Sri Lanka is known as the “Pearl of the India...

Sri Lanka is known as the “Pearl of the Indian Ocean”, and it is easy to see why. This little country never fails to please visitors.

Arrive

The national airline is Sri Lankan Airlines, which flies from Colombo to London and a couple of other European cities. The country’s main airport is Colombo Bandaranaike, located 29km north of the capital city.

Why now?

The best time to visit Sri Lanka’s southern beaches is from November to April. So by going early in the season, you’ll get the best weather. Also in November, Deepavali, known as “Diwali” or the “Festival of Lights”, is Sri Lanka’s main religious festival, celebrated throughout the country.

See

There is plenty to see in Sri Lanka. The ancient capital cities of Polonnaruwa and Anuradhapura are worth seeing, and so are many outstanding ruins. Other mustsees are the rock fortress (要塞) of Sigiriya, towering over the jungle as far as the eye can see, and Dambulla’s cave temple, the country’s largest and best preserved. Both are UNESCO World Heritage (遗产) Sites. Kandy is a picture-like town, which was the last stronghold of the Kandyan Kings. Today it is a cultural relic centre where age-old customs, arts, and crafts remain.

Do

Sri Lanka owns about 1,600km of beautiful palm-shaded beaches as well as warm, pure seas and colorful coral reefs. You can explore the underwater world, and surfing and diving are available too. Away from the shore, wildlife is a big draw for Sri Lanka, and Yala National Park is one of the best places in the word to see wild animals including leopards (豹) and elephants.

Taste

Sri Lanka is celebrated for its excellent food, with a particular emphasis on fresh fruit and vegetables on menus everywhere. Fish and seafood are a big part of the local diet.

Did you know?

Sri Lanka is known for its tea, but it is also the world’s largest producer and exporter of cinnamon(肉桂).

1.Which of the following is a cultural relic centre of Sri Lanka?

A. Kandy.　　　　　 B. Anuradhapura.

C. Polonnaruwa.　　 D. Colombo.

2.If you want to know something about “Diwali”, you’d better go there in　　　　　　 .

A. September.　　　 B. October.　　　　　 C. November.　　　 D. May.

3.We learn from the passage that Sri Lanka 　　　　 .

A. is in the Pacific Ocean

B. is famous for its excellent food

C. is the world’s largest producer of tea

D. has only flights to London

4.The author wrote the article in order to　　　　 .

A. introduce the picturesque landscape of Sri Lanka

B. let readers know what is famous for in Sri Lanka

C. make Sri Lanka well known throughout the world

D. let people get more travel information about Sri Lanka

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Sri Lanka is known as the “Pearl of the Indian Ocean”, and it is easy to see why. This little country never fails to please visitors.

Arrive

The national airline is Sri Lankan Airlines, which flies from Colombo to London and a couple of other European cities. The country,s main airport is Colombo Bandaranaike, located 29km north of the capital city.

Best visiting-time

The best time to visit Sri Lanka’s southern beaches is from November to April. So by going early in the season, you’ll get the best weather. Also in November, Deepavali, known as “Diwali” or the “Festival of Lights”, is Sri Lanka,s main religious festival, celebrated throughout the country.

See

There is plenty to see in Sri Lanka. The ancient capital cities of Polonnaruwa and Anuradhapura are worth seeing, and so are many outstanding ruins. Other mustsees are the rock fortress (要塞) of Sigiriya, towering over the jungle as far as the eye can see, and Dambulla,s cave temple, the country,s largest and best preserved. Both are UNESCO World Heritage (遗产) Sites. Kandy is a picturesque town, which was the last stronghold of the Kandyan Kings. Today it is a cultural relic centre where old customs, arts, and crafts remain.

Do Sri Lanka owns about 1,600 km of beautiful palm-shaded beaches as well as warm, pure seas and colorful coral reefs. You can explore the underwater world, and surfing and diving are available too. Away from the shore, wildlife is a big draw for Sri Lanka, and Yala National Park is one of the best places in the word to see wild animals including leopards (豹) and elephants.

