A lot of people think Scotland is a part of England, but, as any Scotsman will tell you, it certainly is not. In fact, until the eighteenth century, Scotland was an independent country, with a parliament of its own. The English had tried many times over many centuries to bring Scotland under their rule. They succeeded at last in 1707, and some Scots have never forgiven them.
Scotland is now governed from London, but in some ways it is still a separate nation. It has its own capital city (Edinburgh), its own law, and its own stamps, it even has a language of its own, spoken now by only a few people in the islands.
In some ways Southern Scotland is like England, with his good farmland and low green hills. Central and Northern (the Highlands) have high mountains and deep valleys, fast rivers and cold lakes. These days, of course, there are good roads and railways all through Scotland. Aberdeen, the northeast city where the oil from the North Sea comes to land, is especially easy to reach. But it can still be quite different to travel in the winter when the hills are covered with snow. It always takes a long time to visit the beautiful but far-off islands on the west coast. One reason why Scotland has stayed so different from England is the wildness of the land. It has always been difficult to get around there.
【小题1】From the history of the Great Britain we can know Scotland_____________.| A．had been an independent country by the 19th century |
| B．had been a dependent country by the 18th century |
| C．was a separate country before the 18th century |
| D．was a dependent country before 18th century |
| A．the Scots used to fight against the rules from England many times |
| B．the Scots defeated the English at all the battles |
| C．the Scots never defeated the English at all the battles |
| D．it was quite easy for the English to occupy Scotland |
| A．which is spoken by all the Scots | B．which not many people speak now |
| C．which is almost the same as English language | D．which the English prevent from being spoken |
| A．there are no good roads in Scotland because of high mountains |
| B．there are no railways in Scotland because of deep valleys |
| C．England has not any rivers and lakes in the center and the north |
| D．England has good farmland and low green hills |
Canada is a very large country. It is the second largest country in the world. By contrast (相比较) it has a very small population. There are only about 29 million people there. Most Canadians are of British or French origin, and French is an official language of Canada as well as English. About 45% of the people are of British origin, that is, they or their parents or grandparents, etc, come from British. Nearly 30% are of French origin. Most of the French-Canadians live in the province of Quebec.
Over the years, people have come to live in Canada from many countries in the world. They are from most European countries and also from China, besides other Asian countries. However, Canada was not an empty country when the Europeans began to arrive. Canadian-Indians lived along the coast, by the rivers and lakes and in forests. Today, there are only about 350,000 Indians in the whole country, with their own languages. In the far north live the Inuits (因努伊特人). There are only 27,000 Canadian-Inuits. Their life is hard in such a difficult climate.
【小题1】About ______ live in Quebec.| A．30% of the French-Canadians | B．45% of the Canadians |
| C．29,000,000 people | D．8,700,000 French-Canadians |
| A．Chinese and Inuits | B．French and English |
| C．Indian and French | D．English and Chinese |
| A．血统 | B．后裔 | C．先驱 | D．起源 |
| A．England | B．China and some other Asian countries |
| C．France | D．some other countries except France and Britain |
| A．45% | B．30% | C．1.2% | D．0.09% |
Ancient Rome was one of the world’s most powerful empires more than 2,000 years ago. The Romans’ Ideas about roads, laws, government and buildings still influence us today. Italy is shaped like a boot.
The Colosseum (角斗场) in Rome was built during the time of the Roman Empire, in the first century A.D.
Italy is well-known for its designers, who create cars, handbags, clothes, shoes and other items that are in demand for their style and fine workmanship.
Today, the economy of Italy is stronger than in the past.
Italy is a member of the European Union, a group of countries that join together for better trade. The currency, or money, they use is called the “euro”.
Food and eating good meals are important to Italians.
Many families still eat their main meal in the middle of the day.
| A．The family is very important to the Italian way of life. |
| B．The country used to depend on agriculture. |
| C．Mountains cover about three-fourths of the country. |
| D．It could seat about 50,000 people, who went to see fights between animals and people. |
| E．While there are some supermarkets, many people shop at small, neighborhood markets. |
| F．Italy has several islands off the coast. |
| G．The northern part of the country is the main manufacturing center. |
Every September l6 the Mexican people hold a celebration in Mexico City, their country’s capital. It is their Independence Day. On that date in 1821 they told Spain they would no longer be ruled. Breaking free from Spain caused a war. When it was over, the Mexicans had their own government. They made their own laws.
Today America and Mexico are friends, but it wasn’t always that way. President James Polk wanted America to reach from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. He tried to buy what is now the American southwest from Mexico. Mexico would not sell. So from l846 to 1848 Mexico and America fought a war to ascertain where their borders would be. When the war ended, Mexico had lost a lot of land. Now the Rio Grande River forms the border between the two nations. America is on the north side of the river. Mexico is on the south side.
Mexico has mountains and a hot, dry climate. Crops can grow on only a small part of the land. Still, Mexicans grow much of the coffee, oranges, and sugar used in the US. Mexicans have influenced building styles in southwestern US and added words such as patio and canton to American English. Americans also enjoy eating many Mexican foods like burritos, tacos, tortillas, and tamales.
【小题1】According to the passage, what happened second on historical timeline?
| A．Mexicans declared their independence from Spain. |
| B．The Spanish ruled Mexico. |
| C．The Aztecs lived in Mexico. |
| D．Americans fought a war with Mexico. |
| A．the US to expand its borders to the Pacific Ocean |
| B．Mexico to change its Independence Day to July 4th |
| C．Mexico to become one of the states of the Union |
| D．Americans to adopt the Mexican language |
| A．inspect | B．cover |
| C．change | D．determine |
| A．building styles | B．vocabulary |
| C．clothes | D．food |
| A．didn’t speak Spanish |
| B．couldn’t read or write any language |
| C．didn’t have tools |
| D．didn’t understand the concept of time |
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