1 . The Sanxingdui Museum in Southwest China’s Sichuan Province enjoyed huge popularity during the three-day Qingming Festival holidays by receiving nearly 20,000 visitors on the peak day, after the new archaeological(考古的) discoveries brought international attention.
According to media reports, the museum saw over 15,000 visitors on Saturday, the first day of the Qingming Festival holidays, breaking its record for daily visitors. And on the next day, more visitors swarmed into the museum to exceed 19,800. To cope with the large flow of people, on Sunday afternoon, the official Weibo account of the Sanxingdui Museum released a message to remind visitors of avoiding rush hours or rescheduling their visiting time.
The Sanxingdui Museum showcases various kinds of precious cultural relics unearthed at the site, such as the 2.62-meter-tall standing statue, 1.38-meter-wide bronze mask, and 3.95-meter-high bronze tree. Earlier on March 20, Chinese archaeologists announced some new major discoveries made during the 37th excavation (挖掘) since its last excavation 35 years ago. The ruins were first discovered in the late 1920s and first excavated in 1934. More than 500 important cultural relics have been unearthed in the six newly-found pits. Since the new discoveries were known to the public, the number of people visiting the Sanxingdui Museum has increased sharply.
The museum said although it was open as usual, the newly-found pits had not opened to the public yet and the newly-excavated cultural relics were still under restoration and couldn’t meet the public currently. But a hall for cultural relic conservation and restoration would be in pilot operation in April and officially opened on May 18. Visitors to it can see how the relics are restored, according to Zhu Yarong, vice director of the Sanxingdui Museum.
Dating back about 3,000 years, the Sanxingdui Ruins have shed light on the ancient Shu civilization and cultural origins of the Chinese nation, and have been regarded as one of the most important archaeological discoveries in the 20th century.
1. What mainly brought about a surge in tourists visiting the Sanxingdui Museum?| A．Tourists’ enthusiasm. |
| B．Sichuan Province’s policy. |
| C．The Qingming Festival holidays. |
| D．New archaeological discoveries. |
| A．The Sanxingdui Ruins were first discovered in 1934. |
| B．Newly-excavated cultural relics on display attracted tourists very much. |
| C．The Sanxingdui Museum reacted immediately to the large flow of tourists. |
| D．Tourist numbers reached the peak on the first day of the Qingming Festival holidays. |
| A．Trial. | B．Private. | C．Official. | D．Personal. |
| A．The Sanxingdui Museum gives tourists insights into Chinese history. |
| B．Chinse people make full use of the Qingming Festival holidays to travel. |
| C．The Sanxingdui Ruins are a perfect tourist attraction over the Qingming Festival holidays. |
| D．New discoveries make the Sanxingdui Museum more popular during the Qingming Festival holidays. |
BEAUTIFUL IRELAND AND ITS TRADITIONS
Ireland’s beautiful countryside has always had a great influence on its people and traditions. The country has a long history of producing great writers and poets. Its beautiful countryside excites and inspires all, offering something for each of the senses. The peaceful landscape of the “Emerald Isle” and its many green counties is a true feast for the eyes, with its rolling green hills dotted with sheep and cattle. And down by the sea, the roar of the ocean waves and cries of the seabirds make up the music of the coast. On a quiet morning in the mountains, feel the sun on your skin, and breathe in the sweet scent of fresh flowers while birds greet the new day with their morning song. With all this beauty, it is not surprising that Ireland has developed strong traditions that include music, dancing, and dining. To have a chance of experiencing this, stop by a village pub and relax with a glass of wine or a local beer. Better yet, enjoy a delicious traditional Irish Beef Stew. If you’re lucky, you might be able to enjoy some traditional music and dancing, too. And if you introduce yourself to a friendly face, you are more than likely to experience local culture and customs first-hand.
2. What are the best ways to experience some Irish traditions and culture?
3. What is the meaning of “breathe in the sweet scent of fresh flowers while birds greet the new day with their morning song”?
4. What are the best ways to experience Chinese traditions and customs?
3 . Getting off the train and stepping into the places will make your trip a more memorable one than simply admiring the scenery from the window. Check out some of the can't-miss destinations along the Chinese section of the China-Laos railway.
Fuxian Lake in Yuxi
What makes the lake attractive is the possibility that a city lived under its quiet and calm surface. In the 1990s, a large number of stone remains were fond in the lake, which led to a series of underwater research. Traces (踪迹) of ancient constructions were discovered, but their origins are still unknown.
