What’s the capital of Australia? If you answer Sydney, you’re wrong, with travel website VirtualTourist.com (www.virtualtourist.com) coming up with a list of the six most surprising non-capital cities in the world.

1) New York City, New York

It may be king of the hill and the top of the heap (堆), but only figuratively (比喻地). NYC is not the country’s capital, which is Washington DC. Nor is it the state capital, an honor given to the upstate(北部地区的) town of Albany, which is also the birthplace of perforated (穿孔的)toilet paper.

2) Sydney, Australia

Although it is famous for its harbor and opera house, Sydney is not the capital. Canberra, which is just less than its one-hundred-year celebration, is actually the capital of Australia.

3) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

It’s fun, exciting and has something for everyone, but that still doesn’t make it Brazil’s capital. While the city which is famous for the festival used to be the capital, Brasilia now takes that position.

4) Johannesburg, South Africa

Interestingly, South Africa has more than one capital city, none of which are Johannesburg. Divided by branch of government the capitals are: Bloemfontein, the capital of the judiciary (司法的), Pretoria, the capital of the administrative branch and Cape Town acting as the country’s legislative (立法的) capital.

5) Geneva, Switzerland

Neither this nor Zurich serves as the country’s capital. The attractive, quiet, UNESCO-recognized town of Bern holds this honor.

6) Timbuktu, Mali

Mysterious, exotic (异国情调的), and perhaps the country’s most recognizable name, it takes second place to the city of Bamako. Bamako considered the fastest growing city in Africa. It is also a world-famous center for music. Bamako is attracting famous singers to its local pubs where hometown artists play through the night.

1.Perforated toilet paper comes from _______.

A. Geneva

B. Johannesburg

C. New York City

D. Albany

2.We can learn from the text that _______.

A. Cape Town is South Africa’s legislative capital

B. Canberra is also called the land "Down Under"

C. Pretoria is South Africa’s judiciary capital

D. Bamako is the fastest growing city in the world

3.Which of the following can best describe Bern?

A. Charming and peaceful.

B. Fun and exciting.

C. Mysterious.

D. Exotic.

4.What can we infer from the text?

A. Bamako is famous for its industry.

B. Canberra is well-known for its opera.

C. Each country has only one capital.

D. Canberra has a history of less than 100 years.

5.This text is mainly about _________.

A. some famous big cities in the world

B. some famous mistaken capital cities in the world

C. features of some capitals in the world

D. traveling in some big cities in the world

My first full-time job after high school was selling vacation packages（旅行产品） via the telephone for a well-known company. One day, I was put throughto a man who sounded a bit out of breath. I started with my normal pitch (音高), expecting to hear the normal reply —"I don’t want any."

Instead, he spoke in a faint, weak voice and told me how he wished to take a vacation I was offering, but he couldn’t because he was dying of illness. He explained how he was lacking in oxygen then, and it took almost all his energy to answer the call. He asked if I smoked, which I did, and begged me to stop. He told me smoking was what was killing him. He told me to spend every day with my loved ones, and tell them how much I love them. At this point, I couldn’t control myself. We ended the call, but I held on my phone to prevent another call coming in so I could collect myself.

I wrote down his name and address, and sent him a card appreciating（感谢）his advice and praying for him and his family. Shortly after, I received a letter from Frank, along with a picture of him and his wife. We continued to write back and forth over the next few months, and became very fond of each other. He was old enough to be my grandfather, and in many ways, I felt as if he was.

About a year later I received a letter from his wife. When I started to read, tears came to my eyes. She told me how Frank’s battle with the disease had finally come to an end, and he passed away shortly before the Christmas. She wanted to thank me for the letters to Frank, and explained how Frank touched(感动) many lives over the years. At his funeral, to show just that, they read the 1st letter I had written to Frank to show how he affected a 19-year-old boy he’d never met.

1.The author was then probably working for ______.

A. a travel agency

B. a cigarette company

C. an e-shopping store

D. a vacation school

2.The underlined part "collect myself" in the second paragraph probably means "_______".

A. gather together

B. disappoint myself

C. cheer myself up

D. calm down

3.What can we infer from the text?

A. Frank was in hospital while answering the phone.

B. Frank is actually the author’s grandfather.

C. There was something wrong with Frank’s lung.

D. The author asked Frank to travel and he took his advice.

4.We can learn from the text that the author ________.

A. took down Frank’s name and address to visit him in person

B. was warmly welcomed by her customers when she called them

C. didn’t stop smoking even though Frank asked him to

D. kept in touch with Frank through letters until he died

5.At Frank’s funeral the author’s 1st letter to Frank was read in order to ____.

A. encourage people to fight against disease and live bravely

B. show that Frank touched（触动）many people’s hearts

C. show the good relationship between Frank and the author

D. make the author remember the letter

An 11-year-old boy who has been compared to Spanish Impressionist (印象派画家), the great Pablo Picasso, is holding his first exhibition at Llangollen’s Gardening Show this weekend.

