Australia －a huge island continent that lies to the south of Asia．Australia－more than two hundred years old, a nation that is still growing．
Its big cities lie on the southeast coast, this is where most Australians live．Australians prefer to own their own houses, though some live in apartments．Australians are a suburban people．The suburbs surround the cities for many miles, and so efficient transport is of great importance．As the economy grows, so do its industries- a higher level of production, a wider range of products．
The Australian works hard, but he likes his leisure．The climate makes outdoor activities the most popular．
Canberra, the capital of Australia, is a planned modem city located inland．Australia is governed by a parliamentary democracy．The representatives of other countries have their embassies here．Australia wants to strengthen relations with her neighbors．
Australia is a strange land, a land of vast expanses- fertile valleys, snow fields and deserts- also a land with unique animal, many that can not be found on any other continent in the world today．
Much of the continent is dry, but man has utilized the land, made it productive, with its tools, with its technology．This is the driest continent of all, and water is a precious possession, more precious than all other natural resources．Large dams are built to collect the water, there to irrigate the fields of pastures and crops． But Australia is changing．The land of wool and wheat is now a land of large-scale industry and mining．The costs of developing the new mineral discoveries are enormous, but the rewards are great too．
Australia — a young and developing nation．Australia — a nation that wants to communicate with its neighbors．
【小题】Australia is an island located ______ of Asia and its big cities lie ____ of the coast．
A．to the south; on the southeast
B．to the north; on the southwest
C．to the east; on the northeast
D．to the east; on the southwest
【小题】We can infer from the passage that the Australian likes outdoor activities for the _____ climate．
A．dull and wet
B．fine and shiny
C．gloomy and rainy
D．wet and cold
【小题】____ is the most precious source in Australia．
A．Mineral resource B．Animal C．Desert D．Water
【小题】Which of the following statements about Australia is wrong?
A．Australians are a suburban people
B．Australia is governed by a parliamentary democracy．
C．Australia prefers to live in the downtown of big cities．
D．Wool and wheat used to be the main products of Australia．
“Hey, Jenna, do you think we’ll still be friends when we’re eighty – two?” I asked my friend. It was clear she was wondering where I had come up with such a question. Losing Jenna would be like losing a very close sister. We hung out together. We gave each other advice.
“Of course, we’ll still be friends when we’re eighty – two.” Jenna announced loudly.
The next year, in fourth grade, we met Jamie. The three of us soon became close friends. We played together almost every day. I thought even time couldn’t pull us apart, but I was sadly mistaken.
The three of us started fighting a lot. Before Christmas, we had a really big fight, and Jamie and Jenna were against me, both saying I was bossy. I felt helpless and lonely. I thought Christmas would be horrible!
I was surprised when Jenna came to my house and gave me an awesome Christmas card she had made for me. I was so sure that she was still disappointed with me.
“Wow, ” I said. breaking the silence as we stood on either side of my front door. “Thanks.”
“Okay…well…I have to go,” she said softly.
“Okay. See you late then…” and I closed the door.
“Who was that at the door?” my mum asked.
The card stared off with “Merry Christmas”, but then it said, “I am so glad we’re friends. I am sorry about what I said when we were fighting. A fight won’t stop us from being friends. Besides, we said we were going to be friends even when we’re eight – two.”
I stopped reading and started laughing. I couldn’t believe I had forgotten what she said that day in her back yard. I couldn’t believe I had been so selfish in trying to get even and making my friends feel sorry for me that I had forgotten about real friendship.
【小题】How would the author and Jenna get along with each other after Christmas?
A. They would be close friends again.
B. They would not speak to each other.
C. They would lose touch with each other.
D. They would go on fighting with each other.
【小题】The underlined sentence “I was bossy” in the fourth last paragraph means “_________”.
A. I looked like a boss B. I acted as boss
C. I was fond of giving orders D. I was fond of fighting
【小题】Which of the following is the right time order according to the passage?
a. Jamie became our friend.
b. I felt lonely and unhappy.
c. Jenna, Jamie and I fought a lot.
d. Jenna brought me a Christmas card.
e. I was sorry for what I did to her.
f. Jenna and I promised to be lifelong friends.
A. f – a – b – c – e – d B. a – c – f – b – d – e
C. a – b – c – f – e – d D. f – a – c – b – d – e
【小题】The author was delighted when she read the card from Jenna because _________.
