1 . In 2011, artist Grimanesa Amorós stepped off a boat made of totora reeds (芦苇) onto an island—also made of totora reeds — in the northwest portion of Lake Titicaca. It’s home to one of the world’s most innovative achievement of human engineering: the Uros Islands.

The man-made floating islands, which are home to the native Uros people, are created by putting layers upon layers of totora roots and reeds. This water-resistant plant grows in the lake and is the lifeblood of the Uros community. It is used to make boats, houses, roofs, mattresses (床垫) and more. The plant is also eaten and serves as medicine, and its flowers are used to make tea.

However, the Uros weren’t always dependent on the totora. More than 500 years ago, the growing Inca Empire began to invade the Uros’ mainland villages. To beat this threat, the Uros began to build the islands, which could be launched deep into Lake Titicaca, away from danger. Hundreds of years later, there are now about 120 of these constructed islands, with around 1,300 people living on them.

To build the islands, the Uros first gather large blocks of totora roots. Multiple blocks are pulled together, and the roots and reeds mix naturally to form a layer about 1 to 2m thick. The totora reed is laid on top of this floating base. The Uros use a long tool to reach deep down into the water and cut the plant above the base. Then, the reeds are dried in the sun for one to four weeks and bundled (捆绑) together using a rope. Once dried, totora reeds are placed in alternating directions on top of the root blocks and become the ground that the Uros walk and build their homes on.

Today, urban influences are evident on the islands: Solar panels power bedroom lights and small TVs; a radio station operates on the main island. It’s evident that these modern changes and tourism have changed the Uros’ life on the lake. One thing remains certain, though. As long as there is totora growing at Lake Titicaca, the islands’ rooted foundation will stay the same.

1. Which word can best describe the role totora reeds play in the Uro’s life?

A．Essential.

B．Symbolic.

C．Protective.

D．Sustainable.

2. What was the original purpose of building the floating island?

A．To develop tourism.	B．To maintain their lifestyle.
C．To escape from enemies’ attack.	D．To be separated from the world.

3. What does the fourth paragraph mainly focus on?

A．The key to selecting building materials.	B．The procedure of building the islands.
C．The difficulty of living on the island.	D．The method of spotting reeds.

4. What might be the best title for the text?

A．Fancy Lifestyles of the Uros	B．Innovative Building Materials
C．Floating Homes on Lake Titicaca	D．A Must-see Tourist Attraction of Lake Titicaca

2 . Libraries are places to preserve cultural heritage, develop information resources and carry out social education. Let’s look at some of the most beautiful libraries in the world.

Vennesla Library and Culture House, Norway

The library is one of the most beautiful libraries in the world. Opened in 2011, this library is an important site for concerts, theatrical performances and film screenings. The design of the library is unique. The building is supported by 27 laminated (层压的) wood arches that hold the roof up.

Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana, Italy

The library is one of the largest and most important libraries in Italy. It preserves one of the most important collections of Greek, Latin and Asian manuscripts (手稿) in the entire world. Some of them are the most precious pieces. The library specializes in Venetian history and classic philology. Its collection of antique maps is also very significant.

Stacja Kultura, Poland

Thanks to a recent restoration, a station that was once in ruins underwent an architectural change. The library might seem unremarkable from the outside, but the innovative project and its division into a train station, public library and cultural center have certainly made this building worth a visit.

Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, United States

The library is the main source of literary archives (档案), ancient manuscripts and rare books at Yale University, and it’s visited by students and researchers from around the world. Completed in 1963, the library is home to the Bollingen Prize for Poetry which is awarded biennially, and the Windham-Campbell Prizes which are awarded annually for fiction, literary essays, poetry, and theater.

1. Which library will attract people interested in the stage?

A．Vennesla Library and Culture House.	B．Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana.
C．Stacja Kultura.	D．Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.

2. Which aspect makes Stacja Kultura different from the other three libraries?

A．Its architecture.

B．Its collection.

C．Its location.

D．Its original owner.

