2 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

My name is Wang Kun. Ever since middle school, my sister and I     1     (dream) about     2     (take) a great bike trip. When we graduated     3     college, we finally got the chance to do it. It was     4     (I) sister who first had the idea to cycle along the Mekong River from where it begins to     5     it ends. The Dai live near the Lancang River,     6     Chinese part of the river that is called the Mekong River in other     7     (country). Wang Wei soon got them     8     (interest) in cycling too. She insisted that we should find the source of the river. She gave me a determined look. Once she has made     9     her mind, nothing can change it.     10     (final), I had to give in.

3 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容(1个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。

Jiuzhaigou Valley, literally “Nine Village Valley” in Chinese, gets its name from the 9 Tibetan villages along the 50km-plus valley. Situated in southwest China’s Sichuan Province, it is well-known     1     its greenish-blue lakes, beautiful waterfalls, colorful forests, snow-capped peaks     2     the local Tibetan ethnic culture.

Jiuzhaigou got     3     (it) name because there are nine Tibetan villages in the valley. For centuries Tibetan people have lived in the region, but it was not officially discovered by the government until 1972. It     4     (declare) a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992.

The valley is a     5     (nature) habitat for two of China’s most endangered species—the giant panda and the Sichuan takin (羚牛). You are likely to see other     6     (creature) including birds, insects and fish.

Over 80 percent of the scenic area is covered by forests. In the lower regions, there are plenty of grasses and reeds. These are quickly replaced by bamboo forests,     7     in turn give way to conifers (针叶树) at the upper regions. Beyond them, snow-capped peaks of the Minshan Mountains are also very     8     (attract).

The most comfortable climate     9     (visit) Jiuzhaigou is in July. Umbrellas and wet weather clothing, as well as sun protection cream and hats are     10     (high) recommended as the weather is often changing.

5 . In this first year, the Nature Festival will be celebrating South Australian nature with over 100 events for various ages. It is full of creative ways to get you out and about enjoying all that nature has to offer.

Its 10-day program, starting from 25th September 2023, provides a wide range of both free and ticketed experiences. From “adventure” and “learning” experiences to “slowing down” and “helping out” experiences, there will be something for everyone. Here are just some of the events.

Build-a-Birdbox Workshop

Saturday 26th September @ 9 am

Explore the role of tree hollows and learn how to build a backyard bird box.

Byards Road Wetland Nature by Night

Tuesday 29th September @ 6 pm

Take your torch and discover, on a guided walk, the creatures that come out at night.

For the Love of Trees

Tuesday 29th September @ 12:30 pm

Hear Dr Palph Body share his understanding of artist Hans Heysen.

Grey-headed Flying-fox Bat Ramble

Tuesday 1st October @ 5:45pm

Walking with local bat experts and hear how the grey-headed flying-fox bat came to be in our city.

Coastal Dune Walk

Sunday 4th October @ 9:30am

Walk along the coastline and learn about the working being done at the dunes.

Port River Alive

Sunday 4th October @ 11 am

See a short film about who and what lives in the Port River.

The full Nature Festival program is available on the website https://www.naturefestival.org.au. If you’re interested in any of the experiences above, please register as soon as possible.

1. What do we know about the Nature Festival?

A．It lasts about half a month.

B．It welcomes visitors of all ages.

C．It requires visitors to pay for their tickets.

D．It is held to call on people to protect nature.

2. In which event will visitors be directed by guides?

A．Port River Alive.

B．Coastal Dune Walk.

C．Build-a-Birdbox Workshop.

D．Byards Road Wetland Nature by Night.

3. When can visitors appreciate the amazing work being done at the dunes?

A．On 1st October.	B．On 4th October.
C．On 29th September.	D．On 26th September.

4. How can we know the lives in the Port River?

A．By seeing a short film.	B．By exploring the role of tree.
C．By walking with local bat expert.	D．By taking a torch and discovering.

5. How can we get more details about the Nature Festival according to the text?

A．Buying a brochure.	B．Reading advertisements.
C．Searching online.	D．Booking a magazine.

6 . When searching for something fun and educational to do in Maryland, why not visit the Maryland Science Center? It is located at 601 Light Street, Baltimore. The ticket prices vary depending on ages, groups and the exhibits you choose. Click here for more information.