A. what Jenna wrote was funny
B. Jenna would be her friend again
C. she was happy about the coming Christmas
D. she was happy to receive a Christmas cad
Once upon a time in a land far away, there was a wonderful old man who loved everything：animals, spiders, insects．．．
One day while walking through the woods, the nice old man found a cocoon（茧）of a butterfly．He took it home．A few days later, a small opening appeared; he sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole．Then it seemed to stop making any progress．It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and it could go no farther．Then the man decided to help the butterfly, so he took a pair of scissors and cut off the remaining bit of the cocoon．
The butterfly then appeared easily．
But it had a swollen body and small, fragile wings．The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would be smaller in time．Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling （慢慢爬行）around with a swollen body and fragile wings．
It never was able to fly．
What the man in his kindness and hurry did not understand was that the limited cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were Nature's way of forcing fluid （液体）from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon．
Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life．If we were allowed to go through our life without any obstacles and difficulties, it would disable us．We would not be as strong as what we could have been．And we could never fly．
【小题】The butterfly could never fly because ________．
A．it was too fat and strong．
B．it loved crawling around．
C．it got out of the cocoon easily．
D．it didn’t get through the cocoon ．
【小题】The text is most likely to be found in a book about__________．
A．popular science B．humorous stories．
C．successful people D．philosophy events ．
【小题】What is the implied meaning of the passage?
A．Life without any obstacles and difficulties is perfect．
B．Obstacles and difficulties contribute to success．
C．Never help a butterfly to get out of the cocoon．
D．A butterfly can never fly without going through the cocoon．
完形填空（共20小题，每小题1．5分，满分30分）
阅读下面短文，从短文后各题的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出适合填入对应空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该选项涂黑。
Sometimes I really doubt whether there is love between my parents. Every day they are very busy trying to 26 in order to pay the high tuition for my brother and me. They don’t act in the 27 ways that I read in books or I see on TV. In their opinion, “I love you” is too 28 for them to say. Sending flowers to each other on Valentine’s Day is even more out of 29 .
One day, my mother was sewing a quilt. I sat down beside her. “Mom, I have a question to ask you. Is there 30 between you and Dad?” I asked her in a very low voice. She didn’t answer immediately. She 31 her head and continued to sew the quilt.
I was very worried because I thought I had 32 her. I was 33 and I didn’t know what I should do. But at last I heard my mother say the following words:
“Susan,” she said thoughtfully, “Look at this thread．Sometimes it 34 , but most of it disappears in the quilt. The thread really makes the quilt 35 . If life is a quilt, then love should be a thread．It can hardly be seen 36 , but it’s really there. Love is 37 .”
I listened carefully but I 38 her until the next spring. At that time, my father suddenly 39 seriously. My mother had to stay with him in the hospital for a month. When they returned from the hospital, they both looked 40 . It seemed both of them had had a serious illness. After they were back, every day in the morning and dusk, my mother helped my father 41 on the country road．
“Dad, how are you feeling now?” I asked him one day.
“Susan, don’t 42 me.” he said gently. “To tell you the truth, I just like walking with your mom.” 43 his eyes, I know he loves my mother deeply.
Once I thought love meant flowers, gifts and 44 . But from this experience, I understand that love is just 45 in the quilt of our life. Love is inside, making life strong and warm.
【小题】 A. keep fit B. rise early C. earn money D. collect money
【小题】A. magic B. romantic C. fantastic D. attractive
【小题】A. simple B. easy C. relaxing D. luxurious(奢侈)
【小题】 A. the questionB. question C. reach D. control
【小题】 A. feeling B. love C. quarrel D. smile
【小题】 A. raised B. shook C. lifted D. bowed
【小题】A. hurt B. injured C. wounded D. harmed
【小题】 A. in great surprise B. in a great embarrassment
C. with delight D. in great astonishment
【小题】A. happens B. comes about C. appears D. occurs
【小题】A. warm and soft B. hot and hard
C. thin and cool D. strong and durable (耐用的)
【小题】 A. somewhere and sometime B. anywhere or anytime
C. more or less D. everyhere and everywhere
【小题】A. inside B. outside C. faraway D. nearby
【小题】A. could believe B. couldn’t understand
C. wouldn’t recognize D. might know
【小题】 A. got sick B. got stuck C. threw up D. became disabled
【小题】 A. quite healthyB. very pale C. fairly red D. much surprised
【小题】A. jump high B. go hurriedly C. run fast D. walk slowly
【小题】 A. think about B. talk with C. worry about D. laugh at
【小题】A. Reading B. Listening C. Speaking D. Writing
【小题】A. fresh rosesB. gold ring C. sweet kisses D.beautiful jewelry
【小题】A. a thread B. a needle C. the cloth D. the cotton
If he _____ his legs in the last training, he _____ the coming World Cup, which he has been longing to compete in.
A. hadn’t hurt; would join in
B. hadn’t hurt; would have taken part in
C. didn’t hurt; would go in for
D. didn’t hurt; would have taken part in
In our hometown, about 1,500 meters east of my house,_______ an old temple_______ back to the 17th century．
A．stands; dating B．is standing; dated
C．standing; dated D．stand; dating