3. What do the second library and the fourth library have in common?

A．They have a long history.	B．They are favored by movie lovers.
C．They hold some precious treasures.	D．They are the most important libraries.

4 . Last fall, the Great Salt Lake hit its lowest level since record keeping began. The lake sank to nearly six meters below the long-term average. The lake’s shrinking threatens to upend the ecosystem, disturbing the migration and survival of 10 million birds, including ducks and geese.

Duck hunters aren’t the only ones worried about the Great Salt Lake. The decades-long decline in lake level is raising alarm bells for millions of people who live in the region. The low lake level and increasing salts in the lake water threaten to destroy economic mainstays like agriculture, tourism and mining. Exposed salts can also reduce air quality and so threaten public health.

Saline lakes (咸水湖) are terminal lakes. They have no rivers flowing out of them. As water disappears, salts are left behind. At the same time, the people who live in these deserts use freshwater for crops, homes and industry. Residents get water from streams and rivers into canals, pipelines or reservoirs before it reaches the lakes. And as the lakes shrink, the salt in water increases.

Lake Poopo, a highland lake in Bolivia that used to stretch 90 kilometers long and 32 kilometers wide, is now a salty mud flat. The Aral Sea shared by Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, once the world’s fourth largest lake, has at times in recent decades shrunk to a tenth of its historic 68,000-square-kilometer surface area. Some saline lakes, like Nevada’s Winnemucca Lake, dried up so long ago — the waters that fed it were led to agricultural fields — that most people have forgotten they were ever wet.

The good news is that people still have time to halt the Great Salt Lake’s decline by using less water. Cutting agricultural and other outdoor water use by a third to half through a combination of voluntary conservation measures and policy changes would allow the lake to refill enough to support the region’s economy, ecology and quality of life. If this succeeds, the Great Salt Lake can be a model for how to save other saline lakes around the world.

1. What do we know about the Great Salt Lake from the first two paragraphs?

A．It is home to ducks.	B．It will disappear soon.
C．It will be less important.	D．It’s been shrinking for years.

2. What does Paragraph 3 mainly tell us about saline lakes?

A．Their current states.	B．The challenges they face.
C．Measures to restore them.	D．Reasons why they become saltier.

3. What does the underlined word “halt” in the last paragraph probably mean?

A．Stop.

B．Boost.

C．Adapt.

D．Learn.

4. What can be the best title of this text?

A．The Great Salt Lake Is Getting Smaller

B．The World Is Becoming Drier and Drier

C．Saline Lakes Need Freshwater Deadly

D．Many Lakes in the World will Disappear

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 Old Town of Lijiang, lying in the northwest of Yunnan Province, is one of the last     1     (survive) ancient towns in China. The architecture of the Old Town of Lijiang is noteworthy for the     2     (combine) of elements from several cultures, and its ancient water-supply system still functions     3     (effective) today.

The Yulong Snow Mountain to the north-west     4     (serve) as the source of the rivers and springs. This town is made up     5     three parts: Dayan Old Town established in the Ming Dynasty as a commercial centre, Baisha housing cluster established earlier during the Song and Yuan dynasties, and Shuhe housing clusters located 4 km north-west of Dayan Old Town. These settlements lying in mountains and     6     (surround) by water display the mixture of local cultures, folk customs and traditions over several centuries.

It     7     (design) as a town around the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty. From 1253 on, the Naxi people of Lijiang developed     8     unique social system, customs and culture of their own. In the 18th century, the Qing Dynasty rulers carried out a policy of     9     (culture) interaction, and the Naxi people adopted the customs of the Tibetan     10     Han peoples. Despite several earthquakes, most of the old town keeps its original structure.