Introduction

The Maryland Science Center is basically a museum, but it gives everyone a chance to learn through experience and play, rather than just glance at an exhibit.

Activities

You can learn about various topics, including outer space, the human body, dinosaurs, electricity, marine (海洋的) biology, energy, and much more. You can also take part in the interactive activities, such as racing bubbles, digging for dinosaur fossils, using puzzle pieces to construct cars, and so much more.

The Davis Planetarium (天文馆)

At the Davis Planetarium, you can be back in a chair and look at the stars while still inside the Science Center. The stars will appear on the ceiling of the theatre as you watch them.

There are different shows to catch at the Davis Planetarium. You can learn about the galaxy and astronomy during the Dark Matters show. Learn about the stars and planets during the Sky Live show. The One World One Sky show allows children to explore the stars. The Live from the Sun show will teach you all about the hot sun.

The Kids Room

For children, they can’t miss the Kids Room. They will be able to play in a water area, construct dams and water towers, push buttons, ring doorbells, build with blocks, and more, and definitely they will learn a lot. In addition, there is also an area for kids of two years old and under, where they can crawl, walk and explore safely with soft toys.

1. If you want to know why the sun shines, which show should you choose?

A．The Dark Matters show.	B．The Sky Live show.
C．The Live from the Sun show.	D．The One World One Sky show.

2. What do we know about the Maryland Science Center?

A．It charges different prices for adults and kids.

B．It is regarded as the most popular museum in Maryland.

C．It is a museum where there are many famous exhibitions.

D．It is mainly designed for children and their families to play together.

3. Where is the text probably taken from?

A．A travel plan.	B．An academic column.
C．An educational magazine.	D．An online advertisement.

7 . Paris is the capital of the European nation of France. It is also one of the most beautiful and most famous cities in the world.

     Paris is called the City of Light. It is also an international fashion center. What women are wearing in Paris will be worn by women all over the world. Paris is also a famous world center of education. For example, it is where the headquarters of UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
     The Seine River divides the city into two parts. Thirty-two bridges cross this beautiful river. The oldest and perhaps most well-known is the Point Neuf, which was built in the sixteenth century. The Sorbonne, a famous university, stands on the left bank of the river. There are many other famous places in Paris, such as the famous museum, the Louvre, as well as the Notre Dame. However, the most famous building in this city is Eiffel Tower.
     Paris is named after a group of people called the Parisii. They built a small village on an island in the middle of the Seine River about two thousand years ago. This island, called the lle de la Cite, is where Notre Dame lies. Today around eight million people live in the Paris area.
1. This article mainly tells us about ________.

A．the buildings in Paris	B．the general situations of Paris
C．the center of the world	D．the famous buildings along the Seine River

2. The word “ headquarters” means________.

A．tall buildings

B．research center

C．important areas

D．main office

3. From the passage we may conclude that________.

A．the clothes worn by women in Paris are liked by women all over the world

B．women in Paris sell their clothes all over the world

C．women from all over the world go to Paris and wear their own clothes

D．women from all over the world like to go to Paris to buy clothes

4. The building of ________is the most famous building to the world.

A．UNESCO

B．the Pont Neuf

C．Eiffel Tower

D．Notre Dame

5. Which of the following descriptions of Paris is NOT true according to the text?

A．Paris is the capital of the European nation of France.

B．Paris is called the City of Light.

C．The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is located in Paris.

D．The most famous building in this city is the famous museum., the Louvre.

9 . The Taj Mahal(泰姬陵)is a love story, a sad and beautiful one. If it didn’t exist, we would easily imagine that the story of its construction was simply a fairy tale. Three hundred years ago, there lived an Indian emperor called Shah Jahan. His wife was a beautiful and bright woman whom he loved greatly. Her title was Mumtazl

Mahal: its shortened form Taj Mahal, means “pride of the palace”. In the year 1630 this beloved wife of the emperor died. He was so brokenhearted that he thought of giving up his throne(王位). He decided out of his love for his wife, to build her the most beautiful tomb that he had ever seen.

