1 . It’s safe to say Yellowstone National Park is still looking good at the ripe old age of 150. The park, which stretches into Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho, is known for its unique natural scenery, bountiful wildlife, and deep history. It also helped usher (引领) in the broader national park movement in the U.S., according to Chuck Sams, the director of the National Park Service.

“We now celebrate something much bigger than the park itself —the beginning of the national park idea, an idea that spread through the country and around the world, inspiring governments to protect natural and cultural treasures ‘for the benefit and enjoyment of the people,’” he said in a statement.

Yellowstone is home to the largest concentration of mammals in the lower 48 states. Bears, wolves, coyotes, moose, and a large population of small animals can be found in the park. It’s also the only place in the U.S. where bison (野牛) have lived continuously since prehistoric limes. It was looking risky for a period in the 1900s, when die animal was hunted down from a previous high of tens of thousands to less than two dozen. This bison conservation effort continues to this day.

Yellowstone shut its gates in March 2020 due to coronavirus concerns and remained closed for nearly two months. But the park broke attendance records after it reopened. The park reported 4.9 million recreation visits in 2021 — up 28% from 2020 and making it the busiest year on record, July 2021 was die most-visited month in Yellowstone’s history and the first lime visitation exceeded l million visits in a single month. It’s Yellowstone’s natural beauty and deep history that brings millions of visitors each year.

“Yellowstone’s 150th anniversary will be an important moment in time for the world,” said Yellowstone Superintendent Cam Sholly. “It’s an opportunity for us to reflect on the lessons of the old days while focusing our efforts to strengthen Yellowstone and our many partnerships for the future.”

1. What does Paragraph 1 mainly tell us about Yellowstone National Park?

A．Its vast area.	B．Its long history.
C．Its significant role.	D．Its fantastic views.

2. What is a direct result of the bison conservation effort?

A．An increase in the park’s income.	B．A growth in bison population.
C．Damage to local ecology.	D．Improvement of species richness.

3. What is the author’s attitude towards increasing tourists?

A．Positive.

B．Unclear.

C．Disapproving.

D．Concerned.

4. What does Sholly say about Yellowstone’s 150th anniversary?

A．It reminds participants to strive for a shared future.

B．It leads people to rethink the idea of the park.

C．Its celebration mil take place as scheduled.

D．Its past shows long-term conservation efforts count.

2 . 你校英文报正在进行主题为“World Cultural Heritage in China”的征文活动，请你写一篇短文投稿，介绍一项中国的世界文化遗产（如长城、故宫、莫高窟、兵马俑、西湖……）。内容包括：
1. 基本情况；
2. 文化特色。
注意：1. 词数100左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3. 题目自拟。
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4 . 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.

2. Why are there so many saying about the Orloj?

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.

3. Why did the author write this text?

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.

4. What’s the main idea of this text?

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.

5 . 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。

Over the last 100 years, many dinosaur egg fossils(化石)     1    (find), but finding one with a well-preserved embryo(胚胎) inside is extremely rare. A dinosaur embryo     2    (date) back to 66 million years ago was recently discovered in Ganzhou, Jiangxi Province. The    3    (perfect) preserved fossil is helping researchers understand the link between modern birds and their dinosaur ancestors.

The egg,     4    was named “Baby Yingliang”, is placed in the Yingliang Stone Nature History Museum in Fujian Province. The creature     5    (measure) 27 centimeters from head to tail, and it lies inside a 17-centimeter-long egg. Its position within the egg indicates that these dinosaurs developed     6    birdlike position close to hatching, according to the study published in the journal iScience in 2021. 

Paleontologists believe it belongs to a toothless dinosaur     7    (call) Oviraptor. They had varied beaks(喙) and body sizes,     8    they can adopt a wide range of diets. Team member Steve Brusatte from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, told China Daily that this little dinosaur looks just like a baby bird in its egg, providing more evidence that many features of today’s birds first evolved in their ancestors.

Dinosaur embryos are some of the rarest fossils and most of them are incomplete with the bones dislocated. The embryo is preserved     9    great condition and helps us answer many questions about dinosaurs’     10    (grow).

6 . Humans are responsible for 25% to 40% more of the total share of methane emissions(甲烷排放)than previously estimated, according to a new study in Nature.

