1 . With the weight of its tall buildings, streets and people, New York City is sinking at an average rate of 1 to 2 millimetres each year, a new study says.
The sinking is called “subsidence”. That natural process happens everywhere as ground is compressed (压紧). But the study sought to estimate how the huge weight of the city itself is hurrying things along.
Over 1 million buildings are spread across five boroughs (自治区). The research team found that all those structures add up to 1. 5 trillion metric tons of concrete, metal and glass, equal to the mass of 4, 700 Empire State buildings pressing down on the Earth.
The rate of compression is different throughout the city. Midtown Manhattan’s skyscrapers are largely built on rock, which compresses very little. But some parts of Brooklyn, Queens and downtown Manhattan are on looser soil and sinking faster, the study said.
While the process is slow, parts of the city will eventually be under water. Researchers reached conclusions using satellite imaging, data modeling and mathematical calculations. It will take hundreds of years before New York becomes Venice, which is famously sinking into the Adriatic Sea. But parts of New York are more at risk. A researcher said Manhattan is at risk because of the borough’s large weight.
The ocean is rising at a similar rate that the land is sinking. So the Earth’s changing climate could speed up the process for parts of the city to go under water. Already, New York City is at risk of flooding because of large storms. Storms like Sandy in 2012 caused the ocean to expand inland and flooded neighbourhoods after a lot of rain.
New York City is not the only place sinking. San Francisco, California, is also at risk because of pressure on the ground and the area’s active earthquakes. In Indonesia, the government is preparing for a move from Jakarta, which is sinking into the Java Sea. The government is building a new capital being constructed on the higher ground of an entirely different island.
1. What is the main reason for the different compression rates in New York?| A．Different measurement methods. | B．Different geological(地质的)conditions. |
| C．Different building materials and styles. | D．Different climate changes and impacts. |
| A．Its huge weight. | B．Its distance to the sea. |
| C．Its similar position. | D．Various frequent natural disasters. |
| A．To keep the reader’s attention. |
| B．To improve the atmosphere. |
| C．To show the issue is common. |
| D．To point out the negative effect of sinking. |
| A．New York City Is Slowly Sinking | B．The Flavour of New York City |
| C．Here Comes a Future Venice | D．The Problems Caused by Dropping |
2 . What to See in Dujiangyan City
Dujiangyan Irrigation (灌溉) System
Dujiangyan water conservancy (保护) project makes full use of local geographical conditions of high northwest and low southeast, according to the special natural feature of mountains and rivers and according to water potential to draw water without dam to irrigate by gravity. What is great is that it exists for more than 2,250 years, and it produces more and more benefits. After the completion of Dujiangyan Irrigation System, the Chengdu plain became a vast rich land.
Two Kings Temple
Two Kings Temple is located in the Minjiang River right bank slope (斜坡) and it closes to Dujiangyan in the front. It was Emperor Temple originally in memory of the king of Shu and later, it was offered sacrifices to Li Bing and his son, renamed the “Chongde Temple”. In the main hall, there is the statue of Li Bing and his son and there was water conservancy quotes, poet inscriptions (题词) and so on.
Fulong Temple
Fulong Temple is located in the Lidui Park. It is said that Li Bing and his son were here to prevent floods by water control. So in the early years of the Northern Song Dynasty, in order to honor Li Bing, it was named “Fulong Temple”. In the middle of front hall there is Li Bing stone figure carved in the Eastern Han.
Anlan Suspension Bridge
Anlan Suspension Bridge is also known as “Anlan Bridge” and “Couple Bridge”. It is located in Dujiangyan Fish Mouth, known as the one of the five bridges of ancient China and is the most typical landscape of Dujiangyan. It was built before the Song Dynasty. The original bridge used wood block as base, hanging a thick bamboo cable cross the river.
1. By what was Dujiangyan water conservancy project mainly built?| A．Wide plains. | B．High dams. |
| C．Artificial rivers. | D．Geographical conditions. |
| A．They were built in parks. |
| B．They have statues of Li Bing. |
| C．They were located on the left bank of the Minjiang River. |
| D．They were the most typical landscape of Dujiangyan. |
| A．It was built in the Ming Dynasty. | B．It is the earliest bridge in China. |
| C．It was originally built on stones. | D．It is one of the five bridges in ancient China. |
3 . Since I was born and brought up in a rural town, I have a great interest in nature. Using the chance of studying abroad in my second year at college, I decided to go to Canada just because I wanted to see the beautiful phenomena there. So after I finished the study, I went to Yellowknife in the Northwest. I clearly remember the sixth night in Yellowknife. Suddenly my host mother came to my room around 8 p. m. and told me to change clothes and go outside quickly carrying her camera.
