1 . There were smiling children all the way. Clearly they knew at what time the train passed their homes and they made it their business to stand along the railway, wave to complete strangers and cheer them up as they rushed towards Penang. Often whole families stood outside their homes and waved and smiled as if those on the trains were their favourite relatives. This is the simple village people of Malaysia. I was moved.

I had always travelled to Malaysia by plane or car, so this was the first time I was on a train. I did not particularly relish the long train journey and had brought along a dozen magazines to read and reread. I looked about the train. There was not one familiar face. I sighed and sat down to read my Economics.

It was not long before the train was across the Causeway and in Malaysia. Johore Baru was just another city like Singapore, so I was tired of looking at the crowds of people as they hurried past. As we went beyond the city, I watched the straight rows of rubber trees and miles and miles of green. Then the first village came into sight, immediately I came alive; I decided to wave back.

From then on my journey became interesting. I threw my magazines into the waste basket and decided to join in Malaysian life. Then everything came alive. The mountains seemed to speak to me. Even the trees were smiling. I stared at everything as if I was looking at it for the first time.

The day passed fast and I even forgot to have my lunch until I felt hungry. I looked at my watch and was surprised that it was 3: 00 p. m. Soon the train pulled up at Butterworth. I looked at the people all around me. They all looked beautiful. When my uncle arrived with a smile, I threw my arms around him to give him a warm hug. I had never done this before. He seemed surprised and then his weather－beaten face warmed up with a huge smile. We walked arm in arm to his car.

I looked forward to the return journey.

1. The author expected the train trip to be________.

A．adventurous

B．pleasant

C．exciting

D．dull

2. The word “________” can best take the place of the underlined word “relish” in the second paragraph.

A．Choose

B．enjoy

C．prepare for

D．carry on

3. What did the author remember most fondly of her train trip?

A．The friendly country people.	B．The mountains along the way.
C．The crowds of people in the streets.	D．The simple lunch served on the train.

3 . On many travelers’ lists of things to do before they die, you’ll find “See the northern lights” written down. Rightfully so these lights are one of nature’s most jaw-dropping views.

In Sweden, the northern lights usually appear from late March or early April. Your best chance of catching a glimpse of them is on cold winter nights when the sky is clear, dark with little to no moonlight, and cloudless. You need to be away from city lights and go to the countryside. For those willing to brave the cold on winter nights, here are some of the best locations.

Abisko National Park

Abisko Natinal Park is a main location. The scientifically confirmed “blue hole”, a piece of sky over the Tornetrask lake that usually remains clear despite cloudy weather nearby, gives Abisko its own microclimate (局部地区气候), which is suitable for catching the lights.

Jukkasjarvi

The village of Jukkasjarvi only has about 550 people. But don’t let the small population size fool you: Jukkasjarvi owns the world’s first ice hotel and is one of the best places to view the northern lights. The ice hotel organizes guided tours for guests to the Esrange Space Center. There you can eat at a camp outside and see the Arctic winter sky for aurora borealis (北极光). Or why not try to get closer to the northern lights and watch them through an aeroplane window? The ice hotel arranges flights for the amazing northern lights experience.

Gallivare

You can drive a snowmobile to the mountain top in Gallivare for a private light show, or head a few kilometers to nearby villages to watch those lights shining across the dark winter sky. But remember if you do get the chance to see the northern lights in person, never whistle to them. According to ancient Sumi fairy, it brings you bad luck.

1. When are you likely to best enjoy the northern lights in Swede?

A．On cold winter nights with clear sky and a little moonlight.

B．On freezing winter nights in the rural area without moonlight or cloud.

C．On chilly winter nights in the city center with few lights and little cloud.

D．On winter nights when the sky is dark with little moonlight and no cloud.

2. What do you know about Jukkasjarvi?

A．It has up to 550 people.

B．It owns the world’s first hotel.

C．It is among the best places to view the northern lights.

D．You can eat at a camp inside and see the aurora borealis.

3. Where can the text be found?

A．A science report.

B．An art magazine.

C．A travel guide.

D．A botanical book.

8 . Ancient builders across the world created structures that are still standing today, thousands of years later. Roman builders built thick concrete sea barriers against waves. Mayan builders created great sculptures, and Chinese builders constructed walls against foreign enemies.

A growing number of scientists have been studying materials since a long time ago. They are breaking apart pieces of buildings and reading historical texts hoping to learn how they have stood for thousands of years. The research has turned up a surprising list of materials that were mixed into old buildings. They include tree bark, volcanic ash, rice and beer. These unexpected materials can have the ability to get stronger over time. Figuring out how to copy these features can have real impacts today. While some of our modern concrete has the strength to hold up very tall buildings and heavy structures, it cannot compete with the durability of these ancient materials.

Many scientists have turned to the Romans. Starting around 200 BC, the Roman Empire was building concrete structures that have stood the test of time. Even in places where seawater has been hitting structures for ages, you will find concrete basically the way it was when it was poured 2,000 years ago. They think they have found an important reason why some Roman concrete has held up structures for thousands of years. That the ancient materials have an unusual power to restore themselves and “cure” cracks when they form is the most shocking for them. Exactly how is not yet clear, but scientists are starting to find the reasons.

Today’s builders cannot just copy the ancient processes. Even though Roman concrete lasted a long time, it couldn’t hold up heavy buildings. Instead, researchers are trying to take some of the ancient materials and add them into modern mixes. People don’t need to make things last quite as long as the Romans did. If we add 50 or 100 years to concrete’s lifespan, we’ll surely require less pulling down, less maintenance and less material in the long run.

