In 1896, the first modern Olympic Games was held in Athens, Greece. From then on, many countries
had successfully held the Olympics, such as England, France, Germany, Canada, the U.S.A.,  Spain and
Australia. After more than a  hundred years,  the Games returned to its hometown  in  the year of  2004.
When a country hosted the Olympic Games, they always made an emblem (会 徽) . The emblem of the
Athens 2004 Olympic Games was a white circle of olive branches (橄榄枝) in the sky.
     In 2008, Beijing hosted the Olympics. Its emblem is "Jing". It means the capital of China and it is also
like a  runner or  dancer. The running figure  (人 形)  of  the  emblem  shows  the  spirit  (精 神)  of the
Olympics: Faster, higher and stronger.

根据短文内容,回答下列问题.
1.When was the first modern Olympic Games held?
_____________________________
2.What do people make when they hold the Olympic Games?
_____________________________
3.How many years passed when Athens held the Olympic Games once again?
_____________________________
4.Does the character (图案) of"Jing"mean the capital of China?
_____________________________
5.What's the spirit of the Olympic Games?
_____________________________

     Which is the biggest  country  in  the world? Well, look at the map and you'll know it is Russia. It is
followed by  Canada,  China,  the U.S.A.  and Brazil. Among them, China has  the  largest  number  of
people, with a population(人口) of about 1.3 billion(十亿). Canada has the longest  coastline(海岸线).
The total length(长度) of the coastline is about 202,080 kilometers.  It is long enough to go around  the
earth six times.
     Do you know which is the largest island(岛) in the world? Is that Hawaii? No, it is much smaller than
the largest island in the world-Greenland. Greenland  is to the northeast(东北)  of  Canada.  Ice  covers
81% of its land. It is very cold there, so there are only about 56,000 people living on the island.

根据短文内容,判断下列句子正(T)误(F).
(     )1.Russia is the largest country in the world.
(     )2.The country with the largest population is China.
(     )3.The total length of Canada's coastline is about 202,080 kilometers.
(     )4.The largest island in the world is Hawaii.
(     )5.The population of Greenland is about 56,000.

     In 1896, the first modern Olympic Games was held in Athens, Greece.  From then on, many countries had successfully held the Olympics, such as England, France, Germany, Canada, the U. S. A. , Spain and Australia.  After more than a hundred years, the Games returned to its hometown in the year of 2004.  
When a country hosted the Olympic Games, they always made an emblem (会徽).  The emblem of the
Athens 2004 Olympic Games was a white circle of olive branches (橄榄枝) in the sky.
In 2008, Beijing hosted the Olympics.  Its emblem is "Jing".  It means the capital of China and it is also
like a runner or dancer.  The running figure (人形) of the emblem shows the spirit (精神) of the Olympics: Faster, higher and stronger.

根据短文内容,回答下列问题。
1.The first modern Olympic Games was held in Aherns,Greece in   ___     .
2.People always make an       __   when they hold the Olympic Games.
3.      ___ years passed(过去了) when Athens held the Olympic Games once again
4.Does the character (图案) of"Jing"mean Beijing?
                     ______________                                  
5.What's the spirit of the Olympic Games?
Faster, stronger and       ___   

     You may know that more people drink coffee than tea around  the  world. And that,  after oil, it is the
second biggest traded commodity (商 品).  You may also know that the drink comes from beans which
are first roasted and then ground. But what else do you know about this popular drink?
     It is said that the story of coffee started with an Ethiopian goatherd named Kaldi. One day Kaldi was
surprised to see that his goats were behaving very strangely. Instead of grazing(吃草) quietly, they were
jumping around, almost dancing. He also noticed some red  "cherries"  from  a  plant that the goats were
eating. He tried some himself and was surprised by the feeling of extreme happiness and excitement. He
felt like dancing too!
     But it wasn't used as a drink at first  it was used as food.  The  coffee  berries,  mixed with animal fat,
were used by monks to stay awake during long hours of prayer. From Ethiopia, coffee was later
cultivated in Yemen and the first hot drink was developed there around AD 1000.  Three centuries later
Muslims were keen coffee drinkers and as Islam spread, so did coffee. Coffee houses appeared in Cairo
and Mecca.
     For hundreds of years the plants were protected safely. But some beans were smuggled(偷运)out of
Arabia and taken to India. In the 17th century, coffee was soon grown in a new continent. From India to
Indonesia, a century later the beans were once again smuggled to Brazil.  Brazil is now the largest coffee
producer in the world.
     It was the caffeine(咖啡因)that  made  the goats dance and  kept  the  monks awake.  Although it is
found in other soft drinks and tea, coffee  has the most caffeine.  In the short term,  a couple  of cups of
coffee can prevent fatigue and delay sleep. But several  cups  a  day,  every day,  can cause anxiety and
restlessness.