Methane is one of the most powerful and effective greenhouse gases: about 28 times more effective than carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere. It's responsible for about a quarter of global warming. It's produced naturally by animals, volcanoes, and wetlands, but it's also a byproduct of oil and gas production. It's this last form of methane that the study focused on.

Researchers used ice core measurements from Greenland from 1750 to 2013, plus previous data from Antarctica. They melted the ice to let the small quantities of ancient air trapped inside come out. These act a bit like time capsules,allowing us to learn about the methane in the atmosphere at the time. They used carbon-14, which comes from living things, as a substitute(替代物)to determine whether the methane they found came from biological sources. Until 1870, around the time when we started using fossil(化石)fuels, almost all methane came from these sources. After that, there was a rise in methane that didn't have any carbon-14, from ancient fossil sources in which carbon-14 had disappeared. That allowed the researchers to compare natural methane with methane caused by human activity.

If more methane is created by humans, there's an even bigger opportunity to control how much we release. Methane stays in the atmosphere for only a decade(compared with 200 years for carbon dioxide). So efforts to cut methane, which mostly comes from the production and transportation of gas and oil, could bring great benefit right away.

1. Which methane source does the study focus on?

A．Animals.

B．Wetlands.

C．Volcanoes.

D．Fossil fuels.

2. What can we learn from this text?

A．Methane comes mainly from animals and wetlands.

B．There is more methane than carbon dioxide in the air.

C．Fossil fuels have been used about a century and a half.

D．Methane will remain permanently in the atmosphere.

3. What is the author's attitude towards methane control?

A．Optimistic.

B．Skeptical.

C．Disappointed.

D．Unconcermed

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

A．Fossil Fuels Cause Global Pollution

B．Humans Produce More Methane than We Thought

C．Methane Is the Biggest Cause for Global Warming

D．Carbon Dioxide Has Less Impact on Climate than Methane

7 . Cultural heritage is really important in terms of promoting tourism of a place as it helps develop the local economy. But it certainly does not stop there. There is a deeper significance on preserving our cultural heritage than the possibility of bringing income for local communities. It is understanding and appreciating our way of life as a people.

Our cultural heritage is what connects the past and the present, which can be helpful to the future. There is wisdom as to how buildings were built a certain way during ancient (古代)times. We can pick a learning or two from them that can be more effective when we blend (融合) with our modern practices.

It is also our connecting bridge to cultures that share similarities with us, strengthening our ethnic bond as a human race. It also enhances our societies as we find fulfillment and pride in shaping our cultural identity.

Understanding our cultural heritage also influences our understanding of our humanity (人性). Why some of them disappear is partially because of lack of understanding why they were being done in the first place. Historian Simon Thurley views it as a cycle: by understanding cultural heritage, we come to value it; by valuing it, we want to care for it: by caring for it, we enjoy it and help other people enjoy it, too; and from enjoying it, people thirst to understand.

1. What does the underlined sentence probably mean?

A．Promoting tourism should be stopped.

B．Our way of life as a people matters a lot.

C．Developing the local economy doesn't make sense.

D．Preserving cultural heritage doesn't only benefit economy.

2. Why does the author mention ancient buildings in paragraph 2?

A．To tell people they are out of date.	B．To show cultural heritage is helpful.
C．To stress old buildings are amazing.	D．To prove modern buildings are effective.

3. What's the passage mainly about?

A．The promotion of cultural tourism.	B．The influence of culture on lifestyle.
C．The importance of cultural heritage.	D．The disappearance of cultural heritage.

8 . 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.

9 . 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.

10 . 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。

Gulangyu Island, off the coast of Xiamen, Fujian, was certificated a world heritage site by UNESCO. Every year,     1     (million) of Chinese people visit Gulangyu Island     2     (enjoy) its natural delights and the     3     (combine) of foreign and Chinese architecture.

The recognition of this beautiful and     4     (cultural) remarkable island is     5     honor. But the fact that it is a heritage site means much more than that. The word “heritage” refers to the     6     (value) things we inherit from the past. And there are over 1,000 UNESCO’s world heritage sites,     7     (make) a rich tapestry (织锦) of memories, both natural and man-made. Just     8     a time machine, they take us back to our ancestors and even earlier, enabling us to wonder at both the natural world and human history.

Gulangyu Island and every world heritage item are worthy of care and protection. Since they came into existence, they     9     (remind) us of our rich and various cultural significance, and the things that made us     10     we are.