1 . WHY SHENNONGJIA?

As we know, in 2016, Shennongjia made it on to the UNESCO World Heritage List. But there are so many important places not yet on this list. So you might ask: why Shennongjia?

UNESCO awarded Shennongjia this status because it meets two criteria required by the list. It contains a naturally-balanced environment that allows the many and various species to live and prosper. It is also one of the rare locations in the world where scientists can observe in real time the ecological and biological processes that occur as the plants and animals develop and evolve.

For the first criterion, Shennongjia is apparently one of the most “complete” natural areas in the world. The region rises from about 400 metres to over 3, 000 metres above sealevel, giving it the name the “Roof of Central China”.

For the second criterion, we can see that Shennongjia has incredible biodiversity. Look at this slide. According to official statistics, over 3, 000 plant species have been recorded there. This represents more than ten percent of China’s total floral richness.

It is a challenge to look after so many species. In winter, scientists brave heavy snow and freezing temperatures to supply food to the Golden Snub-nosed Monkey. Thanks to their efforts, the monkey’s population has doubled since the 1980s.Their number reached over 1, 300 in 2015 and continues to grow.

But the most impressive aspect of Shennongjia is the local people, who take things from nature without causing damage. I visited a local village which is known for its home-made honey. What is special about the honey is that it is produced by the earliest species of Chinese bee. All of this explains why Shennongjia earned—and deserves—its place on the UNESCO World Heritage List, as well as highlighting how understanding, awareness and hard work have contributed towards protecting a unique and wonderful part of our natural world.

1. Why is Shennongjia included in the UNESCO World Heritage List?

A．Because its forests stretch on and on like great green seas.

B．Because it is the legendary father of Chinese herbal medicine.

C．Because it satisfies the two requirements for the status.

D．Because it has the mysterious creature called “Yeren”.

2. Shennongjia is also called the“          ”.

A．Roof of Central China	B．Roof of Northern China
C．Roof of Eastern China	D．Roof of Southern China

3. How does the author think of the scientists in Shennongjia?

A．Patient.

B．Careful.

C．Confident.

D．Hard-working.

4. According to the text, what impressed the author most?

A．A local village.	B．The local people.
C．Some special monkeys.	D．The wild bees.

2 . 阅读下面短文, 根据短文内容填空。在未给提示词的空白处仅填写1个适当的单词。在给出提示词的空白处用括号内所给词的正确形式填空。

National parks are places to be treasured—places     1     the country locks away the very best it has to offer for everyone to enjoy. Not all famous national parks are on land. One good example is the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park in Australia.     2     (stretch)over 2,300 kilometers, the Great Barrier Reef is considered one of the natural     3     (wonder)of the world. The park was created in 1975 to protect the reef from overdevelopment and fishing. Unfortunately, the biggest danger to it is global warming,     4     park management cannot stop.

3 . The National Parks Service has confirmed the discovery of an ancient crab (螃蟹) fossil (化石) found along the shores of Assateague Island National Seashore.

Sharon Conn, a visitor to the area, found the fossil in early October on the shore of Assateague Island. “It is very uncommon to find fossils of this nature. We have a very small number in our museum collection. That is what makes this discovery very exciting,” Liz Davis chief of Assateague Island National Seashore said.

The parks service identified the rare blue crab fossil with the help of the Department of Paleobiology. Matthew Mille, museum specialist at the National Museum of Natural History, tested the fossil to find out how it is. He concluded it was likely from the Pleistocene age, about 2 million years ago. “The extra rock around it is such a well tough ground that it can’t be easily eroded (腐蚀),” he said. “The claw did erode a bit though — which is why it isn’t immediately recognized as a claw. Gone are the tips and parts of the infilled area where the original flesh would have been through, making the whole fossil looks a bit strange.”

The fossil was found on public land and is protected by law. Davis told the Daily Times it was currently at the National Parks Service Toms Cove Visitor Center in Virginia. “We hope to have a small collection of fossils on display at the NPS Assateague Island Vistior Center in Maryland later in 2022,” said Davis.

1. What does Liz Davis think of the ancient crab fossil?

A．It is invaluable.

B．It is very old.

C．It is imperfect.

D．It is rare.

2. How old is the fossil according to the text?

A．Around 2 million years old.

B．2 million years old.

C．3 million years old.

D．Less than 2 million years old.

3. Whom do you think the fossil should belong to?

A．Sharon Conn.

B．The country.

C．Liz Davis.

D．The National Parks Service.

4. What can be the best title for the text?

A．A Lucky Visitor.	B．Assateague Island.
C．An Ancient Blue Fossil.	D．An Important Discovery.

4 . China formally announced its first batch of five national parks. Are any of them from your hometown?

·The Sanjiangyuan National Park

The Sanjiangyuan Natonal Park, which is the source of three major rivers — the Yangtze, the Yellow, and the Lancang Rivers — is an important source of fresh water supply in China maintaining the lifeline of water security of the country. It is also home to hundreds of species of wild animals, such as wild yaks (牦牛), snow leopards and Tibetan antelopes.

·The Giant Panda National Park

The Giant Panda National Park connects three provinces — Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu. The park holds more than 70 percent of China’s wild giant pandas. Aside from the “national treasure” of China, the park is also the habitat of highly protected animals, including the snub-nosed monkey.

