3 . Paris is the capital of the European nation of France. It is also one of the most beautiful and most famous cities in the world.

Paris is called the City of Light. It is also an international fashion center. What women are wearing in Paris will be worn by women all over the world. Paris is also a famous world center of education. Foe example, it is where the headquarters of UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

The Seine River divides the city into two parts. Thirty –two bridges cross this beautiful river. The oldest and perhaps most well-known is the Point Neuf, which was built in the sixteenth century. The Sorbonne, a famous university, stands on the left bank of the river. There are many other famous places in Paris, such as the famous museum, the Louvre, as well as the Notre Dame. However, the most famous building in this city is Eiffel Tower.

Paris is named after a group of people called the Parisii. They built a small village on an island in the middle of the Seine River about two thousand years ago. This island, called the lle de la Cite, is where Notre Dame lies. Today around eight million people live in the Paris area.

1. This article mainly tells us about ________.

A．the buildings in Paris	B．the general situations of Paris
C．the center of the world	D．the famous buildings along the Seine River

2. The word “headqarters” means ________.

A．tall buildings

B．research center

C．important areas

D．main office

3. From the passage we may conclude that ________.

A．the clothes worn by women in Paris are liked by women all over the world

B．women in Paris sell their clothes all over the world

C．women from all over the world go to Paris and wear their own clothes

D．women from all over the world like to go to Paris to buy clothes

4. The building of ________ is the most famous building to the world.

A．UNESCO

B．the Pont Neuf

C．Eiffel Tower

D．Notre Dame

4 . 4 Most walkable cities in Europe

Seville, Spain

Seville in Spain takes the top spot as Europe’s most walkable city, offering the shortest walking route between the top four tourist attractions.Visitors can explore the impressive Plaza de Espana public square, before wandering over to the UNESCO-listed palace of Real Alcazar and Seville Cathedral. After that, it’s only a short trip on foot to visit the beautiful Barrio Santa Cruz neighbourhood.

Venice, Italy

Venice is well-known as a heaven for pedestrians (行人), so it’s no surprise it ranks as the second best location for walkable city breaks. There are endless alleyways to explore, as well as plenty of beautiful bridges over the crisscrossing canals that the city is famous for. Just under half an hour of walking here will take you on a tour of the impressive Grand Canal, Doge’s Palace, St Mark’s Square, Basilica and bell tower, all in only 1.3 miles.

Porto, Portugal

Nestled along Portugal’s picturesque coast, Porto comes in third with its top attractions all covered by a 30-minute walking route. Meander along the Dom Luís I Bridge over the Douro River, head to the Clérigos Church Bell Tower and enjoy a riverfront walking place along the Cais da Ribeira. The Stock Exchange Palace is also just a short walk away.

Florence, Italy

Florence, Italy, secures its place as the fourth most walkable city in Europe thanks to its stunning attractions that can be seamlessly explored on foot. A 1.6 mile route covers the awe-inspiring Piazzale Michelangelo; the famous Uffizi Gallery; the Piazza del Duomo where you will be amazed at the magnificent Florence Cathedral; and the Galleria dell’Accademia, home to Michelangelo’s masterpiece, the statue of David.

1. How long is probably the walking route in Seville?

A．1.1 miles.

B．1.3 meters.

C．1.6 meters.

D．1.8 meters.

2. Which city is probably located near the sea?

A．Seville.

B．Venice.

C．Porto.

D．Florence.

3. What is the writing purpose of the text?

A．To compare the four cities.

B．To show the benefits of walking.

C．To stress the importance of traveling.

D．To attract visitors to walk in these cities.

5 . There are no rules for naming towns. Some are reasonable enough, after their founders or a defining geographical feature. However, here are some places whose names seem completely random. Let’s look at four of the strangest town names in America.

Likely, California

Population: 12

In 1878, locals were asked to find a new name for their post office, after the Post Office Department rejected its old name, South Fork. They suggested three choices, each of which was turned down because they duplicated（重复）names of other post offices elsewhere in California. When somebody remarked that they would likely never find a name, somebody else supposedly spoke up and said, "It is not likely that there will be another post office in the state called ‘Likely’." They submitted that, and it was accepted.

Why, Arizona

Population: 151

This town probably got its name from the simple fact that it was near the Y-shaped junction（交叉路口）of two state highways. According to one of the community's early settlers, though, it was inspired by people driving through who asked, “Why are you living way out here?”

Whynot, North Carolina

Population; 228

Whynot was founded in the 18th century by English and German immigrants. The story is that there was a long discussion about what to call the community, and finally somebody asked “Why not name it Whynot and then we can go home?”

Hungry Horse, Montana

Population: 575

Hungry Horse and the nearby Hungry Horse Dam were named for two horses who got lost in the snow in the winter of 1900 and were found weak and starving a month later. They were nursed back to health.

