International students in Christine Rhodes’ English class in Australia share their favorite places they have visited in Australia.

Canberra, the nicest city in Australia.   

Siggi Siebold from Germany

I went for a short holiday to Canberra because my son lives there. It’s the nicest city in Australia, a little bit similar to Cairns. There’re lots of big rivers and trees around the city.

The small city of Mount Isa

Indra Ekanayake from Malaysia

I came to Mount Isa six months ago. It’s a long way from Brisbane-about 2,000 km .It’s a small city, with a population of 21,000, but it has all the basic facilities(设施)such as a hospital, six schools and supermarkets. It’s a mining city. It’s hot and gets little rain. There’re two big lakes to keep the rainwater for drinking for the city.

Lake Moondarra and a mine

Ida Robb from Indonesia

In Mount Isa, there’s a dam called Lake Moondarra. On the weekend you can go there with your friends. People go fishing and even catch a crocodile. There’s a big mine in Mount Isa. Many people come to work in the mine and earn much money. It isn’t a beautiful green place, but many people love it.

My impression(印象)of Sydney

Namfon Pitaxsin from Thailand

The fist time I came to Australia, I was happy. I traveled to Sydney. Four million people live there ,and many are  Asians. I saw the harbor (港口)，Sydney Harbor Bridge and the Opera House and I went to see the koalas and kangaroos in Taronga Park Zoo. After that I went to the Thai restaurants. There is a revolving (旋转的) restaurant, so you can eat and see the city.

1.Why did Siggi Siebold go to Canberra?

A．Because it’s the nicest city in Australia.

B．Because her son lives there

C．Because it is similar to her hometown

D．Because there’re lots of rivers

2.According to Indra Ekanayake, Mount Isa______

A．is a famous harbor in Ausralia

B．has a large population

C．probably doesn’t have enough drinking water

D．doesn’t have enough basic facilities

3.Where is Lake Moondarra?

A．In Canberra.       B．In Mount Isa.       C．In Brisbane.        D．In Sydney

4.The first time Namfon Pitaxsin went to Australia, she________

A．saw some special Australian animals

B．met more Americans than Asians

C．ate in a revolving restaurant

D．enjoyed the music in the Opera House

5.How many cities does the passage mainly talk about?

A．Two              B．Three            C．Four.             D．Five

单词拼写 (共10小题；每小题0.5分，满分5分)

根据首字母或汉语意思，在句中填入适当的词。

1.The crowd __________(惊慌) at the sound of the explosion.

2.It’s useful to read some _____________(简写) English stories.

3. I’m sorry the book you want is not ________(可获得的)now, but you can choose others related to the same topic. 

4.I’m afraid it isn’t a __________(方便的) time; could we fix another day?

5. She wore so much _________(珠宝) that she seemed to be covered in gold.

6.He was o        with an English story so that he didn’t hear someone come in.

7.With the midterm examination a_________, the students are working harder and harder.

8.Old English c____________ of Celtic, and the languages of the Angles and the Saxons, which once conquered Britain, and the Vikings.

9.The college is not an o__________recognized Spanish language school.

10.The twins are so alike that we have much difficulty in d______________ one from the other.

The whole morning we just checked our own things. We were looking for items to give away. We thought of blankets, food and clothing. Our aim was not to find things we no longer wanted, but things we use every day and would be useful to others.

We made up boxes with the things and added some small toys. Inside the boxes a simple letter was placed, reading:

“Please take these items and know that your life is important. Times are difficult but they will pass. We share what we have, believing it will matter. Use the blanket to stay warm. Be safe and know that the human spirit can overcome（战胜） anything. Don’t hold your head down. Someday please do the same when you can. How you do it and when, your heart will tell you.

This kind act was not because the phone rang or for any reason. It was simply because it was the right time to do. We have often seen homeless people at the park where we left the belongings. The city would say that it isn’t a problem but I see the lives walking to and from it.

  I noticed that my wife had put her favorite green coat into one of the boxes. I asked if she was sure about it and she simply replied that it had a hood (风帽). She liked the coat but knew the hood could shelter (遮挡)someone from the rain.

