1 . Bangkok’s Grand Palace is the busiest tourist stop in the city. People keep coming because the Grand Palace could arguably be called the birthplace of Bangkok
How to Get to the Grand Palace
Making your own way to the Grand Palace in Bangkok is more enjoyable and rewarding. Moving around by river taxi is inexpensive. Additionally, you’ll have a good excuse to see the Chao Phraya River up close. Going by boat won’t make you caught in traffic jams. It will let you see beautiful river scenery!
People staying in the Khao San Road area may choose to walk (around 20 — 25 minutes) to the Grand Palace.
Opening Hours
The Grand Palace is open seven days a week from 8:30 a. m. until 3:30 p. m. Occasionally, the Grand Palace does actually close for official visits and state functions. However, this is rare. Don’t believe any driver who states the Grand Palace is closed. If the statement of closure is too convincing, confirm it by calling: +6626235500 ext.3100.
Entrance Fees
Considering that temples in Thailand are often free, the 500 baht (around $16) per person entrance fee at the Grand Palace is relatively expensive. Thai nationals do not have to pay. An audio tour can be rented for an additional 200 baht. Besides, human guides are available for hire. Choose an official guide rather than accepting someone’s offer on the outside.
Dress Standards at the Grand Palace
To show enough respect, you shouldn’t wear sleeveless shirts in any temple or state building in Thailand. But unlike many of the other temples, dress standards are strictly required at the Grand Palace.
Men must wear long trousers, women must cover legs to just above the knee.
Don’t wear shirts with religious themes or symbols of death on them.
You may be told outside that flip-flops (人字拖鞋) are unacceptable footwear.
1. What do you know about the river taxi to the Grand Palace?| A．It is the only way to get to the Grand Palace |
| B．It is difficult for visitors to jump on and off it. |
| C．It is safe, clean and affordable for most visitors. |
| D．It allows visitors to avoid traffic jams and enjoy river scenery. |
| A．They’d better call to confirm the information. |
| B．They should call off their trips immediately. |
| C．They should wait until the Grand Palace reopens. |
| D．They should believe the statements and change the trips. |
| A．The Grand Palace provides an audio tour free. |
| B．Not all people need to buy tickets to the Grand Palace. |
| C．Guides outside the Grand Palace are more professional. |
| D．The locals always guide visitors voluntarily during the holiday season. |
| A．Mr Green, from the USA, wearing flip-flops and a T-shirt. |
| B．Alice, 16 years old, wearing a sleeveless shirt and a miniskirt. |
| C．Mark, wearing a long-sleeved shirt, long trousers and sports shoes. |
| D．John, wearing a hat and a shirt with religious symbols. |
| A．To encourage more people to visit Bangkok. |
| B．To introduce some palaces in Bangkok to readers. |
| C．To introduce some activities of the Grand Palace. |
| D．To provide guidance on visiting the Grand Palace. |
“That is a sleeping dragon.” Napoleon,
Nowhere is China’s influence more apparent than Beijing. As China’s
3 . The Most Breathtaking Theaters in the World
Shakespeare's Globe Theater（London, UK）
The original Globe Theater was built by Shakespeare's company in 1599, but was destroyed by fire in 1613. A replica was built in 1997 just meters from the original site. The new 857-seat structure has several modern features. It has the first and only straw roof permitted in London since the great fire of 1666.
Shakespeare's Globe, 21 New Globe Walk, Bankside, London; +44 20 7902 1400
Margravial Opera House（Bayreuth, Germany）
Built in 1745, the UNESCO-listed Mareravial Opera House is regarded as the finest baroque theater in Europe. The stage has a depth of 27 meters and was the largest in Europe until 1871. Much of the original materials remain, along with original structures, such as the twin staircases.
Margravial Opera House, Opernstrasse 14. Bayreuth, Germany; +49 9 21 7 59 69 22
Teatro Amazonas（Manaus, Brazil）
There can't be many theaters located in the middle of the Amazon rainforest, and the Teatro Amazonas is certainly the most breathtaking. The theater was built in 1895 and was designed by Italian architect Celestial Sacardim. Work took 15 years. largely thanks to the decision to source supplies from all over the world
Amazon Theater, Centro, Manaus, Brazil; +55 92 3622 1880
National Centre for the Performing Arts（Beijing, China）
The National Centre for the Performing Arts（NCPA）, built in 2007, is an arts centre in Beijing. Designed by French architect Paul Andreu, the NCPA is the largest theatre complex（建筑群）in Asia. The NCPA includes value in both ancient traditional Chinese architecture and modern architecture. It was specially designed to improve the red walls of ancient buildings and the Great Hall of the People in order to fit in with the surroundings.
