2 . Lonely Planet Trips

Here are some travel destinations by Lonely Planet. Reading them, you’ll be in a flash.

Bhutan

The Kingdom of Bhutan, located on the Silk Road in South Asia, claimed the No. 1 spot partly for its majestic beauty and because it had become the first fully organic nation by 2020. The kingdom has lush subtropical plains in the south and sub-alpine Himalayan mountains in the north, which include Gangkhar Puensum, Bhutan’s highest peak and is believed to be the highest unclimbed mountain in the world.

North Macedonia

If you want an alternative to Europe's more popular travel spots, North Macedonia could be for you. Its mountains and their trails are “blissfully quiet” and the locals are “unfailingly helpful” according to Lonely Planet. Among its destinations is Ohrid, a charming, old town dotted with medieval ruins and churches, lined with cobblestone streets, and overlooking Lake Ohrid.

Eswatini

The kingdom offers multitudinous climate and topography differences, and is known for its wide varieties of wild animals, which include more than 500 bird species and 107 mammal species. The nation has seven nature reserves, four frontier conservation areas and three wildlife reserves.

Costa Rica

Costa Rica is beloved for many reasons, from its coffee to its epic surfing. It’s also notable for its reliance on green energy sources. In fact, 90% of its energy is created by regenerative sources such as wind and hydro. It is also one of the world’s most biodiverse countries — home to half a million species. Of course, no trip to Costa Rica is complete without a visit to the Sloth Sanctuary.

1. What can tourists appreciate in both Bhutan and North Macedonia?

A．Organic products.	B．Subtropical jungles.
C．Medieval architecture.	D．Mountain scenery.

2. Which of the following features Eswatini?

A．Pleasant quietness.	B．Topography varieties.
C．Abundant wildlife.	D．Cobblestone streets.

3. What is Costa Rica distinguished for?

A．Renewable resources.	B．Biodiverse plants.
C．Frontier preserves.	D．The Silk Road.

3 . Rainforests are home to a rich variety of medicinal plants, food, birds and animals. Can you believe that a single bush（灌木丛）in the Amazon may have more species of ants than the whole of Britain! About 480 varieties of trees may be found in just one hectare of rainforest.

Rainforests are the lungs of the planet-storing vast quantities of carbon dioxide and producing a significant amount of the world's oxygen. Rainforests have their own perfect system for ensuring their own survival; the tall trees make a canopy（树冠层）of branches and leaves which protect themselves, smaller plants, and the forest animals from heavy rain, intense dry heat from the sun and strong winds.

Amazingly, the trees grow in such a way that their leaves and branches, although close together, never actually touch those of another tree. Scientists think this is the plants' way to prevent the spread of any tree diseases and make life more difficult for leaf-eating insects like caterpillars. To survive in the forest, animals must climb, jump or fly across the gaps. The ground floor of the forest is not all tangled leaves and bushes, like in films, but is actually fairly clear. It is where dead leaves turn into food for the trees and other forest life.

They are not called rainforests for nothing! Rainforests can generate 75%of their own rain. At least 80 inches of rain a year is normal-and in some areas there may be as much as 430 inches of rain annually. This is real rain-your umbrella may protect you in a shower, but it won't keep you dry if there is a full rainstorm. In just two hours, streams can rise ten to twenty feet. The humidity（湿气）of large rainforests contributes to the formation of rainclouds that may travel to other countries in need of rain.

1. What can we learn about rainforests from the first paragraph?

A．They produce oxygen.	B．They cover a vast area.
C．They are well managed.	D．They are rich in wildlife.

2. Which of the following contributes most to the survival of rainforests?

A．Heavy rains	B．Big trees.
C．Small plants.	D．Forest animals.

3. Why do the leaves and branches of different trees avoid touching each other?

A．For more sunlight.	B．For more growing space.
C．For self-protection.	D．For the detection of insects.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Life-Giving Rainforests	B．The Law of the Jungle
C．Animals in the Amazon	D．Weather in Rainforests

4 . Coal burning deep underground in China，India and Indonesia is threatening the environment and human life, scientists have warned. These large-scale underground fires cause the ground temperature to heat up and kill surrounding vegetation, produce greenhouse gases and can even bring about forest fires, a panel（专门小组）of scientists told the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Denver. They warned the resulting release of poisonous elements like arsenic （砷）and mercury（汞）can also pollute local water sources and soils “Coal fires are a global disaster,” said Associate Professor Glenn Stracher of East Georgia College in Swainsboro, U.S.A. But surprisingly few people know about them.

