1 . The Vjosa River, one of the last wild rivers in Europe, has been declared a national park by the Albanian government, making it become the first wild river park on the continent.
Home to more than 1,000 animal and plant species, the river flows for 270 kilometers, from Greece, through Albania and into the Adriatic Sea. Giving the credit to no dams or other artificial barriers, it is rich in aquatic species and supports a large number of wildlife species, including otters, the endangered Egyptian vulture and the critically endangered Balkan lynx.
The wild river national park will include almost 13,000 acres of land, crossing most of the body of the country, with thousands of people living in its surroundings. The decision to establish the park is more important than people may realize. For years, the Vjosa’s fragile ecosystem has been under threat: at one point as many as 45 hydropower plants (水 电 站) were planned to build across the region. But thanks to the campaigning by environmental NGOs, the tiny Balkan nation was placed at the forefront of river protection.
Albania’s prime minister, Edi Rama, described the creation of the national park as a “truly historic moment” for nature as well as social and economic development. “Today we protect the only wild river in Europe once and for all,” he said. “This is about to change a mindset. Protecting an area does not mean that you make it in isolation from the economy.” He said national parks attract 20% more tourists compared with non-protected areas.
The park will cover the 118 miles of the Vjosa in Albania, three main tributaries (支流), and some land, including areas at risk of flooding. Phase II will add other tributaries. Unlike the IUCN's Wilderness Protected Areas, which limit the number of visitors, it will allow recreational tourism and some other activities such as local fishing, particularly for 60,000 residents in the catchment.
“We hope it will inspire others to come together to protect the wild places we have left, in a meaningful way,” said Ryan Gellert, Patagonia’s CEO, adding that the park was proof that the “destruction of nature did not have to be the price of progress”.
1. What makes the Vjosa River rich in wild species?| A．Sufficient water. |
| B．The government's policies. |
| C．The large area of fertile land. |
| D．The absence of human disturbance. |
| A．It helps to establish hydropower plants. |
| B．It relieves the power shortage in Albania. |
| C．It strengthens the protection of Vjosa's ecosystem. |
| D．It promotes the development of the local wild land. |
| A．Building the park is beneficial to the economy. |
| B．More wild rivers need to be protected in Europe. |
| C．Non-protected areas will inspire a boom in tourism. |
| D．Social progress comes at the cost of the natural environment. |
| A．It includes more tributaries. |
| B．It limits the number of visitors. |
| C．It covers areas at high risk of flooding. |
| D．It combines leisure activities with tourism. |
2 . One of Prague’s most famous sights, the Orloj, the third oldest clock in the world, has been stopped. It is set to undergo months of restoration (修复)that will see the return of several, but not all, of its original parts.
Perhaps no other clock better proves the genius of the early pioneers of time keeping than the Orloj. Marking the minutes and hours is only one of the many measurements it provides.
The 607-year-old astronomical clock tracks Old Bohemian time, when the new day begins with sunset; Babylon time, which tracks the day from sunrise to sunset; Central European time, which is marked with a hand in the shape of the sun; and Star time, measured by the way the stars appear to move because of the earth’s movement.
A calendar dial (刻度盘)notes the days of the week, month and year, and a zodiacal ring (黄道环)shows the path of the sun and the moon through the sky. But, it is the astrolabe (星盘)that is the heart of the clock’s mechanical (机械的) operation. It tracks the position of the sun, the moon and stars, and has been a necessary tool for astronomers.
Over the centuries, the clock has been damaged and repaired, but, always returned to fully working order. Its longevity has inspired a number of sayings. One is that when the clock stops running, the Czech land will be thrown into war and privation (贫困). Another holds that who ever tries to affect the machine will die or go crazy.
Skala, who has been a clock master for 25 years, said he was honored when asked to take care of the Orloj eight years ago. Asked whether he believed the sayings, Skala smiled. “I didn’t believe the stories,” he said, “or else I would never be able to work on the clock.”
1. What is the heart mechanical operation of the Orloj?| A．A calendar dial. | B．A zodiacal ring. |
| C．The astrolabe. | D．The hands. |
| A．Because of the old clock’s longevity. |
| B．Because of the war in Czech. |
| C．Because of the deaths of menders. |
| D．Because of many unbelievable facts. |
| A．To show the Orloj’s long history. |
| B．To praise the Orloj makers’ wisdom. |
| C．To prove Skala didn’t beleve the sayings. |
| D．To encourage people to make better clocks. |
| A．Skala will restore the old Orloj. |
| B．A legend about the old Orloj. |
| C．The old Orloj measures time accurately. |
| D．The Orloj stopped to be restored. |
3 . Scientists from the University of Texas at Austin have finally solved the mystery of a huge fossil(化石）that has been unlabeled and unidentified sitting at a Chilean museum for almost a decade. The relic which looks like a flat football, is the largest known soft-shelled egg from a marine reptile（海生爬行动物）that lived on the earth over 66 million years ago. Measuring more than 11 by 7 inches» it is also the second-largest egg belonging to any known animal, only behind the now-extinct elephant bird.