7 . 新疆是个美丽的地方。假设你的学校正在组织一个“让世界了解新疆，让新疆走向世界”的活动，请根据下面表格中提供的信息，以“The Brief Introduction of Xinjiang”为题，用英文写一篇简要介绍新疆的短文。内容包括：

The Brief Introduction of Xinjiang
位置：中国西北 面积：160多万平方公里(sq. km.) 首府：乌鲁木齐(Urumqi)	人口：约23000000 天气：各地区不同，昼夜温差大 必看的名胜：……

注意：1. 词数100左右;
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯;
3. 标题已为你写好。
参考词：新疆国际大巴扎(Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar)，吐鲁番(Turpan)的坎儿井(Karez Well System)，阿勒泰(Altay)的喀纳斯湖(Kanas Lake)和可可托海国家地质公园(Keketuohai National Geological Park)，伊犁(Yili)的那拉提草原(Nalati Grassland in Yili)等。

The Brief Introduction of Xinjiang

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8 . Longing for the most amazing places on the planet? You can do no wrong with these lakes across the globe.

Five Flower Lake

Set in the striking karst landscape of the Jiuzhaigou Valley in Sichuan province, China, Five Flower Lake is extraordinarily clear, with visibility to a depth of 40 metres. Five Flower is one of a series of blue-, green-and sky-colored lakes blocked by rock falls, but it differs from the others as its waters change color, looking sometimes yellow, sometimes green, but usually diamond blue. In winter, Five Flower never freezes; in summer, it never dries up. Local wildlife living in the surrounding mountain forests include the rare giant panda and the golden snub-nose monkey.

Crater Lake

The deep-blue waters of Crater Lake in Oregon, US, fill the outlet of an ancient volcano that collapsed 7,700 years ago. Its strangest occupant is the “Old Man of the Lake”, a nine-metre-tall tree stump(树桩), which has stood upright in the water for more than a century. No rivers or streams enter the lake. Water loss in summer is compensated by winter snow and rain, the entire body of water being replaced every 250 years.

Lake Ohrid

Ancient Lake Ohrid has been around for about five million years and crosses the mountainous border between Macedonia and Albania. It has unique plants and wildlife, including the Ohrid “plashica”, a fish native to the lake, whose scales(鳞片) are used to make Ohrid pearls.

Lake Maggiore

Surrounded on three sides by the Lipontine Alps and touching the plain of Lombardy to the south, Lake Maggiore is Italy’s longest lake. Considered part of the country’s lake district, it is shared with Switzerland. Characterized by a Mediterranean-style climate, temperatures here are mild all year. This has given rise to some of northern Italy’s most wonderful gardens, which appear to float like flower-decked boats on the water.

1. What makes Five Flower Lake different from other lakes?

A．Its agreeable climate.	B．The rare local wildlife.
C．Its color-changing waters.	D．The visibility of waters.

2. How does Crater Lake mainly get water supply?

A．By artificial rain.	B．By snow and rain.
C．From nearby streams.	D．From an ancient tree.

3. Which lake has a typical warm climate?

A．Five Flower Lake.	B．Crater Lake.
C．Lake Ohrid.	D．Lake Maggiore.

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。

Despite its rapid industrialization, there are still some corners in China that have maintained its original color.

Ancient towns and villages in China are places     1     traditions are well preserved in terms of architecture, lifestyle and folk customs. All of these can be found in Huangyao Ancient Town, one of the most-visited tourist     2    (spot) in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

    3    (cover) an area of 3.6 square kilometers, Huangyao has a history of nearly 1,000 years     4     its origins dating back to the Song Dynasty. People     5    (carry) on traditional festivals and customs here for hundreds of years up to now. During Chinese Lunar New Year, over 20 traditional performances     6    (hold), including the dragon dance and suona horn show. On July 14 in the Chinese lunar calendar, residents often come to the riverbank and put lanterns into the river     7    (celebrate) Zhongyuan Jie, the Hungry Ghost Festival.

Black soybean is often added to its local food to create an     8    (extreme) distinctive flavor. When you visit, Huangyao tofu is     9     must-try local dish as it is sold only in this town.

It usually takes a day or two to tour around the old town due to its small size, but you can always stay     10    (long) to experience more of its local hospitality and culture.