Sun-River National Park in Pu'er
The word "Pu'er" may remind many of the famous tea from Yunnan Province. Back in ancient China, this region also served as an important stop along the trade route-Tea Horse Road. This has much to do with its location. The Sun-River National Park here is highly recommended if you are looking for some fresh air and a close encounter with nature. The rainforests in the park provide habitats for over 800 animal species and 2,000 different plants.
Wild Elephant Valley in Xishuangbanna
For those wishing to interact with the giant creatures themselves, the Wild Elephant Valley is a must-visit. It will take three hours to get to Xishuangbanna from Kunming once the China-Laos railway becomes operational, and a new train station has been set up near the nature reserve, offering more accessible journeys. Extra effort has been made by the government to reduce the effect of railway construction on the local environment.
Starlight Night Market in Xishuangbanna
The Starlight Night Market, as the name suggests, offers a colorful nightlife experience. It is the best place to get to know local people's lives. The market features local food, various activities, and creative art of works by the young. This is also an area for hanging out with other travelers for shopping.
1. What mostly made Pu'er an important stop along the Tea Horse Road?| A．The national parks. | B．Its location. |
| C．Its natural resources. | D．The famous tea. |
| A．Fuxian Lake. | B．Wild Elephant Valley. |
| C．Starlight Night Market. | D．Sun-River National Park. |
| A．A magazine. | B．A novel. | C．A journal. | D．A report. |
A. Amazon Rainforest Tour
B. Machu Picchu Tour
C. Cusco Tour
D. Lake Titicaca Tour
1. Alessandro, a hiking lover, hopes to spend some days hiking while enjoying the beautiful natural scenery. |
2. Elisabeth, who has retired recently, is planning for a leisurely vacation. She hopes to visit the museums, buy something special and taste some delicious food. |
3. Mike, a well-paid photographer, has great interest in adventuring and exploration. He hopes to have an active holiday and shoot some pictures of different kinds of birds. |
4. Alfred and his girlfriend hope to have a chance to experience local people’s life, and want to go traveling by boat in a romantic way. |
5 . My husband and I just spent a week in Paris.
The place wasn’t entirely authentic, though. Unlike a normal Parisian apartment, the plumbing (水管) worked.
Parisians are different from you and me. They never look lazy or untidy. As someone noted in this paper a couple of weeks ago, they eat great food and never gain weight.
In France, quality of life is much more important than efficiency.
You can tell this by cafés life. French cafés are always crowded.
| A．Not all the customers are tourists. |
| B．The quality of life in France is equally excellent. |
| C．There was a nice kitchen and a comfortable bed. |
| D．The amazing food is mainly consumed by local farmers. |
| E．That’s not the only reason the French eat less than we do. |
| F．Our aim was to see if we could live, in some way, like real Parisians. |
| G．The food is so delicious that you don’t need much of it to make you happy. |
| [1] I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability-to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It’s like this… [2] When you’re going to have a baby, it’s like planning a marvellous vacation trip-to Italy. You buy a bunch of guidebooks and make wonderful plans: the Coloseum①, the Michelangelo② David, the gondolas③ in Venice, etc. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It’s all very exciting. [3] After months of eager expectation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The airhostess comes in and says, “Welcome to the Netherlands.” [4] “The Netherlands?!” you say. “What do you mean, the Netherlands?? I signed up for Italy! I’m supposed to be in Italy. All my life I’ve dreamed of going to Italy.” [5] But there’s been a change in the flight plan. They’ve landed in the Netherlands and there you must stay. [6] The important thing is that they haven’t taken you to a horrible, awful, dirty place, full of diseases. It’s just a different place. [7] So you must go out and buy new guidebooks. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met. [8] It’s just a place. It’s slower paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you’ve been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around and you begin to notice that the Netherlands④ …and the Netherlands has tulips⑤. The Netherlands even has Rembrandts⑥. [9] But everyone you coming and going from Italy and they’re all boasting about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say, “Yes, that’s where I was supposed to go. That’s what I had planned. [10] And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away because the loss of that dream is a very, very significant loss. [11] But if you spend your life regretting the fact that you didn’t get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things about the Netherlands. | ① ② (1475~1564) Italian artist and architect ③  ④  ⑤  ⑥(1606~1669) Dutch painter |
