1 . The Hangzhou Xixi National Wetland Park in East China’s Zhejiang Province, founded in 2005, is the country’s first national wetland park. Situated in the western part of Hangzhou, Xixi is only 5 kilometers away from the West Lake, a renowned UNESCO World Heritage site in the city.

Water is the soul of Xixi. With an area of 11.5 square kilometers, the park is mostly covered by streams, ponds, lakes and swamps, with six long rivers forming a tangled network of waterways. Nearly 70 percent of the park is water and the length of waterways inside the park surpasses 100 kilometers.

Additionally, about 85 percent of the land in Xixi is covered by plants such as reeds(芦苇), willows and persimmon (柿子) trees and a variety of wildlife living among them, making Xixi a great platform for animal and bird watching, scientific research and education.

Because of its abundant water resources and species, Xixi Wetland is an important part of Hangzhou’s ecosystem and helps purify water, relieve flooding, regulate the climate and maintain biodiversity. Nestled in an urban area of the city, it is called “the natural purifier of Hangzhou”.

As well as providing a place for people to enjoy the region’s natural charm, Xixi Wetland is also a cultural treasure which has been described and extolled by scholars throughout history.

Xixi was a land of beauty and a place of seclusion(隐居) in the eyes of ancient people. Inspired by the elegance of Xixi, many literati(文人)—including Su Dongpo, Tang Bohu, Dong Qichang and Yu Dafu —created numerous literary works about the place. Some of them are showcased on the inscribed boards and tablets dotted throughout the wetland park.

The Xixi Wetland was not quite so well-known to people until the famous Chinese film director Feng Xiaogang used it as a backdrop for part of his 2008 film If You Are the One, adding the wetland to the list of must-visit tourist attractions in Hangzhou.

Today, the pristine(未开发的) scenery, the rustic (淳朴的) charm of a country lifestyle and the ancient traditions of Xixi attract tourists from around the world.

1. How long is the waterway of Xixi National Wetland Park?

A．Over 5 kilometers.	B．Over 11.5 kilometers.
C．Over 70 kilometers.	D．Over 100 kilometers.

2. Why is Xixi National Wetland Park called “the natural purifier of Hangzhou”?

A．Because it is a platform for animal and bird watching.

B．Because it is a platform for scientific research and education.

C．Because it is nestled in an urban area of the city.

D．Because its ecosystem helps purify water.

3. The underlined word “extolled” in Paragraph 5 most probably means “________”.

A．criticized

B．praised

C．represented

D．painted

4. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A．Return to Paradise	B．Tourist Attractions in Hangzhou
C．Hangzhou, the Natural Purifier	D．A Place of Seclusion

2 . The World’s Most Amazing Caves

Humans have been drawn to caves for thousands of years. Here are four of   the world’s biggest caves.

Son Doong Cave, Vietnam

Son Doong Cave in the remote (偏远的) forests of Vietnam holds the title of the largest cave in the world. Son Doong is a spreading network of tunnels and caves, the largest of which could contain an entire New York City block with 40-story buildings. Parts of the cave’s top have fallen down, creating vast skylights that allow life to grow to a height of hundreds of feet beneath the forest floor.

Mammoth Cave, Kentucky, the United States

Mammoth Cave in Kentucky is the longest cave system in the world, with 426 miles explored and scientists guess another 600 miles have yet to be discovered based on measurements of air movement within the caves. Mammoth Cave has drawn visitors since the 1800s and 10 miles of underground passages are accessible to tourists today.

Sac Actun, Mexico

The longest underwater cave system in the world, Sac Actun winds (蜿蜒) more than 215 miles under Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. Adventurers can take a drop in the Sac Actun system through more than. 248 cenotes (天然井) — the natural swimming pools that form when sinkholes connect the surface to the underwater caves.

Veryovkina Cave, Abkhazia, Georgia

Veryovkina Cave is the deepest cave in the world, spreading 1.4 miles beneath the surface. It takes professionals a week to make a round journey to Veryovkina Cave. They have to brave waterfalls, tight presses and sharp drops. But the payoff is excellent — Veryovkina Cave’s end is a beautiful blue lake about 50 feet long and 25 feet wide surrounded by black rocks.

1. What is special about Son Doong Cave?

A．It has lots of tall plants growing.	B．It lies far away from the forests.
C．It is the longest cave in Vietnam.	D．It is the highest cave in the world.

2. What do Mammoth Cave and Sac Actun have in common?

A．They   attract few adventurers.	B．They have long cave systems.
C．They stay unexplored at present.	D．They end up with beautiful lakes.

3. How long may professionals spend passing through Veryovkina Cave?

A．Over two week.

B．Half a week.

C．One week.

D．Two week.

5 . Liverpool, my hometown, is a unique city. It is so unique that in 2004 it became a World Heritage Site.

I recently returned to my home city and my first stop was at a museum on the River Mersey. Blanketed in mist, Victorian architecture rose from the banks of the river, responded to the sounds of seabirds, and appeared unbelievably charming. When I headed toward the centre, I found myself surrounded by buildings that mirror the best palaces of Europe. It is not hard to imagine why, on first seeing the city, most visitors would be overpowered by the beauty of the noble buildings, which are solid sigs of Liverpool’s history.