Taste

Sri Lanka is celebrated for its excellent food, with a particular emphasis on fresh fruit and vegetables on menus everywhere. Fish and seafood are a big part of the local diet.

Did you know? Sri Lanka is known for its tea, but it is also the world ’s largest producer and exporter of cinnamon(肉桂).

60. Which of the following is a cultural relic centre of Sri Lanka?

A. Kandy.             B. Anuradhapura.           C. Polonnaruwa.        D. Colombo.

61.If you want to know something about “Diwali”, you’ d better go there in________.

A. September.     B. October.          C. November.     D. May.

62. We learn from the passage that Sri Lanka         .

A. is in the Pacific Ocean              B. is famous for its excellent food

C. is the world,s largest producer of tea     D. has only flights to London

63. The author wrote the article in order to         .

A. introduce the picturesque landscape of Sri Lanka

B. let readers know what is famous for in Sri Lanka

C. make Sri Lanka well known throughout the world

D. let people get more travel information about Sri Lanka

高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

Madagascar lies in the Indian Ocean off the east coast of Africa. The island is perhaps best known as the unique home of the lemur (狐猴）. But those lemurs live among some of the most rich and varied flora (植物群）in the world. And so threatened is that flora that British and Malagasy scientists were involved in a project to collect seeds from the island to be stored in a British seed bank. The project is being done by the Royal Botanic Garden in London. The botanist Steward Cable is head of the conservation center there and a frequent visitor of the island.

I mean Madagascar is well known as one of the top biodiversity hot spots in the world. It has perhaps 13,000 plant species. 90% of those are unique to the country, i.e. found nowhere else in the world. But also many species, many of those species are only found in small areas.　　　 And I would say that probably about 80% of the population are dependent on farming.

And a lot of their farming is slash and burn，shifting cultivation (耕作）where farmers have to move to a new patch of forest every year. They cut it and they burn it and they can grow dry rice or cassava for a year or so or two years at most.And the nutrients are gone and they have　 to move to a new patch of forest .And for centuries that would not have been a problem with the low population and with long periods of no farming but people returning after three or five years something like that ,then the forest became grassland. So we are losing many of those species in Madagascar, those unique species.

1.which of the following is the habitat of the lemur?

A.Madagascar B.Britain

C.An Indian island. D.The coast

2.Why do scientists collect seeds from Madagascar?

A.The lemur will die out without them.

B.The flora on Madagascar is in great danger.

C.The island will sink to the bottom of the ocean.

D.The British seed bank wants to make money from them.

3.What is the result of the way people farm?

A.Many farmers have lost their homes. B.The population is becoming smaller.

C.Some rare species are gone. D.The crops are poor in nutrition.

4.How does the author sound?

A.Hopeless. B.Enthusiastic. C.Optimistic. D.Worried.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

My partner and I were staying in Beruwela on the Southwest coast of Sri Lanka when the tsunami(海啸) hit. We 1 from the first floor of our hotel. At that time, a wall of water swept in and tore the ground floor apart underneath us. 2 to be moved out to Colombo was very frightening because everyone was afraid that another and possibly bigger 3 would come. At one stage we heard that another wave was coming and there was 4. Surprisingly, a fleet of small vehicles driven by local people arrived outside the hotel and we just 5 a minibus.

We were taken up a hill to a place of 6 where we were welcomed by a family who told us that we could stay as 7 as we needed to. Among all this death and 8, these people were trying to help us! We were shown to the local Mosque where hundreds of locals were cooking, collecting and distributing food and supplies for those less 9. In the three days we were waiting to leave, we saw many examples of ordinary Sri Lankans, many of whom had lost friends, 10 and livelihoods（生计，谋生方式）, trying to help others who were worse off. It was a very moving experience.

We have since been 11 the family who took us in and they are saying that what their country needs most urgently is practical help, doctors, nurses and medicines, helping to 12 roads and rebuilding electricity and water supplies. These people would have done anything to help us, it is time for the British Government to do more to help them.

