As we all know, it was Thomas Jefferson who wrote the Declaration of the Independence. He wrote it in two weeks, and after a few changes, it was accepted by the Congress. As a result, he became famous.

Born in Virginia, Thomas Jefferson, a brilliant student at school and almost talented lawyer later, was much interested in politics.

Jefferson was elected Governor of Virginia in 1779, and he was sent to France as the representative of the American government in 1784. Sixteen years later, at the age of 57, he was elected president after Washington and Adams.

Far from a handsome man, he was tall with long arms and big hands. Jefferson, who was an amusing talker in conversation but a poor speaker, was generally good-natured.

Jefferson was regarded as a defender of freedom on America. As a president, he protected the right of free speech. Interestingly enough, in his eight years as President, Jefferson never vetoed a bill which Congress had passed. He did a lot in organizing the new University of Virginia.

Thomas Jefferson died on July the fourth, 1826, the 50th anniversary of American Independence.

1.

From the passage we can infer that America won its independence in ___.

A. 1786      B. 1776    C. 1842   D. 1800

2.

How old was Thomas Jefferson when he became Governor of Virginia?

A. He was 26.       B. He was in his forties.

C. He was 36.       D. We don’t know.

3.

Which of the following statements is true?

A. Jefferson was not only very talented but also very handsome.

B. Jefferson was not an easy person to get along with.

C. Jefferson was an amusing talker, but not good at speaking in public.

D. Not being politically-minded, Jefferson never vetoed a bill passed by the Congress.

4.

 Jefferson’s greatest contribution in American history should be that ___.

A. he did a lot in organizing the new University of Virginia

B. he was strongly against the slavery

C. he was for the right of free speech

D. he wrote the Declaration of Independence

As we all know, it was Thomas Jefferson who wrote the Declaration of the Independence. He wrote it in two weeks, and after a few changes, it was accepted by the Congress. As a result, he became famous.

Born in Virginia, Thomas Jefferson, a brilliant student at school and almost talented lawyer later, was much interested in politics.

Jefferson was elected Governor of Virginia in 1779, and he was sent to France as the representative of the American government in 1784. Sixteen years later, at the age of 57, he was elected president after Washington and Adams.

Far from a handsome man, he was tall with long arms and big hands. Jefferson, who was an amusing talker in conversation but a poor speaker, was generally good-natured.

Jefferson was regarded as a defender of freedom on America. As a president, he protected the right of free speech. Interestingly enough, in his eight years as President, Jefferson never vetoed a bill which Congress had passed. He did a lot in organizing the new University of Virginia.

Thomas Jefferson died on July the fourth, 1826, the 50th anniversary of American Independence.

71. From the passage we can infer that America won its independence in ___.
A. 1786                 B. 1776                 C. 1842             D. 1800

72. How old was Thomas Jefferson when he became Governor of Virginia?
A. He was 26.  B. He was in his forties.
C. He was 36.  D. We don’t know.

73. Which of the following statements is true?
A. Jefferson was not only very talented but also very handsome.
B. Jefferson was not an easy person to get along with.
C. Jefferson was an amusing talker, but not good at speaking in public.
D. Not being politically-minded, Jefferson never vetoed a bill passed by the Congress.

74. Jefferson died when he was ____.
A.72  B. 73  C. 83  D. 92

75. Jefferson’s greatest contribution in American history should be that ___.
A. he did a lot in organizing the new University of Virginia
B. he was strongly against the slavery
C. he was for the right of free speech
D. he wrote the Declaration of Independence

Canadians are proud to have a political system that is different from that in the U.S. In Canada, as in the U.S., there is a time difference between the east and west coasts. This means that voting in the east of the country ends four hours before the west. In Canada, there is an election law which says that no one can publicize the result of the exit survey before voting ends in every province. Some 13 million Canadians voted in 2000. The voting papers are counted by hand, not by machine. In 2000, all the counting was done within a few hours of the end of the voting.

Voters elect Members of Parliament（下议院）from districts called ridings（选区）. The party with the largest number of Members of Parliament (MPs) forms the government, and that party chooses its leader, who becomes the Prime Minister.

Canada has ten provinces and two territories（领地）, but most of the 31 or more million Canadians live close to the border with the U.S.A. One third of the population live in the most developed province of Ontario（安大略）, and elect 101 seats out of the 301 seats in the House of Parliament.

