阅读理解2篇~~ Taj. Mahal 泰姬陵 + Cuckoo Clock

思迈特英语

　One of India's most famous landmarks, the Taj Mahal, is planning to place a three-hour cap on visits to avoid (避免) overcrowding at the popular tourist location.

The enormous white marble tomb, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, can attract at least 50,000 visitors a day on the weekend, according to a spokesman for the Archaeological（考古学的） Survey of India, which oversees the Taj Mahal.

"Sometimes people end up spending a whole day at the Taj. This creates a situation where there are too many people," the spokesman D N Dimri told CNN.

"It is being implemented so that the movement of visitors can be regulated. Day by day, the number of visitors is increasing. This is to ensure no untoward incidents or accidents occur." He added there had been no incidents due to overcrowding at the site.

The Taj Mahal was built in the 17th century by Muslim Mughal emperor Shah Jahan to honor his third wife Mumtaz Mahal, who died while giving birth. It was completed in 1648.

Currently it draws at least seven million visitors every year and was recently described by Tourism Minister Alphons Kannanthanam as "India's pride."

The cap will come into place from April 1 and will apply to both local and international visitors, Dimri said.

The spokesman said there was no suggestion of a cap on the total number of visitors to the Taj Mahal at this stage, saying it would be wrong to deny (拒绝) people who had come from far away to visit the monument a ticket.

But he said there had been discussions on putting further limits on the "carrying capacity" of the Taj Mahal at a future stage, though he would not elaborate （详细描述）further on what this would entail.

阅读理解题

1) Who is the passage mainly written for? 

 

A. Students         B. Engineers    

C. Tourists        D. Spokesmen

2) . Which of the following is NOT true?

A. The Taj is a huge white marble tomb.

B. Some people spend a whole day at the Taj sometimes.

C. The three-hour cap aims to avoid overcrowding at the popular tourist location.

D. The Tai Mahal can attract at least 50, 000 visitors a day on the weekday.

3) According to the passage, the Taj Mahal ______.

A. was built in the 16th century                   

B. is in memory of Sha Jahan.

C. is popular with local and foreign visitors 

D. will not be allowed to visit any more.

4) Where can we read this passage ?

A. In a dictionary     

B. In a story book      

C. In a travel magazine    

D. In a textbook

One of India's most famous landmarks, the Taj Mahal, is planning to place a three-hour cap on visits to avoid overcrowding at the popular tourist location.

泰姬陵是印度最著名的地标建筑之一。为避免这一著名景点过于拥挤，印度计划将游客每次游览泰姬陵的时间限制在3小时以内。 

The enormous white marble tomb, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, can attract at least 50,000 visitors a day on the weekend, according to a spokesman for the Archaeological Survey of India, which oversees the Taj Mahal.

庞大的汉白玉陵墓泰姬陵联合国教科文组织被列为世界遗产之一。据泰姬陵监管部门、印度考古调查委员会发言人说，周末每日到访泰姬陵的游客至少有5万人。

 "Sometimes people end up spending a whole day at the Taj. This creates a situation where there are too many people," the spokesman D N Dimri told CNN.

发言人D·N·迪姆利告诉美国有线新闻网的记者说：“有时候游客会在泰姬陵里呆上一整天，导致里面人群拥挤。”

 "It is being implemented so that the movement of visitors can be regulated. Day by day, the number of visitors are increasing. This is to ensure no untoward incidents or accidents occur."

他说：“我们正实行限时措施，这样游客的活动能得以监管。游客人数每天都在增加。这能确保这里不发生麻烦的事件或者意外事故。

” He added there had been no incidents due to overcrowding at the site.

他还补充说，泰姬陵还没有因为人群过于拥挤发生过事故。  

The Taj Mahal was built in the 17th century by Muslim Mughal emperor Shah Jahan to honor his third wife Mumtaz Mahal, who died while giving birth. It was completed in 1648.

泰姬陵始建于17世纪，由伊斯兰教莫卧儿王朝君主沙贾汗为纪念他的第三任妻子——已故皇后慕塔芝玛哈（姬蔓.芭奴的封号）兴建，于1648年竣工。姬蔓.芭奴在生产时去世。

 Currently it draws at least seven million visitors every year and was recently described by Tourism Minister Alphons Kannanthanam as "India's pride."

目前每年到访泰姬陵的游客至少有700万人，最近还被印度旅游部长阿尔方斯形容为“印度的骄傲”。 

The cap will come into place from April 1 and will apply to both local and international visitors, Dimri said.

迪姆利说，这一游览时间限制将从4月1日起实施，本地和外国游客都需遵守。 

The spokesman said there was no suggestion of a cap on the total number of visitors to the Taj Mahal at this stage, saying it would be wrong to deny people who had come from far away to visit the monument a ticket.

发言人说，目前还没有针对泰姬陵总游客人数限制的建议。游客远道而来，当然不能让他们连票都买不到。   

阅读理解 (2 ) ~~ ~ Cuckoo Clock

　　When people visit Switzerland for the first time, they look with great interest, not only at the mountains but also at a type of clock---a Cuckoo-clock, on sale there. Cuckoo-clocks are very popular with tourists looking for a souvenir. A Cuckoo-clock has a small painted cuckoo that comes out near the top of the clock every half an hour and says, "Cuckoo". Every hour it comes out and says "Cuckoo" the right number of times.

It does not get a sore throat at midnight or mid-day! Children find these clocks wonderful. Adults gradually get annoyed because the cuckoo never misses an hour or a half hour, and this makes a short sleep in an armchair rather difficult.

In Europe, the cuckoo's call is a welcome sign that summer is on the way. This is the time when the mother cuckoo flies round, looking for a nest to lay one of her eggs. She chooses a nest belonging to another bird which already has eggs. When the nest is left unnoticed for a minute or two, the cuckoo rushes down, lays an egg and hurries off. In this way, she may lay her eggs in as many as four different nests, not one of which has been built by herself.

When a cuckoo egg hatches (孵化), the baby bird is bigger and stronger than the other nestlings. Step by step, it pushes other baby birds and any unhatched eggs out of the nest. In this way, it receives all the food from its foster-parents (养父母) and has a better chance of surviving.

1. When tourists first visit Switzerland, _____.

A. they are impressed by the mountains

B. they do not find the mountains interesting

C. the Cuckoo-clocks are more interesting to them than the mountains are

D. they find neither the mountains nor the clocks interesting.

2. Which of the followings is NOT true?

A. Cuckoos often lay eggs in other birds' nests.

B. If it's exactly 12 o'clock now, the cuckoo will say "cuckoo" twelve times.

C. The cuckoo does not say "cuckoo" at midnight and mid-day.

D. The adults don't like the Cuckoo-clocks as much as the children.

3. Tourists like to buy Cuckoo-clocks _____________.

A. to remind them of a visit

B. because they can tell time exactly

C. to amuse their children

D. because they are cheaper than other clocks

4. Why are Europeans happy to hear the call of the cuckoo?

A. They like to catch and eat this large bird. B. The bird has a beautiful way of singing.

C. This bird is used to tell the time in Switzerland.

D. It makes them think that warmer weather is coming.

5. What may other birds think when a cuckoo lays an egg in their nest?

A. They push it out of their nest.

B. It seems that they don't know what has happened.

C. They don't like it but cannot do anything about it.

D. They welcome the egg and the young cuckoo.

( the end )