1 . Enjoy the Beauty of Yunnan
Spring: March to May
Yunnan’s spring is warm with few rains, and the temperature changes quickly.
Average temperature: 6-20℃ (43-68℉)
Clothes: jackets, hoodies (连帽衫), long sleeves, jeans
Recommended tour destinations: The spring in Yunnan is the best time to visit blooming flowers and newly sprouted (发芽的) plants. Luoping, Dali and Lijiang are the most beautiful places in Yunnan during this time. You may go to Luoping for the seas of yellow rape flowers, and enjoy the cherry blossoms around Cangshan Mountain and Erhai Lake in Dali.
Summer: June to August
It’s not as hot as other places in China, and it’s often rainy. You may take an umbrella and raincoat with you.
Average temperature: 15-26℃ (59-79℉)
Clothes: T-shirts, short sleeves, thin pants...
Recommended tour destinations: In summer, you may appreciate lotus flowers in Puzhehei Scenic Area, stroll around Lijiang Ancient Town, visit Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Shuhe Ancient Town and Lugu Lake in Lijiang.
Autumn: September to November-BEST Months to Visit Yunnan
Both the temperature and the rainfall decrease in autumn. It’s cool and clear to go for pleasant trips.
Average temperature: 17-25℃ (63-77℉)
Clothes: T-shirts, jeans, basketball coat...
Recommended tour destinations: To see the most beautiful autumn leaves and flowers in Yunnan, you can go to Gudong Gingko Village in Tengchong, Stone Forest in Kunming and Potatso National Park in Shangri-La.
Winter: December to February
It’s sunny and dry usually with a lower temperature, even so it’s still warmer than the northern China. Lots of visitors go there to escape from bitter cold and consider it the best time to visit Yunnan China.
Average temperature: 8-19℃ (46-66℉)
Clothes: sweaters, overcoats, jackets, thick pants...
Recommended tour destinations: There are varied scenic spots and activities to do in winter. The world heritage Yuanyang Rice Terraces is fantastic with the glittering watering fields all over the mountains. Xishuangbanna houses the only tropical rainforest in China, which is also a popular winter destination.
1. What can we learn about Yunnan’s spring?| A．You may appreciate blooming flowers and newly sprouted plants at this time. |
| B．It rains quite a lot with changeable weather. |
| C．It enjoys a significantly high temperature. |
| D．You may pack jackets, short sleeves and thin pants in your luggage then. |
| A．It is still hot and rains a lot in Autumn in Yunnan. |
| B．Summer in Lijiang is much the same as other places. |
| C．Stone Forest features beautiful autumn leaves and flowers. |
| D．You may appreciate lotus flowers in Lijiang Ancient Town. |
| A．Luoping | B．Xishuangbanna | C．Lijiang | D．Kunming |
A rainforest is an area
In the past hundred years, humans
Rainforests are often called the world’s drug store. More than 25％ of the medicines we use today come from plants in rainforests. However, fewer than l％of rainforest plants have been examined for their
3 . With a number of rivers globally in crisis due to pollution, damming, and reduced rainfall, there’s never been a better opportunity to appreciate everything that rivers give to the world.
Rivers provide drinking water
Two thirds of the UK’s tap water is either from a river or from a river-fed body of water.
Ancient farming depended on these life-giving waters, so does modern agriculture. During the rainy season, many rivers overflow their banks, nourishing the soil with minerals and nutrients. Besides, rivers act as water sources for irrigation.
A good source of food comes from rivers
A fifth of the fish that are fished globally come from rivers and other freshwater sources. Another two thirds of fish that people eat rely on rivers for breeding, nutrients, or other reasons.
