China, and one of the world’s tallest skyscrapers at 484 metres. Original plans were for an even taller building, but zoning laws prohibited the construction of buildings higher than the surrounding mountains. The design of the skyscraper was revised (修改) and plans for a pyramidal-shaped top were abandoned.

1. What do Burj Khalifa and Taipei 101 have in common?

A．They have observatory decks.

B．They are open for half a day.

C．They are famous for their unique shapes.

D．They have the same number of floors.

2. Which building is shorter than was designed to be?

A．Shanghai World Financial Centre.

B．Burj Khalifa.

C．International Commerce Centre.

D．Taipei 101.

3. According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?

A．There’s an outdoor round observatory square on the 92nd floor of Taipei 101.

B．The top of ICC building is the shape of pyramid.

C．It took longer time than expected to finish Shanghai World Financial Centre.

D．Everyone can visit the top floor of Burj Khalifa.

8 . Just before Italy’s second lockdown in November 2020, the banks of Milan’s Grand Canal were busy with people. Bargain hunters picked their way through market stalls.     1     The clear water of the canal reflected the dazzling autumn sunshine.

This is a familiar scene in Milan’s Navigli district on the last Sunday of every month. Located in the city’s south-west corner, the Navigli district remains one of the last true connections the Milanese have with water. The Grand Canal (Naviglio Grande) itself dates back to 1177.

Although not widely known, Milan’s centre was once traced with waterways, like those of Venice.     2     London has the Thames. Paris, the Seine. Berlin was built around the banks of the Spree. Yet, Milan, one of the wealthiest cities in Europe, has none. The city had to make one for itself. Between the 12th and 17th centuries, a network of canals was developed in order to grow the city’s wealth and influence.

Most of the last traces of this network can be seen in Navigli. The rest fell victim to modernisation during the mid-20th century. As automobiles and trains replaced boats, the Inner Ring was buried under concrete (混凝土). For the most part, the canals are still there, covered over by new roads and buildings.

    3     The Darsena sits at the meeting point of two of Milan’s last canals, Naviglio Grande and Naviglio Pavese. Once one of Italy’s busiest ports, the harbourside area has lain largely unused since the 1960s. In 2015, it was completely renovated for the Milan Expo.

Today, the Darsena provides a vital lung to one of Europe’s most polluted cities. Every day, people walk along its banks or sit with a takeaway drink from the many bars which are located nearby. Old men teach their grandkids the patient art of fishing, while runners trace loops around the boardwalk.     4    

Currently, designs are being drafted for an underground tunnel to allow the water to pass through the city’s centre. It is hoped that the project will be completed by 2026 when Milan is set to co-host the Winter Olympics.

A．It will help the Milanese to live better lives.

B．We have to see the re-opening as a big project for redeveloping the city.

C．Think of almost any major inland city and there’s a big river to go with it.

D．Others sat in cafes, sipping coffee while gazing out at the city’s shoppers.

E．In more recent years, there has been a new energy around Navigli, which flows from the Darsena (meaning “dock”).

F．Its ongoing popularity long after the Expo has led to an ambitious project to completely re-open Milan’s Inner Ring.