The northern lights were flickering (闪烁)in the sky! I was amazed and just stood there with my mouth open. I forgot to take pictures of the mysterious lights.
Since that night, whenever it was sunny, I went outside at night and looked at the sky. It was so cold that my hands and feet were numb with cold. Actually, the time of my being able to be out was limited. I had to bring her camera back to the house in one hour at the most, for the camera was going to be broken because of the cold temperature.
As I took pictures of the northern lights, I came to find a characteristic movement of the lights. They first appear in the north part of the sky and then they gradually come down to the south. After that, suddenly, they come in the middle of the north and south only for a while, which is the time when the best northern lights can be seen. Since it is only a few seconds for the northern lights to come down to the middle of the sky, it is very hard to get good pictures.
The stronger the sun acts, the better and stronger northern lights flicker in the sky. That’s because they occur from the collision(碰撞)between atmospheric gases and solar wind. Much more solar wind comes to the earth when the sun is active, leading to the best northern lights.
1. Why did the author forget to take pictures?| A．It was freezing cold outside. |
| B．He was shocked by the wonderful sights. |
| C．The lights were flickering in the sky. |
| D．He lost all his feeling in his hands and feet. |
| A．The northern lights came out every night. |
| B．The author took lots of pictures with his camera. |
| C．The author could stay as long as he liked outdoors. |
| D．Cameras will be damaged if exposed too long to coldness. |
| A．They appear in the north part of the sky. |
| B．They rise in the east and set in the west. |
| C．They are between the north and south. |
| D．They come down to the south part of the sky. |
| A．The lights stay in the middle for a very short time. |
| B．The lights of the sun affect the northern lights. |
| C．The lights are caused by the collisions of gases. |
| D．The colours of the lights are determined by the height. |
4 . Over the past 5,000 years, China has given birth to a large number of cultural heritages, Among these are the beautiful porcelain wares (瓷器) produced in Jingdezhen in East China’s Jiangxi Province. Here we explore their development and importance in today’s society.
Jingdezhen is well-known around the world for Its porcelain, It has produced porcelain since the Five Dynasties (907 ~ 960). Jingdezhen in known as the “porcelain capital” for its different kinds of porcelain wares with rich and cool styles, Of all the products, blue and white porcelain is the most famous, Such unique porcelains with the fine style have been praised as “the Treasure of China”.
Starting in the Song Dynasty (906 ~ 1279), kiln (窑) appeared in every household in every village in Jingdezhen, which was key to the establishment of its porcelain tradition.
During the Yuan Dynasty (1271~ 1368), a new technique for blue and white porcelain was invented. During the Ming (1368~ 1644) and Qing (1644~1911) dynasties, techniques for mining, painting, and firing were advanced, bringing Jingdezhen’s porcelain craftsmanship (工艺) to a historic high. At that time, the establishment of the Zhushan Imperial Kiln and the growing porcelain market overseas accelerated the development of the industry, turning Jingdezhen into a major porcelain production center.
The Republic of China (1912~1949) saw the growth of porcelain industry as well as a rise in shops and traders, which helped increase ties between Jingdezhen and other areas in China and other countries, After the People’s Republic of China was founded in 1949, the porcelain industry saw its development at high speed.
However, with the economic growth and the use of new technology over the last decades, the traditional porcelain production worsens. Although some traditional techniques have been preserved, a large part of them were lost. In 2006, Jingdezhen porcelain craftsmanship was listed as a national cultural heritage.