NCPA, No. 2 West Chang'an Avenue, Xicheng District, Beijing; +86 010 6655 0989
1. Where does the theatre with its longest survival time lie?| A．In London. | B．In Bayreuth | C．In Manaus. | D．In Beijing |
| A．Shakespeare's Globe. | B．Margravial Opera House. |
| C．Teatro Amazonas. | D．National Centre for the Performing Arts. |
| A．It features modern architecture. | B．It receives worldwide supplies. |
| C．It is a multifunctional theatre | D．It matches its surroundings. |
| A．The population. |
| B．The man's experience. |
| C．The capital city. |
The Great Wall is the longest building in the world. It begins from Shanhaiguan and ends at Jiayuguan,
The best
In 1987, the Great Wall
The Xi’an City Wall is the most complete city wall that has survived China’s long history. It
We accessed the wall through the South Gate. The wall is 12 meters high and from here you can see streams of people moving inside and outside the City Wall.
After
We
7 . Close to the North Pole, remote and rocky Plateau Mountain in the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard seems an unlikely spot for any global effort to safeguard agriculture. In this cold and deserted environment, no grains, no gardens, no trees can grow. Yet at the end of a 130-meter-long tunnel cut out of solid stone is a room filled with humanity’s most precious treasure, the largest and most diverse seed collection—more than a half-billion seeds.
A quiet rescue mission is under way. With growing evidence that unchecked climate change will seriously affect food production and threaten the diversity of crops around the world, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault represents a major step towards ensuring the preservation of hundreds of thousands of crop varieties. This is a seed collection, but more importantly, it is a collection of the traits found within the seeds: the genes that give one variety resistance to a particular pest and another variety tolerance for hot, dry weather.
Few people will ever see or come into contact with the contents of this vault. In sealed boxes, behind multiple locked doors, monitored by electronic security systems, enveloped in below-zero temperatures, and surrounded by tons of rock, hundreds of millions of seeds are protected in their mountain fortress. Frozen in such conditions inside the mountain, seeds of most major crops will remain viable for hundreds of years, or longer. Seeds of some are capable of retaining their ability to grow for thousands of years.
Everyone can look back now and say that the Seed Vault was a good and obvious idea, and that of course the Norwegian government should have approved and funded it. But back in 2004, when the Seed Vault was proposed, it was viewed as a crazy, impractical, and expensive idea.
We knew that nothing would provide a definite guarantee. But we were tired, fed up, and frankly scared of the steady, greater losses of crop diversity. The Seed Vault was built by optimists who wanted to do something to preserve options so that humanity and its crops might be better prepared for change. If it simply resupplied seed gene banks with samples those gene banks had lost, this would repay our efforts.
The Seed Vault is about hope and commitment——about what can be done if countries come together and work cooperatively to accomplish something significant, long-lasting, and worthy of who we are and wish to be.
1. What is the Seed Vault according to the passage?| A．It’s a tunnel where the collected seeds are displayed. |
| B．It’s a stone room that contains the seeds of endangered crops. |
| C．It’s a seed gene bank that stores diverse seeds for future agriculture. |
| D．It’s a lab where researchers study how to maintain the diversity of crops. |
| A．Mature. | B．Alive. | C．Clean. | D．Valuable. |
| A．How the seeds are preserved. | B．Where people keep the seeds. |
| C．Why the seeds are protected. | D．What people do to study the seeds. |
| A．the Seed Vault offers a solution to climate change. |
| B．most countries took part in rescuing the seed varieties. |
| C．the Seed Vault guarantees to prevent the loss of crop diversity. |
| D．many people originally considered building the Seed Vault unwise. |
The iceberg that was for a time the biggest in the world is no more. A68, as it was known, covered an area of nearly 6,000 km2
9 . City's icons celebrate milestones
Happy birthday to these big apple attractions
150TH
The Met isn’t the only New York City institution celebrating an anniversary in 2020 - 2021.
130TH
April 2021 marks the 130th year of Carnegie Hall, the prestigious landmark that has delighted audiences with performers from around the world, including Frank Sinatra, the Beatles and Gustav Mahler.
125TH
Another NYC mainstay with a recent anniversary is the New York Public Library. Established in 1895, the main branch in midtown Manhattan, with its entrance famously flanked by lion statues named Patience and Fortitude, is a must-visit landmark that turned 125 in May 2020.
90TH
Almost a hundred years ago, competing skyscrapers shot into the atmosphere in a race to become the world's tallest building. At 1 ,046 feet, the Chrysler Building — which celebrated its 90th anniversary in May 2020 - was the first to hold the title, but only briefly.
90 TH
One year after the Chrysler Building was built, the Empire State Building was completed, topping off at 1,250 feet (or 1,454 if you count the antennae and spire) and remained the world's tallest building for a respectable 40 years. The iconic skyscraper — synonymous with the Big Apple itself — turns 90 in May 2021.
1. What is Carnegie Hall usually used for?| A．Reading. | B．Exhibition. | C．Performance. | D．Overlooking. |
| A．It was founded in 1895. |
| B．April 2021 marks its 125th year. |
| C．It has become the world's tallest building. |
| D．It was completed after the Chrysler Building was built. |
| A．The Met. |
| B．The Empire State Building. |
| C．The New York Public Library. |
| D．The Chrysler Building. |
Many buildings along the Yangtze River have been destroyed during the flood season,
