1 . 语法填空
Known as the “Eastern Moscow”, Harbin has always been regarded as
2 . Amsterdam Destination Guide
Amsterdam is one of the most popular travel destinations in the world, famous for its beautiful canals, top art museums, cycling culture and so on. It is the capital and most populous city in the Netherlands and often referred to as the “Venice of the North” because of its expansive system of bridges and canals. Here are some of the key points to remember as you plan your trip to Amsterdam.
Boom Season | Population | Language(s) | Currency | January Climate | July Climate |
May to October | 813,562 | Dutch | Euro | Average high: 5.8℃ | Average high: 22.0℃ |
Most visitors begin their Amsterdam adventure in the Old Centre, which is full of traditional architecture, shopping centers, and coffee shops. You’ll also want to check out Amsterdam’s Museum Quarter in the South District, which is great for shopping at the Albert Cnyp Market and having a picnic in the Vondelpark. The top museums to visit there are the Rijksmusuem, the Ann Frank House, and the Van Gogh Museum.
If You Have Time
There are several other unique districts in Amsterdam, and you should try to explore as many of them as time allows. The Canal Ring is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that was originally built to attract wealthy home owners and is a center for celebrity spotting and nightlife today. The Plantage area has most of the city’s museums, including the Jewish Historical Museum, the Scheepvaart Museum, and the botanical gardens.
Money Saving Tips
●Unless you really want to see the tulips blooming, avoid booking between mid-March and mid-May. This is when hotel and flight prices rise.
●Look for accommodations in Amsterdam’s South District, where rates are generally cheaper than in the city center.
●Buy train tickets at the machine instead of the counter to save a bit of money.
●Instead of hiring a tour guide, hop on a canal boat. They’re inexpensive and will give you a unique point of view of the city,
Check out our homepage to view price comparisons for flights, hotels, and rental cars before you book.
1. What can be learned about Amsterdam from this passage?| A．Amsterdam is called the “Venice of the North” because of its location. |
| B．The Van Gogh Museum lies in Amsterdam’s Museum Quarter. |
| C．The Old Centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. |
| D．The Canal Ring is a place to attract garden lovers. |
| A．arrange a guided canal tour |
| B．buy train tickets at the counter |
| C．reserve a hotel in the South District |
| D．book flights between mid-March and mid-May |
| A．A magazine. | B．An essay. | C．A report. | D．A website. |
3 . In recent years, wooden buildings have reached new heights, with soaring wooden skyscrapers completed or underway in countries like Norway, Switzerland and Australia. Sweden, likewise, has come up with a plan as big as a city — building the world’s biggest wooden city. As the world’s largest urban construction project in wood, Stockholm Wood City will be built in Sweden’s capital, Stockholm in 2025.
By using wood, the project is expected to reduce carbon footprint by up to 40%, compared with building in concrete and steel, says Annica Anäs, CEO of Atrium Ljungberg, a Swedish urban development company. Some people may have concerns over fire risks posed by wooden buildings, but experts say engineered timber (木材) can resist fire as well. As with other modern construction projects using wood, Wood City will still use some concrete and steel in places like the foundations, but the overall amounts will be greatly reduced. As wooden buildings are much lighter, their foundations can be smaller.
The construction will not be as noisy as it is built from concrete and bricks, adds Ms Anäs. This makes wooden buildings particularly suitable for urban redevelopment in general, since putting them up is less likely to annoy the neighbours. It should also be profitable. Ms Anäs is looking for a return on investment of 20% or better. “Sweden is progressive when it comes to wood construction,” she says.
The world’s largest wooden city is supposed to make commute (通勤) easier and shorter, decreasing emissions from transportation. The website for the project describes Stockholm Wood City as a “five-minute city”, which means that anywhere one would need to go — work, grocery stores, or school, for example—would only be a five-minute walk away. As Anäs concluded, “We want to create an environment where our customers, those who will live and work here, can participate in the development and design of the city district of the future.”
1. What is the project about?| A．Making Stockholm a low-carbon city. |
| B．Creating more wooden skyscrapers in Sweden. |
| C．Building the highest wooden building in Europe. |
| D．Constructing the largest wooden city in the world. |
| A．They can strongly resist fires. |
| B．They are more comfortable to live in. |
| C．They are more environmentally friendly. |
| D．They are built on a more stable foundation. |
| A．They are profitable for investors. |
| B．They cause less noise when built. |
| C．They have a short construction period. |
| D．They are less costly to maintain and repair. |
| A．Secure. | B．Stressful. | C．Convenient. | D．Fashionable. |
People in Paris love the view of the city’s old
Crowd control could soon become an important skill for climbers on Mount Everest, as important as physical strength or watching the weather. In a single day last week, nearly 40 people reached the top of the world — a record. Reports from base camp spoke of queues at dangerous ridges and crowds as people passed each other in the final dash for the 8,848 meters top.
More traditional mountaineers have been concerned about the circus atmosphere surrounding Everest in recent years, and there are warnings that the crowds are making the mountain more dangerous. In 1996, 14 died on the mountain when the members of several groups were trapped at high altitudes by sudden snowstorms. Bad weather in early May led to this year’s jam on the summit ridge, but the loss, luckily, was light. Just four climbers died, including a Nepali Sherpa who had made 11 previous successful climbing.