1.                A．heard          B．watched        C．learnt    D．moved

2.                A．Telling          B．Forcing         C．Waiting   D．Ordering

3.                A．wave          B．flood           C．hurricane D．water

4.                A．panic          B．peace          C．silence   D．violence

5.                A．looked into      B．turned to       C．jumped into   D．broke into

6.                A．safety          B．warmth         C．goodness D．dreams

7.                A．well           B．far             C．soon D．long

8.                A．kindness        B．happiness       C．love D．destruction

9.                A．careful         B．fortunate       C．dependent    D．energetic

10.               A．children        B．experts         C．family D．relatives

11.               A．in honor of      B．by way of       C．in contact with  D．on behalf of

12.               A．make          B．clear           C．clean D．build

高三英语完型填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Illegal removal of coral(珊瑚) along Sri Lanka’s coastline increased the amount of destruction on the island by last December’s tsunami, say researchers.

Harindra Fernando, a fluid dynamicist (力学家) at Arizona State University in Tempe, made the connection after a visit to his native Sri Lanka earlier this year. While serving as a scientific expert and translator for a BBC-documentary team, he chatted with locals who said they saw the tsunami turn sideways when it hit coral—which would have made it less powerful than in coral-free areas. Fernando linked this to trucks he had seen last year carrying piles of coral away from the sea.

Using the eyewitness reports, estimates (估算) of wave heights, and a series of divers to check the presence or absence of corals, Fernando and his colleagues produced a map of coral gaps and wave flooding along Sri Lanka’s southwest coast.

The tsunami reached significantly farther inland through the gaps: in one instance, the water traveled 1.5 kilometres long and knocked a passenger train off its tracks, killing 1,700. But only a few kilometers away, where the coral was still undamaged, the wave travelled just 50 metres inland and caused no deaths.

There is a similar phenomenon. In Nicaragua in 1992, a tsunami poured through a break in the coral reef made to let boats through. “Within this passage, water went one kilometre inland,” says Fernando. “But nearby, where the coral was undamaged, there were still beach umbrellas standing.”

In Sri Lanka, coral is illegally mined to provide souvenirs for tourists, or to be used in house paint. Coral harvesters sometimes blow it up with dynamite (炸药) in order to collect fish at the same time. Often, the reefs in the best shape are those in front of hotels, as the hotel owners maintain them for the tourists. Fernando hopes that his findings will encourage the Sri Lankan government to enforce(实施) its laws against coral mining.

1.Harindra Fernando did all the following EXCEPT ________.

A. serving as a translator for a BBC-documentary team

B. helping the Sri Lankan government enforce its laws against coral mining

C. producing a map of coral gaps along Sri Lanka’s southwest coast

D. linking the coral removal with the destruction of Tsunami

2.The main idea of Paragraph 5 is that________.

A. undamaged coral can greatly decrease tsunami damage

B. coral-free area is a danger to passenger trains

C. in general, water travels 30 times farther inland in a coral-free area

D. it is urgent to enforce laws against coral mining

3.Which of the following may NOT be the cause of coral gaps?

A. Boat passages.                    B. Tourists’ sightseeing.

C. Fish collecting.                  D. Tourists’ souvenirs.

4.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A. Harindra Fernando, a Great Environment Protector

B. Stop Using Coral as Souvenirs

C. Coral Cried “Help! Help!”

D. Coral Mining Enhanced (加剧) Tsunami Damage

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Deep in the middle of Sri Lanka, a massive column of rock reaches out from the green tropical forest. It is 660 feet tall and features frescoes (壁画), graffiti, and landscaped gardens.

The rock is known as Sigiriya and holds a special place in the island's cultural history.

It was established as the stronghold of a king over 1,500 years ago, and today the Sigiriya complex stands as one of the earliest preserved examples of ancient urban planning.

Located in the Central Province, the column of rock is somewhat central to the country. The rock is known as Sihagiri, meaning "Lion Rock", a nod to the giant animal carved from stone which greeted visitors at the entrance.