In the recent election, there were two main parties—the Liberal Party and the Canadian Alliance. The Liberal Party, which has been in power since 1993, gets votes from the political center and is neither right-wing nor leftwing. It is strong in the east of the country and, in fact, in 2000 won 173 seats in Parliament.

The Canadian Alliance is strong and getting stronger in the western Canadawhere it won most of the seats. It is a right-wing party. The political difference between the east and west is a cultural difference. Eastern Canada was settled by Europeans in the early days, while people moved west much later. The east is older, the west younger.

Canada does not have a President. The Head of State is Britain’s Queen Elizabeth Ⅱ, who is represented by a governor-general. The present governor-general is a woman, Adrienne Clarkson. She is of Chinese origin.

1. From the passage we can infer that the author tends to think_____.

A. people pay too much attention to the American elections

B. Adrienne has nothing to do with Chinese

C. it is necessary to know some knowledge of Canadian elections

D. the Canadian political system is better than of the U.S.A

2. It is forbidden by law in Canadian elections_______.

A. to declare the voting result ahead of time

B. to form a government without winning 173 seats in Parliament

C. to form a government without winning half of seats in Parliamentお

D. to do vote counting beyond a few hours

3. Why did the Canadian Alliance fail in the election in 2000?

A. Most provinces did not support it.

B. It didn’t win more than half of Members of Parliament.

C. The population in the west of the country was smaller than that in the east.

D. It didn’t try to get votes from the people in the Canadian east.

4. The best title of this passage may be_______.

A. Different Politics in Canada and America

B. The Main Parties in Canada

C. How to Vote in Canada

D. The Canadian Elections

With the world’s attention at the end of 2000 on the election for the U.S. President, maybe we didn’t much notice the election for a new Canadian government.

Canadians are proud to have a political system that is different from that in the U.S. In Canada, as in the U.S., there is a time difference between the east and west coasts. This means that voting in the east of the country ends four hours before the west. In Canada, there is an election law which says that no one can publicize the result of the exit survey before voting ends in every province. Some 13 million Canadians voted in 2000. The voting papers are counted by hand, not by machine. In 2000, all the counting was done within a few hours of the end of the voting.

Voters elect Members of Parliament（下议院）from districts called ridings（选区）. The party with the largest number of Members of Parliament (MPs) forms the government, and that party chooses its leader, who becomes the Prime Minister.

Canada has ten provinces and two territories（领地）, but most of the 31 or more million Canadians live close to the border with the U.S.A. One third of the population live in the most developed province of Ontario（安大略）, and elect 101 seats out of the 301 seats in the House of Parliament.

In the recent election, there were two main parties—the Liberal Party and the Canadian Alliance. The Liberal Party, which has been in power since 1993, gets votes from the political center and is neither right-wing nor leftwing. It is strong in the east of the country and, in fact, in 2000 won 173 seats in Parliament.

The Canadian Alliance is strong and getting stronger in the western Canadawhere it won most of the seats. It is a right-wing party. The political difference between the east and west is a cultural difference. Eastern Canada was settled by Europeans in the early days, while people moved west much later. The east is older, the west younger.

Canada does not have a President. The Head of State is Britain’s Queen Elizabeth Ⅱ, who is represented by a governor-general. The present governor-general is a woman, Adrienne Clarkson. She is of Chinese origin.

1. From the passage we can infer that the author tends to think_____.

A. people pay too much attention to the American elections

B. Adrienne has nothing to do with Chinese

C. it is necessary to know some knowledge of Canadian elections

D. the Canadian political system is better than of the U.S.A

2. It is forbidden by law in Canadian elections_______.

A. to declare the voting result ahead of time

B. to form a government without winning 173 seats in Parliament

C. to form a government without winning half of seats in Parliamentお

D. to do vote counting beyond a few hours

3. Why did the Canadian Alliance fail in the election in 2000?

A. Most provinces did not support it.

B. It didn’t win more than half of Members of Parliament.

C. The population in the west of the country was smaller than that in the east.

D. It didn’t try to get votes from the people in the Canadian east.

4. The best title of this passage may be_______.

A. Different Politics in Canada and America

B. The Main Parties in Canada

C. How to Vote in Canada

D. The Canadian Elections