1 . The Best US National Parks You’ve Never Heard of
Dry Tortugas National Park
Located 70 miles west of Key West, this group of seven islands is a great destination to enjoy some of Florida’s nature. The islands are composed of coral reefs (珊瑚礁) and sand, and they are famous for the birds and sea life. Tourists can also enjoy Fort Jefferson, which dates back to the 19th century.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
Theodore Roosevelt National Park is divided into two units, a northern unit and a southern unit. Between the two sections, this park gives tourists the opportunity to experience some of North Dakota’s unique scenery, including the Badlands, canyons (峡谷) and more. The hiking trails (小径) allow tourists to see some of this country’s natural wonders and amazing wildlife.
Isle Royale National Park
Isle Royale is one of the special parks in the US. The island is only accessible by boat. Once there, you can enjoy the unique wilderness that has been protected in a special way. The island has a beautiful coast that can be explored by boat. You can also explore the island by hiking its many trails. Another unique feature of the island is the ships that have been destroyed at sea.
Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Guadalupe Mountains National Park extends from the low desert to the high mountains. Tourists to this park can enjoy over 80 miles of trails throughout the park, which travel through canyons, woodlands, springs, mountainous wilderness and more. It is also home to the Salt Basin Dunes, which are an amazing windswept landscape.
1. What can tourists do in Theodore Roosevelt National Park?| A．Walk along the hiking trails. | B．Admire coral reefs. |
| C．Enjoy the Salt Basin Dunes. | D．See Fort Jefferson. |
| A．By train. | B．By car. | C．By water. | D．By air. |
| A．Isle Royale National Park. | B．Dry Tortugas National Park. |
| C．Theodore Roosevelt National Park. | D．Guadalupe Mountains National Park. |
2 . The Hangzhou Xixi National Wetland Park in East China’s Zhejiang Province, founded in 2005, is the country’s first national wetland park.
Situated in the western part of Hangzhou, Xixi is only 5 kilometers away from the West Lake, a renowned UNESCO World Heritage site in the city.
Water is the soul of Xixi. With an area of 11.5 square kilometers, the park is mostly covered by streams, ponds, lakes and swamps, with six long rivers forming a tangled network of waterways. Nearly 70 percent of the park is water and the length of waterways inside the park surpasses 100 kilometers.
Additionally, about 85 percent of the land in Xixi is covered by plants such as reeds, willows and persimmon(柿子)trees and a variety of wildlife living among them, making Xixi a great platform for animal and bird watching, scientific research and education.
Because of its abundant water resources and species, Xixi Wetland is an important part of Hangzhou’s ecosystem and helps purify water, relieve flooding, regulate the climate and maintain biodiversity. Nestled in an urban area of the city, it is dubbed “the natural purifier of Hangzhou”.
As well as providing a haven for people to enjoy the region’s natural charm, Xixi Wetland is also a cultural treasure trove(宝藏)which has been depicted and extolled by scholars throughout history.
Xixi was a land of idyllic beauty and a place of seclusion(隐居)in the eyes of ancient people. Inspired by the elegance of Xixi, many literati(文人)—including Su Dongpo, Tang Bohu, Dong Qichang and Yu Dafu —created numerous literary works about the place. Some of them are showcased on the inscribed boards and tablets dotted throughout the wetland park.
The Xixi Wetland was not quite so well-known to people until the famous Chinese film director Feng Xiaogang used it as a backdrop for part of his 2008 film If You Are the One, adding the wetland to the list of must-visit tourist attractions in Hangzhou.
Today, the pristine(未开发的)scenery, the rustic(淳朴的)charm of a country lifestyle and the ancient traditions of Xixi lure tourists from around the world.
1. How long is the waterway of Xixi National Wetland Park?| A．Over 5 kilometers. | B．Over 11.5 kilometers. |
| C．Over 70 kilometers. | D．Over 100 kilometers. |
| A．Because it is a platform for animal and bird watching. |
| B．Because it is a platform for scientific research and education. |
| C．Because it is nestled in an urban area of the city. |
| D．Because its ecosystem helps purify water. |
| A．criticized | B．praised | C．described C. painted |
| A．Return to Paradise | B．Tourist Attractions in Hangzhou |
| C．Hangzhou, the Natural Purifier | D．A Place of Seclusion |
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6 . Beijing and Xi’an 5-Day Itinerary
This itinerary is top recommended if you are the first time to China. It connects the two classic must-visit cities that allow you to learn most about Chinese civilization and late-imperial and modern-era history.
