A
If you think about World Heritage Sites, you probably think of places connected with ancient art and culture, historical buildings and monuments. And of course,many of these are on the World Heritage List (WHL)(世界遗产名录). But the WHL contains a lot of sites that are not so obvious. Let's look at a few of them.
Robben Island in South Africa
This island was used through the centuries as a prison , a hospital and a military base. But it's probably most famous as a maximum-security prison for political prisoners in the twentieth century. Nelson Mandela was one of its most famous residents. The WHL says it represents "the triumph of democracy(民主）and freedom over oppression and racism".
Borders of France and Spain
This is an area of great natural beauty and the mountains have many interesting geological formations. But it is also an area of small farms. People there still use a type of agriculture(农业）that used to be common in mountainous areas of Europe but that has almost completely disappeared in modern times.
The city of Brasilia, Brazil
Brasilia is a capital city that was created from nothing in 1956. The WHL calls it "a landmark in the history of town planning". The different areas of the city and the buildings themselves were all designed at the same time carefully. Every part of the city shows the ideas of the planner and the architect.
Simien National Park, Ethiopia
Simien National Park was one of the first sites to be listed in 1978. It is one of the highest mountainous areas in Africa, and the WHL calls it "one of the most spectacular landscapes in the world". It is also important for its wildlife. The population of some rare animals is getting smaller and smaller.
1. Which of the following sites was listed on the WHL for its political symbol?
A. Simien National Park
Ethiopia. B. The city of Brasilia, Brazil.
C. Borders of France and Spain . D. Robben Island in South Africa.
2. The WHL has listed Borders of France and Spain probably because_______.
A. it shows us past European society by the type of agriculture
B. this is an area of great natural beauty
C. the mountains there have many interesting geological formations
D. people there still use a type of agriculture that is common in Europe in modern times
3. The passage mainly talks about ________.
A. the remains of ancient cultures on the WHL
B. the household heritage sites on the WHL
C. some of the less well-known sites on the WHL
D. important places of art and culture
【答案】1. D 2. A 3. C
【解析】
【分析】这是一篇说明文。文章主要介绍了四处世界遗产名录上一些不太著名的地点，以及这些地点的特点。
【1题详解】
细节理解题。根据Robben Island in South Africa 部分下的“But it's probably most famous as a maximum-security prison for political prisoners in the twentieth century. Nelson Mandela was one of its most famous residents. The WHL says it represents ‘the victory of democracy and freedom over oppression and racism’．(但它可能是20世纪最著名的政治犯最高安全级别的监狱。纳尔逊·曼德拉是这里最著名的居民之一。世界遗产名录称它代表着‘民主自由战胜压迫和种族主义的胜利’)”可知，南非罗本岛是因为政治象征被列入世界遗产名录。故选D项。
【2题详解】
细节理解题。根据Borders of France and Spain部分下的“But it is also an area of small farms. People there still use a type of agriculture that used to be common in mountainous areas of Europe in the 17th century but that has almost completely disappeared in modern times. (但这里也是一个小型的农业区。那里的人们仍然使用一种农业，这种农业在17世纪的欧洲山区很常见，但在现代几乎完全消失了)”可知，世界遗产名录列出了法国和西班牙的边界，可能是因为它向我们展示了过去欧洲社会的农业类型。故选A项。
【3题详解】
主旨大意题。根据文章的主要内容，尤其是第一段的But the WHL contains a lot of sites that are not so obvious. Let's look at a few of them. (但世界遗产记录上有一些不太出名的地方，让我们来看看它们其中的一些)可知本文主要给读者介绍了几处世纪遗产记录上不太出名的地方。故选C项。
