1 . Landscape architect Kotchakorn Voraakhom has designed a new green roof on the Rangsit Campus of Thammasat University, about 25 miles north of central Bangkok, Thailand. Her imaginative work challenges the common thinking that urbanization has a negative impact on the planet, whether flooding, excess (过度的) energy use, disrupted (扰乱) biodiversity or the heat island effect.

The 236, 806-square-foot structure, which opened in December 2019, includes a flood water management system and Asia’s largest rooftop organic farm. It combines modern landscape architecture with traditional agricultural knowledge, creating a green and friendly environment.

The green roof, containing an H-shaped landscape, looks like a futuristic hill with a brick building beneath it. The hill features a complex pattern of zigzagging terraces (之字形梯田) of planted beds, leading all the way down to the bottom. When rainwater hits the roof, it flows down the zigzags while being absorbed by the soil in the beds, The excess water is directed into four storage ponds — with a capacity of up to 3 million gallons. The process slows down the flow speed of rainwater runoff compared to a normal concrete rooftop. This keeps the area from flooding during heavy rains.

The roof’s terraces are filled with organically grown crops, including a drought tolerant variety of rice, many local vegetables and herbs. The farm can supply the canteens on campus with a large amount of rice, herbs and vegetables a year. The food waste is composted (把……制成堆肥) to fertilize the farm, and water from the storage ponds is used to water plants, creating an entirely localized and circular system.

The farm serves as an outdoor classroom and a source of local jobs, too. Farmers offer workshops on sustainable agriculture and nutrition as part of the university’s sustainability curriculum. “Students and community members are invited to participate in seasonal seeding, harvesting, and so on,” says Voraakhom. “The urban farm is training a new generation of organic farmers with real-world skills. It also promotes a sense of community.”

1. What can we say about Voraakhom’s work?

A．It’s short-lived.	B．It’s creative.
C．It’s demanding.	D．It’s time-consuming.

2. Why is the rooftop designed to be zigzag?

A．To store more water.

B．To plant diverse vegetables.

C．To slow the speed of water flow.

D．To make it look more attractive than other buildings.

3. What can be inferred about the farm from paragraph 4?

A．It uses food as fertilizer.	B．It benefits the environment.
C．It improves students’ lifestyle.	D．It produces vegetables and fruits.

4. What does the author want to show by mentioning the outdoor classroom?

A．Students can learn hands-on knowledge on the farm.

B．Farmers working on the farm can become professors.

C．The farm prevents government from offering people jobs.

D．The farm harms the relationship between university and community.

2 . Some Arrangements for the Beijing Tour

Day 1

Any visit to Beijing is incomplete without a hike on the Great Wall. However, it is thousands of miles long and the Beijing section is only a small part of the Great Wall. The first choice is Badaling, but we recommend Juyong Pass, which is less crowded but no less impressive. Depending on your health and preference, you can climb very steep steps or have a walk on the relatively flat areas. There are many locations for great photo opportunities,

Day 2

Start at the Temple of Heaven, where emperors used to hold ceremonies to pray. Stop at the Echo Wall and discover the wonder of voices bouncing (弹跳) back and forth. Pass through the guard-protected Golden Water Bridge, and go to visit the Palace Museum.

Day 3

You can pay a visit to Capital Museum where the exhibits have more surprises. Take a walk along Wangfujing Street, a modern shopping street. The walking is much less intensive and the budgeted time much more flexible. You may want to finish the day off by catching a performance of Peking Opera and National Centre for the Performing Arts is an ideal place to go.

Day 4

The Summer Palace in a northwestern suburb of the city is a beautiful place. A short taxi ride north will take you to Qianmen Street. This retail centre was renovated (翻新) for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. Here are some of the oldest businesses of the city, including the famous Peking Duck.

1. Which day covers a visit to the Great wall?

A．Day 1.

B．Day 2.

C．Day 3.

D．Day 4.

2. Where should you go to enjoy Peking Opera according to the text?

A．To Capital Museum.

B．Ta the Summer Palace.

C．To the Palace Museum.

D．To National Centre for the Performing Arts.

3. What can you do in Qiammen Street?

A．Buy a taxi.	B．Go shopping.
C．Renovate the street.	D．Cook Peking Duck.

