周鲁成

Leading：

長城在1987年被列入《世界遗产名录》，然而没过多久，世界古迹基金会就把它列为100个最濒危的历史文化遗产之一。目前长城的基本情况是三分之一完好，三分之一残破不全，三分之一不复存在。

Around 30% of Chinas Ming-era Great Wall has disappeared over time as adverse① natural conditions and reckless human activities—including stealing bricks to build houses—erode the UNESCO world heritage site，state media has reported. The Great Wall is not a single unbroken structure but stretches for thousands of miles in sections，from Shanhaiguan on the east coast to Jiayuguan in the windswept sands on the edge of the Gobi desert to the west.

It is so destroyed in places that estimates of its total length vary from 9，000 to 21，000 kilometers，depending on whether missing sections are included. Despite its length，it is not，as is sometimes claimed，visible from space.

Construction first began in the 3rd century BC，but nearly 6，300km were built in the Ming dynasty of 1368-1644，including the much-visited sections north of Beijing.

Of that，1，962km has melted away over the centuries，the Beijing Times reported. Some of the construction has weathered away，while plants growing in the walls have accelerated the decay②，said the report，citing a survey last year by the Great Wall of China Society.

“Even though some of the walls are built of bricks and stones，they cannot withstand the perennial③ exposure to wind and rain，”the paper quoted Dong Yaohui，a vice-president of the society，as saying.“Many towers are becoming increasingly shaky and may collapse in a single rain storm in summer.”

Tourism and local residentsactivities are also damaging the longest human construction in the world，the paper added. Poor villagers in Lulong county，in the northern province of Hebei， used to knock thick grey bricks from a section of wall in their village to build homes，and slabs④ engraved with Chinese characters were sold for 30 yuan （￡3） each by locals，it said. Under Chinese regulations，people who take bricks from the Great Wall can be fined up to 5，000 yuan， according to the state-run Global Times.

“But there is no specific organization to enforce the rules，”said Jia Hailin，a cultural relics⑤ protection official in Hebei. “Damage could only be reported to higher authorities and it is hard to solve when it happened on the border of two provinces.”Explorations of undeveloped parts of the Great Wall—an increasingly popular leisure activity in recent years—had brought those sections more tourists than they could bear，damaging them severely，the Global Times report added.

Notes：

① adverse adj. 不利的

② decay n. 腐烂，腐朽

③ perennial n. 长久的，终年的

④ slab n. 厚板，平板

⑤ relic n. 遗迹，纪念物

1. Which factor didnt lead to Ming-era Great Wall disappear？

A. Disadvantageous natural conditions.

B. The law of protection.

C. Reckless human activities.

D. Villagers stole bricks to build houses.

2.When was the Great Wall mainly built？

A. In the Qin dynasty. B. In the Song dynasty.

C. In the Ming dynasty. D. In the Qing dynasty.

3. When may many towers collapse？

A. In spring. B. In summer.

C. In fall. D. In winter.

4. How much was the slab engraved with Chinese characters？

A. ￥30. B. ￡30.

C. ￥5，000. D. ￡5，000.

5. Whom could damage only be reported to？

A. The UNESCO. B. The Beijing Times.

C. The Global Times. D. Higher authorities.

答案與解析

1.答案为B。细节理解题。根据第一段的第一句可知，恶劣的自然条件和不计后果的人类活动是导致明代长城消失的因素。

2.答案为C。细节理解题。根据第三段的第一句可知，长城主要建于明朝年间。

3.答案为B。细节理解题。根据第五段的第二句可知，不少城楼已摇摇欲坠，夏季的一场暴雨就可能将其冲塌。

4.答案为A。细节理解题。根据第六段的第二句可知，村民还以每块30元的价格出售刻有汉字的砖块。

5.答案为D。细节理解题。根据第七段的第二句可知，破坏只能上报，如果发生在两省交界处，就难以得到处理。

【语法点拨】

Some of the construction has weathered away，while plants growing in the walls have accelerated the decay，said the report，citing a survey last year by the Great Wall of China Society.

句意：报道引述中国长城学会去年的一项调查说：“长城的一些城墙遭到风雨侵蚀，而城墙上长出的植物加速了长城的破败。”

分析：while用作连词时，用法如下：

①while引导时间状语从句，意为“当……时候”，既可放在句首，也可放在句中，此时从句中的谓语动词必须是延续性动词。如：

While I was watching TV，the doorbell rang.

当我看电视时，门铃响了。

②while引导让步状语从句，意为“尽管，虽然”，多用于句首，不放在句末。如：

While he was tired，he went on working.

虽然他累了，但他还是继续工作。

③ while引导条件状语从句， 意为“只要”，可位于句首，也可位于句中。如：

While there is life，there is hope.

只要有生命，就有希望。

④while用作并列连词，意思为“而，然而”，表示前后意义上的对比或转折，一般位于句中。