He summoned the best artists and architects from India, Turkey, Persia and Arabia and finally, the design was completed. It took more than twenty thousand men working over a period of 18 years to build the Taj Mahal, one of the most beautiful buildings in the world.

The building itself stands on a marble platform 29 meters square and 6—7 meters high. Towers rise from each of the four comers. The Taj Mahal itself soars another 61 meters into the air. It is an eight-sided building made of white marble.

The emperor planned to build an identical(相同的)tomb of black marble for himself on the other side of the river connected by a silver bridge. However, his son put him into a prison in the palace before he could finish, and for the rest of his life, he could only gaze across river at the tomb of his beloved wife.

1. Why was the Taj Mahal built according to the passage? Because________.

A．Shah Jahan was heartbroken after the death of his wife

B．Shah Jahan loved his wife greatly

C．his wife was a beautiful and bright woman

D．his wife was the “pride of the palace”

2. From the passage we can know________.

A．the Taj Mahal was completed quickly owing to the efforts of the best artists and workers

B．a lot of people took part in the building of the Taj Mahal

C．the Taj Mahal and Shah Jahan’s own tomb were built at the same time

D．the Taj Mahal is the most beautiful tomb in the world

3. The emperor’s own tomb was designed to be________.

A．four-sided

B．eight-cornered

C．black-colored

D．white-colored

4. The reason why the emperor couldn’t finish his own tomb was that________.

A．he died soon after his wife’s death	B．he was killed by his son
C．he gave up his throne	D．he was put into prison by his son

5. The whole passage tells us about ________.

A．the story of the Taj Mahal

B．a beautiful fairy tale

C．white and black marble tombs made for two emperors

D．the love story of Emperor Shah Jahan and his wife

10 . It was not turning out to be the great fishing trip we had imagined. It certainly was not the one Father had promised. All day the rain beat against the roof of our cabin.

Father sat at the window, looking out over the lake. My older brother Jeremy, who had recently turned sixteen years old, lay on the bed, looking up at the ceiling. I paced the room, occasionally glancing toward Father to see if there was any sign that the rain would let up.

“I wish we’d never come out to this boring place,” Jeremy said.

I stopped pacing and looked at Father. He gave no sign that he had heard, and I hoped he hadn’t. This trip meant a lot to him. He used to come out here with own father.

I started pacing again.

“I mean, if we’d stayed home, at least I could watch TV, go out with my friends or play my guitar,” Jeremy continued.

Silence continued for some time. I kept pacing, imagining the trip I had dreamed of before the bad weather had set in. I saw us in the boat, anchor dropped in a calm bay casting our lines toward shore, the way Father had described it when he was trying to convince Jeremy to come along.

Father stood up and turned to face us. He smiled at me. “Come on, get up, Jeremy,” he said. “Let’s go fishing, boys.” He picked up his fishing rod and the tool box, opened the door, and walked out into the rain.

Jeremy and I watched Father walk down the pathway toward the dock (码头)，the wind whipping (打) at his hair,the rain wetting his clothes. Jeremy shook his head. “He's crazy if he thinks I’m going with him,” he said. “Maybe I would have when I was a little kid, but not now,” he said.

I waited for a while, unsure of what to do, looking out the open door at Father, who was walking onto the dock, facing against the storm. Jeremy couldn’t believe I picked up my rod and walked out into the storm after Father. I couldn’t quite hear what Jeremy said because of the wind in my ears, but I heard his footsteps behind me as he began to follow me out to the boat.

1. What does the underlined phrase “let up” in Paragraph 2 mean?

A．Stop.

B．Continue.

C．Hit.

D．Arrive.

2. Why was the fishing trip important for the author’s father?

A．He had never fished in the rain.

B．It’s his son Jeremy’s first fishing trip.

C．He and his own father usually went fishing there.

D．He wanted to have a better relationship with his sons.

3. What can we know about Jeremy?

A．He doesn’t enjoy fishing.

B．He dislikes outdoor activities.

C．He is addicted to playing the guitar.

D．He showed no interest in the fishing trip.

4. What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?

A．To express the fondness for a particular day.

B．To describe a fishing experience in the rain.

C．To reflect on the old family tradition of fishing.

D．To recall the generation gap between father and brother.