1 . With the approaching of New Year, more and more visitors will come to China. Don’t know where you should go? Here are some places recommended for you.
Shanghai Expo Culture Park
The Shanghai Expo Culture Park will soon open its northern section to the public, in which the major attractions include a traditional garden that is similar in design to Shanghai’s famous Yuyuan Garden and a 400-meter avenue exhibiting the history of the area, while in the southern section lies a grand theater.
Macao Tower AJ Hackett Bungee Jump
The Macao Tower, 338 meters tall, is the world’s 10th highest tower, with a variety of activities, such as eating and entertainment. One of the activities which enjoy good fame is the bungee jump. The AJ Hackett Macao Tower Bungee Jump is 233 meters high, making it a Guinness World Record as the highest commercial (商业的) bungee jump in the world. Raise your arms and off you go!
Harbin’s Frozen World
For those who have never been to Harbin, there is an almost endless list of things to do. At Harbin Ice—Snow World, you can not only see the world—famous ice architecture, but also have great fun! You can have hotpot at the restaurants which are made of ice, enjoying the product of both ice and fire, go down the world’s longest ice slide (滑梯) and join in the popular Ice and Snow Electronic Music Festival to welcome 2024.
The winter is cold and the night is long, so why not go to the theatre? Harbin was listed by the United Nations as a “music city” in 2010. Harbin Grand Theater is where artistic souls defrost (化霜) a little to share their love of art.
1. Where should visitors go if they want to do extreme sports?| A．Shanghai Expo Culture Park. | B．The Macao Tower. |
| C．Shangha’s Yuyuan Garden. | D．Harbin Ice—Snow World. |
| A．Attend a famous music festival. | B．Play with both ice and fire. |
| C．Turn water into instant ice. | D．Learn to make ice architecture. |
| A．They have a high tower. | B．They have a long ice slide. |
| C．They have a grand theater. | D．They have traditional architecture. |
2 . The Hong Kong Palace Museum (HKPM), located in the West Kowloon Cultural District of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, was established on June 22 and is scheduled to open to the public on July 2. More than 40,000 tickets were sold or reserved within eight hours on the first day of public sale, and all free visits on Wednesdays in July were fully booked.
The HKPM, not only adds to cultural atmosphere in the city, but also provides a new site for local residents and visitors to learn about the development of Chinese civilization and culture. More than 900 pieces of treasures from the collection of the Palace Museum in Beijing will be put on display at the opening exhibitions. From paintings to ancient architectures, the exhibits span the 5,000-year history of Chinese civilization, covering all categories of the collection of the Palace Museum, including 166 pieces of first-class cultural relics of the country. This will be the largest and highest-level cultural heritage exhibitions of the Palace Museum outside of the mainland since its establishment in 1925.
Prepare work for the exhibitions began in 2018, with the Palace Museum fielding a team of leading experts and scholars, associated with the manage team of the HKPM.
“It is a great thing to display the pieces of cultural relics in Hong Kong, which reflects the central government’s support to the development of Hong Kong’s cultural projects,” said Ng, adding that the exhibits from the Palace Museum will present a cultural feast to Hong Kong residents by telling them about the motherland’s long history and splendid culture.
“Promoting traditional Chinese culture is one of our important tasks,” said Betty Fung, chief executive officer of West Kowloon Cultural District Authority. She said the HKPM will actively push ahead with the publicity of the motherland’s culture and history after its opening, enhancing Hong Kong residents’ cultural confidence in the country, especially among youths.
Fung said that the HKPM will actively enhance cooperation with international museums, telling the world the stories of China, including the stories of Hong Kong.
1. What can we infer from the first paragraph?| A．Hong Kong citizens can visit the museum freely. |
| B．Hong Kong Palace Museum is warmly welcomed. |
| C．Hong Kong citizens can enjoy the exhibition in June. |
| D．Hong Kong Palace Museum opens within eight hours per day. |
| A．900 pieces of first-class cultural relics. |
| B．The history of Hong Kong since 1925. |
| C．The development of international civilization. |
| D．All categories of the collection of the Palace Museum. |
| A．Favorable. | B．Disappointed. | C．Doubtful. | D．Puzzled. |
| A．HKPM: Hong Kong’s Cultural Authority |
| B．HKPM: Cooperation with International Museums |
| C．HKPM: A New Cultural Landmark of Hong Kong |
| D．HKPM: Showcase of Hong Kong’s Cultural Relics |
3 . While beach vacations may be a great way to take your mind off work, lakes surrounded by mountains make for an even more wonderful experience. If you are looking for some peace on your vacation, we have some recommendations for you in the Caucasus (高加索).
