A
Pingyao, in the centre of Shanxi Province, is a famous historic cultural city of China and a world cultural heritage site. It’s 90 kilometres south of Taiyuan on the Fen River.
People lived in Pingyao during the New Stone Age. Its long period as a county government seat has left Pingyao with lots of historic buildings and sites, with a 2,700-year history. Ninety-nine of them are under government protection, including Zhengguo Temple, Shuanglin Temple and Ancient City of Pingyao.
During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, businessmen organised commercial(商业的) groups that did business nationwide. Shanxi Province had some of the most important ones and Pingyao was their centre. In 1823, a store, known as Rishengchang (Sunrise Prosperity), traded in bank checks rather than in silver or gold coins. It was the beginning of modern Chinese banking. Branch(分支) banks were soon set up in major cities in China and other parts of Asia, leading to great development in Pingyao. Its lacquerware(漆器) became well known.
In Pingyao Ancient City are many traditional houses and commercial buildings, 3,797 of which are protected and more than 400 of which are in good condition. Not only do the houses in Pingyao show Shanxi’s history and culture, but they are also valuable for studying its history, customs, ancient buildings and art. Most of these houses are still used as homes and shops of local people.
In 1997, Pingyao Ancient City was listed in the World Heritage List as a“World Cultural Heritage Site”.
1. What does the underlined word “them” in paragraph 2 refer to?
A. Historic buildings and sites.
B. The three temples.
C. The county government seats.
D. The 2,700-year history.
解析：推理判断题。由第二段的“Its long period as a county government seat has left Pingyao with lots of historic buildings and sites, with a 2,700-year history. Ninety-nine of them are under government protection …”可知,them指的是上文提到的historic buildings and sites。
答案：A
2. Which of the following about Pingyao is NOT mentioned in the passage?
A. Its location.
B. Its tourism.
C. Its business.
D. Its history.
解析：细节理解题。第一段提到平遥的位置;第二段提及其历史;第三段提到其商业。故选B。
答案：B
3. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Pingyao was a leading centre in .
A. agriculture
B. raising cattle
C. commercial trade
D. making gold coins
解析：细节理解题。由第三段第一句“During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, businessmen organised commercial groups that did business nationwide.”可知答案选C。
答案：C