1. What is the world's biggest traded commodity?

A. Oil  
B. Coffee  
C. Tea

2. Why did the goatherd want to dance?

A. Because he liked to dance with his goats.
B. Because he found his goats behaving strangely.
C. Because he ate some red "cherries" from a plant.

3. Which of the following events came first?

A. Coffee houses appeared in Mecca.
B. Coffee became a drink.
C. Coffee spread as Islam spread.

4. Which sentence is true?

A. Monks were the first to drink coffee.
B. Too much coffee can make people anxious.
C. Brazilians liked drinking coffee the most.

5. Around the world more people drink coffee than tea because _____.

A. coffee berries can be eaten
B. coffee has the most caffeine
C. coffee can prevent fatigue and delay sleep

　　You will find traffic noise disappearing as soon as you arrive in Venice. So
as you walk down the narrow (狭窄的) streets, you only have to avoid crowds
of people. About 19 million travellers visit Venice for the enjoyable
environment, art and food each year.
　　Seeing Venice on foot is the best. You can walk through the city in about an
hour. Look around St. Mark's Basilica and the Doge's Palace. But you should
know walking along the streets isn't as easy as travelling on the city's canals
(运河). The canals are Venice's "streets". And you can enjoy the Grand Canal,
the Rialto Bridge and many wooden buildings. Venice is fantastic. You shouldn't
miss it in your life. No matter how long you're in Venice, it will leave a pleasant
feeling on you.

任务1：同义句转换
Venice is fantastic. You shouldn't miss it in your life.
Venice is 2._____ fantastic 3._____ you should visit it in your life.
任务2：根据短文简要回答问题。
3. What will you find disappearing as soon as you arrive in Venice?
_______________________________________

     Venice is the "Queen" of the Adriatic Sea (亚得里亚海). Every year thousands of people from all over
the world travel to Italy to visit the city. Do you know why they like to go there for a visit?
     Venice is a very beautiful city. It is quite different from other cities in the world. There aren't any roads
and streets in the city. So there aren't any cars and buses. There are many canals (运河) in the city. There
is one big canal and one hundred and seventy-seven small canals. People move up and down the canals in
boats to go to work, go shopping or visit their friends.
     But Venice is sinking. It is going down and the water is going up. In 2040 Venice will be under water,
The Adriatic Sea will cover the city. The Venetians (威尼斯人) love their city and want to stay there. So
they want to save Venice from the sea. They do not want to leave. How can they save Venice? They can
build some strong huge walls and gates in the sea. The gates will close to keep too much water out. Thus
Venice will not sink.

1. From this short article we know Venice is  ________.

A. a very beautiful woman of the Adriatic Sea.
B. the most important woman in Italy.
C. a very important and beautiful place of the Adriatic Sea.
D. the most important city in Italy.

2. People from all parts of the world go to visit Venice because ________.

A. there are 177 canals in the city.
B. it is sinking into the Adriatic Sea.
C. there are a lot of kinds of boats on the canals.
D. it is not only beautiful but also quite different from other cities.

3. The Venetians usually go to work or visit their friends ________.

A. by bus.
B. by bike.
C. in cars.
D. in boats.

4. Year by year the Adriatic Sea ________ and Venice ________.

A. is rising…is sinking.
B. is going down…is going up
C. has risen… has sunk
D. will go up…will go do

5. Because the Adriatic Sea will cover it, the Venetians ________.

A. have to leave Venice in 2040.
B. will try to do something to save their city.
C. want to stay there until the water covers the city.
D. do not love the city any longer.