2 . Standing on a hill at Cliveden Gardens on a sunny winter day, its dark-green lake surrounded by centuries-old trees took my breath away.     1     It’s just a local park near London that I’d never heard of during my eight years living in the UK. As I admired the serene garden, it taught me a lesson about the British culture of understatement.

“The English landscape is more beautiful because its beauty is understated,” my friend Will said to me later as we walked through an exhibition at Tate Britain. He pointed to a painting of a peaceful countryside. “This is the landscape I grew up with”, he said. Unlike grand waterfalls or wild forests, this scenery doesn’t shout about its beauty.     2    

I wonder if Chinese tourists will explore beyond London.     3     Indeed, Oxford and Cambridge and the beloved Lake District National Park are some iconic symbols of Britain. But it would be a pity if they miss out on the lesser-known parts of the English landscape.

    4     I remember a straight-A classmate once telling me he “survived exams” and another friend from Oxford introducing himself as “studying in the countryside”. This modesty also has its mirror in Chinese culture. I remember my parents’ telling me to work hard but not to brag about my achievements. Chinese culture is full of proverbs such as “real gold will shine sooner or later”, to encourage long-term dedication to one’s chosen area of expertise.

Experiencing both cultures, I’ve realized that the English and Chinese both express achievements with understatement.     5     It reflects the unspoken charm in both British and Chinese traditions. And it’s an off-the-beaten-path attraction well worth exploration.

A．Cliveden isn’t a famous holiday place.

B．Rather, its beauty is reserved for the locals only.

C．I’ve been impressed by British humor all the time.

D．They tend to prefer places with a strong reputation.

E．But the more I looked, the more I saw its quiet elegance.

F．Over the years, I’ve become familiar with British modesty.

G．This mix makes me appreciate the unusual beauty of Cliveden.

3 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Harbin, the capital city of Heilongjiang province, welcomed nearly 3.05 million visitors,     1     (gain) 5.91 billion yuan of tourism income during the three-day New Year holiday.

The trend was then enlarged on social media where influencers (网红) highlighted that many “southerners”, who     2     (refer) to as “little potatoes from the south”, flooded into the city’s ski resorts and bathhouses. The phrase is associated with the     3     (remarkable) distinctive light-colored jackets and lovely hats that tourists from southern China typically wear when traveling to the north, as well as their relatively     4     (short) figure compared with local’s. Though     5     (criticize) online for being stereotypes, locals clarified that it reflected a genuine sense of goodwill and friendship.

Apart     6     the iconic Harbin Ice and Snow Festival, tourist spots introduced varieties of new attractions, such as hot balloon rides and bonfire parties. On Central Street,     7     struck the tourists most was the organized parades featuring the Oroqen (鄂伦春族),     8     ethnic minority from the region.

To facilitate the     9     (consume) of Harbin’s popular frozen pears, the city has even introduced frozen pear platters (摆盘), making it more convenient for tourists to taste the delicacy.

“You can get the incomparable snow experience and service in Harbin,     10     the temperatures can drop to -35℃,” a tourist said.

4 . Location

St Helena is one of the remotest islands on Earth. The subtropical (亚热带的) British Overseas Territory sits in the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean, 1,200 miles from the west coast of Africa and 1,800 miles from the east coast of South America.

Size Population

St Helena is only 16 km long and 9 km wide and the population is 5,000. This is 1/3 the size of the Isle of Wight, and the same size as Disney World Orlando. This is also the same size as San Francisco―yet the island has just 0.5% of San Francisco’s population. With an extremely low-crime community, you can freely explore the island’s natural and built attractions in peace.

Climate

As a subtropical island, St Helena’s temperature is 15-28°C all year round. While the four seasons are not recognized on St Helena, the “cooler months” are generally June to September and the “hotter months” are December to March. St Helena is free from extreme weather events, with even thunderstorms only occurring perhaps once a decade.

Accessibility

Until 2017, St Helena did not have an airport and was only accessible by sea. Reaching the island meant a five-day ship voyage from Cape Town, South Africa. However, since October 2017, the island’s first and only airport has enabled passengers to reach the island in just a six-hour flight.

1. In what aspect are St Helena and San Francisco alike?

A．Area.

B．Population.

C．Climate.

D．Crime rate.

2. What can best describe the climate of St Helena?

A．Tropical.

B．Dry.

C．Extreme.

D．Mild.

3. How could visitors gain entry into St Helena before 2017?

A．By plane.

B．By ship.

C．By car.

D．By bike.

5 . Before coming to Beijing, I was worried about whether or not I would have opportunities to go out for long walks and hikes. Coming from the UK, where farms, fields and parks are never too far away, I thought Beijing was a city of giant buildings that never ended, a concrete jungle without nature.     1    .

