1 . Amsterdam, with its scenic canals lined with picturesque, 17th-and 18th-century buildings, a major European tourist destination, is slowly collapsing.

Sinkholes are appearing in small streets, and nearly half its 1,700 bridges are unstable and need repairs. The fundamental problem is the state of the canal walls: about 125 miles of them are so broken that they are in danger of collapsing into the canals, potentially taking buildings and people with them. As a huge project to shore up the canal walls gets underway, the city is beginning to look like one huge construction site.

Like much of the Netherlands, Amsterdam lies below sea level. Built on a swamp and heavily expanded in the 17th century, the city sits on millions of wooden piles that serve as foundations. As modern life changed the city, many houses were strengthened with concrete, but the foundations of streets and canal walls were ignored. Many of the wooden piles have shifted, cracked or collapsed under the pressure, causing bridges and can al side walls to sink and crack. Water then seeps in, washing away mortar(砂浆), further hollowing out the infrastructure and creating sinkholes.

The alderman, Mr. De Vries, said that if the city had continued to ignore the problem, it would have headed straight for a catastrophe. The reconstruction will take at least 20 years and will cost 2 billion euros, perhaps even more. “These are big numbers, and work needs to take place in a very busy, closely-populated area,” Mr. De Vries said. “People live here and work here, and we usually have many tourists.”

He acknowledged that Amsterdam in the coming years would look different from its usual postcard self. Still, he insisted that tourists should not be discouraged from visiting. “We invite everyone to come and see what we are doing,” he said. “We want visitors to realize that such a magnificent city needs maintenance.”

1. What problem does Amsterdam face?

A．Collapsed buildings pose a threat to tourists.

B．Bridges under construction disturb citizens’ life.

C．The canal walls are in danger of falling down.

D．Many old streets are in badly need of being widened.

2. What is paragraph 3 mainly about?

A．Ways of building canal walls.

B．Causes of sinkholes in Amsterdam.

C．The effects of broken bridges on the city.

D．The geographical features of Amsterdam.

3. What can we learn about the reconstruction work?

A．It is costly.

B．It demands more than three decades.

C．It is a huge and dangerous task.

D．It will promote local employment.

4. Which statement may Mr. De Vries agree with?

A．The city will no longer be as magnificent as it used to be.

B．Modernity is usually achieved at a cost of the environment.

C．Maintenance and tourism should continue at the same time.

D．Repairs have become a serious obstacle to the city’s growth.

2 . 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.

4 . With no special equipment, no fences and no watering, two abandoned agricultural fields in the UK have been rewilded (重新野化), in large part due to the efforts of jays, which actually “engineered” these new woodlands. Researchers now hope that rewilding projects can take a more natural and hands-off approach and that jays can shed some of their bad reputations.

The two fields, which researchers have called the New Wilderness and the Old Wilderness, had been abandoned in 1996 and 1961 respectively. The former was a bare field, while the latter was grassland—both lay next to ancient woodlands. Researchers had suspected that the fields would gradually return to wilderness, but it was impressive to see just how quickly this happened, and how much of it was owed to birds.

Using aerial data, the researchers monitored the two sites. After just 24 years, the New Wilderness had grown into a young, healthy wood with 132 live trees per hectare, over half of which (57%) were oaks. Meanwhile, the Old Wilderness resembled a mature woodland after 39 years, with 390 trees per hectare.

“This native woodland restoration was approaching the structure (but not the species composition) of long-established woodlands within six decades,” the researchers explained in the study.

Part of this reforestation was done by the wind, and researchers suspect that previous ground disturbance may have aided the woodland establishment—which is good news, as it would suggest that agricultural areas may be reforested faster than anticipated. However, animals—Eurasian jays, thrushes, wood mice, and squirrels—also played an important role in helping the forests take shape. This handful of species provided much of the natural regeneration needed for the forest to develop. Jays, in particular, seem to have done a lot of heavy lifting.

1. What does the underlined word “shed” in Paragraph 1 refer to?

A．Be opposed to.

B．Be ashamed of.

C．Get used to.

D．Get rid of.

2. Which aspect of the changes in the two fields impressed the researchers?

A．The scale of the woodlands.

B．The diversity of the fields.

C．The rate of the changes.

D．The frequency of the wilderness.

3. What does the author want to tell us by providing some data in Paragragh 3?

A．The woodland restoration was approaching the structure of long-established ones.

B．Much of the wilderness of the fields was owed to birds.

C．Previous ground disturbance aided the woodland establishment.

D．How quickly the fields returned to wilderness over time.

4. What does the last paragraph mainly talk about?

A．The essential role of humans in the reforestation.

B．The factors that contribute to the reforestation.

C．The importance of woodland establishment.

D．The threats faced by a handful of wild animals.