1 . If you could travel in time, where would you go? Perhaps you would watch an original performance of a Shakespeare’s play in Elizabethan England? What about hanging out with Laozi in the Spring and Autumn Period? Or maybe you’d voyage far ahead of the present day to see what the future holds.
The possibility of time travel is indeed appealing. Stories exploring the subject have been around for hundreds of years. Perhaps the best known example is the science fiction novel The Time Machine, which was written by H. G. Wells and published in 1895 for the first time. It was adapted into at least two feature films of the same name, as well as two television versions, and a large number of comic book adaptations. It is generally credited with the popularization of the concept of time travel using a vehicle that allows an operator to travel purposefully and selectively. The term “time machine”, coined by Wells, is now universally used to refer to a vehicle transporting people into the far future.
But could time travel actually be possible? Some scientists say yes, in theory. They propose using cracks in time and space called “wormholes”, which could be used as shortcuts to other periods. Einstein’s theory of relativity allows time travel in extreme circumstances. And British physicist Stephen Hawking said you could travel into the future with a really fast spaceship—going at nearly the speed of light. Though building such a spaceship would of course be no simple task.
Even if you could travel into the past, there is something called the “grandfather paradox”. It asks what would happen if a time traveller were to go back in time and have his own grandfather killed for some reason, and therefore prevent himself from being born. If the time traveller wasn’t born, how would he travel back in time?
And would you really like to visit the future? In H. G. Wells’ book, the main character travels into distant time where he arrives at a beach and is attacked by giant crabs. He then voyages 30 million years into the future where the only living thing is a black object with tentacles (触角). If that’s what’s in store, maybe we are better just living in the present day after all.
1. The novel The Time Machine mentioned in Paragraph 2 aims to show .| A．people’s interest in time travel |
| B．the special features of the book |
| C．the long history of time travel |
| D．the contribution of H. G. Wells |
| A．have similarities in many ways |
| B．push the invention of the first spaceship |
| C．have proved wrong by some time travellers |
| D．suggest the possibility to invent the time machine |
| A．the traveller is prevented from meeting his grandfather |
| B．the traveller goes back in time to seek for his grandfather |
| C．the grandfather’s death makes the traveller’s birth impossible |
| D．The reunion of the traveller and his grandfather brings happiness |
| A．Unclear. | B．Skeptical. |
| C．Supportive. | D．Unconcerned. |
2 . Sometime in the early 1960s, a significant thing happened in Sydney, Australia. The city discovered its harbor. Then, one after another, Sydney discovered lots of things that were just sort of there — broad parks, superb beaches, and a culturally diverse population. But it is the harbor that makes the city.
Andrew Reynolds, a cheerful fellow in his early 30s, pilots Sydney ferryboats for a living. I spent the whole morning shuttling back and forth across the harbor. After our third run Andrew shut down the engine, and we went our separate ways — he for a lunch break, I to explore the city.
“I’ll miss these old boats,” he said as we parted.
“How do you mean?” I asked.
“Oh, they’re replacing them with catamarans. Catamarans are faster, but they’re not so elegant, and they’re not fun to pilot. But that’s progress, I guess.”
Everywhere in Sydney these days, change and progress are the watchwords (口号), and traditions are increasingly rare. Shirley Fitzgerald, the city’s official historian, told me that in its rush to modernity in the 1970s, Sydney swept aside much of its past, including many of its finest buildings. “Sydney is confused about itself,” she said. “We can’t seem to make up our minds whether we want a modern city or a traditional one. It’s a conflict that we aren’t getting any better at resolving (解决).”
On the other hand, being young and old at the same time has its attractions. I considered this when I met a thoughtful young businessman named Anthony. “Many people say that we lack culture in this country,” he told me. “What people forget is that the Italians, when they came to Australia, brought 2000 years of their culture, the Greeks some 3000 years, and the Chinese more still. We’ve got a foundation built on ancient cultures but with a drive and dynamism of a young country. It’s a pretty hard combination to beat.”
