2 . Washington, D.C. Bicycle Tours

Cherry Blossom Bike Tour in Washington, D.C.

Duration: 3 hours

This small group bike tour is a fantastic way to see a world-famous cherry trees with beautiful flowers of Washington, D.C. Your guide will provide a history lesson about the trees and the famous monuments where they blossom. Reserve your spot before availability — the cherry blossoms—disappear!

Washington Capital Monuments Bicycle Tour

Duration: 3 hours (4 miles)

Join a guided bike tour and view some of the most popular monuments in Washington, D.C. Explore the monuments and memorials on the National Mall as your guide shares unique facts and history at each stop. Guided tour includes bike, helmet, cookies and bottled water.

Capital City Bike Tour In Washington, D.C.

Duration: 3 hours

Morning or Afternoon, this bike tour is the perfect tour for D. C. newcomers and locals looking to experience Washington, D.C. in a healthy way with minimum effort. Knowledgeable guides will entertain you with the most, interesting stories about Presidents, Congress, memorials, and parks. Comfortable bikes and a smooth tour route(路线) make cycling between the sites fun and relaxing.

Washington Capital Sites at Night Bicycle Tour

Duration: 3 hours (7miles)

Join a small group bike tour for an evening of exploration in the heart of Washington, D.C. Get up close to the monuments and memorials as you bike the sites of Capitol Hill and the National Mall. Frequent stops are made for photo taking as your guide offers unique facts and history. Tour includes bike, helmet, and bottled water. All riders are equipped with reflective vests and safety lights.

1. Which tour do you need to book in advance?

A．Cherry Blossom Bike Tour in Washington, D.C.

B．Washington Capital Monuments Bicycle Tour.

C．Capital City Bike Tour in Washington.

D．Washington Capital Sites at Night Bicycle Tour.

2. What will you do on the Capital City Bike Tour?

A．Meet famous people.	B．Go to a national park.
C．Visit well-known museums.	D．Enjoy interesting stories.

3. Which of the following does the bicycle tour at night provide?

A．City maps.	B．Cameras.
C．Meals.	D．Safety lights.

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 . By the end of the century, if not sooner, the world’s oceans will be bluer and greener thanks to a warming climate, according to a new study.

At the heart of the phenomenon lie tiny marine microorganisms(海洋微生物) called phytoplankton. Because of the way light reflects off the organisms, these phytoplankton create colourful patterns at the ocean surface. Ocean colour varies from green to blue, depending on the type and concentration of phytoplankton. Climate change will fuel the growth of phytoplankton in some areas, while reducing it in other spots, leading to changes in the ocean’s appearance.

Phytoplankton live at the ocean surface, where they pull carbon dioxide(二氧化碳) into the ocean while giving off oxygen. When these organisms die, they bury carbon in the deep ocean, an important process that helps to regulate the global climate. But phytoplankton are vulnerable to the ocean’s warming trend. Warming changes key characteristics of the ocean and can affect phytoplankton growth, since they need not only sunlight and carbon dioxide to grow, but also nutrients.

Stephanie Dutkiewicz, a scientist in MIT’s Center for Global Change Science, built a climate model that projects changes to the oceans throughout the century. In a world that warms up by 3℃, it found that multiple changes to the colour of the oceans would occur. The model projects that currently blue areas with little phytoplankton could become even bluer. But in some waters, such as those of the Arctic, a warming will make conditions riper for phytoplankton, and these areas will turn greener. “Not only are the quantities of phytoplankton in the ocean changing. ” she said, “but the type of phytoplankton is changing.”

And why does that matter? Phytoplankton are the base of the food web. If certain kinds begin to disappear from the ocean, Dutkiewicz said, “it will change the type of fish that will be able to survive.” Those kinds of changes could affect the food chain.

Whatever colour changes the ocean experiences in the coming decades will probably be too gradual and unnoticeable, but they could mean significant changes. “It’ll be a while before we can statistically show that the changes are happening because of climate change,” Dutkiewicz said, “but the change in the colour of the ocean will be one of the early warning signals that we really have changed our planet.”

1. What are the first two paragraphs mainly about?

A．The various patterns at the ocean surface.

B．The cause of the changes in ocean colour.

C．The way light reflects off marine organisms.

D．The efforts to fuel the growth of phytoplankton.

2. What does the underlined word “vulnerable” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Sensitive.

B．Beneficial.

C．Significant.

D．Unnoticeable.