1. The author compares her motherhood to ________.
| A．her involvement in traveling abroad |
| B．her experience with an unfamiliar task |
| C．her dream of enjoying beautiful scenery |
| D．her journey to an unplanned destination |
| A．the Netherlands has many scenic spots to visit and enjoy |
| B．the Netherlands is a country with many paintings to appreciate |
| C．a mother of a disabled child can also feel the bright side of her life |
| D．a mother who has traveled a lot can receive a special treat from her child |
| A．proud | B．anxious | C．sociable | D．sensible |
| A．beyond her endurance | B．more a gift than a loss |
| C．worthy of others’ sympathy | D．preferable to going to Italy |
7 . I have three kids and a great husband and I’m enjoying a career that I find challenging and fun. This feels like “Success” to the outside world. But there is still a voice in my heart asking if this is who I truly am. Only in silence do I hear the self and wonder who that person might be．
So I booked a trip to find out. I travelled, for the first time, without my husband or kids．I went to Iceland with a friend, who shares an appreciation for wilderness and silence．
For six days, we were immersed in wild, raw scenery and real weather—all kinds of weather. Climbing a mountain against rain and returning to a tent for a simple meal reminds you how little you actually need. And how strong it feels to be uncomfortable sometimes．
I found silence in Iceland，and time to consider the me outside of career and the me outside of kids as I shared stories with strangers．
When I stopped talking and just listened，I became more generous．I 1earned that choosing to be generous can create more space, more food and more warmth．
But I didn’t really gain any better appreciation of what I want from life or my job．I suspect the anxiety that drove me to seek silence in Iceland was losing sight of my ability to choose gratitude and joy，and to be present in the challenges I set in my career and my family．
I came home to noise，rush and love；with no less confusion on who I want to be．I know the answer isn’t waiting out there on the top of a mountain in Iceland. The answer is in front of me with every step on my own 1ife’s path, and in every choice I make．
1. Why did the author take a trip to Iceland?| A．To gain a new experience． |
| B．To enjoy family happiness． |
| C．To better understand herself． |
| D．To appreciate natural beauty． |
| A．Puzzling | B．Thrilling |
| C．Relaxing | D．Demanding |
| A．She became more positive | B．She became more energetic |
| C．She became even lonelier | D．She became more anxious |
| A．Withdraw back to nature． |
| B．Embrace reality bravely． |
| C．Travel to Iceland more often． |
| D．Pay less attention to her feelings． |
8 . Peru is an unbelievable destination for a twelve-year-old tourist. For me, traveling there changed the definition of “vacation”. Women dressed in colorful, woven clothes wandered the street. The food, however, was something I was never able to get over. It was a huge culture shock for me to online alpmea pizza.
We spent the majority of the trip in a unique mountain city called Cusco. The hotel in Cusco was a pretty little place. The bedroom had three twin beds. Another interesting thing our hotel offered was coca tea. The tea leaves are the same leaves used for cocaine.
I thought that New York City had the worst traffic on the Earth until I visited Cusco. There were taxis everywhere, and local drivers ignored red lights. We would be completely stuck in traffic, yet oncoming cars seemed to believe they could magically drive through the middle of our taxi.
During the trip, we joined in several bus tours. One of them included a visit to a marketplace filled with foods and handmade goods. It was an amazing experience because the market was not jam-packed with tourists like every other place. The majority of the shoppers were Peruvian residents. We weaved in and out of streets, gazing at the beautifully handcrafted(手工制作的) rugs and ponchos. I wish I could have bought everything.
Also on the trip was a tour to a genuine village. The villagers there showed us their lifestyle. One of the women proved the boring process of making different products. Their only income was from the goods they sold. Another trick they showed us was using a bug as a lip stain. They would take a bug, press it, and spread the red blood on their lips. I was speechless when they explained that to us. After the tour was over, we were allowed to view their products. I departed with a soft pair of gloves that not only the four normal finger holes, but also a thumb hole.
