Dressed in a dark blue waterproof jacket, outdoor shoes and a small backpack, 25-year-old Ye Tian tries to get in an abandoned coking plant (焦化厂) in Beijing.
An intern (实习生) for a German company in Beijing, Ye is among thousands of youth interested in city adventures, what they call “ urban exploration ” — “urbex” for short.
The aim of this trending hobby is to explore structures — usually abandoned ruins or hidden areas of the manmade environment.
Urban explorers are interested in these sites because they can understand cities from a different angle. Ye, for example, said he enjoyed the contrast between Beijing’s two sides.
“ Widely known scenic spots and historical sites can only reflect the bright side of the city, or what the city wants you to see,” Ye said. “ But abandoned places show you the past [that is] hidden deep in people’s memories.”
In the eyes of Pan Ran, who is in her early 30s and works in Canada, an abandoned building can also evoke the spirits of those who lived and worked there.
“ There are diaries and letters recording the owners ’ lives, ” she said. “And one time, I found a whole box of 8-millimeter videotapes of a family.”
Pan couldn’t watch the tapes at the site, as the power supply had been cut. She didn’t take them away with her either, as there is “a very important rule of urbex that you can't remove any souvenirs’ from a site”, Pan said.
While urban exploration can get people to extraordinary places that few have visited, it ’ s sometimes dangerous. Climbing up tall buildings and tip-toeing through abandoned structures can sometimes be a life-threatening affair.
Injuries and even death are not unheard of within the urbex community.
“In the beginning, I was pretty audacious and believed the riskier the places you go, the better photos you get, ” said Du Tianyu, 22. “ But that is not necessarily the case. After doing my calculations, I learned to stop when I reach the limit.”
1. According to the passage, what is Ye Tian’s hobby? (no more than 5 words)2. Why are some young people interested in places like the coking plant in Beijing?(no more than 15 words)
3. What is the important rule of urbex according to Pan Ran? (no more than 10 words)
4. What does the underlined word “audacious” probably mean in the last paragraph? (1word)
5. Would you like to take part in urbex of a city? Give your reason. (no more than 20 words)
Two years ago, I watched the film Everest, in which adventurers get stuck on the mountain during a snowstorm. I immediately knew I had to start climbing. It’s not the reaction most people have to that film; maybe I just needed more adventure in my life. And six months later, I climbed my first mountain, Mount Whitney, in California – North America’s highest peak.
In the summer of 2017, I decided to climb the highest peak in every European country.
Growing up in Sweden, I was encouraged by my father to be outdoors all the time, but I wasn’t a serious adventurer. I wanted to see if someone ordinary like me could climb mountains.
I didn’t do any preparation for the first mountain, which was Mount Elbrus in Russia. It was exhausting, but I thought I would get fit climbing the rest, and I did.
Climbing mountains is an experience that is hard to put into words. You are in a beautiful environment and, when you reach the top, you feel incredible. But you also have to climb down, which is when most accidents happen. I don’t climb mountains that I am not ready for, but each one I climb takes me to the next step.
I wanted to end the project at home, on Sweden’s highest peak (2,097 m). It has two peaks: the north is rocky, and the south is icy. So alongside my camera assistant, I climbed both while wearing a superhero suit. It didn’t feel as special as I’d hoped when I reached the top, but when I posted on Instagram, people started congratulating me, I felt proud.
In total, I spent about €50,000, which is double what I had planned, but I eventually climbed 61 mountains in Europe.
You have to work on your weak sides while climbing. I don’t like not being in control, but you cannot control anything on a mountain. It’s made me a better person. When you’re on a mountain for hours alone with your thoughts, it’s like meditation. It makes you so much stronger, physically, and mentally.
My goal now is always to have a mountain in my calendar. One day I will climb Mount Qomolangma when I’m ready for it.
1. What made the author start climbing? (no more than 15 words)2. How did the author feel after her first climb of her 2017 project?(no more than 15 words)
3. What’s the meaning of the underlined part in Paragraph 5? (no more than 5 words)
4. What does the author think of her mountain climbing experience according to Paragraph 8? (no more than 10 words)
5. How do you like mountain climbing? And Why? Please explain.(no more than 25 words)
阅读下面短文并回答问题，然后将答案写在试卷相应的位置(请注意每题的词数要求)。
【1】A safari park is a park in which wild animals are kept. They are mainly located in east or central Africa. They often occupy a very wild area, with mountains and rivers. To visit the park and look at the animals, people have to drive around in a car for a few of hours because the park is huge.
【2】In south Africa there is a safari park, which contains all sorts of wild animals like lions, elephants, rhinoceroses (犀牛), zebras, wild pigs, deer and giraffes.
【3】There is a wild road leading through the park, but nobody is permitted to walk on the road. Anyone traveling in the park has to go in a car because wild animals may fiercely attack people. From the car he may see almost every types of African wildlife. Some of these are getting scarce (稀有的) because people kill them for various reasons. For example, rhinoceroses are killed for their horns (角), which are used in traditional Chinese medicines for colds and headaches. Perhaps they will be seen only in museums and books one day.
【4】Travels may buy food for the animals. They can feed them when they tour the park. Of course, they should not feed them in a close distance because the wild animals may attack people. In addition, they should only give proper food to the animals.
【5】A traveler may carry a gun with him in his journey. The gun is given to him by the government. However, it is not used for hunting. In fact, a seal (封条) is fixed to it. The traveler may fire at a wild beast to defend himself in case he is attacked. However, he has to prove to the government that he has been attacked and that he has not fired at a harmless animal.
1. List one of the reasons why travelers have to stay in a car during their visit. (no more than 6 words)
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2. Why are rhinoceroses getting scarce? (no more than 7 words)
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3. What warning are given to travelers when they feed the animals? (no more than 15 words)
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4. How does the government know the gun is fired? (no more than 10 words)
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5. What is the passage mainly about? (no more than 6 words)
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