Hamad al-Humaidhan, who was born in Kuwait but now lives in Bath, Britain, had no previous knowledge of art history when he first picked up a brush.

But he began to paint his favourite football player, Cristiano Ronaldo, using Picasso’s trademarks (标志) —bright colours and impressionistic forms.

His father said, "I’ve got lots of books about Picasso and I showed them to Hamad but he didn’t know anything about Picasso —it’s just naturally the way he sees it and he just loves to paint."

His first painting of Ronaldo, done when he was just nine, was sold at auction (拍卖) in Bath for ￡650, which drew the attention of local art businessman Steve Turner. "A colleague sent me some pictures of Hamad’s work and I just couldn’t believe the size of it and how the colours blended (融合) together," he said. "He had talent and I thought Picasso had been reborn.""I’ve shown his work to private art collectors. They liked them very much and everyone was eager to buy, so the first six paintings have been snapped up. I bought two of them myself. The next set of his works will go on show for the first time at Llangollen, which will be the first opportunity for the public to see his amazing talent."

Hamad enjoys maths at school but ranks painting higher. "I think I prefer painting! It makes me relaxed and when I feel tired I just pick up a paint brush," he said. "I just close my eyes and see how it’s going to look and then I just paint it —I paint every day. I just love the colours and I want people to enjoy my paintings."

Now Hamad is nervously waiting for the opening of his exhibition.

1.What is the text mainly about ?

A. Hamad’s father.

B. Hamad and his talent for painting.

C. Hamad’s first painting.

D. The similarities between Hamad and Picasso.

2.From the text, we can learn that Hamad ________.

A. began to learn painting when he was a boy

B. has read many books about art history

C. likes Cristiano Ronaldo very much

D. knows a lot about Picasso

3.According to the text, Hamad’s first painting of Ronal-do ________.

A. has bright colours and impressionistic forms

B. was bought by Steve Turner

C. was completed five years ago

D. is his favourite work

4.What does the underlined phrase "snapped up"in the fifth paragraph probably mean?

A. Shown to the public.

B. Bought very quickly.

C. Cleaned up.

D. Hung up.

5.What can we learn from the text?

A. Steve Turner speaks very highly of Hamad.

B. Hamad prefers maths to painting.

C. Hamad’s works will be sold after the show.

D. The public can see all Hamad’s paintings at the show.

The United States has all sorts of geography, from deserts to beaches, mountains to flatlands. These conditions help create all sorts of weather: hot, wet, dry, mild and so on. Sometimes all in one day!

1. But others have dry air, so the heat does not feel so bad. In winter, parts of the country get cold and snowy while others stay warm and sunny. This is the difference between, for example, New York City on the East Coast and Los Angeles on the West Coast. Yet even the East Coast has its warm places in winter, like Florida.

2. The Pacific coast has smaller temperature changes, and calmer conditions, than along the Atlantic. Weather in the central and northeastern parts of the country is affected by cold air from Canada and warm air from the Caribbean. 3. The hurricane season is, officially, from June to November. The weather service says the United States gets more severe weather than any other country.

You know, we do not mean to scare you with all this talk about bad weather. The country also has lots of really nice weather. If you ever plan a trip to the United States, just be sure to read the local weather reports. 4.

A. Conditions can change quickly in a short period of time.

B. That way you can get prepared for whatever the weather may bring.

C. To know about the local weather conditions.

D. Hurricanes are ocean storms that strike mainly in the Southeast.

E. The oceans affect weather along the coasts.

F. In summer, some areas get very hot and the air is very wet.

G. The winter is warm in Florida.

During the 1990s, Michael Jordan was 1. (probable) the best-known athlete in the world. He 2. (name) their most valued player five times. He was the top 3.(score) in the NBA. He attended the University of North Carolina for a year before 4. (leave) to join the Chicago Bulls.

5. him, the Bulls won their first NBA championship in 1991. There are many fantastic stories to tell about Michael Jordan. He 6.(step) to the line and made two free 7. (throw). At one point, he was so much 8. (good) than other players 9. they changed the rules of the game. Jordan was also in the United States Olympic Basketball, 10. won the gold medal in Barcelona.

Nowadays millions of people of all age take pleasure in a hobby which is both interested and fun. Every year more and more people started a stamp collection of your own and discover an interest which can even last lifetime. Starting your collection of stamps are easy because they are everywhere. Holiday and birthday postcards from relatives and letters from friends can all provide you for stamps from all over the world. So once you’ve started collecting seriously, you will probably want to join in the Stamp Collectors’ Club which exist to help you add more stamps to your collection.