1. Why is the blue and white porcelain regarded as “the Treasure of China”?| A．For its producer. | B．For its timing. | C．For its weight. | D．For its style. |
| A．In the Five Dynasties. |
| B．In the Song Dynasty. |
| C．In the Yuan Dynasty. |
| D．In the Ming and Qing dynasties. |
| A．Missed out. | B．Held back. | C．Sped up. | D．Mixed with. |
| A．The Importance of Porcelain |
| B．The Porcelain in Jingdezhen |
| C．The Rise of Porcelain Industry |
| D．The Economic Growth in China |
5 . Less Well-known, but Equally Fascinating National Parks in the US
Alcatraz Island (San Francisco, California)
Alcatraz Island, also known as “The Rock” (only 0.029 square miles) in the middle of San Francisco Bay, is the home of the oldest operating lighthouse on the west coast and the infamous federal prison. Visit the legendary island that once served as the San Francisco armoury (军工厂). “The Rock” will give visitors a glimpse of what life was like for prisoners and guards. Advance purchase is required because of the limited number of visitors allowed on the Island each day.
Cape Cod National Seashore (Wellfleet, Massachusetts)
Cape Cod National Seashore is a protected area of shoreline, natural habitats, and historically significant structures. It consists of 68 square miles of beaches, ponds, marshes, and woodlands extending for 40 miles. With its historic lighthouses, this park is a great place to swim in the Atlantic, explore nature trails and learn about the nation’s sailing past and present.
Biscayne National Park (Miami, Florida)
The park provides access for visitors to encounter and explore the scenery, wildlife, history and other amazing resources. This park covers 270 square miles, and 95% of it is underwater. Divers and snorkelers hit the ocean to explore shipwrecks and a bright coral reef, home to reef lobsters.
Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument (Florissant, Colorado)
Beneath a grassy mountain valley in central Colorado, lies one of the richest and most diverse fossil deposits in the world. This mountain valley protects 9 square miles of petrified (石化) redwoods and fossils of ancient insects and plants, which were preserved 35 million years ago when erupting volcanoes covered the valley in ash. Apart from a variety of outdoor activities, it offers visitors opportunities for hands-on experience to learn about fossils and science in the exhibit area.
1. What are tourists required to do to go on Alcatraz Island?| A．Protect nature reserves. | B．Take diving suits. |
| C．Make reservations in advance. | D．Know how to operate the lighthouse. |
| A．Alcatraz Island | B．Cape Cod National Seashore |
| C．Biscayne National Park | D．Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument |
| A．A geography book. | B．A guide book. | C．A news report. | D．A science magazine. |
6 . Arriving in Yunhe, a small county in Lishi city, Zhejiang province, you can’t help but wonder if you’ve just stepped into a dream-like painting, with the Oujiang River winding through its misty mountains, hills and valleys.
But there is more than natural beauty in Yunhe. It is also a treasure trove of wooden toys. Wooden toy-themed cultural and amusement parks line the main roads, shops and stores selling wooden toys are everywhere, children play with locally made toys and board games in kindergarten as part of preschool education, hotels and home stays are often featured with wooden toys, and even street lamps, bus stops and the country’s highway tollgates are built in the shape of wooden toys and castles.
“My grandfather, who was then 44 years old, went to Shanghai in 1972 in search of a market for wooden toys, and when he returned, he brought back several samples,” said He Bin, head of Zhejiang Hexin Toys and who is also 44 years old, stating the time his grandfather He Shouzhen earned Yunhe’s first export order. After a year and a half of repeated trials in his simple workshop, He Shouzhen successfully produced a batch of spinning tops, castanets and yo-yos, which were then sold through a trading company in Shanghai to Japan for a total of 4, 000 yuan ($570).
Last year, Yunhe’s wooden toys created the income of 9. 19 billion yuan, and over 31, 000 people—roughly a quarter of its population—were employed in the country’s manufacturing companies.
Known as the “Hometown of China’s Wooden Toys”, Yunhe boasts 1, 093 manufacturers, producing thousands of wooden playthings every year. In fact, 56 percent of China’s wooden toys and 40 percent of the world’s are made in Yunhe. These toys are exported to 76 countries and regions including the United States and Europe.
