1 . I am not a morning person, but as I stand on the boulder (巨大的砾石) in the early dawn, my mind is sharp and alert. I am more than awake, concentrating on the vast endlessness below.

There is a noticeable lack of early birdsong here; no hiss of offshore wind fanning the waves. The only sound is my breath, heavy after the scramble to the top. It is by no means a difficult climb, but I had to hurry to beat the sun.

“If you stand at the top of Kubu Island just before sunrise,” said one of the returning visitors, “You can see the arc (弧线) of the Earth.”

He was right.

From up here the horizon cuts not so much a line as an arc.

Soon my feeling of being in the moment is replaced with something as strange and ancient as this place itself. My breathing calms and becomes shallow. My heartbeat slows. I am first surrounded by in silence. I am a tiny, shrinking spot. Then I disappear completely.

They say that astronauts looking down on Earth gain a sense of perspective that changes them forever. They begin to understand how much we are a part of our planet, and how much it is a part of us. The astronauts are 400 kilometres off the surface of Earth, and while the top of Kubu Island is only 10 metres high, there is something about this pile of boulders that sends you into orbit.

Kubu Island isn’t actually an island, but rather, an outcrop of ancient rocks that are up to two billions year old. It was once rested on the edge of a vast lake. As the water evaporated, it created the huge Makgadikgadi Pan (马卡迪卡迪盐沼盆地), one of the world’s largest salt pans.

Ancient tribes and civilizations have migrated and lived here, first to fish from its rocks and then to commune with nature and its spirits. Today, adventurers and tourists come here to marvel at this strange pile of boulders with baobab trees (猴面包树) growing out of it. These trees are estimated to be 3,000 or 4,000 years old; they are really impressive not only for their size but also because they seem to have so much to tell about the history of this island.

This is the gift that Kubu Island gives and the power that it has. This tiny, weird outcrop — if not in the middle of nowhere, then certainly on the edge of it — can give you a sense of yourself that very few places can. A sense of yourself as a person on this planet and, somehow, way beyond it.

1. Which of the following can best describe Kubu Island?

A．It is a “small” island, surrounded by waves and water.

B．It is an “ancient” island, featuring recreational activities.

C．It is a “dry” island, surrounded by a sea of salt.

D．It is a “remote” island, resting on the edge of a vast lake.

2. According to the passage, the underlined phrase “marvel at” probably means ________.

A．feel anxious for	B．pose danger to
C．be grateful to	D．be amazed at

3. The author’s purpose of writing this article was to ________.

A．recommend a unique travel route to a peaceful and silent island

B．encourage readers to reflect more on themselves while travelling

C．inform readers of a mysterious place that deserves to be explored

D．advise readers to visit an island which is peculiar in its original state

2 . 假如你是李华，你的美国朋友Bill是ー个旅游爱好者，暑假要来中国广州旅游，请你介绍广州的情况，内容包括：
地理位置：广东省中部
面积：约7500平方公里
历史：2200年；海上丝绸之路起点
人口：约1000万
气候：年平均气温20℃～22℃
美誉：花城；多元化城市
词汇提示：海上丝绸之路： the Maritime Silk Road          多元化：multicultural(adj.)
注意：可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3 . 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。

    1    (lie) under waters across the globe are an estimated three million shipwrecks, all of     2     indicate human attempts over the centuries to explore Earth's furthest corners. While there is little land on our planet left unexplored, the vast sea bed almost     3    (remain) unknown.

Considering our limited knowledge, it's not surprising that exploration of the oceans constantly brings about discoveries in various     4    (science) fields.

First, many archaeological finds are made in shallow waters, including whole cities     5    (bury) underwater. The ruins offer precious information about the past. However, the challenges of pressure, darkness and intense cold at vast depths make     6     difficult to discover more of the past.

Amazing biological discoveries are also being made, like the barreleye living 6,000 meters below the ocean's surface. Such discoveries enable us     7    (have) a better knowledge of the capacity for life even in extreme circumstances.

Additionally, so far more new natural resources such as fire ice     8    (find) in oceans. Besides, the research conducted by China's underwater vessels helps scientists identify areas for deep-sea drilling and better understand how the sea bed was formed.