The rare fossil named " The Thing" was discovered inside a rock formation in Seymour Island off the coast of Antarctica in 2011 by a team of researchers including David Rubilar-Rogers. Over the years, the paleontologist（古生物学者）at Chile's National Museum of Natural History has showed the strange fossil to every geologist that came to the museum. However, no one was able to identify “The Thing's" origin until Julia Clarke» a professor at UT-Austin's Jackson School of Geosciences, visited in 2018.
“I showed it to her, and, after a few minutes, Julia told me it could be an egg!" Rubilar-Rogers said.
To confirm Clarke's suspect, Lucas Legendre, a student at UT-Austin who led the study, examined the fossil under a microscope. Sure enough, he found several layers of membrane（薄膜），confirming that the fossil was indeed a soft-shelled egg, similar to the obvious, quick-hatching eggs laid by some modern-day snakes. “The shell is very thin,” said Clarke.
The fossil's identification led to an even bigger mystery—what animal could have laid an egg this size? After considering several potential parents, the researchers concluded that the egg was laid by an ancient marine reptile like a masseur（沧龙）. The fact that the rock formation where the egg had been found had fossil evidence of baby masseurs and the offspring of other marine animals further strengthened their theory.
1. What can we know from the first paragraph?| A．“The Thing” is the largest egg laid by animals. |
| B．“The Thing" has been discovered for a century. |
| C．“The Thing” looks like a football not having enough gas. |
| D．“The Thing” belongs to an elephant bird. |
| A．It may be laid by a snake. |
| B．It could be an egg. |
| C．It has a very thick shell. |
| D．It has existed for 66 thousand years. |
| A．By comparing the fossil with the eggs of various animals. |
| B．By analyzing a lot of data collected by researchers. |
| C．By doing many experiments with his colleagues. |
| D．By using a microscope to examine "The thing"・ |
| A．The egg's potential parents are snakes・ |
| B．An ancient marine reptile laid the egg. |
| C．The size of the eggs lies in the weight of the animals. |
| D．The way of rock formation affects the egg. |
4 . The Great Wall of China has a long
The Great Wall is about seven
It is not easy to build such a great wall over the
Every year thousands and thousands of people come to
| A．time | B．history | C．way | D．distance |
| A．North | B．South | C．West | D．East |
| A．wide | B．high | C．long | D．old |
| A．learn | B．talk | C．tell | D．call |
| A．kilometers | B．meters | C．centimeters | D．millimeters |
| A．that | B．one | C．this | D．it |
| A．Horses | B．Ships | C．Planes | D．Trains |
| A．took | B．built | C．had | D．brought |
| A．all | B．each | C．both | D．every |
| A．mountains | B．plains | C．sea | D．river |
| A．sorry | B．surprised | C．surprising | D．tired |
| A．by | B．with | C．without | D．from |
| A．hands | B．feet | C．fingers | D．fists |
| A．careful | B．easy | C．happy | D．hard |
| A．visit | B．know | C．meet | D．look |
5 . Venice is suffering the worst flooding the city has experienced in 50 years. The city is “on its knees” and Venetian Mayor Luigi Brugnaro tweeted as water submerged (淹没) much of the famous historical city.
While floods are a normal part of life in Venice, they have never happened with such frequency before. Experts say that climate change is likely to blame.
Flooding is just one of the many impacts from climate change that is being experienced with more frequency and globally threatens many vulnerable (脆弱的) areas and regions. There is a threat that is not often considered.
Changes in the ocean will have a profound impact on many of these sites.
Experts say that the solutions to saving these sites will be varied, but many will be very expensive.
| A．Different ways can be used to save these sites. |
| B．Climate change will impact these sites in different ways. |
| C．It is the damage from climate change to the world’s heritage. |
| D．But putting in place protective measures has proven difficult. |
| E．Warming water threatens to kill much of the coral in the Great Barrier Reef. |
| F．Many heritage sites on land are facing the great threat posed by global warming. |
| G．Therefore, they suggest that countries should work together to protect heritage sites. |
