Santa Fe, the capital of New Mexico, U.S.A.,is in the central part of the state, on the Santa Fe River, which flows into the Rio Grande 35 kilometres west of the city. More than two thousand metres above sea level, it lies in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains with the Ortiz Mountains to the southeast.

Santa Fe was founded in 1609 by the Spanish (西班牙人)on an old Indian village.In 1680 the Indians seized the place but only held it for twelve years before the Spanish retook it. The city remained under Spanish rule until Mexico won its independence (独立) in 1821. From then on it was a Mexican city until 1846 when it was taken over by American troops.

With a population of 48,953, Santa Fe is now the second largest city in the state. Because of its sunny weather, rich history and surrounding mountains, it is a good place for holiday makers. Besides hunting and skating in the mountains people enjoy shopping in the Indian and Spanish shops, which brings a large income to the city every year. In summer there is an international opera (歌剧) season when operas are shown in a partly-roofed ,open-air theatre daily for people from all over the world.

1.At present Santa Fe belongs to            .

A. India           B. Mexico    C. Spain(西班牙)        D. the United States

2.Which of the drawings below gives an idea of what Santa Fe is like?

RG=the Rio Grande  SFR=the Santa Fe River  OM=the Ortiz Mountains

3.Santa Fe was under the rule of the Mexicans in         .

A. 1675                 B. 1695     C. 1816                D. 1833

4.The people who held Santa Fe for the longest period in history were the           .

A. Spanish              B. Indians    C. Mexicans             D. Americans

5.What is of special interest to people who visit Santa Fe in summer?

A. Hunting.    B. Fishing.   C. Watching operas.     D.Doing shopping.

6.Santa Fe is best described (描述) as a             .

A. trade centre     B. holiday centre  C. home for all nations   D. seaport city

7.One of the reasons for visitors to come to Santa Fe is that it             .

A. has fine weather            B. is the state capital

C. has historical monuments       D. is on the Santa Fe River