1. What were the mentioned Roman and Chinese buildings both used for?

A．Defence.	B．Travel.
C．Soldier training.	D．Seawater control.

2. Which word can best describe the ancient buildings?

A．Energy-efficient.

B．Long-lasting.

C．Delicate.

D．Flexible

3. What surprises the scientists most about the ancient building materials?

A．Their large cracks.	B．Their clear concrete.
C．Their internal structures.	D．Their self-repairing ability.

4. What is the author’s attitude to the future concrete?

A．Contradictory.

B．Expectant.

C．Doubtful.

D．Pessimistic.

9 . In today’s world of fast-paced games and short videos, people are spending less and less time on things. For example, research has shown that the average visitor spends just 15 seconds on a website before moving on to other things. But the Internet is a huge and busy place, with millions of sites to choose from. You might expect people to slow down a bit more when they’re in museums full of great works of art. But you’d be wrong.

Several studies have shown that the amount of time for people to spend looking at a piece of art is ten seconds. Many people may spend more time, but not much more — the average is about 28 seconds. At the Tate Modern Museum in London, it’s even worse. People there spend an average of just eight seconds on each artwork. And in that short period of time, the visitors are also managing to do another important thing — take selfies!

In recent years museums have been working to change this behavior. Today, over 170 museums around the world are celebrating “Slow Art Day”. They are asking their visitors to spend at least 5-10 minutes looking at just one work of art. Slow Art supporters believe that when visitors spend more time looking at and studying the work of art, they admire it more. Studying a work of art for more time can also help people get a better understanding of the artist’s ideas and what the artist went through to create the work.

Most of the museums taking part in Slow Art Day are choosing just a few works for their visitors to see. Some of the museums are offering chances for visitors to talk about the artworks and share their ideas.

1. Generally speaking, people spend ________ on each piece of art in a museum.

A．8 seconds

B．10 seconds

C．15 seconds

D．28 seconds

2. What do the underlined words “this behavior” refer to?

A．Taking selfies in museums busily.	B．Looking at each artwork hurriedly.
C．Admiring each artwork thoroughly.	D．Celebrating “Slow Art Day” widely.

3. Why is “Slow Art Day” created?

A．To stop visitors from taking selfies inside.

B．To attract more people to visit the museums.

C．To make people spend more time on each artwork.

D．To give visitors an opportunity to relax themselves.

4. Which of the following can be the best title of this passage?

A．Slow Art Day: a Fruit of Museums!

B．Museums on the Rocks: Please Advise!

C．Museums: Slow down to Admire more!

D．Museums: an Escape from the Fast-paced Life!

10 . Going against the tide of flocking to well-known tourist destinations on vacation, a growing number of holidaymakers in China tend to spend their leisure time at lesser-known attractions. Reverse tourism (逆向旅游) has appeared as a   new trend among young holidaymakers in China.

According to data from an online travel agency, the number of rooms booked at hotels in less-traveled cities during the holiday was up 30 percent year-on-year. Bookings for four-star or five-star hotels in less-traveled places all increased ten times at a minimum. Some lesser-known scenic spots posted double-digit (两位数的) growth during the holiday. Baimaiquan Park in Jinan, the capital of Shandong Province, received 52,100 visits in the seven days, up to 15.78 percent year-over-year.

Besides crowds, some vacationers chose less-traveled places to save on the cost of trips to popular destinations. In addition, lesser-known attractions are not as “commercial” as developed ones and are able to offer more actual experiences and natural encounters.

Essentially speaking, total relaxation is becoming a real expectation for many people when they travel. Changes in demand may be the fundamental reason for the popularity of reverse tourism. COVID-19 is another key factor fueling reverse tourism. As preventive measures continue, traveling has an unpredictable quality. Travelers have thus become more cautious and tend to choose local attractions or places with fewer tourists.

“The rise of reverse tourism is not a bad thing,” said Zhengzhou Daily. It means that vacationers now have more options, which brings more possibilities to the tourism market. More importantly, it noted, the trend is set to force popular destinations to improve themselves instead of resting on their past honor.

Jiang Han, a senior researcher, said that reverse tourism will become one of the future directions for the market. To give a real boost to the tourism market, Jiang suggested that more efforts be made to tap the potential of underestimated, lesser-known destinations. It is necessary to dig deeper into the local customs and highlight the local characteristics to improve the quality of local tourism.

1. What do the statistics in paragraph 2 tell us?

A．The popularity of travel agency in China.

B．The high income of hotels during holidays.

C．The contributions of tourism to the economy.

D．The increasing trend of reverse tourism in China.

2. What may be the root cause of the rise of reverse tourism?

A．The impact of COVID-19.

B．Holidaymakers’ changing needs for travel.

C．The lower cost of heading to less-traveled places.

D．The lack of innovative improvements in famous attractions.

3. What does Zhengzhou Daily think of reverse tourism?

A．It will drop with the recovery of economy.

B．It benefits both tourists and the tourism market.

C．It is beneficial to spread local culture to tourists.

D．It blocks the development of some popular resorts.

4. What is Jiang Han’s advice on developing the tourism market?

A．Upgrading the supporting facilities in tourist areas.

B．Improving the management rules of tourist attractions further.

C．Exploring the potential and features of lesser-known attractions.

D．Promoting the local characteristics of China through online media.