Lake Sevan
Lake Sevan is located in the central part of Armenia, in the Gegharkunik province. It is the largest lake in Armenia, 6,200ft above sea level. Along the lake shore, there are various accommodations such as resorts and hotels with plenty of activities to take part in such as windsurfing, swimming and sunbathing. While there, do not forget to visit one of the famous cultural sites with remarkable history, the Sevanavank Monastery, and it offers a great view of the lake as well.
Paravani Lake
Paravani Lake, 6,801ft above sea level, is in the south of Georgia, near the Javakheti Plateau. At this level, altitude sickness can appear and it is a good idea to be prepared to adapt to it properly, or bring medicine for altitude sickness. Being a volcanic lake makes for a more interesting experience. The lake is best known for fishing. Do not come here during the winter months when the lake freezes.
Lake Cildir
Lake Cildir is in the Ardahan province, east Turkey, near the borders of Georgia and Armenia. It is a large freshwater lake of eastern Turkey, and many tourists don’t notice this beautiful attraction. Lake Cildir is surrounded by mountains of the Caucasus. The lake freezes during late November. If the winter is not extremely cold, you can try some lake activities like ice skating and ice fishing.
Lake Van
Lake Van is the must visit of all lakes in this list, the largest lake in Turkey. Lake Van is on the eastern shore of Turkey and is also the most accessible lake there. It’s 5,380ft above sea level, and unique to many lakes around the world: the water is high in salt content.
1. If you want to visit some historic sites during your travel by a lake, you can go to________.| A．Lake Cildir | B．Paravani Lake | C．Lake Sevan | D．Lake Van |
| A．Lack of medicine. | B．Altitude sickness. |
| C．Volcano eruptions. | D．Low temperature all the year. |
| A．Its water is high in salt. | B．It is a volcanic lake. |
| C．It is globally the largest lake. | D．It is surrounded by mountains. |
4 . Philadelphia is a city known for many things. It is where the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776, and it was also the first capital of the United States.
More than 20 years ago, a New Jersey artist named Jane Golden started a program pairing troubled youth with artists to paint murals on a few buildings around the city.
Take a walk around some of the poorest neighborhoods in Philadelphia and you will find beautiful works of art on the sides and fronts of buildings. Of course the murals are not just in poor neighborhoods, but richer ones as well. Special buses take tourists to different parts of the city to see the various murals, which show the diverse ethnic groups that call Philadelphia home.
| A．How did this come to be? |
| B．What happened to the murals on Earth? |
| C．They also learned to take pride in their community. |
| D．But one fact about Philadelphia is not so well-known. |
| E．From this small project, something magical happened. |
| F．The program encouraged troubled youth to paint together with their teachers. |
| G．As a result of its success, the murals program has now become the nation’s largest public art program. |
5 . Moganshan Road No. 50
In the characteristic industrial buildings of a former textile mill (纺织厂), you will find a significant group of contemporary art galleries, and some cafes and craft shops. The collection of galleries comes and goes. Some are stored upstairs in the buildings alongside other creative businesses so it is a good place to explore.
• 50 Moganshan Road
• Open daily 10 am-6 pm, but probably best to avoid Monday and even Tuesday
• Admission usually 20 yuan
Power Station of Art
Housed in the massive renovated (翻修) Nanshi Power Station and keeping its noticeable 541-foot chimney, the museum overlooks the river and the sites of the 2010 Expo. Power Station of Art is China’s only state-run contemporary art museum. It was opened in 2012 to stage the splendid Shanghai Biennale. The museum is so large that it can put on several exhibitions at the same time on its many floors. It has no permanent collection so the shows keep changing.
• 200 Huayuangang Road
• Open Tues — Sun, 11am — 7 pm
• Free admission except some special exhibitions
Yuz Contemporary Art Museum
This beautiful art exhibition place was once part of Longhua Airport. It is where Chinese-Indonesian collector Budi Tek shows off parts of his huge private collection of Western and Asian art. As a leading collector in Asia, Mr. Budi Tek has built up a considerable collection of Chinese contemporary art, and is always willing to ex hibit and lend his works to other art institutions in order to raise the understanding of Chinese contemporary art worldwide.
• 35 Fenggu Road
• Open Tues — Sun, 10:30 am — 5:30 pm
• There is an admission charge and it can be up to 150 yuan but is usually 80 yuan.
China Art Museum
Your art tour of Shanghai really ought to include this irresistible, and often exhausting, museum, in the previous Chinese Expo pavilion (展馆) on the other side of the river in Pudong. Works on display cover modern and contemporary periods, and there are numerous temporary exhibitions, including touring shows from abroad. Information tends to be in Chinese, making it a little more challenging. A visit is worth it just for the fantastic building and its views of the city.
