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Unit1DiscoveringUsefulStructuresandListeningandTalking

能力提升练

Ⅰ.阅读理解

（2019湖南街阳高一期中，★☆☆）

LocatedinPisa，theLeaningTowerofPisainItalyhasbecomethesignofItaly.ItisthethirdoldeststructureinPisasCathedralSquare.ThereareeightfloorsintheLeaningTowerofPisaincludingobservationdeckatthetop.Theweightofthetowerisabout14，500metrictons，TherearesomeamazingfactsoftheLeaningTowerofPisathatwewillmentionhere.

TheLeaningTowerofPisawasnotoriginallyintendedtolean，butbecauseitwasbuiltonsoftsoilsthetowergraduallyleanedtooneside.Priortoitsrestoration（修复）from1990to2001，thetowerhadatilt（倾斜）of5.5degrees.Manypeoplethinkthatitwillfalloneday.Millionsoftouristscometothelawnsaroundthetowertotaketheclassicphotopretendingtoholduporknockdownthetower.

ItissaidthatyoumustvisittheLeaningTowerofPisaduringtheday.Atnighttheshopsareclosedanditappearsunimpressive.But，ifyouplantovisitonafullmoonnight,thetowerwilllookcharming.Morningsarethebeatthecrowds.SummerinPisaisveryhotandwet，，butyoucanexpectraininfallandwinter.

Eventhoughsomepeopleregardthetowertobeanengineeringfailureowingtothetilt，thetowerhasacquiredaspecialplaceinhistory.ThetowerhasalsobeenusedforexperimentsbythefamousItalianscientistnamedGalileeGalilei.Heisbelievedtohavethrowntwoballsofdifferentmassfromthetowertoprovethattheirfallingtimeisnotrelatedtotheirmass.

OnyourtouryoushouldnotmissvariousplacesofinterestneartheLeaningTowerofPisaincludingLucca,Florence，andSantaMariadellaSpina.

1.Whydoesthetowertendtoleantooneside？

A.Becausethebaseofthetowerwasnotstrong.

B.Becauseitwasoriginallydesignedlikethat.

C.Becausemanypeoplecametoknockitdown.

D.Becausethebuildersusedlotsofsoftsoils

2.Whenisthebesttimetovisit