As if to stress its cultural role, Liverpool has more museums and galleries than most cities in Britain. At Walker Art Gallery, I was told that it has the best collections of Victorian paintings in the world, and is the home of modern art in the north of England. However, culture is more than galleries. Liverpool offers many music events. As Britain’s No. 1 music city, it has the biggest city music festival in Europe, and its musicians are famous all over the world. Liverpool is also well-known for its football and other sports events. Every year, the Mersey River Festival attracts thousands of visitors, making the city a place of wonder.

As you would expect from such a city, there are restaurants serving food from around the world. When my trip was about to complete, I chose to rest my legs in Liverpool’s famous Philharmonic pub. It is a monument to perfection, and a heritage attraction itself.

Being a World Heritage Site, my home city is certainly a place of “outstanding universal value”. It is a treasure house with plenty of secrets for the world to explore.

1. Which part of Liverpool would deeply impress first-time visitors?

A．Its charming river banks.	B．Its famous museums.
C．Its attractive buildings.	D．Its wonderful palaces.

2. How is the third paragraph developed?

A．By providing different examples.	B．By following the order of space.
C．By making comparisons.	D．By stressing its importance.

3. What’s the author’s purpose in mentioning the Philharmonic pub?

A．To indicate the end of his trip.	B．To expect perfect service.
C．To show more attraction.	D．To recommend a break from the trip.

4. What is the passage mainly about?

A．The universal value of the world heritage in Liverpool.

B．The special cultural atmosphere of Liverpool.

C．The exciting change of the author’s hometown.

D．The promising tourism in the author’s hometown.

6 . The ancient city is in Pingyao county, Shanxi Province. The city wall was first built during the Zhou Dynasty and rebuilt in 1370. Since 1997, it has been listed as a World Heritage Site. Now Pingyao city is the only one in China completely protected as it was hundreds of years ago.

The perimeter (周长) of this square city is 6.4k m long and the city wall is the earliest and largest city wall in China. It is 12m high with width of 5m . The wall was built with earth and covered with bricks. Outside the city wall there is a river, 4m wide and 4m deep.

There are several gates of the city, two each on the east and west and one each on the south and north side. All the gates have two doors each. This has given the city the name “Turtle City” with the two gates on the south and north standing for the head and tail of the turtle and four gates on the east and west as the four legs. The doors on the south and north st and opposite each other. like the head of the turtle extending out and two wells just beyond southern gate are like a turtle’s two eyes.

Located on the trade route between Beijing and Xi’an, Pingyao developed into a merchant center where the local people set up the nation’s earliest banks. These banks were the first in China to use checks (支票).

Several old courtyards have been turned into museums, most of which were homes and offices of Pingyao’s old banks. One of the most unusual aspects of a visit here is realizing that this place was very important to China’s financial history.

1. What does the passage mainly talk about?

A．The ancient city — Pingyao.	B．China’s ancient financial center — Pingyao.
C．The city wall of Pingyao.	D．The museums in Pingyao.

2. We know from the passage that _________.

A．the city wall of Pingyao was first built in 1370	B．Pingyao city hasn’t been a World Heritage Site
C．Pingyao’s streets are wide and made of earth	D．Pingyao city is well protected

3. How many gates are there in Pingyao city?

A．Four.

B．Five.

C．Six.

D．Seven.

4. It can be inferred from the last two paragraphs that _________.

A．Pingyao city played an important role in ancient China’s finance.

B．museums in Pingyao city are now used for bank offices.

C．Pingyao city was one of the largest cities in ancient China.

D．old banks in ancient Pingyao city used checks only.

10 . The Silk Road is the name of different roads that long ago connected Europe, Africa and Asia. People reached these different places along these roads. Scientists believe people began to travel the Silk Road about 3000 years ago. By the time the Chinese silk trade became important in the world, the Silk Road covered almost 6500 kilometers. It spread from Rome to China, which is from the West to the Far East.

Traders travelling along the Silk Road carried silk, of course. They also carried and traded spices (香料), cloth, valuable stones and gold.

There is a famous old story along the old road. It is said that Roman soldiers travelled through central Asia. They started to live somewhere near the ancient Chinese village of Liqian. Sortie of these Romans married local Chinese women and the story of blue-eyed villages of China was started.

During its busiest period, the Silk Road allowed people from many different cultures and countries to meet each other and mix. The Silk Road allowed the sharing of valuable goods and new ideas. These included people and trading goods from the Mediterranean, Persian, Magyar, Armenian, Bactrian, Indian and Chinese areas. All these peoples travelled the Silk Road, and they shared goods, stories, languages, and cultures.

In modern times, the old Silk Road routes (路线) are still used, but now they are crossed by trains instead of camels and horses. There is even a Silk Route Museum in Jiuquan in China. It has over 35,000, objects from all along the Silk Road. In this way, China protects the history of many countries and peoples.

1. How many kilometers did the Silk Road cover?

A．About 3000.

B．Nearly 6500.

C．Almost 2000.

D．Over 35,000.

2. Which of the following goods is not mentioned in the passage?

A．Silk.

B．Cloth.

C．Gold.

D．Tea.

3. What can we infer from the passage?

A．Valuable things could not be sold along the Silk Road.

B．The Silk Road allowed people from different countries to mix.

C．Ancient Chinese along the Silk Road maybe able to speak different languages.

D．The objects in the museum in Jiuquan in China are from all along the Silk Road.

4. Which part of a magazine can this passage come from?

A．History and Geography.	B．Sports World.
C．Man and Animals.	D．Popular Science.