1 . Landmark structures that were built to stand the test of time were usually carefully protected over the years, allowing them to appear close to the same as they were constructed. However, many famous landmarks no longer look the same.    1    

The Golden Gate Bridge is one of America’s most famous landmarks and it’s a wonder of modern bridge engineering. Chicago engineer Joseph Strauss designed the structure that took more than four years to complete    2    Then, the Golden Gate Bridge had the longest suspended bridge span (跨度) in the world.

In the city that never sleeps, Times Square is a busy collection of Broadway theaters, cinemas, restaurants and electronic billboards.    3    Over the past century, Times Square has undergone numerous adjustments, including a difficult period after the Great Depression. However, it has survived and is a popular tourist destination today.   

    4    The stone structure sits near the Great Pyramids of Giza in Egypt and depicts a mythical creature with a human head and the body of a lion. Although the precise age is not known, the colorless sculpture shows the impact that centuries of desert weather has made on the majestic (雄伟的) figure.

A．The Great Sphinx is the largest and most famous statue in the world.

B．The recent discovery shows it was more colorful in its original days.

C．They have changed significantly.

D．The name, initially called Long Acre Square, was changed in 1905.

E．Besides, it was open to traffic on May 27,1937.

F．However, it cracked and had to be removed.

3 . Ancient Rome was one of the world’s most powerful empires more than 2,000 years ago. The Romans’ ideas about roads, laws, government and buildings still influence us today.

Italy is shaped like a boot. The Colosseum in Rome was built during the time of the Roman Empire, in the first century A.D.     1     It is a popular tourist attraction today.

Italy is well-known for its designers, who create cars, handbags, clothes, shoes and other items that are in demand for their style and fine workmanship.

Today, the economy of Italy is stronger than in the past.     2     Today, manufacturing and tourism are the main sources of income. There are some big companies, but Italy has many smaller companies, too.

The northern part of the country is the main manufacturing centre. The southern part does not offer as many manufacturing jobs, so it is not as prosperous (繁荣的).

Italy is a member of the European Union, a group of countries that join together for better trade. The currency, or money, they use is called the “euro”.

Food and eating good meals are important to Italians.     3     Popular foods include pasta, risotto, minestrone and pizza. McDonald’s is also popular there. Many families still eat their main meal in the middle of the day.     4     Families spend a lot of time together.

A．The family is very important to the Italian way of life.

B．The country used to depend on agriculture.

C．Mountains cover about three-fourths of the country.

D．It could seat about 50,000 people, who went to see fights between animals and people.

E．While there are some supermarkets, many people shop at small, neighbourhood markets.

F．Italy has several islands off the coast.

4 . 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.

A. magical       B. cultural       C. meets          D. built          E. strong     F. damaged G. entrance       H. views        I. calendar        J. ranked        K. lit

A long red bridge stretches out across water. It runs across the Golden Gate. This is not the     1     to some sacred land, but it is just as     2    . The Golden Gate is where San Francisco Bay     3     the Pacific Ocean, and at night the scene of the bridge     4     up over the water takes your breath away.

Welcome to San Francisco, a place famous for its beautiful parks, hilly streets and lovely beaches. But the bridge is undoubtedly the most well-known symbol of the city. Before its completion in 1937, the bridge was considered impossible to build because of the foggy weather, powerful winds, and     5     ocean currents in the city. However, despite the difficult conditions, the bridge was built in no more than four years. Its total length is nearly 2 kilometers.

San Francisco     6     first on Lonely Planet’s list of the best cities to visit in 2013. According to the world’s largest travel publisher, it came top as a result of its     7     mix.

According to the census, 21 percent of the city’s population was made up of Chinese people. San Francisco’s Chinatown is the largest outside of Asia and the oldest in North America. Two traditional festivals, the Spring Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival, are the biggest events of the year on the city’s     8    .

If yellow cabs are a key part of New York city life, then the cable car is San Francisco’s equivalent. The first cable car came into public service in 1873, and the slow and noisy vehicle has been a symbol of the city ever since. The cable car network was once     9     by a serious earthquake but, luckily, it has now recovered and provides better     10     than the subway.

5 . Tayka Hotel De Sal

Where: Tahua, Bolivia

How much: About $95 a night

Why it’s cool: You’ve stayed at hotels made of brick or wood, but salt? That’s something few can claim. Tayka Hotel de Sal is made totally of salt - including the beds (though you’ll sleep on regular mattresses and blankets). The hotel sits on the Salar de Uyuni, a prehistoric dried-up lake that’s the world’s biggest salt flat. Builders use the salt from the 4,633-square-mile flat to make the bricks, and glue them together with a paste of wet salt that hardens when it dries. When rain starts to dissolve the hotel, the owners just mix up more salt paste to strengthen the bricks.

Green Magic Nature Resort

Where: Vythiri, India

How much: About $240 a night

Why it’s cool: Riding a pulley (滑轮) -operated lift 86 feet to your treetop room is just the start of your adventure. As you look out of your open window - there is no glass! -you watch monkeys and birds in the rain forest canopy. Later you might test your fear of heights by crossing the handmade rope bridge to the main part of the hotel, or just sit on your bamboo bed and read. You don’t even have to come down for breakfast - the hotel will send it up on the pulley-drawn “elevator”.

Dog Bark Park Inn B&B

Where: Cottonwood, Idaho

How much: $92 a night

Why it’s cool: This doghouse isn’t just for the family pet. Sweet Willy is a 30-foot-tall dog with guest rooms in his belly. Climb the wooden stairs beside his hind leg to enter the door in his side. You can relax in the main bedroom, go up a few steps to the loft in Willy’s head, or hang out inside his nose. Although you have a full private bathroom in your quarters, there is also a toilet in the 12-foot-tall fire hydrant outside.

Gamirasu Cave Hotel

Where: Ayvali, Turkey

How much: Between $130 and $475 a night.

Why it’s cool: This is caveman cool! Experience what it was1 like 5,000 years ago, when people lived in these mountain caves formed by volcanic ash. But your stay will be much more modern. Bathrooms and electricity provide what you expect from a modern hotel, and the white volcanic ash, called tufa, keeps the rooms cool, about 65 ℉ in summer. (Don’t worry - there is heat in winter.)

1. Which of the following about Tayka Hotel de Sal is true?

A．The hotel is the cheapest among the four mentioned.	B．Everything in the hotel is made of salt.
C．The glue can prevent the rain from dissolving the hotel.	D．It is located on a prehistoric dried-up lake.

2. What does the underlined part “Sweet Willy” refer to?

A．The building of Dog Bark Park Inn B&	B．B. The name of a pet dog of the hotel owner.
C．The name of the hotel.	D．The name of the hotel owner.

3. Which of the hotels makes you have a feeling of living in the far past?

A．Tayka Hotel De Sal	B．Green Magic Nature Resort
C．Dog Bark Park Inn B&B	D．Gamirasu Cave Hotel