We don’t know where these gifts of compassion（同情）will go. We never go back and see what happens. It’s unimportant. The right things will find the right people and that is all that counts. On the way my wife started to cry. When I asked why, she said because some things felt so right.

What can we learn from the first paragraph about the couple？

   A. They had deep feelings of their work

B. They often threw the useless daily items away

C. They liked helping others by sharing their things

D. They often gave away the daily items they didn’t use

 The couple placed the letter inside the box mainly to_______________.

A. help the poor go through the difficulties

B. let the poor know who gave away the things

C. tell the poor how to use the items correctly

D. tell the poor to pass on the spirit to others

Why did the author ask his wife if she was sure about giving away her green coat?  _________.

   A. Because he thought the coat was very valuable

   B. Because he thought the coat was of a very high price

   C. Because he thought he liked the coat very much himself

   D. Because he thought she liked the coat very much herself

The couple liked this kind act because _______.

A. they thought it was the right thing to do

B. they had a good habit of saving things

C. they often received telephone calls for help

D. they hated being troubled by homeless people

What’s the best title for this passage?

A. Boxes filled with compassion        B. Good behavior leading to happiness

C. The most important thing in our life   D. Happiness coming from sharing things

What if it isn’t a dog-eat-dog world? What if caring for a dog or for a mom with Alzheimer’s (老年痴呆症) makes you stronger and allows you to live longer?
Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley are challenging our long-held belief that humans are born to be selfish.
Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection was misunderstood by his male followers, the researchers say. Rather than “every man for himself”, Darwin believed that humans are successful as a species precisely because of our educational, selfless and sympathetic characteristics.
Why has it taken so long for Darwin’s central revelation(揭示) to be properly understood? “We’ve had too many men in social science,” Berkeley psychology professor Dacher Keltner told me in an interview. “Female scientists acknowledge that caring for people is part of human nature according to the research, which shows the human ability to care exists in our brains and nerve systems.”
In my book Passages in Caregiving , I urge women who take the whole responsibility for taking care of an elderly parent or a sick relative to build a “Circle of Care”. Reach out to your brothers and sisters, friends, neighbors and community volunteers to help you care, because no one can perform this overwhelming role alone. You will be as shocked as I to learn how the most selfless caregivers are rewarded with longer life.
Sympathy is not a woman’s word. In fact it makes all of us stronger under stress and more highly respected by our peers. For so long we have repeated the false saying “Nice guys finish last”. But the 40 richest Americans committed to doing good by donating half their fortunes are no spring chickens. So here is my new explanation：Nice guys die last.
【小题1】The first paragraph serves to       .

It looks like a scene from the thriller movie Jaws，but these photos of a huge shark swimming with swimmers were in fact taken in Britain. The amazing pictures，which showed that the basking shark (姥鲨) was swimming friendly with swimmers，were taken at Porthcurno beach，Cornwall，where the basking shark was swimming just yards off shore.

The single 14?foot giant was feeding in the shallow waters off the scenic area，and quickly became curious about the swimmers and surfers sharing the water. Though it came within touching distance，the swimmers and surfers were in no danger. The large sharks are plankton (浮游生物) feeders－unlike the man－eating Great White from Jaws.

Beach-goer Rachel Hosken，who took the pictures，said that several basking sharks had been seen in the area.“It is one of the few I have ever seen around this year and it was great to see，” she said excitedly.“There are usually more of them by now，but for some reason there are fewer around than normal at this time of year. I think more have been spotted in deeper waters，but the particular one in the pictures seems to have taken a liking to this spot. I have seen it a few times.”

Known as the gentle giant of the sea，the basking shark is the second largest fish in the sea，only weighing lighter than the whale shark. They can grow to over 36 feet (11 meters) and weigh up to seven tons (7,000 kilograms) and feed on a diet of plankton and small fish. Basking sharks normally begin to appear in May and June.

1.In the pictures taken by Rachel Hosken，we can infer that ________.

2.Why didn’t the basking shark attack the swimmers or surfers?

3.From what Rachel Hosken said we know that ________.

4.What’s the best title for this passage?