3 . 根据首字母或中文提示，用对应单词的适当形式填空。

I’ve bought the plane tickets and arranged     1     (换乘) from the airport to the hotel. So we are almost set! Don’t forget to check in online and print your boarding pass in   a    2    . Then all we have to do is pack luggage. Remember to bring your camera! Oh, one last thing… Have you exchanged foreign       3    (货币)? I don’t have a credit card. I’d like to buy     4     (纪念品) for my family so I’m going to take $300 just in cash. Can’t wait!

    5     (烟雾) can be dangerous because it causes severe breathing problems and       6    (感染).

Well, SNNR was   e    7     in 2000 and is the highest and second largest nature     8    (保护区) in China. Here, you can see dramatic landscapes.

She appeared in The Cove, a documentary aiming at highlighting the c    9     of dolphin hunting. Besides performing and modelling, Hannah travels the world giving   p    10     and talks, getting more people involved in the conservation of ocean life.

4 . One week after I started working in Beijing, I decided to visit a place of interest called the Summer Palace. Before setting off, I researched it on the Internet. The Summer Palace is composed mostly of a lake, but it’s surrounded by beautiful greenery and a walkway that circles the lake. It is recommended that you give the Summer Palace about three hours. If you try to walk around it. It could take five or six hours. With that knowledge of it, I set off.

The highlight of the tour had to be the view from the Tower of Buddhist Incense. It sits on the top of a large hill overlooking the lake and is worth a climb. It was built as a place to worship Buddha. And in the Summer Palace, unlike in most of other places, photography isn’t allowed in most of the buildings. Most of the statues of Buddha and the other artifacts are off-limits to photos.

Another highlight was seeing the stage created for the Dowager Empress where she watched operas and other theater items. There are box seats that surround the stage and it is large. You could almost imagine royalty reviewing the actors from the boxes and the stage.

I do recommend taking a boat ride if you go, which takes you from one side of the lake to the other side where you can see another set of buildings. And it is fun. You can also rent an electric or paddle boat if you want. But since it was just me, I went on one of the biggest boats with other people.

I spent another four hours wandering around the Summer Palace. But I didn’t see all of it because it was getting dark. How I wish I could visit it again.

1. Before setting off to the Summer Palace, the author __________.

A．asked others about it	B．didn’t think it was large
C．didn’t think it was small	D．learned something about it

2. What does the underlined word “off-limits” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Forbidden.

B．Allowed.

C．Charged.

D．Limited.

3. What do we know about the stage mentioned in the text?

A．It sits on the top of a hill.	B．It is the largest stage all over China.
C．Operas are performed there at times.	D．It was for royalty to watch performances.

4. Which of the following correctly describes the author’s tour?

A．She took a boat by herself.

B．She spent four hours in the Summer Palace.

C．She only toured parts of the Summer Palace.

D．She didn’t enjoy the trip because it was too late.

5 . Ann Arbor Travel Guide

When you think of Ann Arbor, you likely think of the University of Michigan. In some ways, the two are the same. But Ann Arbor has an identity of its own. That is the unique festivals like Apple Daze in the fall and FestiFools in the spring. And the town is known as the “City of Trees”: visitors can paddle (划船) and hike their way down the lush (茂密的) Huron River Water Trail or appreciate flowers at a local garden in early summer.

Best months to visit

The best time to visit Ann Arbor is between May and September, when temperatures rest comfortably and lots of activities are held there. For example, June is a perfect time to go outside and experience Ann Arbor’s outdoor spaces, like the Huron River and Mathai Botanical Gardens. If a fall or winter trip amuses you, you will still find plenty to do. College football season runs from September to November, so that’s a great time to visit if you’d like to catch a game at Michigan Stadium. In the colder months, you can spend time in Ann Arbor’s many indoor museums or enjoying special holiday events, like Kindle Fest.

Tips for saving money

Eat where the locals do. Many hole-in-the-wall restaurants are frequented by college students and therefore keep their prices reasonable to attract the public.

Walk, walk, and walk. Downtown Ann Arbor is a very walkable area. In fact, driving and parking a car is often annoying. By getting around on your feet, you will not only get a better feel for the town, but save money that would have otherwise been spent on a rental car or taxi rides.

1. What is the special feature of Ann Arbor?

A．Its good location.	B．Its special festivals.
C．Its famous restaurants.	D．Its educational environment.

2. What may be the best time to visit Ann Arbor if you are a football fan?

A．Early spring.

B．Late winter.

C．September.

D．June.

3. What’s the author’s advice on saving money when visiting Ann Arbor?

A．Asking for discounts while buying tickets.

B．Having meals in the college dining hall.

C．Renting a car to visit the city.

D．Traveling around on foot.