1. In what order are the four towns listed in the passage?

A．According to the area.	B．According to the history.
C．According to the population.	D．According to the achievement.

2. Why was the name of the post office refused for three times?

A．The Post Office Department disliked them.

B．The locals liked a name related to their own life.

C．They believed that they wouldn't come up with a name.

D．They shared the same names with other post offices in California.

3. Which of the origin of the names is uncertain?

A．Likely, California	B．Why, Arizona
C．Why not, North Carolina	D．Hungry Horse, Montana

6 . 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

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7 . A bridge is a structure constructed to connect two places without blocking the way beneath it. Below are four famous bridges in the world.

Bridge of Sighs

The Bridge of Sighs is in Venice, Italy, which was designed by Antonio Contino. The bridge’s construction was begun in 1600 and completed in 1603. The bridge was supposed to be the last view for prisoners, who would sigh at the beauty of Venice, before being taken to prison. That is why it is called the Bridge of Sighs.

Tsing Ma Bridge

The bridge is named after the two islands it connects-Ma Wan and Tsing Yi in Hong Kong. It has both a roadway and a railway and is the longest suspension bridge (悬索桥) with two decks. The bridge is 4518 feet long and 676 feet tall, which was designed by Mott MacDonald. The construction was begun in 1992 and completed in 1997.

Tower Bridge

The Tower Bridge is situated in London, which is a combination of the drawbridge (开合桥) and suspension bridge. Designed by Horace Jones and John Wolfe Barry, it was built between 1886 and 1894. The bridge stretches across the River Thames near the Tower of London. The drawbridge is drawn about 1,000 times a year.

Golden Gate Bridge

The Golden Gate Bridge joins the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, whose chief designer was Jbseph Strauss. The bridge has been named the most beautiful and most photographed bridge in the world. It is 8,981 feet long, 746 feet tall and 90 feet wide. Construction of the bridge was begun in 1933 and completed in 1937. In 1987, the bridge was named a California historic landmark.

1. Which bridge has the longest history?

A．The Bridge of Sighs.	B．The Tsing Ma Bridge.
C．The Tower Bridge.	D．The Golden Gate Bridge.

2. How did the Tsing Ma Bridge get its name?

A．It was named by its designer.	B．It was named by the government.
C．It got its name because of its length.	D．It got its name from the two islands it connected.

3. What can we know about the Golden Gate Bridge from the last paragraph?

A．It links two oceans.

B．It is the longest bridge in the world.

C．It is a historic landmark in California.

D．It is a combination of the drawbridge and suspension bridge.

8 . For thousands of years, Chinese writers have travelled all over the country to take down notes about the geographical conditions of each city. Among them, well-known Chinese geographer and writer Li Daoyuan, in the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534), composed his book, Commentary on the Water Classics, after studying the original literary version, Water Classics. He later expanded the river records to 1, 252 from the original 137.

The book is now being studied again by Professor Li Xiaojie and his team from Fudan University. They have been using drawing software and 3D modelling to recreate the waterway situations on a map based on the book description. So far, they have completed research on four rivers.

“Ancient people knew really well how to apply the power of nature to technical considerations,”Li said, giving the example of Qianjin’e, one of the most famous ancient water conservation projects in Luoyang, Henan. In order to lead the river into the city for irrigation (灌溉) in ancient Luoyang, the officials built a canal branch by separating a northwest-southeast river. However, the canal water wasn't enough to support the citizens in dry seasons. To solve that, on the northern side of the canal branch, the officials built a reservoir (水库) and a channel to lead the water to the canal branch, where the waterways would converge and flow together to the city.

In Commentary on the Water Classics, a total of 2, 800 cities are recorded with details. Still, the process of recreation takes much effort. After doing a lot of text analysis and fieldwork, the team has gradually created the model with 3D modelling software based on repeated deductions (推论).

For Professor Li, the book is not only a record of the natural landscape over 1, 000 years ago, but also a detailed description of humanity and culture and a treasure for today’s reference.

1. What can we learn about the book Commentary on the Water Classics?

A．It has been out of date.	B．It explains 3D modelling.
C．It keeps records of 137 rivers.	D．It is based on previous studies.

2. What does the underlined word “converge” in paragraph 3 mean?

A．Join.

B．Pass.

C．Cross.

D．Begin.

3. What does paragraph 4 mainly tell us about model recreation?

A．Its major problems.	B．Its detailed analysis.
C．Its complex process.	D．Its successful application.

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A．3D Technology Fuels Modern Research

B．Ancient Classics Inspire Modern Research

C．An Effective Approach to Model Recreation

D．A Famous Writer of Chinese Ancient Classics