1 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What do we know about the area?

A．Lightning strikes mostly in December.

B．The area is near the Andes Mountains.

C．The people there worry about getting hit.

2. What did NASA call the area?

A．The Never Ending Storm of Catatumbo.

B．The Lightning Capital of the World.

C．The Light of Venezuela.

3. Which helps the area get so many storms?

A．Warm mountain winds.

B．Warm sea air.

C．The crowded population.

4. What does the man say in the end?

A．He’s scared of storms.

B．He’ll never visit Venezuela.

C．He’d be careful if he lived in the area.

2 . 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。

The main structure of the Datengxia water resources management facility in Southwest China has been completed four months ahead     1     schedule, the Ministry of Water Resources said on Saturday.

The project,     2     is located in the Xijiang River, has eight power generation     3     (unit), each with an installed capacity of 200,000 kilowatts (千瓦). It can     4     (annual) generate more than 6 billion kilowatt hours of electricity.

In cooperation with other reservoirs (水库), the project can help Wuzhou, a city with     5     population of over 2.8 million in Guangxi, deal with once-in-a-hundred-year floods. Previously, the city was only able to hold floods that occur once every 50 years. The project also enables some cities in the Pearl River Delta     6     (resist) floods that happen once every two centuries.

The ministry said the Datengxia facility will also provide strong support for rural development, offering irrigation (灌溉) water to 80,000 hectares of farmland and     7     (address) drinking water shortage for almost 1.4 million people in Guangxi.

The project has already played     8     (significance) roles in the past three years when it was put into trial operation. For example, in June last year, it helped prevent     9     store about 700 million cubic meters of floodwater when the Xijiang River     10     (hit) by a flood. In the peak, it reduced water flow by 3,500 cubic meters per second.

3 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What does the man say about hot deserts?

A．They are hot all the time.

B．They are dangerous to live in.

C．The temperature is changeable.

2. What do deserts have in common?

A．They’re dry.

B．They re sandy.

C．They’re large.

3. What do we know about the desert animals?

A．Many of them live in groups.

B．Many of them live at the edges of deserts.

C．Many of them sleep in the day and come out at night.

5 . Most of us have a map of the world in our mind that we use any time we think about places.     1     In fact, many of the maps in our heads share the same errors, some of which are quite large and surprisingly resistant to correction.

For example, we all believe that South America is just south of North America, of course. But you may be surprised by the fact that virtually the entire South American continent is east of Florida. There are lots of possible reasons for geographical misconceptions like this one, says cartographer (地图绘制员) John Nelson.     2     After all it’s not called Southeast America.

Europe is also often placed much farther south on mental maps than it really is. But it actually lines up better with Canada.     3     Western Europe is relatively warm for its latitude (纬度) thanks to the Gulf Stream which brings warmer water from the Gulf of Mexico across the Atlantic. The warmer temperatures are more similar to the climate of the lower 48 states than Canada’s.

    4     We also have misconceptions about the relative size of things. This may be due in part to the nature of 2D maps. Flattening a 3D globe onto a flat surface isn’t possible without some distortion (变形). This is especially obvious for maps that use certain projections.

Mercator maps distort the shape and relative size of continents, particularly near the poles. This is why Greenland appears to be similar in size to all of South America on Mercator maps.     5    

A．Locations aren’t the only way our mental maps can be wrong.

B．But these mental maps aren’t necessarily dependable.

C．Nelson says that climate might play a role in this misunderstanding.

D．In fact, South America is more than eight times larger than Greenland.

E．He believes the misplaced Americas may be partly a result of their names.

F．However, our physical experience of the world may come into play as well.

G．None of these geographic misconceptions would be surprising for a student.

6 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

A flood of tourists, some from overseas, have come to enjoy the unique cultural and natural beauties of the Tibet autonomous region,     1     has witnessed a travel boom recently.

Of the total tourists received, 30,455 were inbound visitors —travelers from overseas —    2     increase of 494 percent year-on-year, while more than 24.21 million were domestic visitors, a 4l percent year-on-year increase.