■ Day 1: Beijing (visit the Forbidden City with a hutong walking tour)
■ Day 2: Beijing (go to the Great Wall and learn about the sacrificial culture in the Temple of Heaven)
■ Day 3: Beijing (visit the famous royal garden — the Summer Palace, and take & bullet train to Xi’an)
■ Day 4: Xi’an (the Terracotta Army with a hands-on terracotta-warrior-making experience and a walking/biking experience on the City Wall)
■ Day 5: Xi’an (visit a famous pagoda and museum to learn about Chinese history)
In Beijing, discover the imperial past in the Forbidden City, which used to be the home of China’s 24 emperors. Hike on the Great Wall to see the watchtowers and majestic natural mountain views.
Stroll around old hutongs, where you could catch a glimpse of the traditional daily lifestyle of Beijing’s local people.
For a more in-depth travel experience, you could visit a local family’s home and learn some Chinese culture and philosophy of living.
The famous Terracotta Warriors is the must-visit attraction. The highlight of the visit would be a hands-on experience of making your own clay warriors. You would learn more about the making, preservation, and story behind the Terracotta Warriors.
Walk on the 600-year-old Ancient City Wall and catch a full view of the city. If time permits, the sunset time would be the best for a stunning view. For learning about Chinese history, Shannxi History Museum and Big Wild Goose Pagoda are worth visiting.
All our tours can be adjusted based on your needs. Just contact us at https://www.chinahighlights.com/travel guide/.
1. Which is the best means of transportation during the travel?| A．By bike. | B．On foot. | C．By air. | D．In a bus. |
| A．Visiting the Temple of Heaven. | B．Walking Around old hutongs. |
| C．Being a guest in a local family. | D．Producing your own soldier statues. |
| A．An architect. | B．A tour guide. |
| C．A foreign visitor. | D．A Chinese historian. |
7 . Many people assume Egypt is, and always has been, a desert. But considering that climates and landscapes can change over time and that humans have been known to change natural environments, was ancient Egypt a desert?
The simple answer is no. Not all of Egypt, ancient or modern, qualifies as a desert. Areas near the Nile River tend to be lusher (草木繁茂的), and Egyptians — in both ancient and modern times — have had a successful system of agriculture. However, the environment has changed over Egypt’s history, and the construction of the Aswan High Dam (坝) across the Nile between 1960 and 1970 changed the landscape greatly.
Some areas of Egypt that are now desert were wetter in the past. One famous example is the “Cave of Swimmers” in southwestern Egypt. Today, the area is very dry, but thousands of years ago, it was wetter, and some of the rock art found in caves in the area appears to show people swimming, according to the British Museum.
The Aswan High Dam caused some areas in southern Egypt to flood, leading to the creation of Lake Nasser. Many people had to move, and some archaeological (考古的) sites ended up underwater. The construction of the dam also ended the natural flooding of the Nile. The creation of Lake Nasser also led to more moisture (水分) in the air in some areas of southern Egypt.
One effect of the generally higher Nile River levels during the Bronze Age is that around 2500 B. C., when the pyramids at Giza were constructed, the “Khufu branch”, a vanished (消失的) branch of the Nile River, came right next to the pyramids (金字塔). This branch allowed for materials to be transported to the site by boat, aiding in pyramid construction.
The ancient Egyptians who lived by the Nile in some ways viewed themselves as living on an island in the Nile Valley, with the deserts as a sort of great sea.
1. What can we know about “Cave of Swimmers”?| A．It used to be very dry. | B．The rock art shows it used to be wet. |
| C．It’s near the British Museum. | D．It shows ancient Egyptians loved art. |
| A．It saves some Egypt archaeological sites. |
| B．It brings in too much trouble for Egyptians. |
| C．It affects Egypt both positively and negatively. |
| D．It leads to more moisture in the air in the whole Egypt. |
| A．By making Nile River water level higher. |
| B．By helping people build pyramids more easily. |
| C．By making ancient Egyptians live on an island. |
| D．By leading some branches of the Nile River disappear. |
| A．Was Ancient Egypt a Desert? | B．Do You Know Deserts in Egypt? |
| C．Was Egypt a Great Country? | D．Do You Know Ancient Egypt? |
8 . When you swim in the sea, have you ever accidentally drunk the seawater? How did it feel? It must have tasted salty. So, why is the seawater salty?
