The Great Wall of China is one of Beijing’s biggest draws for tourists;
despite its fame and ubiquity in postcards across the world, it rarely fails to
attract tourists at the first proper sight.
Yet the authorities open only certain sections of the wall as fit
for viewing, and few get to visit the unauthorized sections. Fewer still are
aware of the existence of at least one part of the Wall that remains in almost
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fortification began. But there’s a good reason for this – it’s underwater.
American journalist Steven Schwankert has been diving
since age 10. It was though his setting – up of a diving school
that Schwankert came to explore some of lesser – known areas
of China’s lakes – and discovered the underwater Wall under a
reservoir.
“The most fascinating piece of diving I ever did in China must be
the Great Wall. I managed to find out about it via the Internet. It wasn’t
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about 4 hour’s drive from Beijing. Why do I want to dive the Great Wall? Why do people want to walk on the Great Wall? It’s the same answer.”
There are, however, advantages of visiting the Great Wall in a diving suit over being on foot. The water acts as a preservative by preventing the kind of mass tourism that has brought trouble on other parts of the Wall. “Unlike the people who walk in the Wall, we as divers never need to actually touch it. I’ve dived twice there, the last time in July. I found that the water then was much deeper than it was before – 13 meters deep.” When he first dived, parts of the Wall were visible above the surface. Now even the guard tower is completely submerged. “It’s better that the Wall is deep under water, as there are lots of boats coming in and out around that area. Their wave action could potentially damage the brickwork. So, the deeper, the better.”
60．Steven Schwankert is most interested in .
A．collecting photos of the Wall B．walking along on the Wall
C．diving the underwater Wall D．visiting some famous lakes
61．What does the underlined word “submerged” in Paragraph 5 most probably mean?
A．Damaged by water. B．Washed by water.
C．Preserved by water. D．Covered by water.
62．What is the topic discussed in the last paragraph?
A．Advantages of walking on the Great Wall.
B．Advantages of visiting the underwater Wall.
C．The reasons why the Wall is deep under water.
D．The reasons why the underwater Wall is protected.
63．What can we infer from the text?
A．The underwater Wall will sink deeper year by year.
B．Diving the Wall is popular with divers all over the world.
C．Diving is a good way to visit the Wall without causing much damage.
D．More and more tourists will come to visit the underwater Wall in China.