In 476 BC. King Dhatusena ruled over Sri Lanka. One of his illegal sons, Kashyapa, wanted the throne (王位). Kashyapa overthrew Dhatusena and drove his brother Moggallana to Southern India. Kashyapa crowned himself king in 477 BC.

King Kashyapa chose Sigiriya as his palace because its position was an advantage to the defensive stronghold, offering fantastic 360-degree views. Plans to build a city quickly unfolded and after several years, the Sigiriya complex had become a business center for the new King.

Sigiriya was both a palace and a fortress (堡垒); the overall complex featured five gates and measured just under 3 km by just over 1 km. The site plan consisted of a fort，an upper palace on the top of the rock,and lower palaces at ground level. The king also constructed gardens throughout，and for protection a river with walls surrounded the complex.

Frescoes decorate the western side of the rock, along with the mirror wall, a brick face covered in a highly-polished white plaster. When new, the wall was said to be able to produce Reflections.

Over time the Mirror Wall became a graffiti board, covered in verses written by visitors. Known as "Sigiri Graffiti", some of the messages date to the 8th century CE.

1.It is implied in the passage that Sigiriya was built to ______________.

A.preserve the culture of Sri Lanka B.prove the ancient urban planning

C.keep the King from being attacked D.protect the green tropical forest

2.According to the passage, some visitors would _________.

A.have a reflection before the Mirror Wall

B.leave comments on the Mirror Wall

C.draw beautiful paintings of girls on the wall

D.be lost in thought before the Mirror Wall

3.What do we know about Sigiriya?

A.Its entrance is carved like a lion. B.Its gardens are at ground level.

C.Its western side is a mirror. D.Its palaces are on the top of the rock.

4.What is the best title of the passage?

A.The giant lions in Sri Lanka. B.The pearl of the Indian Ocean.

C.The Lion Rock of Sri Lanka. D.The mirror wall in a rock.

高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

It is said that the engines of Flight MH370____while flying over the Indian Ocean,with all on board killed .

A. broke out　　　　 B. ran out　　　　　　 C. gave out　　　　　　 D. wore out

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Tea production in Sri Lanka has thrived for decades. The tea gardens in Hatton, Sri Lanka are actually large tea estates. The best tea usually comes from plants grown on high grounds, the cool hilltops with rows and rows of tea plants. The plants are about one meter apart. The plant is often pruned so that it remains only 60 to 90 centimeters high. Pruning is important because it encourages the growth of tender shoots, or young leaves. It is from these shoots that the best tea is got.

Practically all the tea pickers are women. The estates prefer to employ women pickers because they are more careful. Their thin fingers can easily remove the twin leaves and new shoots from the plant, which are the parts used for processing tea. The pickers carry large baskets into which they throw their pickings. A skilled worker can harvest between 9 to 14 kilograms of tea leaves a day. Usually new shoots can be picked from the plants about every ten or fifteen days.

Processing tea shoots into our familiar dry tea leaves requires great care and skill. There are various methods of processing depending on the type of tea required. For black tea, the young green leaves are first spread out shelves to dry. This process removes much of its water and the leaves become soft. After this, the leaves are passed through heavy rollers. This operation will press the leaves for juices which give the tea both its color and taste. Then the leaves are spread out on floors and left to ferment（发酵）under wet conditions. Fermentation develops the rich taste of black tea. The fermented leaves are then dried with a hot-air blower until they become rolled-up black leaves. The final step is to sort and grade them before the black tea is ready for sale to countries all over the world.

1.The underlined word “pruning” means “　　　　　　　 ”.

A. reasonable use of chemicals

B. regular cutting of the plants

C. frequent watering

D. loosening the soil

2.How many processing steps are mentioned in the last paragraph?

A. Six　　 　 　　 B. Five　　　 　　　　　　 C.　 Four 　　 D. Three

3.What does the author imply in the passage?

A. Fermentation is a must to enrich the flavour of black tea.

B. Women pickers are welcomed because they can easily find the twin leaves.

C. Tea production has long been prosperous in Sri Lanka.

D. Tea pickings can be done biweekly.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Scientists around the world have been studying the warming of waters in the Pacific Ocean known as El Nino （厄尔尼诺）. The appearance of El Nino is known to affect the weather around the world. Scientists still do not completely understand it. Yet they now find they can use it to tell about the future in different areas of the world.