1. What did the writer find most terrible in Peru?| A．Eating the local food. |
| B．Drink the tea of the hotel. |
| C．Wearing colorful woven clothes. |
| D．Making a trip in the mountain. |
| A．Cusco isn’t worth visiting because of its traffic conditions |
| B．Cusco’s drivers don’t obey traffic rules. |
| C．taxi drivers can magically drive cars in Cusco |
| D．There are no traffic jams when you’re taking a taxi in Cusco. |
| A．the market is always out of order. |
| B．the market is too busy for tourists to visit. |
| C．the market isn’t an attraction for tourists. |
| D．the market is divided into many different parts. |
| A．Women made money by making products. |
| B．The products of villagers could be taken for free. |
| C．There were only four finger holes in the gloves. |
| D．People used the bug blood to colour their lips. |
| A．In a travel journal. |
| B．In a culture magazine. |
| C．In a travel brochure. |
| D．In a travel advertisement. |
On October 28th, we began our exciting trip to the world-famous sand island—Fraser Island, which is said to be the world largest sand island and it is one of the world cultural heritages (遗产). We were really amazed by the spectacular view there.
The road to the island is really tough and bumpy. The bus driver, who was also our guide was a very strong man. He was optimistic (乐观的) and helpful. I found he was all smiling on the way though the ride was not very smooth. We stopped for several times because the cars in front of us were blocked by sand. The road was completely sand about 50 centimeters high. We were thrown back and forth like taking a rollercoaster (过山车). All of us couldn’t help laughing when we were shaken from side to side. It took us more than an hour to arrive there. I guess this road is one of the most impressive things.
The beach is so wonderful and terrific! This was my first visit to the seaside. The broad sea made me speechless. We were really thrilled by the amazing view. We couldn’t stop taking so many pictures. The bus ran along the beach with the sea water on one side and bushes on the other side. The view outside the bus was really fantastic! The driver told us there were dingoes (野犬) in the bush. When we were sitting on the bus, we kept on searching the faraway bush for a dingo. Unfortunately, we didn’t see one.
The lake is the next destination we went to. This lake which is ringed by white sand beaches lies peacefully on the hill, which is 18 meters above the sea level. The crystal clear water from the rainfall is sparkling (闪光). Male students jumped into the lake without taking off the clothes. They played with water like small children. Nowhere else in the world can you find such a wonderful fairly land.
The forest is the last place we visited. Those towering rainforests grow on sands. There are many varieties of species. Some trees are so tall and have a history of 500 years. Some gum trees are quite strange because their barks (树皮) fall. The driver told us that this was because they wanted to protect themselves from worms or fires. This forest is home to many animals. We could hear bird singing when we were walking in the shade from the trees.
The tour to Fraser Island makes a deep impression on us. It provides us magnificent views. It is well worth a visit.
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10 . Brian arrived at the San Francisco airport two hours before the flight to Paris.He was wearing three shirts，a jacket，two pairs of socks，a pair of shorts，and two pairs of jeans.He was carrying one small backpack，which was very full，but he didn’t have any other luggage.Brian needed to meet a man named Tony before he checked in for his flight.He found Tony near the Air France counter.Tony gave him a round trip ticket and a small package.
“Give this package to Jean Paul at the airport in Paris.He will have a sign with your name on it.I think you can find him easily，”Tony said，“You don’t have any luggage，right？”
“Only this backpack，”Brian answered，“You said I could bring one carry on bag.”
“That’s right.One carry on bag is fine.Have a good trip.”
“Thanks.”
Is Brian a criminal？ Not at all.He is an aircourier.And he paid only $110 for the round trip ticket to Paris.Air couriers get cheap airline tickets because they take important packages and papers to foreign countries.Businesses sometimes need to get packages and papers to people in foreign countries by the next day.Often，the only way they can do this is to use an air courier company.It is not cheap for a business to send a package with an air courier，but it is quick.
Every year about 80,000 people worldwide travel as aircouriers.The number of tickets for courier travel is growing by about 10 percent a year.However，air courier travel isn’t for everyone.But if you have very little money，can be flexible about your travel plans，and don’t mind wearing the same clothes for a week，it can be a great way to take a vacation！
1. Why was Brian wearing so many clothes for his travel？| A．Because they were the uniforms for air couriers. |
| B．Because that made him easier to be recognized. |
| C．Because he would be charged for taking much luggage with him. |
| D．Because he was required not to have much luggage with him. |
| A．it costs less | B．it is flexible |
| C．it grows fast | D．it saves time |
| A．have much money |
| B．hate wearing the same clothes |
| C．have much personal luggage |
| D．are flexible about their travel plans |
| A．describes the activities of a law breaker |
| B．suggests a way to travel for everyone |
| C．talks about the air courier travel |
| D．tells us about a developing business |
