The Qiaoxi Historical and Cultural Block in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, is perfect for visitors
Once a busy market for local trade in ancient times and
The Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal
Ink as one of the Four Treasures of the Study (brush, ink, paper and inkstone), is a
Hangzhou, a paradise on earth
Hangzhou is now in the spotlight as the main host of the 19th Asian Games.
Hangzhou, the capital city of East China's Zhejiang province, is a city with a glorious history and culture,
Marco Polo, the famous 13th century Italian traveler and merchant, once visited Hangzhou,
Now as Hangzhou has grabbed the world's attention, tourists from
The West Lake is
4 . When you have a chance to travel in Macao, there are 4 things that you can’t miss.
Macao Tower AJ Hackett
The Macao Tower, 338 meters tall, is the world’s 10th highest tower, with lots of activities, such as viewing, eating and entertainment. The best part of the activities is the bungee jump. Raise your arms and off you go! If you are not daring enough to jump, you can try the skywalk on the 57th floor—it’s still impressive. Take this chance and have a try!
A traditional Portuguese dinner
Macao was in the control of Portugal before 1999. As a result, Portuguese culture can be easily seen in many corners of Macao. Many Portuguese lived here and opened Portuguese restaurants in the special area, but the flavor is more adaptable to Chinese people.
Visiting a museum
Macao, as a small city with only an area of 30.5 square kilometers, has 23 eye-catching museums. Due to its unique history, both Eastern and Western historical sites can be found. Many of them are protected for cultural heritage, tourist spots or museums, such as the Grand Prix Museum, Maritime Museum and Wine Museum.
Going into a casino (娱乐场)
Well known as the “Las Vegas of the Orient”, Macao has 33 casinos. You can find different themed casinos around every corner of Macao, especially on Taipa Island, where new casinos are continuously opening. Among all, The Venetian is the most popular. With a huge shopping mall and gorgeous Vegas-style design, it is a must-go spot for both tourists and locals, not only for gambling but also to shop and enjoy leisure time.
1. What can you do at the Macao Tower?| A．Jump on the 57th floor. | B．Try the bungee jump. |
| C．Enjoy the world’s highest tower. | D．Take exercise on the skywalk. |
| A．Taking locals as guides. | B．Tasting a traditional dinner. |
| C．Visiting historical museums. | D．Shopping around every comer. |
| A．Low-reward. | B．High-risk. |
| C．Heavily-guarded. | D．Well-developed. |
5 . The popular documentary series Aerial China (航拍中国) recently returned to the small screen. The latest and fourth season of it gives a perspective that is both excellent and informative. As the final of the series, the new season was shot across 11 provincial-level regions and started in the spring of 2020.
“The experience from the previous three seasons makes us more capable to follow wild animals while avoiding disturbing them,” says Yu, chief director of the series. China has made great efforts to protect endangered wildlife species and their habitats in recent years, and it has become much easier to spot rare species in the wild. Taking Tibetan antelopes as an example, the plateau-based creatures were difficult to encounter in the past, but the expansion of their population and enhanced research on their living patterns have allowed the camera crew to tailor plans to follow the animals.
Most close-ups for the season were shot by photographers from helicopters or cameras installed on drones (无人机). The vital moment for a successful shot depends on the mood of the animals or how good the weather is,” Yu says. In an attempt to fully show China’s huge changes over the past decade, the documentary series consulted experts from different fields to help select the most attractive shooting sites. In the final season, Aerial China has used 73 helicopters and 320 drones to shoot footage over an area of 900,000 kilometers, and selected around 1,000 staffers. More than 30 teams were assigned to shoot in different cities for the fourth season.
The previous three seasons have been watched by 850 million TV viewers and seen online over140 million times. For fans of the series, the director says he hopes that the new season will draw a bigger audience with its unusual perspective to show them China like never seen before.
1. Which can best replace the underlined word “perspective” in the first paragraph?| A．Reference. | B．Viewpoint. | C．Mention. | D．Standard. |
| A．To indicate a successful encounter. | B．To introduce new living patterns. |
| C．To show a biological improvement, | D．To save endangered wildlife species. |
| A．The team members’ roles. | B．The splendid shooting sites. |
| C．The hi-tech devices for shooting. | D．The efforts spent in the season. |
| A．This is the last but one season. | B．This season is well worth viewing. |
| C．The series is popular with TV reviewers. | D．The series is intended for Chinese fans. |
6 . The upcoming China-Central Asia Summit is to be held in Xi’an, which has a history of over 3,000 years and enjoys a reputation as a “Living History Museum”. If you are among the participants, just enjoy the following.
The Terracotta Army
It is one of the greatest discoveries of the 20th century. Discovered in 1974, the army of Terracotta Warriors was constructed by China’s First Emperor Qinshihuang of the Qin Dynasty (221 BC-207 BC) with a collection of thousands of life-size terracotta soldiers and horses differing in facial features and expressions, clothing, hairstyle and also body position.
Ancient City Wall
It was built in the 14th century by Zhu Yuanzhang, the first Emperor of the Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Now it is one of the oldest and best-preserved Chinese city walls. The wall is now a landmark, where you can enjoy a good view of the city.
Giant Wild Goose Pagoda
One of China’s most famous Buddhist pagodas, the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, was built in the Tang Dynasty (618-907) for the study of Buddhist scriptures (经典). One of its main functions was to store scriptures brought to China from India by the famous monk and traveler Xuan Zang.