He is right, but I can’t help wishing they would keep those old ferries.
1. What is the first paragraph mainly about?| A．Sydney’s striking architecture. | B．The cultural diversity of Sydney. |
| C．The key to Sydney’s development. | D．Sydney’s tourist attractions in the 1960s. |
| A．He goes to work by boat. | B．He looks forward to a new life. |
| C．He pilots catamarans well. | D．He is attached to the old ferries. |
| A．It is losing its traditions. | B．It should speed up its progress. |
| C．It should expand its population. | D．It is becoming more international. |
| A．A city can be young and old at the same time. |
| B．A city built on ancient cultures is more dynamic. |
| C．Modernity is usually achieved at the cost of elegance. |
| D．Compromise should be made between the local and the foreign. |
3 . The Louvre is the most popular museum in the world. Last year, about 10 million visitors, more than 75% of whom were foreign tourists, came to the museum. About 80% of them were here for Mona Lisa-and most of them left unhappy.
According to a survey of British tourists earlier this year, Mona Lisa was voted the world’s most disappointing attraction, beating out Checkpoint Charlie, Spanish Steps, and Urinating Boy in Brussels.
If the museum thinks that it is inspiring the next generation of art lovers, it is in fact doing the opposite, thanks to the huge crowds in front of the picture. The overcrowding here was so bad that Jean-Luc Martinez, the museum’s director, has to admit, “We have to take steps to deal with the overcrowding in the coming years: new entrances and timed tickets for the museum.”
He misunderstands the problem-for the Louvre, with more gallery space than any museum on the planet, isn’t that crowed. On my last visit, the French painting wing had just a few visitors. Even Venus de Milo, perhaps the second most famous work of art in the museum, only drew a comfortable few dozen visitors. In other words, the Louvre does not have an overcrowding problem. It has a Mona Lisa problem. No other famous painting comes anywhere close to monopolizing (垄断) a museum like she does. It is time for the Louvre to admit its failure. The museum does not need new entrances or timed tickets.
Instead, it only needs to set up a moving walkway in front of Mona Lisa and let Samsung or another smartphone company to fix its cutest cameras around her. So visitors can strike a pose on the moving walkway, and download their cutest selfies (自拍像) with Mona Lisa later. I can even picture the moving walkway smoothly guiding tourists past the Mona Lisa into the gift shops, where millions of selfiers can take time to enjoy their pictures, and spend money.
It is time to set it up now since the 2024 Summer Olympics is around the comer.
1. Which was the most disappointing attraction according to the survey? ________| A．Mona Lisa. | B．Venus de Milo. | C．Spanish Steps. | D．Urinating Boy. |
| A．Amazing. | B．Practical. | C．Expensive. | D．Unworkable. |
| A．A lot of visitors stay there to appreciate it. | B．The room housing the picture is too small. |
| C．Too many visitors want to take a picture with it. | D．The ticket for the famous painting is too cheap. |
| A．To share his unpleasant visit to the Louvre. |
| B．To introduce a famous painting in a museum. |
| C．To offer a simple solution to the Mona Lisa problem. |
| D．To show the opportunity brought by the 2024 Olympics. |
1. How is the weather now?
| A．Cloudy. | B．Rainy. | C．Sunny. |
| A．A free outdoor theater. | B．Two outdoor playgrounds. | C．An indoor playground. |
| A．Go to enjoy a live performance. |
| B．Tell the children about the weekend plan. |
| C．Search for information about the park. |
5 . Do you know that the Czech Republic is among the countries that possess the most castles in the world? Among those 2, 000 castles is Hluboka Castle.
