1 . The world is a vast and beautiful place, full of natural wonders and man-made marvels. From the ancient ruins of Rome to the Great Wall of China, there are countless places that make us proud of our ancestors.     1     They are also essential for future generations.

Heritage is our legacy. It is what we pass down to our children and grandchildren. Heritage helps us to understand the past. It can teach us about our ancestors and their culture. Heritage can inspire us.     2     Heritage can unite us. It can bring people together from different backgrounds and cultures.

    3     The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest coral reef system, and it is at risk from natural forces, including climate change and pollution. The Amazon rainforest is the world’s largest tropical rainforest, regulating the Earth’s climate. It is at risk from human activities, like deforestation, mining, and agriculture.

We can all do our part to help preserve these sites. Learn more about the sites that are on the List of World Heritage in Danger.     4     Support organizations that are working to protect these sites. You can donate money, volunteer your time, or spread the word about their work.

Together, we can make a difference.     5    

A．It can give us hope for the future.

B．Choose sustainable lifestyles every day.

C．Future generations can be more responsible.

D．Unfortunately, many of them are under threat.

E．Let’s work together to preserve these incredible sites.

F．The more you know, the better you do in the preservation.

G．But these places are not just important for our own enjoyment.

2 . 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.

2. Why is the decision to build the park extremely important?

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.

3. What can we infer from Edi Rama?

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.

4. How is the park different from IUCN's Wilderness Protected Areas?

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.

3 . Set 40 kilometers northeast of the city of Ambatondrazaka, the Zahamena National Park's landscape consists of (……组成) valleys surrounded by a flowing mountain range.

It has an overall land coverage of 64, 300 hectares, but only 42, 000 hectares is open to the public due to strict conservation (环境保护) reasons. It receives an average yearly rainfall level of about 6 feet and experiences frequent rain showers even during the dry season between April and October.

One really interesting thing about the Zahamena National Park is that the unique territory of its highland has paved the way for the development of several ecosystems that exist at the same time in this park. This is the reason why the types of wildlife living in one area are different in another, which makes it quite exciting to explore.

This protected area is divided into two parts, with a separate piece of land in the middle where many small villages are situated. These villages are inhabited (居住) by the members of the Sihanaka and Betsimisaraka ethnic groups.

The Zahamena National Park gets its name from the local Zahana Mena tree, an uncommon type of hardwood that grows in the lower regions of this protected area. It is characterized by its resilient (坚韧的) wood that can be rather challenging to cut, join, shape and carve even with modern tools.

Established as a strict natural highland reserve in 1927 (and one of the first of its kind in all of Madagascar), the Zahamena National Park was officially given its national park status (地位) in 1997 and was eventually opened to the public. Due to its remarkable territory and unique biodiversity, this national park was later listed as a key part of the collective UNESCO World Heritage Site called the Rainforests of the Atsinanana in 2007.

1. What can we learn about the Zahamena National Park?

A．It is surrounded by the city of Ambatondrazaka.

B．It receives little rainfall during the dry season.

C．It is partially open to the public.

D．It is divided into three parts.

2. What has contributed to several ecosystems in the Zahamena National Park?

A．The strict conservation rules.	B．The unique weather conditions.
C．The special territory of its highland.	D．The influence of several local villages.

3. What is the Zahamena National Park named after?

A．An ethnic group.	B．A type of local tree.
C．A traditional tool.	D．A nearby city.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．A brief introduction to the Zahamena National Park.

B．A complete guide to visiting the Zahamena National Park.

C．Details of Zahamena National Park's great efforts in conservation.

D．Reasons for Zahamena National Park becoming a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

4 . The black cloud rising every day at sunset in the Chihuahuan Desert went largely ignored for thousands of years. Native Americans noticed it, but did not track its source. Cowboys thought the cloud was smoke pouring from the earth, and avoided it.

In June of 1901, however, a teenage cowboy named Jim White happened to see the large, black cloud. He was curious and went to investigate. Instead of finding a volcano, as he had imagined, he discovered something equally amazing. It was a big mass of bats. Two days later, he returned with a lantern to explore further. It took him so long that his lantern went out. He managed to refill it with just enough oil to find his way back to the entrance.

The next time Jim White went to the cave, he brought a friend and supplies. They explored for three days and returned with descriptions that were so fantastic that few people believed them. The cowboys on nearby farms and the people in the tiny town of Carlsbad treated Jim’s stories as tall tales and nothing more.

After years of exploring the caves and finding no one to believe his stories, Jim White decided to create his own tourist attraction. He established trails (路线) along the paths he had found. One day in 1915, two men asked Jim for a tour. After seeing the caves, the men returned with a professional photographer named Ray V. Davis. Local doubts were finally put to rest by the photographs of the hidden beauty that Jim had discovered. All 13 locals of Carlsbad finally took a tour of the caves, which came to be known as Carlsbad Caverns.

In 1923, the government sent an official named Robert Holly to tour the caves. Later that year, the caves were stated a national monument (古迹), and in 1930 they became a national park. Jim White lived to see the Carlsbad Caverns become world-famous. Today, tourists can hike to and tour some of the 100 known caves in this huge natural wonder, thanks to the cowboy from New Mexico.

