2022-2023学年广东省广东北江实验中学高二下学期3月月考英语试题
1. Yosemite National Park has long been a place of inspiration for artists, climbers, and nature lovers.
Yosemite Falls
Repeatedly coming into view over treetops and around corners as you drive through the valley, the falls look different from every angle, and it’s impossible to take your eyes off. You don’t have to hike or even get out of your car to appreciate this waterfall, but the most complete view of the falls is from the start of the Yosemite Falls hike, along the route on the left side of the river. You can walk right to the base of the falls with minimum effort and feel the mist sweeping over you.
Half Dome
Half Dome is one of Yosemite’s most famous sites and particularly well-known in the climbing world for being one of the first “big climbs”. This granite icon (花岗岩雕像) looks m
uch different depending on the angle you are viewing it from. Looking up at the sheer rock face from the valley, you can appreciate why climbers have been drawn here. The best place to view it is from the lookout at Glacier Point. From here, you get a true picture of the rock and how much higher it stands than the surrounding mountains.
EI Capitan
Popular among climbers, EI Capitan is a 3, 000-footsheer rock face on the north side of Yosemite Valley. Although it may not seem like it, El Capitan is actually 1,000 feet higher than the face of Half Dome. EI Capitan gained interest with the free solo climb of Alex Honnold in June of 2017, and the Academy Award winning documentary film, Free Solo. He became the first person to climb EI Capitan without ropes, and completely unaided.
Tunnel View
The most classic view of Yosemite Valley is from Tunnel View. This vista, which will feel very familiar to most climbers, stretches out to EI Capitan on the left, Bridalveil Fall on the
right, Half Dome in the distance, and also takes in the lush valley at the base of the huge granite walls. The best time to appreciate this scene is in the afternoon, when the walls are bathed in sunlight.
1. Which place can you walk to without much effort?
A．Yosemite Falls.
B．Half Dome.
C．EI Capitan.
D．Tunnel View.
2. What do Half Dome and EI Capitan have in common?
A．They have their granite icons.
ignore the waste behind youB．They are well received by climbers.
C．They are actually of the same height.
D．They rise to fame because of a celebrity.
3. What can we learn about Tunnel View?
A．You can appreciate Yosemite Valley from it.
B．Bridalveil Fall is on its left.
C．Tourists seldom visit it.
D．Half Dome is within walking distance of it.
2. Before arriving in China in 2017, I had read various books relating to China, and the seeds of my fascination were sown.
Therefore, when I arrived, I couldn’t have been more excited to be living in this huge historically and culturally rich country. The food, the landmarks, the mega cities and everyday life — I couldn’t wait to explore.
Yet despite my enthusiasm, learning Chinese hadn’t even entered my mind. This wasn’t ignorance or laziness, but rather fear at the prospect of attempting to learn what is regarded as the most difficult language in the world. Besides this, I was living in Shanghai, an international city, with many people speaking English as a second language — I decided English would suffice.
However, after a year in China I began to observe that while many expats did not speak Chinese, there were plenty who did. Perhaps it was achievable after all? In addition I felt uncomfortable with how many Chinese people could speak English and yet I couldn’t even speak the most basic Chinese. With these factors in mind and a thirst for a new chal
lenge I decided to begin my language journey and my only regret is that I didn’t start earlier.
Learning to speak Chinese isn’t as insurmountable as I once assumed. When I speak to native Chinese speakers in Chinese, they almost always understand me, I have also not found it too difficult to remember characters and I am now even able to write over 400 characters. The thing I find most challenging is listening since native speakers talk at such a speed. I can’t always understand what’s been said.
My biggest takeaway from learning Chinese is that it’s not only doable but can also be enjoyable. Learning Chinese not only helped me in day-to-day life, but deepened my cultural understanding of such a diverse and fascinating country. So, to all my non-Chinese friends I say this, embrace the challenge and take the leap of faith.
1. Why didn’t the author learn Chinese when he arrived in China in 2017?