• 161 Shangnan Road
• Open Tues — Sun, 9 am — 5 pm
• Free admission
1. Which place can offer tourists the earliest tour on Saturday?| A．Moganshan Road No. 50. | B．Power Station of Art. | C．Yuz Contemporary Art Museum. | D．China Art Museum. |
| A．It lies in an art institution. | B．It houses personal collections. |
| C．It is a non-private museum. | D．Its exhibitions keep changing. |
| A．They do not charge for admission. | B．They are the largest museums in China. |
| C．They were transformed from other venues. | D．They aren’t open to the public on Monday. |
6 . City parks have long been a place for urban residents to get a small amount of green. As cities increasingly feel the impacts of rising seas and temperatures, people are rethinking the roles of urban parks.
All of the dark-gray asphalt (沥青) in cities collect heat. Dallas is one of the country’s fastest-warming cities thanks in part to its extensive impervious (不透水的) surfaces, but with a new $312 million bond package, the city is hoping to change that. Using satellite data, the city is able to see what neighborhoods most need the cooling effect of green spaces.
Cities are increasingly flooding and city planners think parks can help with this issue too. A report published in February by The Nature Conservancy looked at the best ways to deal with flooding in Houston, a city with many neighborhoods built on floodplains and regularly flooded by rising waters. Offering affected homeowners buyouts and transforming homes into green spaces would save more money than installing infrastructure (基础设施) like pipes, they found.
Brendan Shane, a climate program director, says parks can create opportunities for people to exercise and play, in addition to cooling neighborhoods and absorbing floodwater. “The stronger the bonds are from neighbor to neighbor, the better they are able to react to a shock,” he says.
“Not a single solution by itself will avoid the climate crisis. We see parks as an important part of it, but there isn’t a silver bullet,” says Diane Regas, CEO of The Trust for Public Land. “Parks are an example of what we in the environmental community need to do to reach solutions that address climate change at the same time and make people’s lives better.”
1. What does the city Dallas want to deal with?| A．The lack of green spaces. | B．The way of collecting heat. |
| C．The effect of rising seas. | D．The bond between neighborhoods. |
| A．Cities in the world are frequently flooded. | B．City parks may help prevent city flooding. |
| C．Cities needn’t invest much money in infrastructure. | D．City parks affect people’s choice of a neighborhood. |
| A．They can enable people to get over a shock. | B．They can reduce air pollution effectively. |
| C．They can perform positive social functions. | D．They can help people to keep a cool head. |
| A．A fast and effective solution. | B．A successful example. |
| C．An immediate and clear cause. | D．An impractical method. |
7 . Byron Bay is a famous small town, located in the northeast corner of New South Wales, Australia. It is a place where one can indulge themselves with the wildest nature. More than 300 cost-effective accommodations can be found on www. airbnb. cn. Just go and catch up!
Modern Eco Cabin
The eco-friendly self-contained cabin is set among the 24 acres of private rainforest with all the added modern luxuries. It is fully equipped with a full size kitchen, wifi, smart flat screen TV with Netflix.
Birdsong Hideaway
It's an ideal place for couples, families or friends to get together and enjoy Byron Bay. Wake up to a chorus of birds in the morning, just in time to have a coffee with friends in the privacy of the large verandah (露台餐厅).
The Village Glamping
This beautiful luxurious glamping (露营) space is located just 5 minutes from the heart of Byron Bay. This space is perfect for those wanting to experience the uniqueness of Byron Bay, from the breathtaking views on the lighthouse walk to the crystal-clear waters at Wategos Beach.
Emperor Glamping
The Emperor Bell Tent sits on its own raised deck overlooking the tree-lined valley beyond. It's only a 9 minutes drive to the local shops. Perfect to lie in bed and watch the sunrise or sit out on the deck beneath the milky way at night.
1. Which feature is unique to Birdsong Hideaway?| A．It is convenient to the bay. |
| B．It is perfect for family gathering. |
| C．It possesses forest views. |
| D．It offers camping experience. |
| A．Modern Eco Cabin. |
| B．Birdsong Hideaway. |
| C．The Village Glamping. |
| D．Emperor Glamping. |
| A．Eco-friendliness. |
| B．Uniqueness. |
| C．Convenience. |
| D．Cost-effectiveness. |
8 . If you are looking for an amazing real-life castle, here are some good options for you.
Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany
The beauty of Neuschwanstein, perched high on a hill in southwest Bavaria, inspired one of America’s most famous castles: Disneyland’s famed Sleeping Beauty castle. The slender spires and towering roofs are impressive, but nothing compared to the brilliantly decorated interiors.
Windsor Castle, England
This castle in the historic market town of Windsor that has been the family home to kings and queens for over 1,000 years. The castle is the largest and oldest occupied castle in the world. Guests are welcome to tour year-round. When the Royal Standard flag is flying from the castle’s Round Tower, the queen is home.
Eltz Castle, Germany
Medieval Eltz Castle, located in Wierschem of western Germany, was built in the 12th century and is named for the family that still owns it today. Surrounded by forest, it was erected on a 230-foot rock and features eight towers that sit 115 feet in the sky. Inside, the castle still includes many of its original furnishings.
Bran Castle, Romania
Some people call Bran Castle, located southwest of Brasov. Romania, by another name: Dracula’s Castle. It’s just one of many castles linked to that vampire (吸血鬼) legend, but its dramatic architecture built on a steep cliff helps it fill the part, and the castle does not shy away from the legend.
1. What do we know about Neuschwanstein Castle?| A．It is the highest castle in the world. |
| B．It is the blueprint of Sleeping Beauty castle. |
| C．It inspired a Disney movie. |
| D．It is plainly decorated inside. |
| A．It is open throughout the year. |
| B．It has a history of less than 1000 years. |
| C．The royal family don’t live there any longer. |
| D．You can see the queen whenever you go there. |
| A．They are related to vampire tales. |
| B．They have special goods for sale. |
| C．They are both located on rocks. |
| D．They were built in the 12th century. |
9 . In the past, early travelers used the oceans and waterways as highways to bring goods to different places.
Cruise ships are known for their food. Some of the best cruise ships have an believable variety of food to choose from at every meal.
The actual rooms on cruise ships range from small to large, depending on the level of the price. Going up higher can get you a double room with beautiful water views. But it is more expensive. In fact, cruise ships offer elevators (电梯) and stairs for you to enjoy the views from the top.
Traveling on a cruise ship is one of the easiest ways to see certain parts of the world. If you’re afraid of flying, cruise ship travel is a great way. Cruise ships leave from Florida, California, Seattle, New York, ports along the Mississippi River, and the Great Lakes.
| A．The evenings are seldom dull. |
| B．Meals are included in the cruise price. |
| C．This is the easiest way to see the world. |
| D．So at that time towns and cities grew along rivers. |
| E．Decide before you book which ship you are interested in. |
| F．You don’t have to choose the expensive rooms for a better view. |
| G．With those choices, you can take an enjoyable vacation and never take a flight. |
10 . How to see London like a pro
We’ve explored London thoroughly and come away with quite a few lessons. Here are our tips.
Visiting Buckingham Palace
Being London’s most iconic landmark, this grand 775-room building is where Queen Elizabeth hosts feasts and meets heads of state. But if you’re dreaming of taking a visit to it, you’ll need to plan your trip carefully. The palace is typically only open during the summer months from July 23rd to October 3rd. Visiting hours are from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. If you’re visiting when the palace isn’t available to tour, you can still see the Changing of the Guard.
Hitting the London Eye
The London Eye is a playful addition to the city skyline. Standing near centuries-old architecture, this enormous Ferris wheel goes round slowly over the left bank of the Thames, serving up views over the London Bridge and the Shard to the west, plus a wide perspective of the Palace of Westminster. Buy your tickets in advance online, choose a clear day and go first thing in the morning to avoid crowds peak.
Drinking afternoon tea
Afternoon tea—a sacred, buttery ritual (仪式)—is reason enough to come to London. The British have taken a simple tea break and turned it into a luxurious ceremony, complete with patterned china, layered plates of finger sandwiches and scones in cream and jam. And we haven’t mentioned the cakes, which are often brought around on a wheeled cart. When making a reservation, remember that afternoon tea isn’t a snack but a full meal with sweet and salty elements, and you’ll be stuffed. The smart move is to skip lunch and maybe even dinner.
1. Which is a proper time to visit Buckingham Palace?| A．July 18, 10:00 a.m. | B．Aug. 23, 8:30 a.m. |
| C．Sep. 27, 3:00 p.m. | D．Oct. 2, 7:30 p.m. |
| A．it provides a good view of some places of interest |
| B．it makes London’s skyline seem more harmonious |
| C．it spins quickly over the left bank of the Thames |
| D．it is more historic compared to the nearby buildings |
| A．It is a short break with light snacks. |
| B．It is a full meal with various tasty foods. |
| C．It combines sour and sweet flavours well. |
| D．It is complete with delicate silver dishware. |