3. What can we learn from the passage?

A．Phytoplankton play a declining role in the marine ecosystem.

B．Dutkiewicz’s model aims to project phytoplankton changes.

C．Phytoplankton have been used to control global climate.

D．Oceans with more phytoplankton may appear greener.

4. What is the main purpose of the passage?

A．To assess the consequences of ocean colour changes.

B．To analyse the composition of the ocean food chain.

C．To explain the effects of climate change on oceans.

D．To introduce a new method to study phytoplankton.

5 . Standing on the shore of a lake, I can’t help but feel surprised at the thousands of small rocks that surround my boots. They were all created from _________ surfaces, their edges softening over time. I wonder, “Can we learn from a pile of rocks?”

Even the tallest mountains have _________; none are as tall as they were 1,000 years ago. And much like a rock, I’ve found my _________ has softened and my desire to better understand others has expanded with each trip around the sun.

_________, I was also a sharp rock covered in pointy edges. Today, after decades of the waters of life coursing over me, my edges are softer and I’m more _________. I’m less likely to judge and more interested in learning how we can _________ together.

But I’m not a _________. I’m a human filled with all the drama built into my DNA.

Two years ago, while traveling in the Pacific Northwest, I watched a restaurant owner ask several young men to _________ for not wearing masks. Not _________ and not rude. On the door read a sign, “Please wear a mask before entering our restaurant. We don’t like it either, but let’s all do what we can to __________ this together.”

The group of young men wanted to __________ about the note. I sat at the restaurant watching, understanding both sides. I’ve been one of them before, using my youthful edges to chip away at (削弱) the world. What I lost, __________, was the ability to grow from __________ by looking through the eyes of others. In learning to be more __________, I’ve also found more happiness and success.

You can fit more rounded rocks in a jar than those with sharp edges. The former look for ways to __________ and make room for others, while the latter never give an __________ to accommodate others.

__________, like the waters rolling against once sharp stones, changes us by washing away our resistance to __________ the world from someone else’s point of view.

I placed a __________ stone into my jacket pocket. Mother Nature is holding a __________ again.

1.

A．fragile

B．shiny

C．smooth

D．hard

2.

A．piled up

B．worn down

C．risen up

D．broken down

3.

A．will

B．voice

C．attitude

D．heart

4.

A．Still

B．Often

C．Here

D．Once

5.

A．understanding

B．confident

C．patient

D．competitive

6.

A．contribute

B．exist

C．work

D．develop

7.

A．fool

B．soul

C．rock

D．judge

8.

A．explain

B．leave

C．apologize

D．pay

9.

A．contradictory

B．confusing

C．forceful

D．discouraging

10.

A．get through

B．stick to

C．deal with

D．fight against

11.

A．think

B．care

C．talk

D．argue

12.

A．even

B．however

C．anyway

D．also

13.

A．hardships

B．struggle

C．experiences

D．failure

14.

A．open

B．cautious

C．ambitious

D．independent

15.

A．ignore

B．accept

C．adjust

D．change

16.

A．excuse

B．agreement

C．entrance

D．inch

17.

A．Nature

B．Tolerance

C．Tide

D．Time

18.

A．reforming

B．seeing

C．exploring

D．travelling

19.

A．sharp

B．rounded

C．valuable

D．rolling

20.

A．class

B．belief

C．meeting

D．discussion

6 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入一个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

It’ s reported that China on Tuesday    1     (official) announced the first group of national parks—the Three-River-Source National Park, the Giant Panda National Park, the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park, the Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park, and the Wuyishan National Park. The national parks refer to special areas put under protection with     2     aim of conserving the ecosystem and natural resources. The     3     (announce) is a practical move related to the drive to continuously promote the building of an ecological civilization. 

Home to various key wildlife species in China, the Wuyishan National Park appeals    4     tourists both at home and abroad. It features rich diversity due to     5     (it) unique natural environment. Taking a bamboo raft tour is people’ s favourite. With trees,     6     (bush) and colourful flowers covering every corner of the park, it’ s a natural system for providing clean water and producing oxygen,     7    (make) it the green lungs of Fujian. There are many hiking routes for you to take. What’ s more, there are several viewing platforms     8     you can stop to admire the breathtaking beauty of mountains, waterfalls, and lakes around. Words fail     9     (describe) its impressive beauty. Therefore, you     10    (recommend) to pay a visit by yourself.

