1 . With a number of rivers globally in crisis due to pollution, damming, and reduced rainfall, there’s never been a better opportunity to appreciate everything that rivers give to the world.

Rivers provide drinking water

Two thirds of the UK’s tap water is either from a river or from a river-fed body of water.     1    . For example, the Colorado River alone supports nearly 40 million Americans. That’s why it is vital to keep rivers clean and free of pollutants.

    2    

Ancient farming depended on these life-giving waters, so does modern agriculture. During the rainy season, many rivers overflow their banks, nourishing the soil with minerals and nutrients. Besides, rivers act as water sources for irrigation.

A good source of food comes from rivers

A fifth of the fish that are fished globally come from rivers and other freshwater sources. Another two thirds of fish that people eat rely on rivers for breeding, nutrients, or other reasons.     3    .

Human culture is tied to rivers

    4    . The names of the rivers in England including Thames, Leith, and Taff, disclose the island’s history. Other examples are the religious connections to the Ganges in India or the Jordan River in Israel.

Rivers provide leisure activities

    5    . River sports, boating, fishing, swimming, braving rapids, and visiting waterfalls are all ways that rivers add value and entertainment. It’s essential to work to conserve rivers for generations to come.

A．Rivers are important for agriculture

B．Rivers are more than just water under the bridge

C．Rivers are closely connected to ancient civilizations

D．A large part of our modern life is involved with rivers

E．The organization American Rivers gives a similar figure for the US

F．Consequently, rivers can provide homes for a diversity of plants and animals

G．Protecting rivers and their biodiversity is a good way to protect this valuable source of food

3 . 4 Best Places to Travel in 2023

2023 is the year when travel returns in a big way. To get you started, we’ve rounded up some of the best places to travel in 2023. All you need to do is pick the place that appeals to you.

Copenhagen

With its fantastic houses, clean streets and colorful architecture, Copenhagen is regarded as the most livable city on the earth. Named the World Capital of Architecture for 2023, Copenhagen will offer a series of major artistic events and programs sure to delight architects and design lovers.

Bhutan

For travelers with a sense of adventure and a love of discovery, Bhutan has always been a must-go destination. In 2023, travelers can once again explore the Trans Bhutan Trail, which runs 250 miles from east to west, offering visits to the century-old communities along the journey. The trail spans (横跨)18 major bridges and national parks and connects more than 400 historic and cultural sites.

Bordeaux

The coming years will be sporty in the historical wine region of Bordeaux in France. In 2023, the city will host the Rugby World Cup, an intense and stressful game. Beyond sports, Bordeaux is one of the favorite historical cities, with more than 350 structures that are either nationally or regionally listed as historical monuments.

Namibia

Wildlife and adventure lovers looking for a unique path in African Safari trips should head straight to Namibia in 2023 — this country in southern Africa is the perfect place to travel to reconnect with nature and escape the modern stresses of life. On the wildlife front, you may see lions along with giraffes and elephants.

1. What is Copenhagen well-known for?

A．The natural landscape.	B．The adventure travel.
C．Eye-catching architecture.	D．Famous art designers.

2. What can you visit on the Trans Bhutan Trail?

A．Modern communities.	B．Cultural relics.
C．Historical wine regions.	D．National monuments.

3. Which place attracts those who want to be free from stressful city life?

A．Copenhagen.

B．Bhutan.

C．Bordeaux.

D．Namibia.

5 . 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 city of Zibo has never seen so many visitors.

As the sun begins to set, the aroma of sizzling meat falls the air and draws in more     1     (hunger) customers. On each street, queues stretch outside restaurants for more than a hundred meters. Some restaurants even run out of key ingredients as early as 7p.m.     2     the night. All hotels are also operating at full capacity.

The city was barely known by outsiders     3     it went viral on Chinese social media platforms recently. Most visitors are young people, who share their experience of traveling to Zibo to experience the city’s barbecue culture on social platforms,     4     (attract) even more visitors.

Zibo- style barbecue’s classic three-piece set contains roast lamb, green onions, and nan bread, which,     5     (combine), make a mouth-watering combo (组合). The fame of Zibo barbecue used to be limited to just Shandong Province.     6     (previous), barbecue in Northeast China was much more popular across the country.

Behind Zibo’s sudden fame     7     (be) the efforts and services of the local government, as well as a good reputation of local businesses,     8     receive favorable reviews from visitors who share their experiences online.

To promote Zibo-style barbecue, Zibo has launched two dozen “special barbecue trains,” where local tourism officials would serve tourists     9     (they). At the city’s train station, shuttle buses transport tourists to various barbecue stalls directly. Netizens joke that the high-speed trains     10     (pack) with visiting tourists and that the air onboard is filled with cumin.

6 . The Sahara is the world’s largest and most magic desert, but knowledge about it is surprisingly limited. Even estimates of when it formed vary widely, from more than five million years ago to mere thousands. Now, however, geographers studying wind-carried Saharan dust on the Canary Islands have come closer to settling this: it is, they report, close to five million years old.