假设你是李华，正在中国一所高中读高二，七月份你将去美国留学读高三。Tom是你的美国朋友，你希望能够提前了解美国高中生的生活，以便更好地适应美国学习和生活。请根据以下要点给Tom写一封电子邮件：

1．询问Tom美国学生的高三学习和生活；

2．谈谈美国学生的课外活动；

3．向Tom了解美国高中生应该具有的素质。

注意：1．词数：100左右；

2．可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。

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Teen Travel with Global Teen

Ever thought about traveling in Italy?Or a teen travel program in Spain?Our summer travel program for teens is one adventure you cannot pass up.Experience Europe and tour Spain,France,Austria.Germany,Italy,or other European countries.

Come to enjoy our summer travel program for teens that will have you touring and experiencing cultures unlike anything you have done before.For example,Teen Travel Italy gives you wonderful tours of splendid cathedrals, adventures in Italian history,and the experience of your young life that you don't want to miss!Teen travel programs through Global Teen give you the best courses and activities on the web.

The travel programs are offered in varying lengths.Teen Travel Italy is at least two weeks,but for the teenager or high school student,it can last for the whole summer break.The summer travel program for teens is a great way to experience the culture of another country and provides more than the usual summer camp experience.Most teenage students who take advantage of our travel opportunities are in high school.They do a teen travel program in the summer at a language camp either in Europe or Latin America to experience another culture.

Travel with Global Teen this summer!Have an adventure at one of our language camps,experience the culture of a foreign country and have the time of your life this summer!

1.By writing the text,the author tries to_______.

A. persuade teens to join a teen travel program

B. show the fun of traveling in European countries

C. compare different cultures of European countries

D. give some background information about European countries

2.If you join Teen Travel Italy,you will have to be in Italy for at least_______.

A. the whole summer B. one month

C. two months D. 14 days

3.According to the text the teen travel programs can help you_______.

A. find a better way to learn a foreign language

B. experience the culture of another country

C. go to high school in a European country

D. make some European friends

Every day we go to school and listen to the teacher,and the teacher will ask us some questions.Sometimes,the classmates will ask for your opinions of the work of the class.When you are telling others in the class what you have found out about these topics,remember that they must be able to hear what you are saying.You are not taking part in a family conversation or having a chat with friends—you are in a slightly unnatural situation where a large group of people will remain silent,waiting to hear what you have to say.You must speak so that they can hear you—loudly enough and clearly enough but without trying to shout or appearing to force yourself.

Remember,too,that it is the same if you are called to an interview whether it is with a professor of your school or a government official who might meet you.The person you are seeing will try to put you at your ease (not worried) but the situation is somewhat different from that of an ordinary conversation.You must take special care that you can be heard.

1.When you speak to the class,you should speak_______.

A. as slowly as possible B. in a low voice

C. loudly D. forcefully

2.Usually.when you speak to the class,the class is_______.

A. noisy B. quiet

C. having a rest D. serious

3.If you are having a conversation with an official,the most important thing for you is_______.

A. to show your ability

B. to be very gentle

C. to make sure that you can be heard

D. to put the official at ease

4.The main idea of this passage is_______.

A. that we should talk in different ways in different situations

B. that we must speak loudly

C. that we must keep silent at any time

D. that we must ta]k with the class

Last week my youngest son and I visited my father at his new home in Tucson,Arizona.He moved there a few years ago,and I was eager to see his new place and meet his friends.

My earliest memories of my father are of a tall,handsome,successful man devoted to his work and family but uncomfortable with his children.As a child I loved him,as a school girl and young adult I feared him and felt bitter about him.He seemed unhappy with me unless I got straight A's and unhappy with my boyfriends if their fathers were not as "successful" as he was.Whenever I went out with him on weekends,I used to struggle to think up things to say,feeling on guard.

On the first day of my visit,we went out with one of my father's friends for lunch at an outdoor cafe.We walked along that afternoon,did some shopping,ate at the street table,and laughed over my son's funny facial expressions. Gone was my father's critical（挑剔的）air and strict rules.Who was this person I knew as my father,who seemed so friendly and interesting to be around?What had held him back before?

The next day my dad pulled out his childhood pictures and told me quite a few stories about his own childhood. Although our times together became easier over the years,I never felt closer to him at that moment.After so many years,I'm at last seeing another side of my father.And in so doing,I'm delighted with my new friend.My dad,in his new home in Arizona,is back to me from where he is.

1.Why did the author feel bitter about her father as a young adult?

A. He was silent most of the time. B. He was too proud of himself.

C. He did not love his children. D. He expected too much of her.

2.When the author went out with her father on weekends,she would feel_______ .

A. nervous B. sorry

C. tired D. safe

3.What does the author think of her father after her visit to Tucson?

A. More critical. B. More unhappy.

C. Gentle and friendly. D. Strict and hard-working.

4.The underlined words "my new friend" in the last paragraph refer to_______ .

A. the author' son B. the friend of the author' father

C. the author's father D. the cafe owner

5.The best title of this passage probably is_______ .

A. Our good times B. My father is back to me

C. My childhood D. My earliest memories