1. What are the characteristics of Yunhe?| A．Education and wooden toys. | B．Colorful and attractive kindergartens. |
| C．Wooden gun-themed amusement parks. | D．Natural beauty as well as wooden toys. |
| A．Because his grandfather was a well-known businessman. |
| B．Because his grandfather had been to Shanghai for business and made it. |
| C．Because his grandfather simply produced some wooden castanets and yo-yos. |
| D．Because his grandfather was a success on account of making wooden toys. |
| A．Ambiguous. | B．Optimistic. | C．Critical. | D．Negative. |
| A．Small wooden toys realizing dreams of prosperity. |
| B．A small county importing plenty of wooden toys. |
| C．A successful craftsman making small wooden toys. |
| D．Amusement parks concentrating on wooden street lamps. |
7 . When it comes to planning a student trip, there are few better choices than our nation’s capital. There are many places of interest in Washington, DC, with sites that will attract students who are interested in everything from history, art, to STEM. Don’t miss these must-see sites on your trip to Washington, DC.
Smithsonian Museums
Managed by the Smithsonian Institution, admission (入场券) is free, and all locations are open every day except December 25. Students will love the exhibitions of the National Air and Space Museum, and everyone can enjoy the National Zoo, which is home to giant pandas, Sumatran tigers, and much more.
National Gallery (画廊) of Art
This is an amazing place for students interested in art. It includes the East Building and the West Building and houses the gallery’s more modern works and a collection of older works. The museum welcomes visitors from 10 am to 5 pm from Monday to Saturday and 11 am to 6 pm on Sundays. There is a variety of free self-guided and audio (音频) tours available.
Newseum
The Newseum aims to increase public awareness of the importance of a free press. Visitors can experience the story of news, the role of a free press in major events in history and how freedom of speech is applied to their lives.
Mount Vernon
Only 16 miles south of Washington, DC lies Mount Vernon, George Washington’s home. This historic place features beautiful gardens and wonderfully kept grounds. The outbuildings surrounding the main house still run today. Visitors can tour these structures in addition to the inside of the main house and go there by subway.
1. In Smithsonian Museums, students _________| A．are allowed to drive space ships |
| B．can get in close contact with nature |
| C．can watch animals and learn space knowledge |
| D．are free to visit the National Zoo at Christmas |
| A．Students can enjoy famous artworks of different times there. |
| B．Some artists offer to teach visitors to draw for free |
| C．It just opens to the public from Monday to Saturday. |
| D．It helps visitors choose their favorite guide. |
| A．Newseum. | B．Mount Vernon. |
| C．Smithsonian Museums. | D．National Gallery of Art. |
8 . In April 2018, a group of Canadian scientists flying in a helicopter (直升飞机) discovered something they didn't expect to see — a huge, unknown cave with an opening the size of a football field.
The cave was discovered in the northern part of Wells Gray Provincial Park, in a wild, faraway area of Canada's Cariboo Mountains. The area is hard to get to and even harder to travel through. It is covered with snow for much of the year.
The group told Catherine Hickson, a scientist who studies rocks, about the cave. Dr. Hickson got a team of researchers together to study it. In September, they went for a closer look after most of the snow melted (融化). The cave is one of the largest in Canada. Not only is the opening to the cave larger than a football field, the cave is also deep. The team couldn't measure (测量) all the way to the bottom, but they think it may be more than 180 meters deep. The cave is tens of thousands of years old. But the rock in the cave is made of used to be at the bottom of an ocean (海洋). It is hundreds of millions of years old.
A small, but fast river of melting snow leads into the cave on one side, creating a waterfall near the top and a river at the bottom. The water comes out again a long way away. The exit (出口) is about 2.1 kilometers away and about l/2 kilometer lower down.
The cave will have to wait to get an official name. For now, the cave is being called "Sarlacc's Pit "because it looks similar to the home of the Sarlacc, a person in the Star Wars movie Return of the Jedi.
For Dr. Hickson, there's a lesson to be learned from the cave. "It shows you that you don't know everything, "she says." There are things yet to be discovered."
1. Why did the cave remain unknown in the past?| A．It is in a wild mountain area. | B．It has been there for just a few years. |
| C．Its opening is too small to be noticed. | D．The weather there is cold all year round. |
| A．The history of the cave. | B．Some facts about the cave. |
| C．The value of studying the cave. | D．The methods of studying the cave. |
| A．The snow. | B．The river. | C．The ocean. | D．The rock. |
| A．local culture | B．its discoverers | C．the way it looks | D．the name of a film star |
9 . On November 18, 2020, state workers who were tracking sheep were flying over the Utah desert in a helicopter. They noticed an object that is called monolith later, and landed nearby to see what it was. It was a shiny, three-sided metal column about 3.7 meters tall and planted solidly in the middle of the desert.
