1 . 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.

3 . 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 Great Wall of the ancient Qi State,the oldest    1    (exist) Great Wall in China, stretches across Shandong for more than 600 kilometers. It    2    (build) during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.

“Historical records say the Qi State built the wall here to defend itself    3    its enemies, as well as to stop flooding    4    (effective),” says An Xingzhu, who worked at the town’s culture station for more than three decades. A key task of the station is    5    (protect) cultural relics.

In the 1970s，parts of the rammed earth wall(夯土墙)were dug out and used by farmers for their land, but since the early 1990s, the local government    6    (start) to take measures to protect the wall.

Rapid development and    7    (construct) have brought many new problems and challenges in protecting the wall.    8    is necessary to provide a solid legal guarantee for its conservation. To tackle the challenges, Shandong Province has passed a regulation protecting the structure    9    will take effect on Jan. 1.

It states that local governments will establish a dynamic conservation system using remote sensing satellites, drones, information platforms and other technological    10    (mean) to monitor the Great Wall.

4 . Mount Tai, located just north of Tai’an city in East China’s Shandong Province, is a mountain of historical and cultural_________, with impressive views and beautiful natural scenery.

Among the Five Sacred Mountains (the other four are Heng Mountain of Hunan Province, Hua Mountain of Shaanxi Province, Song Mountain of Henan Province and Heng Mountain of Shanxi Province), Mount Tai is only the third highest. Why is it seen as the _________of the Five Sacred Mountains?

In absolute terms, Mount Tai cannot be considered as the highest of China’s mountains, but because it is_________ to the sea and rivers and rises abruptly from the relatively low hills and plains, its _________height is quite impressive, with a (an)_________ of over 1, 300 meters. _________, in Chinese culture east is regarded as a sacred direction, since it is where the sun and the moon rise. Therefore, Mount Tai is often regarded as the first of the Five Sacred Mountains. It is associated with sunrise, birth and_________,

Many Chinese emperors climbed to the top for enthronement (登基) or other significant ceremonies in ancient China, for they considered it to be a _________ of Chinese power given by master of nature. The earliest activities could _________to Xia Dynasty and Shang Dynasty, so it __________a good many of cultural relics and historic sites. Famous writers, poets and celebrities were attracted here and thousands of poems and __________ about Mount Tai are best-known nowadays.

Mount Tai is famous for its various stone inscriptions, which are the works of either ancient emperors or celebrities. The stone inscriptions__________ different bodies of calligraphy, and most of them are inscribed with beautiful diction, elegant writing style and __________ design. Besides historic relics, Mount Tai also boasts unique natural scenery, and it is well known for its__________. Overlapping mountains, gigantic rocks, centuries-old pines and cypresses (柏树), ever-changing clouds make Mount Tai __________with brightness and peaceful with miracle. As a result, it attracts lots of tourists from the whole world.

1.

A．evidence

B．significance

C．confidence

D．existence

2.

A．partner

B．member

C．leader

D．laggard

3.

A．close

B．far

C．remote

D．proper

4.

A．absolute

B．relative

C．real

D．perfect

5.

A．altitude

B．width

C．longitude

D．attitude

6.

A．However

B．Therefore

C．Otherwise

D．Moreover

7.

A．chance

B．change

C．death

D．renewal

8.

A．gift

B．symbol

C．beginning

D．call

9.

A．look at

B．go through

C．look for

D．go back

10.

A．preserved

B．ruined

C．collected

D．hid

11.

A．newspapers

B．information

C．articles

D．advertisements

12.

A．combine

B．change

C．stop

D．increase

13.

A．exciting

B．famous

C．delicate

D．rough

14.

A．importance

B．magnificence

C．possibility

D．difference

15.

A．powerless

B．pale

C．weak

D．forceful

7 . 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.

9 . 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 . 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。

When you are going to visit Beijing, it’s likely that you’ll want to visit the Tiananmen Square.     1     square is impressively big and is located to the north, separating Beijing from the Forbidden City. The Forbidden City is a breathtaking palace complex (建筑群) that     2    (house) the palace museum and was formally the Chinese royal palace from the Ming dynasty to the end of the Qing dynasty. Covering 178 acres, the Forbidden City is made up of 980 buildings.

The Temple of Heaven, including Lama Temple (Yonghe Temple), the Beijing Temple of Confucius and Beijing Zoo,     3    (recommend) as well. Lama Temple is one of Beijing’s most attractive and best-preserved     4    (temple). The zoo is one of the oldest in China,     5    (date) back to 1906, and is home to a great variety of animals.

The Great Wall isn’t located in the city itself, but if you have made the trip to Beijing, you can’t leave     6     going to see it. There are many organized tours from Beijing     7     will take you to the Mutianyu Great Wall. If you don’t want     8    (sweep) away by big crowds in summer, visit the wall in winter. It will be     9    (extreme) cold, but you’ll have a better experience. It will be     10    (easy) to shoot nice pictures, too.