Human culture is tied to rivers
Rivers provide leisure activities
| A．Rivers are important for agriculture |
| B．Rivers are more than just water under the bridge |
| C．Rivers are closely connected to ancient civilizations |
| D．A large part of our modern life is involved with rivers |
| E．The organization American Rivers gives a similar figure for the US |
| F．Consequently, rivers can provide homes for a diversity of plants and animals |
| G．Protecting rivers and their biodiversity is a good way to protect this valuable source of food |
4 . 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
Even the tallest mountains have
But I’m not a
Two years ago, while traveling in the Pacific Northwest, I watched a restaurant owner ask several young men to
The group of young men wanted to
You can fit more rounded rocks in a jar than those with sharp edges. The former look for ways to
I placed a
| A．fragile | B．shiny | C．smooth | D．hard |
| A．piled up | B．worn down | C．risen up | D．broken down |
| A．will | B．voice | C．attitude | D．heart |
| A．Still | B．Often | C．Here | D．Once |
| A．understanding | B．confident | C．patient | D．competitive |
| A．contribute | B．exist | C．work | D．develop |
| A．fool | B．soul | C．rock | D．judge |
| A．explain | B．leave | C．apologize | D．pay |
| A．contradictory | B．confusing | C．forceful | D．discouraging |
| A．get through | B．stick to | C．deal with | D．fight against |
| A．think | B．care | C．talk | D．argue |
| A．even | B．however | C．anyway | D．also |
| A．hardships | B．struggle | C．experiences | D．failure |
| A．open | B．cautious | C．ambitious | D．independent |
| A．ignore | B．accept | C．adjust | D．change |
| A．excuse | B．agreement | C．entrance | D．inch |
| A．Nature | B．Tolerance | C．Tide | D．Time |
| A．reforming | B．seeing | C．exploring | D．travelling |
| A．sharp | B．rounded | C．valuable | D．rolling |
| A．class | B．belief | C．meeting | D．discussion |
5 . Imagine mountains enveloped in silver water, shining in the spring sun. Summer sees the mountains turn bright green with growing rice. During autumn, these mountains are gold, and in winter they are covered with white frost.
These terraces (梯田) were built by the local Zhuang and Yao people. Starting in the Yuan Dynasty, work on the terraces took hundreds of years.
But perhaps the most important is the way people have worked in peace with nature. The terraces are cleverly designed, with hundreds of waterways connecting with each other. During the rainy season, rainwater moves down the mountains and into the terraces along these waterways. The sun heats the water and turns it into vapour (水蒸气).
Although modern technology helps produce more crops, these terraces still mean a lot to the local people for whom traditions hold much value.
| A．Terraces were built to collect the rain. |
| B．These are the colors of the Longji Terraces. |
| C．This knowledge is passed down through families. |
| D．It wasn’t completed until the early Qing Dynasty. |
| E．So how did people change the entire mountains into terraces? |
| F．This forms clouds from which rain falls down onto the terraces again. |
| G．So why did these people take trouble turning the entire mountains into terraces? |
China has countless attractions. The Great Wall is
7 . Many of us know about Russia’s Lake Baikal from our textbooks, or by listening to Chinese singer Li Jian’s hit song, Lake Baika. But over the past decade, the world’s deepest freshwater lake has been in the spotlight for an extreme sport.
Each March since 2005, about 150 people from around the world sign up for the Baikal Ice Marathon. They come to explore the lake’s breathtaking beauty and challenge themselves in unpredictable conditions. The 26-mile (41.84-kilometers) journey starts on the lake’s eastern shore. In March, the ice is a meter thick and iron-hard. Runners cross this frozen surface, finishing on the western side of the lake.
Known as the “blue eye of Siberia”, Lake Baikal has exceptionally clear waters. This means its ice is almost perfectly transparent (透明的). “Seen from above, a runner on the ice looks as if he or she were jogging through space.” The New York Times noted.
The landscape might be beautiful, but it’s also harsh. Strong winds blast (侵袭) across the lake and frostbite can occur within half an hour. Runners say the cold climate is what draws them. They want to test their limits.
“When you are in such an environment, you don’t have cars around you, and you don’t have the noise around. I think these extreme races allow you to be alone with nature.” Alicja Barahona, a 64-year-old runner from the US, told ABC news.
The location offers some strange and unique characteristics for this marathon. The finishing line is visible from the start, but the endless white offers no progress markers. The race also ends with little fanfare (隆重的欢迎). Tourists crowding the ice are mostly addicted to snapping selfies (自拍) and just ignore the runners.
For some runners, the absence of spectators makes the race more challenging, because it’s lonely. They must fight with themselves. “You are alone on Baikal. It is your race. You are alone with yourself. All you need to do is to defeat yourself.” Veronique Messina, a French runner, told the Telegraph.
1. What can we know about the Baikal Ice Marathon from the article?| A．It takes runners from the northern end to the southern end of the lake. |
| B．It involves extreme weather and beautiful scenery. |
| C．It attracts more and more participants each year. |
| D．It is about 26 kilometers in length. |
| A．Only men are allowed to run in this race. |
| B．The runners are often distracted by tourists. |
| C．There are many progress markers on the ice. |
| D．The runners can see the finishing line from the start. |
| A．The cold climate. | B．The long distance. |
| C．Noisy surroundings. | D．Loneliness. |
| A．5. | B．4. |
| C．3. | D．2. |
1.悠久的历史和博大精深的文化；
2.众多的名城和名胜古迹；
3.可口的美食和便利的交通，如高铁和共享单车。
注意：1.词数100左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3.开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
参考词汇：博大精深的 broad and profound
Dear Mike,
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Yours,
Li Hua