1. What do we know about the black cloud?

A．It was discovered in 1901.	B．It was noticed by accident.
C．It was actually a mass of bats.	D．It was smoke from the earth.

2. Who joined Jim’s third exploration?

A．Jim’s friend.	B．A photographer.
C．Robert Holly.	D．13 locals of Carlsbad.

3. What can we conclude about the public’s recognition of Carlsbad Caverns?

A．It made Jim White rich.	B．It was an easy process.
C．It happened before 1915.	D．It came true thanks to the photos.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．A Brave Cowboy	B．A Hidden Wonder
C．A Worthwhile Invention	D．A Nationwide Contribution

5 . The following properties which the World Heritage Committee has decided to include on the List of World Heritage are in danger according to Article 11 (4) of the Convention (公约).

Virunga National Park (Democratic Republic of the Congo)

Virunga National Park, covering an area of 790,000 ha., includes an outstanding diversity of habitats, ranging from swamps and steppes (沼泽和平原) to the snowfields. Mountain gorillas are also found in the park.

Cultural Landscape and Archaeological Remains of the Bamiyan Valley (Afghanistan)

The cultural landscape and archaeological remains of the Bamiyan Valley stand for the artistic and religious developments which from the 1st to the 13th centuries characterized ancient Bakhtria. The area contains a number of Buddhist monastic ensembles (佛教寺院), as well as strong buildings from the Islamic period.

Okapi Wildlife Reserve (Democratic Republic of the Congo)

The Okapi Wildlife Reserve occupies about one-fifth of the Ituri forest in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The reserve contains threatened species of primates and birds surviving in the wild. It also has some amazing scenery, including waterfalls on the Ituri and Epulu rivers. The reserve is inhabited by traditional nomadic pygmy Mbuti and Efe hunters.

Historic Center of Vienna (Austria)

Vienna developed from early Celtic and Roman settlements into a Medieval and Baroque city, the capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It played an important role as a leading European music center, from the great age of Viennese Classicism through the early part of the 20th century.

1. Which of the following world heritage sites is located in Afghanistan?

A．Virunga National Park.	B．Historic Centre of Vienna.
C．Okapi Wildlife Reserve.	D．Cultural Landscape and Archaeological Remains of the Bamiyan Valley.

2. What’s the characteristic of the Okapi Wildlife Reserve?

A．It’s closely related to Buddhism.	B．It has some fascinating natural scenery.
C．It has an outstanding variety of habitats.	D．It plays an important role as a leading music center.

3. What do the four world heritage sites have in common?

A．They are all in danger.	B．They are open to the public.
C．They are inhabited by local people.	D．They are to be removed from the World Heritage List.

6 . 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。

Every day we use energy. We use it for cooking, for heating and for lighting our cities. The energy comes from many different     1     (source). It can come from the sun, wind and water, but the energy we depend on the most comes from deep inside the Earth. These include coal, oil, and natural gas.

These fuels come from the remains of plants and animals. It takes millions of years     2     (make) them. However, with the world’s population     3    (grow), more and more of these fuels are dug up from the ground. Yet these fuels are non-renewable. When they     4    (use) up, they will be gone forever.

We need to have a strong sense of     5    (responsible) and it’s high time for us to think about     6     we can help save energy and preserve these fuels.

What about turning off anything     7     (electricity) we are not using? That’s a start! We can also recycle things such as newspapers, cans, bottles, and plastic—including plastic bags. Plastic bags start out as either oil     8     coal, and one big city can use millions of plastic bags in a year. When we use recycled things, it takes less energy     9     making something new.

Cars consume a lot of fuel, but there     10     (be) a variety of measures that car owners can take to preserve fuel. Try asking your family whether we can take a bus or walk instead of using the car.

7 . 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.

2. What is Clarke's guess about “The Thing”？

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.

3. How did Legendre test Clarke's guess?

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"・

4. What does "their theory" in the last paragraph refer to?

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.

8 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. Where is Stonehenge located?

A．In Egypt.

B．In China.

C．In England.

2. When did Stonehenge start to be built?

A．In 4000 BC.

B．Between 3000 and 2000 BC.

C．In 1600 BC.

3. What does the speaker say about Stonehenge?

A．It was built in stages.

B．It's the oldest construction in the world.

C．The supporting stones are 2.29 meters tall.

4. What do most scientists think about Stonehenge?

A．It's a royal palace.

B．It's a religious site.

C．It's a burial ground.

9 . 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.     1     The Venetian council voted against a measure to fight climate change just a few moments before their chamber (会议厅) flooded.

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.     2     Natural and man-made heritage sites throughout the world are in danger of being damaged or destroyed by climate change.

    3     Some will be hit by flooding, like Venice, others by extreme weather events or rising temperatures. For instance, George Town, the capital of the Malaysian state Penang faces rising sea levels, landslides and more severe typhoons, while Yellowstone ecosystem in the western United States faces melting snows, more frequent wildfires and a changing ecosystem.

Changes in the ocean will have a profound impact on many of these sites.     4     And rising sea levels threaten to wash away many of the world’s great archaeological sites.

Experts say that the solutions to saving these sites will be varied, but many will be very expensive.     5    

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.