1 . Travel Guide to Hangzhou, a Paradise on Earth
Hangzhou is now in the spotlight as the main host of the 19th Asian Games. The capital city of East China’s Zhejiang province, is one of the seven ancient capitals of China. Here are some highlights of the city you can't miss.
West Lake
West Lake is definitely a place people can never miss when visiting Hangzhou. It is situated in the center of the city, with convenient public transport access. The Hangzhou government also offers free public bikes for tourists to travel around the lake. The parks around the lake are all free to visit.
Six Harmonies Pagoda
Standing on Yuelun Hill, on the north bank of the tidal Qiantang River, the Six Harmonies Pagoda is another masterpiece built during the Wuyue Kingdom — this one designed to conquer flooding from the Qiantang River. The name Six Harmonies was given to characterize its purpose of restoring the balance between the heavens and earth, as well as north, south, east, and west.It was erected in the hope of combating the “evil” river’s tidal action. Today, the 13-storey pagoda commands a spectacular view of the Qiantang River.
The Xixi Wetland Park
Xixi, located less than five kilometers from West Lake in the west of Hangzhou, is China’s first national wetland park. Environmental degradation is threatening wetland worldwide, and more than half of the country's inter-tidal wetland has also vanished, which makes the 226 plant species, 50 kinds of fish and aquatic animals as well as 126 kinds of birds in Xixi even more valuable. Its native vegetation consists of subtropical mountainous swamp and evergreen and deciduous, broad-leafed forest.
Leifeng Pagoda
On the south of West Lake, Leifeng Pagoda is considered the top scenic structure around West Lake due to its stunning silhouette in the glow of evening. For almost a thousand years the pagoda withstood fires and wars, but finally fell down in 1924.
1. What benefit is provided for tourists visiting West Lake?| A．Discounted tickets. | B．Free bike rentals. |
| C．Convenient location | D．Paid tourist guides. |
| A．Combating the river’s annual action. |
| B．Preventing the Qiantang River’s flooding damage. |
| C．Restoring the balance between God and human beings. |
| D．Demonstrating an image of centuries-old majesty. |
| A．West Lake. | B．Six Harmonies Pagoda. |
| C．The Xixi Wetland Park. | D．Leifeng Pagoda. |
As you stroll through the Hangzhou Asian Games Village, one of the first things
Sponge cities are a concept that aim to make cities more adaptable to environmental changes and better
3 . Must see in Guangxi
A Broad Spectrum of Scenery
What you will find here is beyond towering mountains, dense forests, and picturesque scenery. This alpine (高山的) scenic spot spreads across 17,008 hectares, with over one-third being primeval (原始的) forest. Its natural landscape can be magnificent but quiet, special but elegant. The high humidity makes the sea of clouds a common scene here thanks to the mountain climate. And the scenery varies with the season. Here, you can appreciate splendid blossoms in spring, avoid summer heat in the cool canyon, step on red leaves scattered on the ground in autumn, and get stunned by the rime ice in winter.
A Hotel in Nature
Chaoranpai International Hotel is only 2 kilometers away from the Lijiang River Source Grand Canyon. By taking both the ecological design and standards of 5-star hotels into account, this hotel has integrated modern services and nature, especially bamboo. The hotel also offers entertainments such as go-carting, cosplay of counter strike, and Chinese-style tea houses. Besides, the mountain itself is like a natural oxygen bar.
A Heaven of Fauna and Flora
Mao’er mountain is abundant in rare animals and plants. Inhabited by 2,484 species of plants and 345species of vertebrates, this place can serve as a natural gene bank. And surprisingly, a rare alpine wetland featuring
evergreen broad-leave d trees has found a way of surviving in the dwarf forest at a high altitude.
Two ways to get there
1. Take a train and get off at Xing’an Bei station, and take the shuttle bus that goes directly to the Mao’er mountain.
2. Take the Guilin-Xing’an bus from Guilin bus station, get off at Baizhupu station (Zibai Road Intersection), and take the shuttle from Baizhupu to Gaozhai, which is at the foot of the Mao’er mountain.
Travel Tips
Entrance ticket:160 yuan for adults (half price for children under 12)
Opening hours: 8:00 am to 5:00 pm
Recommended duration of visit:2-4 hours
Location: northwest of Xing’an county, Guilin
1. What is the characteristic of natural landscape in Guangxi?| A．Crowded but elegant | B．Magnificent but quiet |
| C．Special and desolate(荒凉的) | D．Common and lifeless |
| A．The alpine scenic spot | B．Xing’an Bei station |
| C．Mao’er mountain | D．Chaoranpai International Hotel |
| A．240 yuan. | B．320 yuan. |
| C．400 yuan. | D．480 yuan. |
1. Where does the man come from?
| A．Ohio. | B．Birmingham. | C．Los Angeles. |
| A．Two days. | B．Three days. | C．Two weeks. |
| A．Waiting for their friends. | B．Visiting several places of interest. | C．Spending a holiday. |
1. Which place would the man like to go?
| A．An exciting modern city. | B．A popular tourist attraction. | C．A quiet and far-away place. |
| A．The weather. | B．The food and water. | C．The language. |
| A．Travel with the man. | B．Do some gardening. | C．Go to the travel agency. . |
As night fell on the northwestern Chinese city of Zhongwei, with the Milky Way gradually revealing
In the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, under the administration of Zhongwei, stargazing tourism has emerged