It was a lovely summer day when my two university friends and I decided to travel to Hluboka Castle. The castle is
We walked about 10 minutes from the bus station to the city center. There we had to climb a smooth slope to reach the castle, during which I could already hear the horses’ hooves（蹄脚） and carriage wheels rolling across the
We first saw an extensive English garden with a lawn and colorful flowers. It was first built in Gothic style by King Premysl Otakar II in the 13th century. Later
There are several routes for
I have seen many castles in many countries, but Hluboka Castle still surprised me. After discussing with my friends, I realized that unlike other countries, Czech castles are usually not possessed by kings but
| A．As long as | B．Now that | C．In case | D．Even though |
| A．atmosphere | B．beauty | C．quality | D．shape |
| A．amazing | B．boring | C．scaring | D．puzzling |
| A．researched | B．distinguished | C．decorated | D．situated |
| A．strange | B．common | C．same | D．new |
| A．searched | B．introduced | C．entered | D．overlooked |
| A．dormitory | B．university | C．hometown | D．destination |
| A．garden | B．ground | C．river | D．border |
| A．destroyed | B．influenced | C．removed | D．purchased |
| A．architectural | B．industrial | C．protective | D．religious |
| A．sightseeing | B．exercise | C．education | D．adventure |
| A．observed | B．chose | C．promoted | D．marked |
| A．strange | B．difficult | C．typical | D．surprising |
| A．write | B．record | C．explain | D．understand |
| A．appreciate | B．analyze | C．challenge | D．doubt |
| A．threatened | B．ordinary | C．broken | D．special |
| A．updating | B．damaging | C．storing | D．delivering |
| A．happy | B．noble | C．hardworking | D．poor |
| A．numerous | B．small | C．cheap | D．useless |
| A．meals | B．bricks | C．figures | D．views |
6 . I picked up my phone to take a picture of the beautiful scenery we were passing through while the tour guide spoke. I swiped my phone lock screen to get to my
In the minutes that I spent working through my storage issue, I
Suddenly I
Recently as I
| A．recorder | B．album | C．telephone | D．camera |
| A．available | B．comfortable | C．admirable | D．valuable |
| A．problems | B．apps | C．doubts | D．candidates |
| A．delete | B．add | C．load | D．change |
| A．witnessed | B．chose | C．missed | D．made |
| A．time | B．road | C．phone | D．trip |
| A．explained | B．learned | C．realized | D．declared |
| A．break down | B．give away | C．take off | D．look up |
| A．warning | B．robbing | C．informing | D．accusing |
| A．excited | B．annoyed | C．confused | D．surprised |
| A．blessing | B．crime | C．guilt | D．puzzle |
| A．proved | B．planned | C．experienced | D．expected |
| A．take | B．share | C．bring | D．carry |
| A．However | B．Therefore | C．Instead | D．Besides |
| A．angle | B．attitude | C．idea | D．image |
| A．understand | B．match | C．accompany | D．balance |
| A．mine | B．yours | C．theirs | D．ours |
| A．price | B．nutrition | C．taste | D．order |
| A．ever | B．never | C．seldom | D．even |
| A．with | B．without | C．for | D．against |
1. What is permitted in the museum?
| A．Drinks. | B．Food. | C．Taking pictures. |
| A．$ 13. | B．$ 18. | C．$ 25. |
| A．At the painting galleries. | B．At the ticket window. | C．At the gate of the museum. |
1. What is the woman satisfied with about the trip?
| A．The transportation. |
| B．The accommodation. |
| C．The local dishes. |
| A．Three days. | B．Two weeks. | C．Three weeks. |
| A．Return to work. | B．Cook a meal. | C．Put things in order. |
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（＼）划掉。
修改：在错的词下画一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1．每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2．只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
Nowadays more of us prefer to travel, because it does us plenty good. One of the main benefit of travelling is that we learn how to communicate better with the other people. Besides, we can relax ourselves by enjoying natural beauty but getting away from press for a while as well. It can also open our minds and broaden our horizons, especially to areas’ where their native language is not wide used. In addition, travelling provide us with the chance to taste different food together with vary customs. Since we only live once, let's travel more and discover that this wonderful world will offer.
When I was young, I dreamed of travelling all around the world and seeing great places. I’ve wanted to live my whole life
The
There is much beautiful natural scenery all over the country. I’ve met many very friendly people and also had a lot of really great
