Friday and Saturday were full of surprises for Chinese, as two places in China were listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites. The first, a World Natural Heritage, is composed of a series of migratory bird sanctuaries(候鸟保护地)along the coast of the Yellow Sea in Yancheng, East China's Jiangsu Province. The second, the Liangzhu Archaeological Site in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province, was listed as a World Cultural Heritage site.
China began the application process for the bird sanctuaries in 2017. It only took two years to successfully complete the process. The reason the migratory bird sanctuary application was successful is because of the special geographical category of the area. It is the largest intertidal mudflat seashore in the world. The success of this application marks the beginning of China's world natural heritage from land to sea. The migratory bird sanctuaries are the central node of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway and many endangered species, especially threatened migratory birds including red- crowned cranes and flamingos, go there to hunt for food during the migration season. The birds usually take a month to finish their migration. At about 10 days into their migration, they must stop and find food in order to have the energy to continue their journey.
Compared to the short turnaround for the World Natural Heritage's application, the Liangzhu application was far more complicated. The application team spent six years making their dream a reality. A lot of archaeological work had to be carried out for the Liangzhu site, which means the application and assessment(评定)process takes a longer time. The site in Liangzhu is evidence of the existence of an early regional state in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River during the late Neolithic period in China, which helps fill in the gaps in the history of the rice-cultivating civilizations of China and East Asia more than 5000 years ago. The site was one of the 20th century's most important archaeological discoveries in China.
With these two new additions, China now has 55 World Heritage sites, the highest number in the world. The successful application means greater responsibility and obligations(义务). Protecting these places is much more important and is our future work. The new status of the migratory bird sanctuaries might boost local tourism industries but this too poses a challenge as local governments will need to control tourist volume so as not to impact the birds' migration patterns. Meanwhile, the sheer area that the Liangzhu Archaeological Site covers, some 14.3 square kilometers, makes protection a difficult issue to handle. Those workings at the site are busy constructing protective shelters for the site and even reburying certain areas to protect them from exposure. Plans are also underway to build a local museum for the storage and display of artifacts, so visitors can come and learn more about the history of the nation.
1.What is special about the migratory bird sanctuaries?
A.It's the first China's world natural heritage on the sea.
B.It provides safe habitats for endangered species.
C.It's located along the coast of the Yellow River.
D.It supplies abundant fresh water to migratory birds.
2.According to Paragraph 2, how do migratory bird sanctuaries protect birds?
A.By creating warm places to produce baby birds.
B.By preventing them from being killed by hunters.
C.By providing food supplies during their migration.
D.By curing the endangered birds after their journey.
3.Why is Liangzhu chosen for the world heritage site?
A.It shows the long history of China.
B.It proves the wisdom of the people.
C.It witnesses the civilization of an age.
D.It reveals the food of the late Neolithic.
4.What is the last paragraph mainly talking about?
A.The application success's promotion of tourism.
B.Chinese responsibilities after the successful application.
C.The two places' influence on Chinese history.
D.Chinese challenge of protecting birds' migration.
Taktak tabulaba?
You probably don’t know how to answer that question---unless you happen to be one of the about 430 people in the world who speak a language called Matukar Panau. Then you would know it means “What are we doing?” Matukar Panau is one of the world’s rarest languages. It is spoken in just two small coastal villages in Papua New Guinea.
Several years ago, David Harrison, a language expert didn’t know much about Matukar Panau either. No one had ever recorded or even studied its words and rules. With so few speakers, the language risked disappearing soon. It was endangered.
Harrison didn’t want that to happen to Matukar Panau. So in 2009, he set out for Papua New Guinea. His goal: use modern technology to help the remaining speakers preserve their native tongue.
But Matukar Panau is far from the only language facing loss. Studies suggest that by the end of this century, nearly half of the 7,000 languages now spoken worldwide could disappear. They’re in danger partly because the only people left speaking them are elderly adults, Harrison says. When those individuals die, their language will die with them. In addition, children may discard a native language and instead use more common global languages, such as Chinese, English or Spanish.
In the United States alone, 134 native American languages are endangered. Harrison says, “language hotspots” exist all over the world. These are places with endangered languages that haven’t been recorded. They include the state of Oklahoma, pockets of central and eastern Siberia, parts of northern Australia and communities in South America.
1.The purpose of using the question “Taktak tabulaba?” is to ________.
A.introduce a new foreign language
B.introduce the topic of the text
C.show the difficulty understanding Matukar Panau
D.stress the importance of Matukar Panau
2.The underline word “discard” in Paragraph 4 means _______.
A.get rid of B.pick up
C.hear of D.learn about
3.The last two paragraphs imply that endangered languages are _________.
A.dying quickly in Siberia
B.popular in some special places
C.becoming a worldwide problem
D.some native tongues
Teens For Planet Earth
This is a social networking site for teenagers who want to get involved in protecting our planet. They can connect with other green-minded teens, choose a project or create their own. Teens For Planet Earth encourages young folks to get busy in their own communities. They offer guidance on local projects with categories such as habitats, animals, water and education. Awards are given to active members.
Meez
At Meez, teens can create their own avatars(头像), rooms and virtual pets. It is a social community of creative people that combines avatars, virtual worlds and games. Meez offers contests and chat as well as homework help, a fashion central and a writers’ corner. A chat area for younger teens is available. Other areas are music, geek(极客)central, art and sports.
Cyberteens
Cyberteens is another cool site that celebrates the teen years. Here teenagers can find community, games, and news. There is a link called “creativity” where teens can share their poems, stories, photos and artwork. The “cool links” section offers a huge variety of options to the curious teens. This site also has surveys and helps with jobs and school work.
Student.com
Student.com is a resource site for teens and high school students. Its social network has over 900,000 members. Members earn points to win prizes just by browsing and they offer several multi-player games. Points are used to buy items at auction(拍卖会). Student.com is filled with useful information and articles.
1.What is Teens For Planet Earth aimed to?
A.Set up a project.
B.Give awards to teens.
C.Get young folks busy.
D.Give advice on local projects.
2.What makes Student.com special among these websites?
A.It has the most members.
B.Teens can read articles on it.
C.It offers help on school work.
D.Teens can make purchases on it.
3.What can we infer about the websites mentioned in the text?
A.They provide game platforms.
B.They benefit teens in their social life.
C.They award outstanding teens.
D.They offer various study guidance.
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.Where is this interview taking place?
A.In Tokyo. B.In Istanbul. C.In Paris.
2.How much longer will the woman’s trip take?
A.More than seven months. B.Twelve months. C.Five months.
3.What did the woman like about the Middle East?
A.The people. B.The scenery. C.The climate.
4.Why can’t the woman go on a regular vacation?
A.She is too busy. B.She is going to the Olympic Games instead.
C.She doesn’t care about seeing the world.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.Why is the woman calling?
A.To take a survey. B.To ask for a contribution.
C.To give the man some information.
2.What is included in the report?
A.Names. B.ID card numbers. C.Addresses.
3.Where does the woman work?
A.In a factory. B.In a police station. C.In a company.
4.What does the man probably want to forget?
A.All the beans he ate. B.His childhood. C.His former wife.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.When is the new appointment?
A.Friday at 2:30 p.m. B.Friday at 4:30 p.m. C.Wednesday at 9:00 p.m.
2.Where does the conversation most likely take place?
A.In a hospital. B.In a meeting room. C.On the phone.