Bret Hutchings, who flew the helicopter, said, “I have to admit, that's been about the strangest thing that I've come across out there in all the years of flying.” The shape of the monolith and its strange appearance in the desert have reminded people of a black monolith in the science fiction movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. In that movie, the monolith was also unexplained, but it appeared to have been created by creatures from another world.
Some people say that the monolith appears to be similar to artwork created by some well-known artists. But one of the possible artists died in 2011. Two others have said that the work is not theirs.
Still, people working for the government believe that the monolith was most likely put there as an art project. But they note that it was quite a difficult task. The monolith is in a hard-to-reach spot somewhere in the 93,000 square kilometers of Utah land managed by the US Bureau of Land Management(BLM). Delivering the column that seems valuable to that location in the traditional way would have required moving very heavy materials. They must have thought of other ways.
One metal statue in the desert may not cause too many problems for the sheep, but what if lots of people decide to visit the site? That's one reason the BLM hasn't released where it is. The BLM is also afraid that the monolith might encourage other artists to plant other similar artworks in the desert. That's something that the department doesn't want to happen. Anyway, the government still hasn't decided whether to remove the monolith or let it remain.
1. Why did the author mention the science fiction movie?| A．To explain the film was imaginary. | B．To show the monolith is strange. |
| C．To make the text more interesting. | D．To prove what Bret said was true. |
| A．It was created by aliens from another planet. |
| B．Some artists made it by copying an art project in a Sci-Fi movie. |
| C．BLM transported the heavy materials to the desert in a traditional way. |
| D．It remains puzzling how the monolith was made and transported to the desert. |
| A．Keep its location secret. | B．Get it removed at once. |
| C．Preserve it as an artwork. | D．Make it a tourist attraction. |
| A．Metal Column Planted in the Ground |
| B．Man-made Column Drawing Attention |
| C．Unusual Monolith Found in the Desert |
| D．Monolith Presenting Strange Appearance |
10 . Widely known as the world’s first national park, Yellowstone National Park was built on March 1, 1872. Covering 3,472 square miles, Yellowstone runs through Wyoming and into Montana and Idaho, bringing with it deep canyons, rivers, forests, hot springs, and so on. The wonder of the world attracts millions of visitors each year because of its fantastic facts.
The park has a lake named Yellowstone Lake, which is situated at 7,733 feet above sea level, making it the largest high-elevation lake in all of North America. The lake is about 20 miles long and 14 miles wide, with about 141 miles of shoreline. Each winter, Yellowstone Lake is completely covered with two-foot-thick ice.
Aside from its unique lake, there are also 290 waterfalls found throughout the park, including the famous Yellowstone River Upper and Lower Falls, which end up in an area known as the “Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River”. Visitors can view the falls from several different hiking trails (远足路径) and walkways.
With over 300 campsites and more than 900 miles of hiking trails inside the park—most of which are managed as wilderness areas—Yellowstone is the perfect destination for the most adventurous kind of outdoor enthusiast. It isn’t all difficult wilderness hiking, however, since the park also offers plenty of choices for shorter-day hikes on well-managed trails. There are even paved hikes that are wheelchair-accessible.
Also, you may see different kinds of animals along your hike in the park. Not only are there at least 67 species of mammals (哺乳动物) living in Yellowstone National Park, there are also approximately 300 species of bird and 16 species of fish. There’re at least two threatened species. The Canada lynx (猞猁) was listed as threatened in 2000, and parts of Yellowstone are still considered as the animal’s important natural home. They were found only 112 times in park history. What’s more, in 2018, the government restored (恢复) the protection to grey bears within Yellowstone.
1. How does the text mainly introduce Yellowstone Lake?| A．By listing figures. | B．By making comparisons. |
| C．By following space order. | D．By following time order. |
| A．Its many amazing waterfalls. | B．Its endangered animal species. |
| C．Its difficult wilderness hiking trails. | D．Its wheelchair-accessible trails. |
| A．Most of the animals are endangered. | B．It’s not easy to see the Canada lynx. |
| C．There are a small number of bird species. | D．Grey bears are losing official protection. |
| A．A biology textbook. | B．A history book. |
| C．A personal diary. | D．A travel magazine. |