Traditionalists are also worried about the growing tendency of climbers to set records and achieve “firsts”, rather than simply climb the mountain. This year’s crop of mountaineers included the oldest man, 64-year-old Sherman Bull from Connecticut, and the youngest, 16-year-old Temba Tsheri Sherpa of Nepal. An American with only one arm was on the mountain this year; an Indian with no legs also tried but failed. Erik Weihennieyer, an American, became the first blind person to reach the top of the world. His fellow climbers stayed in front of him on the way up, describing the type of land and ringing bells.
Nepal views Mount Everest as something of a cash cow. The government charges journeys a minimum of $70,000. That is probably why officials in Katmandu are ignoring concerns about overcrowding and talking about even more climbers coming next year. But a celebration of the 48th anniversary of the first conquest of Everest, by Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, was cancelled after violent strikes. Tumultuous (动乱的) Nepali politics, it seems, could be just the crowd-control measure that Everest needs.
1. According to the author, what skills are important for climbers on Mount Everest?2. What are traditional mountaineers worried about?
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
●The Nepal government cares little about the overcrowding problem because of its internal tumultuous politics.
4. Do you think it is a good idea to limit the number of visitors to a tourist attraction? Why?
6 . The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is responsible for evaluating and judging whether a place could be titled The World Heritage Site. The group chooses sites based on historical and cultural importance, as well as their beauty.
The World Heritage in Beijing
Constructed from 1406 to 1420, The Temple of Heaven is an imperial complex of religious buildings situated in the central area of Beijing. The Temple of Heaven was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998 and was described as a masterpiece of architecture and landscape design.
The Temple comprises three main groups of constructions: The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, The Imperial Vault of Heaven and The Circular Mound Altar.
The World Heritage in Luoyang
Situated on the central plain of China, Luoyang is one of the cradles of Chinese civilization.
The Longmen Grottoes, south of the city, were excavated and carved from 493 AD to 1127 AD. It was listed on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 2000.The images were carved as outside rock reliefs and inside artificial caves. There are as many as 100,000 statues within the 2,345 caves. The area also has over sixty Buddhist pagodas.
The World Heritage in Wiltshire
Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument in England. It consists of a ring of standing stones, topped by connecting stones. The whole monument, now ruinous, is oriented towards the sunrise on the Summer Solstice.
Stonehenge is regarded as a British cultural icon. The site and its surroundings were added to UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites in 1986.
Archaeologists believe Stonehenge was constructed from 3000 BC to 2000 BC. It could have been a burial ground from its earliest beginnings.
1. What can we learn about Stonehenge?
| A．Stonehenge is a symbol of British culture. |
| B．Stonehenge has a history of 3000 years. |
| C．Stonehenge consists of stones and wood. |
| D．Stonehenge is not oriented towards the sunrise. |
| A．there are 100,000 caves in The Longmen Grottoes |
| B．The Temple of Heaven has three main groups of buildings |
| C．only one site in Luoyang is listed in The World Heritage Sites |
| D．the Temple of Heaven has been titled the World Heritage Site for 30 years |
| A．They have caves, halls and statues. |
| B．They are ancient imperial buildings. |
| C．They all have historical and cultural value. |
| D．They are connected with Buddhist culture. |
7 . A trip to London
My family had dreamed of a trip to London for a long time. Luckily it was possible for us to realize our dream because all of us were free on the weekend.
We planned to drive into Cambridge and caught the 7: 34 train to Liverpool Street Station.Then my wife and I would separate from Joan, my wife’s sister, to do different things and finally meet again for lunch. And after lunch, we would go to the concert.
But we were late because of a thick London fog. The train had to move along so slowly that it was not until 10:30 that it got there. In spite of our late arrival, Joan decided that she would go to see the Crown Jewels in the Tower of London while we went shopping. It was only after her sister had disappeared into the fog that my wife realized that we hadn’t decided where we should meet for lunch. Since I had our three tickets for the concert in my pocket, this was indeed a problem. We didn’t have any mobile phones at that time. There seemed to be nothing we could do except taking a taxi to the Tower of London, and try to find her there. Needless to say, we didn’t find her.
It was now one o'clock, and the concert began at 2: 30. “Perhaps she will think of waiting outside the concert hall,” said my wife hopefully. By this time the fog was so thick that road traffic had to stop, and the only way to get there was by subway. Hand in hand we felt our way along the road to where we thought the nearest station should be. An hour later we were still trying to find it.Just when I was about to become angry, we met a blind man tapping his way confidently through the fog. With his help we found the subway station which was just fifty meters down the road.
By now it was far too late to get to the concert hall before the performance began at 2: 30, so we decided to return to Cambridge. It took seven hours instead of the usual two to make that journey. Nor were we able to get any food and drink on the train. We were tired and hungry.
We finally reached home at ten. Opening the door we were amazed to find Joan at home; she had seen the Crown Jewels, had managed to get another ticket for concert, and had had a wonderful dinner at a restaurant. Of course, she managed to get home, too. Oh my god!
1. What did the writer plan to do after lunch that day?| A．Go to the concert. | B．Return to Cambridge. |
| C．Go shopping. | D．See the Crown Jewels. |
| A．they were late for the concert |
| B．Joan didn’t want to go to the concert |
| C．there was a thick fog |
| D．they planned to do different things until lunch time |
| A．A taxi driver. | B．A blind man. |
| C．His wife. | D．Joan. |
1．变化；
2．原因；
3．感受。
注意：1．词数不少于50；
2．开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
Dear Jim,______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