Seawater is water that comes from the ocean. Seawater is salty because it contains an average salt content of 2.5%. So the ocean is a place for the salt farmers to produce cooking salt and other salt.
Some theories explain that seawater comes from rainwater that falls and flows through rivers and estuaries (河口) and then the seawater fully fills the sea and again forms clouds because of evaporation (蒸发). When we talk about this, we talk about the rainwater cycle. But when the rainwater cycle occurs, the water that passes through the river carries mineral salts. These mineral salts are obtained from various places of the land starting from rocks and soils that the rainwater flows through. These mineral salts make seawater salty, so the salinity of seawater is different in each part of the world. But it is certain that seawater is salty or has high salinity.
The saltiest sea in the world is the Red Sea. There the temperature is extremely high so that evaporation happens frequently. High evaporation coupled with little rainfall and little input of water from the river causes its highest level of salinity. There is also the Dead Sea, which is about nine times saltier than the Red Sea. Due to the high salinity, when you swim there, you can float. However, the Dead Sea is not a sea at all, which is a lake geographically.
1. What’s the purpose of Paragraph 1?| A．To draw a conclusion. |
| B．To bring in the topic. |
| C．To introduce a famous sea. |
| D．To make the article interesting. |
| A．Land. | B．Ocean. |
| C．Rain. | D．Cloud. |
| A．Its salinity is higher than that of the Dead Sea. |
| B．The climate there causes the highest salt level. |
| C．People are in danger when swimming there. |
| D．The land around it contains the most salt. |
| A．The reason why the seawater tastes salty |
| B．The reason why the Dead Sea is not a sea |
| C．The reason why the rainwater cycle occurs |
| D．The reason why the sea looks blue and green |
9 . What Are Grasslands?
Grasslands are wide areas of land covered with low growing plants such as grasses and wildflowers. Grasslands don’t get enough rain to grow tall trees and produce forests, but they get too much rain to form a desert. Temperate (温带的) grasslands have different seasons including hot summers and cold winters.
Grasslands are generally found between deserts and forests. The major temperate grasslands are located in central North America in the United States, in southeast South America in Uruguay and Argentina, and in Asia along the southern part of Russia and Mongolia.
A variety of animals live in the grasslands, including dogs, wolves, and eagles. A lot of smaller animals hide down in the grass, such as snakes, mice, and rabbits.
Different kinds of grass grow in different areas of the grasslands. There are actually thousands of different kinds of grass that grow in this type of environment. Where they grow usually depends on the amount of rain that area gets. In wetter grasslands, there are tall grasses that can grow up to six feet high. In dryer areas the grasses grow shorter, maybe only a foot or two tall. Other plants that grow there include sunflowers, butterfly weeds, and butterweeds.
Grasslands play an important role in human farming and food production. They are used to grow crops such as wheat and corn. They are also good for feeding farm animals such as cows.
Unfortunately, human farming and development has caused the grasslands to become gradually smaller. Governments have carried protection measures to try and save the grasslands that are left, along with the endangered plants and animals that live there.
| A．The Narrowing Grasslands |
| B．Animals in the Grasslands |
| C．Some Important Temperate Grasslands in the World |
| D．Farming and Food |
| E．Wildfires in the Grasslands |
| F．Types of Temperate Grasslands |
| G．Plants in the Grasslands |
10 . Before coming to Beijing, I was worried about whether or not I would have opportunities to go out for long walks and hikes. Coming from the UK, where farms, fields and parks are never too far away, I thought Beijing was a city of giant buildings that never ended, a concrete jungle without nature.
In the center of Beijing, there are public parks to explore: from Chaoyang Park in Chaoyang District to Ditan Park in Dongcheng District and to Beihai Park in Xicheng District.
Beijing, like other cities in China, is vibrant (有活力的) and full of energy as people rush around to work and have fun.
| A．I always sat alone, thinking of my hometown in Britain |
| B．One location worth visiting is the Grand Canal Forest Park |
| C．All of these locations are easily accessible by subway or taxi |
| D．People will wander in the park, buying and selling small items |
| E．I was overjoyed to find out that my expectations didn’t match reality |
| F．Although it was polluted in the past, great efforts were made to improve the local environment |
| G．But it’s also important to change to a slower pace and return to nature with public parks for people to relax |