One example is the work of two scientists at Columbia University in New York, Mark Cane and Gordon Eshel. A scientist of Zimbabwe（津巴布韦）, Roger Buckland worked with them. They have found that when El Nino appears, Zimbabwe has little or no rain. This means corn crops in Zimbabwe are poor. The last El Nino was in 1991 to 1993. That was when southeastern Africa suffered a serious lack of rain.

The scientists wrote about their recent work in the publication（出版物）Nature. Their computer program can tell when an El Nino will develop up to a year before it does. They suggest that this could provide an effective early warning system for southern Africa, and could prevent many people from starving.

1.El Nino is known as ___.

A. the changing of the weather in southern Africa

B. the warming of waters in the Pacific Ocean

C. the weather which brings drought（旱灾）to Africa

D. the weather phenomenon（现象）that brings heavy rains to Africa

2.Scientists study El Nino in order that ___.

A. they can provide a kind of early warning to the place that will suffer from drought

B. they can tell why Zimbabwe has little or no rain

C. they can do some research work in this field.

D. they can put all this information into their computers.

3.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. Scientists come to understand how El Nino appears.

B. Three scientists from the USA work on this subject.

C. Southern Africa suffered a serious drought and many people died from hunger.

D. El Nino has something to do with Zimbabwe’s poor crops.

4.Which of the following is NOT true according to the article?

A. The computer is used in this research work.

B. Scientists know when an El Nino appears by means of the computer program.

C. The scientists published their results of the research work.

D. Nature is the name of the article written recently by the scientists.

5.What’s the best title for this passage?

A. Appearance of El Nino is Predictable（可预测的）

B. Drought in Zimbabwe

C. Early Warning System

D. Weather in Africa

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

The tea gardens in Sri Lanka are actually large estates(种植园). The best tea usually comes from plants grown on high grounds, the cool hilltops with rows and rows of tea plants. The plants are about one metre apart. The plant is often pruned so that it remains only 60 to 90 centimetres high. Pruning is important because it encourages the growth of tender shoots, or young leaves. It is from these shoots that the best tea is got.

Practically all the tea pickers are women. The estates prefer to employ women pickers because they are more careful. Their thin fingers can easily remove the twin leaves and new shoots from the plant, which are the parts used for processing(加工) tea. The pickers carry large baskets into which they throw their pickings. A skilled worker can harvest between 9 to 14 kilogrammes of tea leaves a day. Usually new shoots can be picked from the plants about every ten or fifteen days.

Processing tea shoots into the familiar dry tea leaves requires great care and skill. There are various methods of processing depending on the type of tea required .For black tea ,the young green leaves are first spread out shelves to dry. This process removes much of its water and the leaves become soft. After this ,the leaves are passed through heavy rollers .This operation will press the leaves for juices which give the tea both its colour and taste .Then the leaves are spread out on floors and left to ferment （发酵）under wet conditions. Fermentation develops the rich taste of black tea .The fermented leaves are then dried with a hot-air blower until they become rolled-up black leaves .The final step is to sort and grade them before the black tea is ready for sale to countries all over the world.

1.In the first paragraph ,the word “pruning” means ________.

A．regular cutting of the plants

B．frequent watering

C．regular use of chemicals

D．growing the plants high in the mountain

2.One of the reasons why women are employed to do the picking is that ________.

A．they work harder than men do in the picking

B．they can throw their pickings more easily into the baskets

C．their fingers fit them better for the job.

D．they can more easily find the twin leaves.

3.How many processing steps are mentioned in the last paragraph?

A．Three.         B．Four.          C．Five.          D．Six.

4.What is the writer’s purpose in writing the passage?

A．To introduce various methods of tea processing.

B．To persuade readers to buy tea from Sri Lanka.

C．To tell a story that had happened in the tea gardens.

D．To inform readers of tea growing, picking and processing.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析