Coal can heat up on its own, and eventually catch fire and burn, if there is a continuous oxygen supply. The heat produced is not caused to disappear and under the right combinations of sunlight and oxygen, can trigger spontaneous（自然产生的）catching fire and burning. This can occur underground in coal stockpiles（煤堆）, abandoned mines or even as coal is transported. Such fires in China destroy up to 200 million tons of coal per year, delegates were told. In comparison, the U. S. economy consumes about one billion tons of coal annually, said Stracher, whose analysis of the likely effect of coal fires has been accepted for publication in the International journal of Coal Ecology. Once underway, coal fires can burn for decades, even centuries. In the process, they release large volumes of greenhouse gases, poisonous fumes and black particles into the atmosphere.

The members of the panel discussed the effect these fires may be having on global and regional climate change, and agreed that the underground nature of the fires makes them difficult to detect(发现). One of the members of the panel, Assistant Professor Paul Van Dijk of the International Institute for Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation in the Netherlands, has been working with the Chinese government to detect and monitor fires in the northern regions of the country.

The remote sensing and other techniques will allow scientists to estimate how much carbon dioxide these fires are emitting. One suggested method of controlling the fires was presented by Gary Colaizzi, of the engineering firm Goodson, which has developed a beat-resistant grout designed to be pumped into the coal fire to cut off the oxygen supply.

1. According to Paragraph 2, what will happen when the underground heat does not disappear? ________.

A．Coal heats up on its own and catches fire and burns.

B．The underground oxygen will be used up.

C．Poisonous fumes and greenhouse gases will be accumulated underground.

D．There will be an increase of abandoned mines.

2. What did Stracher analyze in his article published in the International Journal of Coal Ecology? ________.

A．Annual consumption of coal in US.

B．Annual consumption of coal in China.

C．How long coal fires have lasted in the northern region of China.

D．Coal fires may have an effect on the environment.

3. Which of the following statements about Paul Van Dijk is NOT true? ________.

A．He was one of the scientists who have warned against the threats of underground fires.

B．He has detected and monitored underground fires in the Netherlands.

C．He has worked with the Chinese government on the underground fires issue.

D．He works for a research institute in the Netherlands.

4. What is the suggested method to control underground fires in the passage? ________.

A．Using remote sensing technique.

B．Controlling the release of carbon dioxide.

C．Cutting off the oxygen supply.

D．Making the soil heat resistant.

5 . Theaters of the Past

The Greek Theater

Theaters developed in many parts of Greece. Ancient Greek theaters were built in natural open air sites on conveniently shaped hills. This allowed a great mass of people to enjoy a show at a time. Due to this, actors placed emphasis on exaggerated (夸张的) action and speech. And, colorful symbolic masks and costumes were used.

The Medieval Theater

The Medieval theater started in churches. That’s why medieval plays were about Bible stories. At first, it became a custom for priests (牧师) to act out brief scenes during Christmas and Easter. These acts attracted large crowds. Finally the church refused to allow priests to participate in any such events again, so ordinary people began these performances outside. Performances were set in the town square, with several stage settings around it.

The Elizabethan Theater

The England’s theater developed rapidly in the years following the defeat of the Spanish Navy. The dominant feature of Elizabethan theater was the stage, It has three parts: The fore stage for outside scenes ;the inner stage for scenes inside a building; an upper stage or balcony for various purposes. The reason for this design is that there were no scene changes, or breaks during the play. Very little scenery was used, so the actors had to create a scene through their voices and dialogues. This led to a more poetic script , and poets became the main source of script writing.

The Restoration Theater

Some of the plays told sad stories, but the majority of the plays were really funny. Many specialized machines were used to create the scene. The stage was a very clever idea , in that on the sides of the stage large back shutters (百叶窗) were painted with the scene.

1. Why were ancient Greek theaters built on hills?

A．To hold a large audience.

B．To build a big and strong stage.

C．To have a better sound effect.

D．To emphasize exaggerated performances.

2. In which theater could actors’ voices and speech help create scenes?

A．The Greek Theater.

B．The Medieval Theater,

C．The Elizabethan Theater,

D．The Restoration Theater.

3. What is special about the Restoration Theater?

A．Colorful masks were used.

B．The stage was smartly designed.

C．Most of its plays were sorrowful.

D．Ordinary people were the performers.