·The Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park

In the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park in Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces the high-tech monitoring system was launched to provide real-time protection for plants and animals. Thanks to the establishment of the national park, at least 12 Siberian tiger cubs and 11 Amur leopard cubs have been born so far.

·The Wuyi Mountain National Park

The Wuyi Mountain National Park is the only national park in China which is both a biosphere reserve and heritage site. The park has the most complete, most typical, and largest area of the central subtropical (中亚热带的) native forest ecosystem at the same latitude on Earth. It is known as a birds’ paradise, the kingdom of snakes and the world of insects.

·The Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park

In the Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park, the protection of Hainan gibbons (长臂猿) has become a success story for animal preservation worldwide. Being the animals native to the South China island, Hainan gibbons are the world’s rarest primate (灵长类动物). Under the effective protection, its population has increased from as few as 7 to 9 in the 1980s to 35 today.

1. What does the Sanjiangyuan National Park influence most?

A．Land resources.

B．Water resources.

C．Forest resources.

D．Living resources.

2. Which park adopts high-tech devices to protect nature?

A．The Sanjiangyuan National Park.

B．The Wuyi Mountain National Park.

C．The Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park.

D．The Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park.

3. Where can the text be found?

A．In a novel.

B．In a research report.

C．In a travel handbook.

D．In a nature magazine.

5 . John “Charlie” Veron-widely known as “the Godfather of Coral Reef (珊瑚礁)”-is a celebrated expert who has personally discovered nearly a quarter of the world’s coral species and has spent the past 45 years diving Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. But now the 73-year-old is raising the alarm about its future. The Great Barrier Reef, one of the natural wonders, is 2, 300 kilometers long and is the only living organism that can be seen from space. It is considered a World Treasure Site due to its biodiversity (生物多样性)with 30 species of whales, dolphins and sharks. Within the reef itself, there are also a number of tiny organisms and fishes.

However, its health is threatened. After the recent mass bleaching (白化)events, Veron dived in many areas of the Great Barrier Reef to see the damage for himself. “I was seeing and feeling it and it was absolutely shocking, ” he says.

Veron says the mass bleaching events in the past few years-and the possibility of losing one of nature’s greatest treasures-were a wake-up call for the world in the wider battle against climate change, which, together with the rising sea temperature, is considered the greatest threats to the reef.

Fortunately, earlier this year, the Australian government announced nearly 400 million dollars in new funding towards scientific projects designed to help the reef.

There has been criticism in Australia about the slow process for the funding. “It won’t be wasted, though,”Veron says. “As scientists will be able to create a sort of seed bank to protect the species until the climate is good enough to rebuild the reef. What the scientists hope to do is to help nature along a bit after the big carbon dioxide increase is over and it starts to come down.”

1. Why is the Great Barrier Reef considered a treasure site?

A．It is a natural wonder.

B．It can be seen from space.

C．It has a rich variety of species.

D．It is home to a great many fishes.

2. What does the passage mainly tell us?

A．Climate change is threatening biodiversity.

B．The Great Barrier Reef is in danger of extinction.

C．Scientists have found major factors in the reef’s blenching.

D．Veron has made great contributions to environmental protection.

3. What's Veron's attitude to the future of the reef according to the last paragraph?

A．Uncaring.

B．Doubtful.

C．Uncertain.

D．Positive.

4. What is the text?

A．A news report.	B．A travel guide.
C．A research plan.	D．A journal entry.

6 . Four Most Amazing Cultural World Heritage Sites

Acropolis of Athens

As the name suggests, one of the most amazing cultural world heritage sites Acropolis of Athens has the location of Athens, Greece. It is a heritage site since 1987. The site is an ancient castle that is on a high rocky outcrop over the city of Athens containing the remains of the Parthenon and other ancient important structures. It is one of the most famous monument (遗迹)in Europe.

Rapa Nui National Park

One of the most amazing cultural world heritage sites, it is in the Easter Island. You know it as the heritage site since 1995. These are a Monolithic (庞大而单一的)human figures that are carvings by the Rapa Nui people from rock between the years 1250 and 1500. These have overly large heads three-eighths the size of the whole statue and Paro which is the tallest, almost 10 meters high with 75 tonnes of weight.

Chichen Itza

Chichen Itza is a place in Mexico. It is a heritage site since 1988. One of the most amazing cultural world heritage sites, Chichen Itza was a large pre-Columbian city. It is a gift by the Maya people. Being a major focal point in the northern Maya lowlands for centuries, it was one of the largest Maya cities. Today, Chichen Itza is one of the most visited archaeological sites in Mexico. It receives around 1.2 million visitors each year.

Taj Mahal

You will find this one of the most amazing cultural world heritage sites in Agra, India that has bagged a place in the heritage site since 1983. It is white marble mausoleum (陵墓)which was built between 1632 and 1653 under the order of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal.

1. How long has Acropolis of Athens become a heritage site？

A．Since 1987.	B．Since 1995.
C．Since 1988.	D．Since 1983.

2. Which site will you choose if you want to see huge human figures？

A．Acropolis of Athens.	B．Rapa Nui National Park.
C．Chichen Itza.	D．Taj Mahal.

3. Whom was Taj Mahal built in memory of？

A．The Rapa Nui people.	B．The Maya people.
C．Shah Jahan	D．Mumtaz Mahal.