In the center of Beijing, there are public parks to explore: from Chaoyang Park in Chaoyang District to Ditan Park in Dongcheng District and to Beihai Park in Xicheng District.     2    . If you really want to get close to nature, it’s well worth taking a trip to the city’s suburb.

    3    . Built along the Grand Canal (大运河) in Tongzhou District, the park is full of wildlife and nature, attracting visitors from all over the city on the weekends. Besides for trade, it was once used to transport water from the south of China to the north. Now the Canal provides beautiful views when you walk along the canal banks.     4    . The wild birds that can be seen along with the numerous reeds (芦苇) are evidences of the regeneration (改造) project’s success.

Beijing, like other cities in China, is vibrant (有活力的) and full of energy as people rush around to work and have fun.     5    .

A．I always sat alone, thinking of my hometown in Britain

B．One location worth visiting is the Grand Canal Forest Park

C．All of these locations are easily accessible by subway or taxi

D．People will wander in the park, buying and selling small items

E．I was overjoyed to find out that my expectations didn’t match reality

F．Although it was polluted in the past, great efforts were made to improve the local environment

G．But it’s also important to change to a slower pace and return to nature with public parks for people to relax

6 . 阅读下面材料，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。

Zhangye Danxia National Geological Park in Gansu is the best representative of China’s colorful Danxia landform. With a wide     1     (various) of landforms, this enormous park covers     2     area of 510 square kilometres.     3     (extend) along the northern part of Qilian Mountain in west China, it was said to be part of The Great Silk Road. At one time, Marco Polo arrived in China through this area.     4     (former) a provincial park and scenic area, it     5     (become) a national geopark in November 2011.

The site is characterized by amazing landforms, including     6     (drama) natural towers, deep valleys and impressive waterfalls. These landscapes have helped to conserve broad-leaved evergreen forests, and host many flowers and plants, about 400 of     7     are considered to be rare or     8     (threaten).

The most representative spots in the park such as the Seven-color Screen and the Colorful Sunset look like a rainbow hanging in the distance. However, scenes are totally different on the edge of the hills. The colors there turn into yellow and grey like shells in the sun. Scenes are even more breathtaking     9     sunrise and sunset when lights and shadows     10     (cast) on the hills paint this region with unique beauty.

8 . For those who have never been to Harbin there’s almost an endless list of things to do. Here are several activities that have to be included.

Turning water into instant ice

One can’t go to the Ice Snow World without stopping by the Sun Island Snow Expo. After all, the former is for appreciating illuminated (照亮的) ice at night, and the latter is for checking out snow in the daytime. Tourists from the south might be astonished by the bright sunshine reflected in the snow, so don’t forget the sunscreen.

This is also a good place to toss water and watch it turn into ice instantly. Find a safe place with no one nearby, and enjoy the unique phenomenon.

Snow tubing (雪地滑轮胎) on the Songhua River

In winter, the Songhua River turns into “thousands of miles of ice” and becomes a natural ice-skating rink. The frozen river offers opportunities for many different winter activities. But make sure the ice is solid before going stomping (跺脚) in the snow.

Speeding down Yabuli Ski Resort

One place you shouldn’t miss when visiting Harbin is Yabuli Ski Resort, where you can ski down splendid snow-covered mountains. The snow is thick and moderately hard. There are junior, middle and senior ski runs. Professional staff are available to improve your skiing ability.

1. Which is a good place to enjoy a night scene?

A．The Songhua River.	B．The Ice-Snow World.
C．Yabuli Ski Resort.	D．The Sun Island Snow Expo.

2. What can visitors do in Harbin?

A．Get professional guidance for free while skating.

B．Choose different routes based on their skiing ability.

C．Go down the world’s longest ice slide on Songhua River.

D．Toss water and watch it turn into ice wherever you want.

3. In which column of a magazine can we find this article?

A．Travel.	B．Health.
C．Entertainment	D．Business.

9 . 假定你是李华，你10月1日要和两个朋友去北京旅游，请你根据下表的提示给你的英国朋友Tom写一封信，介绍你的旅游计划。

北京概况	历史悠久，旅游资源丰富。
旅游活动安排	1. 上午7：00在红星宾馆门口集合，然后乘汽车去天安门和故宫游览观光； 2. 下午2：00乘汽车到长城游览参观。

注意：1. 词数80左右；2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；3. 文章开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。4. Tian’anmen Square 天安门广场，the Forbidden City/ the Palace Museum 故宫，the Great Wall 长城
Dear Tom,
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Yours,

Li Hua