Humankind is entering a new age of oceanic discovery. Oceans will be as familiar     9     us as the land where we live through all-round international     10    (cooperate).

4 . 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 Xi’an City Wall is the most complete city wall that has survived China’s long history. It     1     (build) originally to protect the city     2     the Tang dynasty and has now been completely restored (修复). It is possible       3     (walk) or bike the entire 14 kilometers.

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     4     (spend) some time looking at all the defensive equipment at the wall, we decided it was time for some action and what     5     (good) than to ride on a piece of history!

We     6     (hire) our bikes from the rental place at the South Gate. My bike was old and shaky     7     did the job. It took us about 3 hours to go all     8     way around the Xi’an City Wall. Supposedly you can do it in two hours, but we stopped at the different gates and     9     (watchtower) to take pictures or just to watch the local people going about their     10     (day) routines.

5 . The huge stone human statues of Easter Island have fascinated the world for centuries, but now a new research has solved one of the biggest mysteries (谜团) why the statues are located where they are.

Easter Island has more than 600 statues, built by different families hundreds of years ago. It is thought the statues represent their ancestors. However, it was previously a mystery why many of them were around the coast. While scientists have suggested the sites may have a connection with the island’s resources (资源), the latest research is the first attempt to look into such views.

Researchers focused on the east of the island, where various resources are located, and looked at the distribution (分布) of 93 statues built before European sailors arrived in the 18th century. After finding no connection with the rock used for the construction, they considered whether the statues were found near other important resources.

Things became interesting when they checked where the islanders got their drinking water. The island has no long-standing streams or lakes. However, fresh water brought by storm could pass through the ground and go deeper into the underground water system. “It is sort of amazing at low tide (潮水) when the water goes down, suddenly there are streams running off at different sites right at the coast that is just pure fresh water,” said Lipo. “We noticed, actually, when we were doing an investigation on the island, that we saw horses drinking from the ocean.”

The results of the new research—published in the journal Plos One—found that closeness to freshwater sites is the best explanation for the location of the statues, including why they appear inland as well as on the coast. “Historical records show the islanders also made wells to get drinking water,” said Lipo, adding that historic wells explained some inland statue locations that were apparently without natural water resources.

The results, said Lipo, made sense, as drinking water is important for the islanders and it is not practical to have to walk miles to get it.

1. The new research is thought to be unique because it is the first_________.

A．to find the statues located around the coast

B．to connect the statues with the islanders’ ancestors

C．to examine the connection between statues and resources

D．to suggest a connection between statues and resources

2. Why did Lipo refer to the example of the horses in paragraph 4?

A．To suggest that the horses have got used to sea water.

B．To provide evidence of drinking water on the coast.

C．To describe an interesting thing which is rare to see.

D．To show that the island has a great shortage of water.

3. What’s the possible reason why some statues are not located on the coast?

A．The islanders had learned to dig wells.

B．The islanders could rely on inland lakes.

C．The streams would run off at different site.

D．The islanders could walk miles to get water.

6 . 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。

Covering 7 million square kilometers of jungle and river over eight countries, the Amazon Rainforest is home to millions of sorts of plants and animals, some of     1     are still being discovered today. It's also the world’s     2    (large) supplier of oxygen and is a treasure chest for medical     3    (researcher) who are experimenting with different plants in hopes of finding cures for certain diseases.    4    , the world is at risk of losing this rich rainforest because of deforestation (滥伐森林)    5     (cause) by the actions of farmers, loggers and settlers.

The Amazon Basin     6    (lose) 20% of its rainforest since 1970. Cattle farmers have     7    (continuous) cleared the land for cows     8    (eat) on and crop farmers have begun “slash and burn” (刀耕火种), a farming method that involves cutting down forests and burning the land to make     9     suitable for agricultural purpose. Loggers have been cutting down the trees for timber(木材), further decreasing its size.

With the destruction of the Amazon Rainforest, global warming becomes more of a threat. It is up to each individual to fight against the     10    (disappear) of the Amazon by making the world know something about this environmental disaster.