8 . The best spring destinations in Tibet

The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has long been an ideal and mysterious destination for visitors. Now with the arrival of spring, the climate is becoming more pleasant and Tibet has become an even better trowel destination. Here we recommend some of the best tourist destinations in Tibet which might suit your travel taste.

Peach blossom valley: Nyingchi

The peach blossoms in Nyingchi, Tibet Autonomous Region have been named as “the most beautiful peach flowers in the world”. A great time to visit Nyingchi for the peach blossoms would usually be from March 20 to Apil 15 each year.

The peach blossom valley in Bomi County, Nyingchi, stretches for 30 kilometers, making it one of the longest in China. Peach blossoms can be seen everywhere- around houses, across farmlands and along streams. Peach trees bloom depending on the altitude and climate, so visitors will have the chance to enjoy the blossoms throughout April.

The Yarlung Zangbo River Grand Canyon

The Yarlung Zangbo River Grand Canyon is the deepest canyon in the world. With a total length of about 500 kilometers, its altitude spans from 1,182 meters at Namchak Barwa, the highest peak of the eastern Himalayas, to 550 meters around the Yarlung Zangbo River Valley in Metog County.

One unique feature of the spring sight here is that visitors can enjoy both the peach blossoms and the snow-capped mountains at the same time.

Nanyi Valley

Nanyigou scenic spot is 20 kilometers away from Milin County and is an important birthplace of the mysterious Tibetan medicine culture. The scenic area rovers a total area of 820 hectares. The ecological conditions here are so good that the place is rich in various animal and plant species.

Surrounded by mountains and shrouded (遮蔽) in clouds, Nanyi Valley is an ideal spring destination for visitors, where you can find peach and azalea blossoms everywhere.

1. What do the three tourist destinations have in common?

A．They are all covered with snow.

B．They are rich in various animal and plant species.

C．They provide beautiful peach blossoms for visitors.

D．They are the birthplaces of the Tibetan medicine culture.

2. What can we learn from The Yarlung Zangbo River Grand Canyon?

A．It’s the second deepest canyon In the world.

B．Visitors can have fun from March 20 to April 15 each year.

C．It is 550 meters away from the eastern Himalayas.

D．Visitors can admire the snow-capped mountains there.

3. Which column in the newspaper can we find this article?

A．Tourism.

B．Technology.

C．Agriculture.

D．Photography.

9 . Things to do in Miyakojima

Famous for its sunny beaches and natural wonders, Miyako Island welcomes many visitors during holidays.

Unique beaches

Yonaha Maehama Beach is the most famous beach in Miyakojima, where white sand stretches for seven kilometers. The ocean is colored in emerald blue, attracting visitors with its beauty.Compact Sunayama Beach, known for its arch-shaped rock, is accessed by walking through a narrow tunnel of trees.

Diverse and colorful fish

Snorkeling is a must-try in Miyakojima. Dense coral reefs, schools of tropical fish, sea turtles and plenty of space to free dive to depths of 8 to 15 meters close to the shore are standout features.For beginners, Aragusuku and Shigira are a good choice but advanced snorkelers may see Imgyo Marine Garden, Waiwai Beach and Shimojishima as their ultimate spots.

The bridges

Irabu Bridge is the longest toll-free bridge in Japan. It connects Miyakojima and Irabujima,stretching for 3540m, drawing a gentle curve. The length of the bridge can also be read as“san go no shi ma,” meaning coral island in Japanese. Smaller bridges connect Irabu and Shimoji islands,giving visitors additional beach options. On Shimoji Island, there is a boardwalk around Tooriike,two dramatic marine ponds connected to each other and the sea by an underwater cave system.

Fresh island food

Delight your senses with juicy, melt-in-your-mouth Miyako beef, delicious Miyako soba (noodles served in soup), or fresh fruit. Okinawa prefecture boasts the highest mango yield in Japan,and Miyako Island’s warm subtropical climate is optimal for growing fresh, juicy mangoes. Ice cream with a pinch of salt known as “yuki shio (snow salt)”does more than simply keep you cool.

1. Where is this text probably taken from?

A．A tour brochure.	B．A research paper.
C．A geography book.	D．An academic article.

2. Which spot best suits people who want to try underwater activities?

A．Irabu Bridge.	B．Yonaha Maehama Beach.
C．Imgyo Marine Garden.	D．Compact Sunayama Beach.

3. Which is the least possible for you to enjoy in Miyakojima?

A．Delicate cuisine.	B．Attractive scenery.
C．Peaceful walking.	D．Ancient architecture.