In the scenic destination of Shapotou,
Ningxia is presently engaged in an
1. What attracted the man most in Paris?
| A．The Eiffel Tower. |
| B．The Louvre Museum. |
| C．Restaurants and clubs. |
| A．Boring. | B．Wonderful. | C．Tiring. |
China’s newest online sensation is a pink fox called LinaBell from Shanghai Disneyland. After
Footage of meet-and-greets with the pink fox are all over the Internet and LinaBell can be seen communicating
Visitors to Shanghai Disneyland were the first people
Disney’s localization efforts, including the company’s IP products have resulted in its popularity in China. Shanghai Disneyland has been
9 . Yellowstone Tour
On March 1, 1872, Yellowstone became the first national park for all to enjoy the unique geologic features. Within Yellowstone’s 2.2 million acres, visitors have wonderful opportunities to observe wildlife in a well-preserved ecosystem and view geologic wonders like the Grand Canyon (峡谷) of the Yellowstone River.
Tour Features
●Budget tour (低预算旅行)
This budget tour uses tented camps.
●Private tour
This tour will be organized specially for you and won’t be shared with others.
●Can start any day
If availability permits, this tour can start on any day.
This tour accepts children of all ages. Children under 3 are free.
Rates Per Person
| Start dates | Solo 1 room | 2+ people Sharing rooms |
| Jan 1, 2023 -Dec 31, 2023 | $ 1,260 | $ 860 |
| Jan 1, 2024-Dec 31, 2024 | $ 1,160 | $ 760 |
●Rates are per person and exclude (排除) the international flight from/to your home country.
1. How much will a couple pay at least in September 2024?| A．$ 860. | B．$ 1160. | C．$ 1520. | D．$ 1720. |
| A．starts on specific and fixed days. |
| B．It only accepts tourists above 3 years old. |
| C．It is a luxury tour with fancy accommodation. |
| D．It is suitable for viewing wildlife and eco-system. |
| A．A travel brochure. | B．A dairy entry. |
| C．A geography textbook. | D．A research paper. |
10 . Ancient builders across the world created structures that are still standing today, thousands of years later. Yet the concrete that makes up much of our modern world has a lifespan of around 50 to 100 years. A growing number of scientists have been studying materials from long-ago eras, hoping to uncover how they’ve held up for millennia.
Many researchers have turned to the Romans for inspiration. Starting around 200 BCE, the architects of the Roman Empire were building impressive concrete structures that have stood the test of time. Even in harbors, where seawater has been battering structures for ages, you’ll find concrete basically the way it was when it was poured 2,000 years ago. Most modern concrete starts with Portland cement, a powder made by heating limestone and clay to super-high temperatures and crushing them. That cement is mixed with water to create a chemically reactive paste. Then, blocks of material like rock and gravel are added, and the cement paste mixes them into a concrete mass. According to records from ancient architects, the Roman process was similar. The ancient builders mixed materials like burnt limestone and volcanic sand with water and gravel, creating chemical reactions to stick everything together.
In a study published earlier this year, Admir Masic, a civil and environmental engineer, proposed that this power comes from blocks of lime that are scattered throughout the Roman material instead of being mixed in evenly. Researchers used to think these blocks were a sign that the Romans weren’t mixing up their materials well enough. Instead, after analyzing concrete samples from Privernum—an ancient city outside of Rome — the scientists found that the blocks could fuel the material’s “self-healing” abilities. When cracks form, water is able to flow into the concrete, Masic explained. That water activates the leftover lime, leading to new chemical reactions that can fill in the damaged sections.
The ancient architectures suggested using extracts from local chukum and jiote trees in the lime mix. When researchers tested out the recipe, they found the resulting plaster was especially durable against physical and chemical damage.
Studies have found all kinds of natural materials mixed into structures from long ago: fruit extracts, milk, cheese curd, beer, even dung and urine. The paste that holds together some of China’s most famous structures—including the Great Wall and the Forbidden City — includes traces of sticky rice.
“Some of these ancient builders might have just gotten lucky”, said Cecilia Pesce, a materials scientist at the University of Sheffield in England, “They’d throw just about anything into their mixes, as long as it was cheap and available.”
Today’s builders can’t just copy the ancient recipes. Even though Roman concrete lasted a longtime, it couldn’t hold up heavy loads: “You couldn’t build a modern skyscraper with Roman concrete,” Cecilia said. “It would collapse.” Instead, researchers are trying to take some of the ancient material’s specialties and add them into modern mixes.
1. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?| A．Lime blocks in Roman concrete indicate poor mixing of materials. |
| B．Ancient Roman concrete structures have witnessed a long history. |
| C．Modern builders are confused about the Roman method of construction. |
| D．The concrete used in modern structures has a lifespan of over 200 years. |
| A．The uniform mixing of lime in the concrete. |
| B．The use of extracts from chukum and jiote trees. |
| C．The addition of whatever was within reach in the mix. |
| D．The scattering of blocks of lime throughout the material. |
| A．ancient recipes were not well-documented |
| B．ancient materials were too expensive |
| C．ancient materials couldn’t hold up heavy loads |
| D．ancient builders used materials that are no longer available |
| A．To enhance the beauty of the structures. |
| B．To make the construction process more cost-effective. |
| C．To create structures that were resistant to chemical damage. |
| D．To follow ancient traditions without considering effectiveness. |