One reason for the uncertainty over the Sahara’s age is that researchers use different methods to estimate it. These include studying desert dust found in sediment (沉积物) under the Atlantic Ocean, analyzing sandstone and modeling the ancient climate. To help settle the uncertainty, Daniel, geographer of the U.S. Geological Survey, and his workmates looked at sediment on Spain’s Canary Islands. They found evidence of Saharan dust. The dust appeared in ancient soil layers (层), whose age they assessed on the basis of fossils (化石) found in the same layers — and that age agreed with the earlier ocean’s sediment studies. The researchers reported their findings in November in Palaeogeography.

“The conclusion of the study is very good,” says Zhongshi Zhang, a climate modeler at the University of Bergen in Norway, who was not involved in the work. “Because the dust found on the islands is distinct from the ocean’s record,” Zhang adds, “it helps to build the case for a five-million-year age.”

The Sahara is the biggest source of wind-carried dust in the world — and that dust’s journey does not end in the Canary Islands, which lie just off the western coast of Africa. It continues onto places such as the Amazon rain forest in South America, Daniel notes. Amazon soils are poor in nutrients, and he says the new results help to show how rich dust from Africa could have been supporting the South American region’s incredible biodiversity for millions of years — adding to the Amazon’s own origin story.

1. How did Daniel settle the formation time of the Sahara?

A．By modeling the ancient climate in Spain’s islands.

B．By studying the desert dust under the Atlantic Ocean.

C．By assessing the age of the dust in ancient soil layers.

D．By analyzing the wind-carried sandstone in the Sahara.

2. What is the underlined words “their findings” in the paragraph 2 refer to?

A．The appearance of the dust.	B．The formation of two layers.
C．The age of the Saharan dust.	D．The agreement of two layers.

3. What contributes to the biodiversity of the South America?

A．The Saharan dust.	B．The Amazon soils.
C．The Amazon rain forest.	D．The Coastal waters.

4. Which is the most suitable title for the text?

A．The Study of the Sahara.	B．The Birth of the Sahara.
C．The Source of the Sahara.	D．The Effect of the Sahara.

8 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容(1个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。

Welcome to Shangri-La (香格里拉) . Although located in Yunnan, it has many old    1    (village) with a unique countryside life. The     2    (beauty) city was formerly called Zhongdian that     3    (burn) by a big fire on January 11, 2014, but it has been rebuilt quickly. It’s nice    4    (see) the locals dancing every night on the main square. Visitors can involve themselves in     5    (dance). Guests can also explore its area nearby either on foot    6    by bike. A popular place is China’s first national park, Pudacuo,    7    is home to the lakes of Napa and Shudu. Maybe you can even meet with the golden Yunnan monkeys in one of    8    villages!    9    (clear), the winter is pretty cold in Shangri-La, but for those who are not afraid    10    the cold temperature, to see the snow here is very attractive!

10 . What to See in Dujiangyan City

Dujiangyan Irrigation (灌溉) System

Dujiangyan water conservancy (保护) project makes full use of local geographical conditions of high northwest and low southeast, according to the special natural feature of mountains and rivers and according to water potential to draw water without dam to irrigate by gravity. What is great is that it exists for more than 2,250 years, and it produces more and more benefits. After the completion of Dujiangyan Irrigation System, the Chengdu plain became a vast rich land.

Two Kings Temple

Two Kings Temple is located in the Minjiang River right bank slope (斜坡) and it closes to Dujiangyan in the front. It was Emperor Temple originally in memory of the king of Shu and later, it was offered sacrifices to Li Bing and his son, renamed the “Chongde Temple”. In the main hall, there is the statue of Li Bing and his son and there was water conservancy quotes, poet inscriptions (题词) and so on.

Fulong Temple

Fulong Temple is located in the Lidui Park. It is said that Li Bing and his son were here to prevent floods by water control. So in the early years of the Northern Song Dynasty, in order to honor Li Bing, it was named “Fulong Temple”. In the middle of front hall there is Li Bing stone figure carved in the Eastern Han.

Anlan Suspension Bridge

Anlan Suspension Bridge is also known as “Anlan Bridge” and “Couple Bridge”. It is located in Dujiangyan Fish Mouth, known as the one of the five bridges of ancient China and is the most typical landscape of Dujiangyan. It was built before the Song Dynasty. The original bridge used wood block as base, hanging a thick bamboo cable cross the river.

1. By what was Dujiangyan water conservancy project mainly built?

A．Wide plains.	B．High dams.
C．Artificial rivers.	D．Geographical conditions.

2. What do Two Kings Temple and Fulong Temple have in common?

A．They were built in parks.

B．They have statues of Li Bing.

C．They were located on the left bank of the Minjiang River.

D．They were the most typical landscape of Dujiangyan.

3. What do we know about Anlan Suspension Bridge?

A．It was built in the Ming Dynasty.	B．It is the earliest bridge in China.
C．It was originally built on stones.	D．It is one of the five bridges in ancient China.