1 . The ancient city is in Pingyao county, Shanxi Province. The city wall was first built during the Zhou Dynasty and rebuilt in 1370. Since 1997, it has been listed as a World Heritage Site. Now Pingyao city is the only one in China completely protected as it was hundreds of years ago.

The perimeter (周长) of this square city is 6.4k m long and the city wall is the earliest and largest city wall in China. It is 12m high with width of 5m . The wall was built with earth and covered with bricks. Outside the city wall there is a river, 4m wide and 4m deep.

There are several gates of the city, two each on the east and west and one each on the south and north side. All the gates have two doors each. This has given the city the name “Turtle City” with the two gates on the south and north standing for the head and tail of the turtle and four gates on the east and west as the four legs. The doors on the south and north st and opposite each other. like the head of the turtle extending out and two wells just beyond southern gate are like a turtle’s two eyes.

Located on the trade route between Beijing and Xi’an, Pingyao developed into a merchant center where the local people set up the nation’s earliest banks. These banks were the first in China to use checks (支票).

Several old courtyards have been turned into museums, most of which were homes and offices of Pingyao’s old banks. One of the most unusual aspects of a visit here is realizing that this place was very important to China’s financial history.

1. What does the passage mainly talk about?

A．The ancient city — Pingyao.	B．China’s ancient financial center — Pingyao.
C．The city wall of Pingyao.	D．The museums in Pingyao.

2. We know from the passage that _________.

A．the city wall of Pingyao was first built in 1370	B．Pingyao city hasn’t been a World Heritage Site
C．Pingyao’s streets are wide and made of earth	D．Pingyao city is well protected

3. How many gates are there in Pingyao city?

A．Four.

B．Five.

C．Six.

D．Seven.

4. It can be inferred from the last two paragraphs that _________.

A．Pingyao city played an important role in ancient China’s finance.

B．museums in Pingyao city are now used for bank offices.

C．Pingyao city was one of the largest cities in ancient China.

D．old banks in ancient Pingyao city used checks only.

2 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入适当的内容(1个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。

Home to the headwaters of the Yangtze, Yellow, and Lancang rivers, the Sanjiangyuan area on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (青藏高原)     1    (know)as “China’s water tower.” It is    2    unique plateau wetland ecosystem and serves as an important ecological defense for the country.

Decades ago, serious     3     (environment) degradation (恶化) in Sanjiangyuan,     4    was caused by climate change and human activities, resulted in a large number of lakes drying out and wildlife numbers falling     5     (sharp). Great efforts have been made to turn the park     6    a symbol of the progress of China’s ecological civilization.Over the past years, the environment of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau     7     (experience) great changes. Water conservation in the area has risen by 11 percent this year,     8     (compare) with 10 years ago. Local people enjoy the gifts given by nature, and the establishment of the national park has enabled them to become its protectors and benefit from it. Some work as tour guides, assisting     9     (visitor) from home and abroad.

Today, as people walk on the vast land of Sanjiangyuan,     10     (look) at the mountains, glaciers, and lakes, and catching sight of wild animals and birds, they cannot help but be impressed by the vastness and beauty of nature.