1 . The New York Times bestselling author Dan Brown is famous for the novel, The Da Vinci Code, published in 2003. The award-winning author is back with another book Inferno, which is set in Florence, Italy. Now we are highlighting a few of the amazing places in Florence mentioned in the novel Inferno.

Boboli Gardens

The Boboli Gardens are one of the most famous open-air museums in Florence. The park sits at the heart of the city. It features breathtaking landscapes and stone statues. In Brown’s novel, Boboli Gardens are the site where characters, Robert Langdon and Sienna Brooks, escape from mysterious men who are chasing them.

Ponte vecchio

Ponte Vecchio is the oldest bridge in Florence and was the only bridge in the city until the construction of the Ponte alla Carraia in 1218. The current bridge was rebuilt in 1345 and still stands today. Ponte Vecchio is also one of the most historically relevant landmarks in Florence. In the book, Brown mentions a tragic incident which happened on Ponte Vecchio.

Signoria Palace and Museum

Signoria Palace and Museum is a huge square, which was named after the Palazzo della Signoria and also called Palazzo Vecchio. It is important in the history of the Florence.

Florence Cathedral

Florence Cathedral is the most famous church in Italy. The cathedral was built in 1296 and completed in 1436. Florence Cathedral is located in Piazza del Duomo. It is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Florence. In the novel Inferno, the cathedral contains clues about the origins of the city.

1. What can we learn about Ponte Vecchio?

A．It was completed in 1218.

B．It is one of the landmarks in Florence.

C．It is the only bridge in the city.

D．It is the site where Robert Langdon escapes.

2. Which has the information about the origins of Florence?

A．Boboli Gardens.	B．Ponte Vecchio.
C．Signoria Palace and Museum.	D．Florence Cathedral.

3. Where does the text probably come from?

A．A travel guidebook.	B．The novel Inferno.
C．The novel The Da Vinci Code.	D．A geography textbook.

2 . The Chicago Fire of 1871 was the worst disaster of the 19th century.

The fire is said to have started one evening in Mrs. O’Leary’s barn (牲口棚) on the West Side of Chicago. Several hours after she milked her cow, it kicked over an oil lamp, and the cow started the fire. We do not know if the story is true, but we do know that the fire began in a barn on the West Side.

The fire spread quickly because of the wooden buildings, a strong wind, and a dry season. The fire lasted 27 hours and spread to all parts of the city. Other cities sent 25 fire companies to help put out the fire. Federal troops (联邦军队) were also used to help fight the fire and keep order, too. At last rain put out the fire.

There was a lot of damage. 90,000 people were homeless, and 18,000 buildings were destroyed. Property damage (财产损失) was almost 200 million dollars. In addition, about 300 people died.

People from all over the world helped Chicago by sending food and clothing. Within a month, 4,000 cottages (小屋) with two rooms had been built. In a few years, Chicago was completely rebuilt.

1. Which parts of the city were hurt by the fire?

A．The West Side.	B．The South Side and the East Side.
C．The North Side.	D．All sides.

2. How many people lost their lives in the fire?

A．90,000.

B．18,000.

C．almost 200.

D．about 300.

3. People who stayed in Chicago after the fire showed__________ .

A．courage

B．fear

C．weakness

D．laziness

4. What helped to spread and to end the fire?

A．A cow.

B．Firemen.

C．The weather.

D．Carelessness.

3 . Discoveries at the famous Sanxingdui ruins in Southwest China show that the region’s ancient Shu Kingdom Civilization shared similarities with the Maya.

The Sanxingdui ruins belonged to the Shu Kingdom that existed at least 4,800 years ago and lasted more than 2,000 years, while the Mayan civilization built its city-states around 200 AD.

The bronze-made remains of tress unearthed at the ruins of the Shu Kingdom resemble the sacred ceiba tree, which symbolized the union of heaven, earth and the underworld in the Mayan civilization. “They are very important similarities,” says Santos, a Mexican archaeologist (考古学家) stressing that “the representations of tress in both cultures provide a symbolism that is very similar”.

The findings at the Sanxingdui ruins, considered one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of the 20th century, also show a new aspect of Bronze Age culture, indicating the ancient civilization already had technologies that were thought to have been developed much later.

While the lime span between the Shu kingdom and the Mayan culture is great, the findings highlight the closeness between the two civilizations. They developed in areas with comparable climates and reflected their worldview through related symbols. “In the end, man is still man, independent of time and space. What we have is that, at this latitude (纬度), both the Shu people and the Mayans looked at the same sky and had the same stars on the horizon,” the expert says.

One notable feature of the recent discoveries at Sanxingdui was the cross-subject work and technology applied by teams of Chinese archaeologists, which allowed the unearthing of artifacts as fragile as silk remains, which other types of less careful digging methods would not have been able to register.

Cooperation between Chinese and Mexican archaeologists could benefit projects in the Mayan world, where the rainy climate and humidity are problematic for the conservation of ruins.

“Every time our cultural knowledge increases, regardless of whether we speak one language or another, what it shows us is that we continue to be sister cultures and, therefore, the exchange of such knowledge is fundamental,” says Santos.

1. What is a similarity between the Shu Kingdom and Maya civilization?

A．Their starting time.

B．Their historical origins.

C．Their cultural symbols.

D．Their ceremony traditions.

2. The findings at the Sanxingdui ruins have proved that ______.

A．silk was a common clothing material then

B．some technologies were developed much earlier

C．the Bronze Age started earlier than previously assumed

D．the Shu Kingdom and the Mayan world had close contact

3. What is a common challenge for the conservation of both ruins?

A．Damp weather.	B．Positioning of ruins.
C．High latitude.	D．Language barriers.

4. What is the focus of Santos quote in the last paragraph?

A．The future of the China-Mexico cooperation.

B．The benefits of speaking a different language.

C．The importance of the exchange of cultural knowledge.

D．The increasing sisterhood in culture between China and Mexico.