Shaanxi History Museum
It is home to over 370,000 precious treasures unearthed in Shaanxi. Its collections range from bronze wares to pottery (陶) figures, gold and paintings from the Tang Dynasty tombs. Among its precious collections, some pieces have been listed as national treasures.
1. Where can you go if you’re into ancient China’s troops?| A．The Terracotta Army. | B．Ancient City Wall. |
| C．Giant Wild Goose Pagoda. | D．Shaanxi History Museum. |
| A．They date back to 1, 000 years ago. |
| B．They have wonderful tall buildings. |
| C．They show the great historical charm of Xi’an. |
| D．They have a wide range of precious collections. |
| A．The travelers to Xi’an. |
| B．The history-lovers to Xi’an. |
| C．The participants to a summit in Xi’an. |
| D．The visitors to a famous museum in Xi’an. |
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. |
| 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. |
| A．The Saharan dust. | B．The Amazon soils. |
| C．The Amazon rain forest. | D．The Coastal waters. |
| 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 . Based on our purpose of creating a real connection with the beauty of a destination, we have carefully crafted the following Chengdu tours to explore all the highlights in and around Chengdu. All our private Chengdu tours are flexible and can be customized to suit your budget and interests.
1-Day Dujiangyan Panda Volunteer Program Tour
If you’re looking for close contact with pandas, this 1-day panda volunteer experience will make use of your time to its fullest. It’s a memorable chance to look after a cute and fluffy panda as you clean its enclosure, make its food, and watch it be fed.
3-Day Giant Panda, Giant Buddha, and Ancient Town Tour
Two of the most highly rated attractions according to our previous customers are the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding and Leshan Giant Buddha, both of which you can see on this 3-day smart tour. Furthermore, on this journey, you will discover the real Chengdu by tasting amazing Sichuan food and visiting a traditional ancient town.
5-Day Chengdu, Leshan and Mount. Emei Tour
This tour covers the most popular attractions in Chengdu and nearby cities. You will see the cute pandas, some vibrant scenes that may only happen in Chengdu, and most of all two UNESCO World Heritage Sites - the Giant Buddha cut during the Tang Dynasty, and Mount Emei.
6-Day Sichuan Adventure Tour
Starting from Chengdu, take a 6-day trip to discover incredible western Sichuan, including snowy mountains, forests, grasslands, and Tibetan villages. Be one of the first to journey into beautiful Yala Snow Mountain Scenic Area. There is a large area to the west of Chengdu (western Sichuan) that is a paradise for China’s adventurers and photographers.
1. What can visitors do in the 3-day tour?| A．Clean pandas’ enclosure. |
| B．Enjoy Sichuan Opera. |
| C．Have a bite of Sichuan food. |
| D．Hike on the snowy mountain. |
| A．6-Day Sichuan Adventure Tour. |
| B．5-Day Chengdu, Leshan and Mount. Emei Tour. |
| C．1- Day Dujiangyan Panda Volunteer Program Tour. |
| D．3-Day Giant Panda, Giant Buddha, and Ancient Town Tour. |
| A．Tibetan culture. |
| B．Personalized travel service. |
| C．A close look at pandas. |
| D．A visit to an ancient town. |
Daocheng Yading is located in the Southwest of China’s Sichuan Province. This is a kingdom
There are three mountain peaks in Daocheng Yading. The most beautiful is Yangmaiyong. It is about 6,000 meters
Marble Chapels, Patagonia
The Marble Chapels are an absolute must when visiting Patagonia. The stunning caves are located in the middle of General Carrera Lake, which makes them accessible only by boat. The Marble Chapels arc layers of calcium carbonate formations resulting from wind and water slapping the rocks. The best time to visit is in the austral summer, from December to March.
Yosemite National Park, USA
One of California’s crown jewels, Yosemite National Park is an outdoor playground for nature enthusiasts. The protected park is approximately3108 square kilometres, and it features towering sequoias, dramatic waterfalls, beautiful mountain ranges and sheer granite towers. May or June is the best time to see the waterfalls.
Great Barrier Reef, Australia
One of the world’s greatest spectacles also happens to be one of the most vulnerable. Whether you choose to view this global treasure from a helicopter or go diving to enjoy close encounters with tropical fish, it’s hard not to notice the direct impact of climate change. Warmer temperatures have led to amounts of coral bleaching. If the damage continues at the rate, more than 90 percent of the living coral will erode within the next decade.
Blue Grotto, Malta
Malta is known for year-round warm weather, ancient cities, dazzling beaches, and the Blue Grotto: a series of caves that form high arches along the southern coast of the island. On a clear day, you can see the fluorescent colours reflected on the cave. Try to book a boat tour early in the morning when the sea is calm, the sun is bright, and there are fewer crowds.
1. Which two of the natural wonders attract tourists who love cave exploration?| A．Marble Chapels and Great Barrier Reef. |
| B．Marble Chapels and Blue Grotto. |
| C．Great Barrier Reef and Yosemite National Park. |
| D．Yosemite National Park and Blue Grotto. |
| A．Tourists can appreciate views in Marble Chapels in December. |
| B．Yosemite National Park is an ideal destination for diving enthusiasts. |
| C．Great Barrier Reef shows the direct influence of climate change. |
| D．Malta boasts its pleasant weather, ancient cities and great beaches. |
| A．In a novel. | B．In a geography book. |
| C．In a biography. | D．In a travel magazine. |
