Ⅰ.阅读理解
Petra may be the treasure of the world, hidden among mountains. Its most beautiful scenery makes it the greatest ancient site still－standing nowadays. Common sense says, “Perhaps there’s nothing on the planet that resembles it.” Without doubt, there’s nothing on the world that resembles it. The rock－carved (雕刻的) rose－red town of Petra is filled with mysterious charm; it had been “designed to strike wonder into all who entered it”．
Petra is the most well－known and beautiful site in Jordan that is about 262 km south of Amman, and 133 km north of Aqaba. The Dead Sea is 80 kilometers north of it. It was the legacy from the Nabataeans, who settled in the southwest of Jordan a lot more than 2,000 years back. Because of its excellent culture, buildings and many water channels, Petra has become a UNESCO world heritage site and one of the New Seven Wonders of the World and attracts visitors all over the world.
To get there, you must pass through a kilometer long, cool, dark and narrow gorge (峡谷) whose two high sides keep the sunlight out. Suddenly the gorge opens right into a natural square covered with Petra’s most well－known monuments (遗址), which glow in the bright sun. The old town shows the visitors its beautiful look. It leads people to think about the creativity of the Nabataeans who made Petra as their capital.
Petra flourished for more than 400 years at about the time of Rome until it had been occupied through the Roman legions in 106 AD. Petra has 800 monuments, including buildings, tombs, baths, halls, temples, and streets, which were mostly carved in the pretty sandstone.
Petra sights are in their finest at the beginning of morning and late afternoon. Once the sun warms the colorful stones, you will see the greatness of Petra since it was seen first when discovered in 1812 after being lost through the 16th century for nearly 300 years!
文章大意：本文是一篇说明文。约旦的Petra古城是联合国教科文组织命名的世界遗产，它是新的世界七大奇迹之一。它隐藏在深山之中。只有参观了它的人才能领略到它令人惊叹的美。
1．From the text we can learn that __C__.
A．Petra is on the top of a high mountain
B．Petra is a palace of the king in the old days
C．no place in the world can be similar to Petra
D．the Nabataeans built Petra in 106 AD
解析：推理判断题。根据第一段的“Perhaps there’s nothing on the planet that resembles it.”确定C项为正确答案。其余选项与原文意思不符。
2．What does the underlined part “mysterious charm” in Paragraph 1 mean？__A__
A．The unbelievable power to attract people.
B．All kinds of visitors from the world.
C．A number of usual places of interest.
D．The shops, restaurants and hotels.
解析：词义猜测题。根据其后文“it had been ’designed to strike wonder into all who entered it’”(它被设计出来就是为了让参观它的人感受到奇迹)可猜出该处意为“Petra充满神秘的魅力”。mysterious charm“神秘的魅力”。
3．Visitors’ reaching Petra __D__.
A．must be disappointing
B．must be very convenient
C．must be very comfortable
D．may not be very easy
解析：细节理解题。根据第三段的“To get there, you must pass through a kilometer long, cool, dark and narrow gorge (峡谷) whose two high sides keep the sunlight out.”可知到Petra的路不好走。因此选D。
4．What can we learn from the text？__A__
A．You’d better enjoy the beautiful scenery at the beginning of morning and late afternoon.
B．Because it had been occupied, Petra was lost through the 16th century.
C．Petra was developing quickly and strongly for more than 800 years.
D．Petra’s monuments were all carved in the light red stones.
解析：推理判断题。根据最后一段的“Petra sights are in their finest at the beginning of morning and late afternoon.”确定A项为正确答案。