“    3     impressed me the most was the magnificent Potala Palace and strong     4    (religion) culture in Lhasa.I feel something different from other     5    (place) I visited before,” said Hu Wei, a tourist from Sichuan province.

The Chinese online travel agency Ctrip Group reported that travel order volume, including transportation and hotel bookings, for destinations in Tibet during the first half of the year increased     6     103 percent     7    (compare) with the same period in 2019. The figure reflects a continuous warming trend of tourism in the region.

“It is harder     8    (get) tickets to some hot tourism spots, such as the Potala Palace, as the number of tourists     9    (increase) significantly recently,” said Chodar, a tour guide in Lhasa. “I see large numbers of tourists lined up at the entrance of the palace every day. Visitors have to make a     10    (reserve) at least 10 days in advance.”

8 . 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。

The ecological environment in the Sanjiangyuan National Park in northwest China’s Qinghai Province         1     (continue) to improve since the establishment of the national park in 2021, with water conservation capacity increasing by more than 6 percent annually, according to a newly    2    (release) report on the park’s development.

The park delivers over 60 billion cubic meters of high-quality freshwater downstream every year,    3     the grassland coverage and grass yield in the park have increased by over 11 percent and 30 percent    4     (respective), according to the report.

    5    (locate) on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the Sanjiangyuan region serves as the headwaters for the Yangtze, Yellow and Lancang rivers, and is known as the “Water Tower of Asia”. In 2021, the Sanjiangyuan National Park, along with other four parks,     6     (list) as China’s first batch of national parks. The park has a total area of 190,700 square km, with an average altitude (海拔) of 4,700 meters.

According to Losang Tsering,     7    is an engineer of the Sanjiangyuan National Park Administration, the park has prioritized ecological restoration over the years,     8     (focus) on ecosystems such as glaciers and snow-capped mountains, high-altitude grasslands and meadows.

The Sanjiangyuan region is a typical    9    (represent) of the alpine (高山的) ecosystem and serves    10    an alpine biological germplasm bank, making it a crucial ecological security barrier in China.

9 . Must-See Destinations in 2024

Are you ready to explore the world in 2024? Whether you dream of sailing down famous European rivers or exploring unique places, our list of must-see destinations is here to inspire your travels.

Spain

Throw yourself into the rich culture and history of Spain. From the sunny beaches of Tenerife to the Moorish architecture (建筑物) of Andalucía, there’s so much to explore in this lively country. Discover the UNESCO World Heritage (遗产) city of La Laguna and become amazed at the beauty of Cordoba, Seville, and La Alhambra, or relax on a beach holiday to Majorca or Tenerife.

Montenegro

Despite its size, Montenegro has beautiful beaches, rich history, and a breathtaking channel. Experience the beauty of the Montenegrin coast — Dalmatia’s jewel (宝石) is the UNESCO World Heritage listed oasis of Dubrovnik, famously praised by Lord Bryon as The Pearl of the Adriatic.

Croatia

Discover the beauty that is Dubrovnik. Explore the 16th-century city’s defensive walls and red-roofed buildings. Sail along Croatia’s Adriatic Coast, where attractive villages and beautiful towns like Pula, Rovinj, and Poreč are just waiting to be explored...

South Africa

Explore the wonders of South Africa, from the Garden Route’s nature reserves to the thrill of a Safari drive in the Kariega Game Reserve. Discover the different plants and animals while searching for the “Big Five” on an unforgettable South Africa holiday.

With over 25 years of experience creating holidays for the curious, Travel Department ensures that your journey is in good hands. Plus as a trusted Reader’s Digest Travel partner, you can get special deals when you travel with them across lots of different 2024 holidays. If you want to know more information, please click here.

1. What do Spain and Montenegro have in common?

A．They are both praised by tourists.

B．They both have world heritage cities.

C．They are known for their architectures.

D．They both own beaches and rich history.

2. Which destination will attract people who are interested in creatures?

A．Spain.	B．South Africa.
C．Montenegro.	D．Croatia.

3. Where is this text most likely from?

A．A website.	B．A guidebook.
C．A novel.	D．A magazine.