Ⅰ Dictation
Ⅱ Read the text and complete the close test.
The Three Gorges Dam
“Walls of stone to hold back clouds and rain”
Mao Zedong wrote a poem in which he
“walls of stone to
clouds and rain till a
lake
in the narrow gorges”. Now his dream has
. The
of the Yangtze River, which is the world’s third longest river, has been
by the Three Gorges Dam.
The Three Gorges Dam, which is the biggest
in China since the building of the Great Wall and the Grand Canal, has been built
and
hydro-electric power
the central region of China. The dam is nearly 200 metres
and 1.5 kilometres
. It is the largest
and dam in the world and has cost more than any other construction project in history.
Sun Yat-sen, who was the leader of the 1911 Revolution, first
______the idea of a dam across the Yangtze River in 1919. Three quarters of China’s energy is
by burning coal. In 1993, China used 1.2 billion tons of coal for heating and
. Unfortunately, burning coal
serious air pollution and increases
. The dam will generate electricity
about 40 million tons of coal without causing so much air pollution.
The reservoir has
2 cities, 11 counties, 140 towns and more than 4,000 villages. More than a million people who lived in the region have moved from their homes. Now they’re
___________in different areas.
The Three Gorges area is one of the most beautiful areas of China and the project has flooded some of China’s most famous
,
the Qu Yuan Temple, the Han Watchtower and the Moya Cliff carvings. About 800 historical relics have been
. Some of them are being
and some are being put into museums.
Ⅲ Read the text and answer the questions.
1. The power of the Yangtze River, which is _____, has been harnessed by the Three Gorges Dam.
A. the world’s third longest river
B. the world’s second longest river
C. the world’s fifth longest river
D. the world’s sixth longest river
2. The Three Gorged Dam, which is the biggest construction project in China since the building of the Great Wall and the Grand Canal, has been built _____.
A. to hold back clouds and control flooding
B. to heat and generate electricity
C. to control flooding and provide hydro- electric power
D. to increases global warming and generate electricity
3. The dam is nearly _____ metres high and _____ kilometres wide.
A. 20, 1.5
B. 25, 2,5
C. 30, 3
D. 40, 3.5
4. The dam will generate electricity equal to about ____ million tons of coal without causing so much air pollution.
A. 30
B. 40
C. 50
D. 60
Ⅳ Reading
In an interview with Xinhua, Li Yong'an, general manager of China Yangtze River Three Gorges Project Development and Construction Corporation, said the Three Gorges dam would be put into use when the summer flood season begins, when water levels in the Three Gorges Reservoir are expected to rise to 156 meters.
Workers with the Three Gorges Project that is being built at the middle reaches of the Yangtze River are racing to raise dam heights at the southern bank of the river from the current 160 meters to 185 meters by May.
In the meantime, the workers are requested to accomplish two more main tasks this year, namely, to complete the two-way five-tier shiplock facility built on the northern bank of the Yangtze and to prepare for the planned installation of 12 more turbogenerators on the southern bank in 2007 and 2008, according to Li.
Launched in 1993, the Three Gorges Project, including a 185-m-high dam and 26 generators on both banks of the Yangtze, is being built in three phases on the middle reaches of China's longest river, the Yangtze.
Preparations and construction of the first phase were carried out between 1993 and 1997. The Yangtze was dammed at the Three Gorges area for the first time on November 8, 1997.
According to the plan, the completed Three Gorges Project, costing an estimated 180 billion yuan （approximately US$21.7 billion）, will have 26 generators with a combined generating capacity of 18.2 million kw. Most of the construction on the northern bank of the Yangtze has been completed so far, including the 14 turbo generators, which have been installed and put to work.
According to Li, these turbo generators generated 49.09 billion kw/hour of electricity in 2005.
The Three Gorges Project is expected to be completed in 2009, generating 84.7 billion kwh of electricity annually. （Xinhua News Agency January 10, 2006）