New Zealand is an island country in the southwest of Pacific Ocean. The country geographically comprises two main lands—the North Island, or Te Ika-a-Maui, and the South Island, or Te Waipounamu, and numerous smaller islands. New Zealand is situated some 1,500 kilometers east of Australia across the Tasman Sea and roughly 1,000 kilometers south of the Pacific island areas of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga. Because of its remoteness, it was one of the last lands to be settled by humans. The country’s varied topography(地形)and its sharp mountain peaks, such as the Southern Alps, owe much to volcanic eruptions. New Zealand’s capital city is Wellington, while the city that has the largest population is Auckland.
Polynesians settled in the islands that were to become New Zealand somewhere between 1250 and 1300 AD, and developed a unique Maori culture. In 1642, Abel Tasman, a Dutch explorer became the first European to sight New Zealand In 1840. Representatives of the British Crown(王室) and Maori Chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi, making New Zealand a British colony. Today, the majority of New Zealand’s population of 4.5 million is of European descent(血统), and the indigenous(土著的) Maori are the largest minority, followed by Asians and Pacific Islanders. Reflecting this, New Zealand’s culture is mainly originated from Maori and early British settlers, with recent broadening arising from increased immigration. The official languages are English, Maori and New Zealand Sign Language, with English predominant(主要的).
New Zealand is a developed country with a market economy that mainly consists of the exports of dairy products, meat and wine, along with tourism. New Zealand is a high-income economy and ranks highly in international comparisons of national performance, such as health, education, economic freedom and quality of life.
1.What does the underlined word “comprises” in Paragraph 1 mean?
A. Loses B. Conquers.
C. Explores. D. Includes.
2.What can be inferred from the text?
A. New Zealand was the last land to be settled by humans.
B. The indigenous Maori takes up the largest population in New Zealand.
C. The formation of the Southern Alps has something to do with volcanic eruptions.
D. New Zealand’s culture is mainly originated from Maori and early Dutch settlers.
3.Who made great contributions to Maori culture according to the text?
A. Polynesians. B. Dutch.
C. British Crown. D. Tonga.
4.What does the last paragraph mainly talk about?
A. The developing aims of New Zealand.
B. The economic situation of New Zealand.
C. The high ranks that New Zealand government has got.
D. The achievements that New Zealand government has got.
A crew of six teenage girls completed a nine-day sailing trip in the US recently, after braving seasickness and strong winds.
For the past three years,the Sea Cadet teenagers who set sail were all male. Roger Noakes, who captained the boat,said this was the first time he’d taken out an all-female crew.
The girls asked for an a11-girls trip in August this year.The crew set sail along with three adults, Noakes and two Sea Cadet representatives.The original plan was for the girls to sail 24 hours a day in rotating shifts(轮流换班)along the coast and then return.Things turned out differently,however. “The first night was rough because the wind was really hard.The waves were going up and down,”said Abby Fairchild,16. “Everybody got seasick.” Noakes gave the girls the option of just sailing in the bay and not going into open water. “But they decided they were going.”
The teenagers then sailed a long way overnight and slept in shifts. “We’ve learned everything from steering(掌舵) the boat itself to putting up the sails to cooking while we have rough seas,”said 15-year-old Olivia Wilcox.
The teenagers stopped on land in Massachusetts. They didn’t make it to their original destination in Maine,where they were supposed to have a celebratory dinner,due to the weather and winds. They said they weren’t disappointed,however,as they’d learned a lot. “They learned about boating,and above all,they built confidence and character,” said Noakes.
1.What was special about the US Sea Cadet trip this year?
A. It was the longest sailing trip ever.
B. It was the first all-female-crew sailing trip.
C. It was the most dangerous sailing trip ever.
D. It was the first sailing trip for teenagers.
2.What happened on the crew’s first day of the trip?
A. They all got seasick. B. They regretted taking the trip.
C. They decided to stay in the bay. D. Some of them were injured.
3.Which of the following best describes these young sailors?
A. Determined and cooperative. B. Hard-working and talented.
C. Understanding and creative. D. Adventurous and skillful.
4.According to Noakes,what was the sailors’greatest benefit from the trip?
A. They acquired excellent sailing skills.
B. They learned to work in teams.
C. They built confidence and character.
D. They knew the sea better.
| Monday |
8 —10 a. m. | TECHNOLOGY Information Technology (IT)—Using the Internet In this lesson, students learn how to surf the internet safely and effectively. There will also be information about using different search engines. |
10:00 a. m. | DRAMA Students learn the play that the teacher gave before class. During this lesson, students will have the chance to act out roles with other students. |
11:00 a. m. | PAINTING WITH WATERCOLOURS For most of this term, students learn how to use watercolours properly to make pictures. If the weather is good, the lesson may take place outdoors. |
2 — 4 p. m. | SPORTS Students learn about the skills in a certain sport by watching video to see real action from past games. And then, students will play a short match lasting 45 minutes. This week, the sports are football (for boys) and tennis (for girls). |
HOMEWORK IT—the teacher will give students websites to look up at home. (about 20 minutes) Drama –students have to learn a part for the next lesson (about 40 minutes). |
1.At _______, students are having a painting lesson.
A. 11:35 a. m. B. 4:30 p. m.
C. 10:30 a. m. D. 2:15 p. m.
2.Students should prepare a new part of _______ ahead of time as their homework.
A. Technology B. Painting
C. Sports D. Drama
3.The information in the table is mainly for students to _______.
A. choose teachers B. do their homework
C. take classes D. organize hobby groups
______ I saw it, I knew I had seen it before.
A. At the moment B. Immediately
C. For the first time D. The minutes
I’m not going to put myself _____ the bank.
A. at the mercy of B. apart from
C. all the time D. in the history of
The book _____ this week.
A. comes up B. comes about
C. comes out D. comes across