The British isles is made up of two large islands: One is called Ireland and the other __1__. Britain, or Great Britain, is the larger of these two islands, and it is __2__ into three parts: Scotland, Wales and England.

The United Kingdom is that __3__ of the British isles ruled over by the Queen. It is made up of Scotland, Wales and England, that is, the __4__ of Britain, and also about one sixth of Ireland, the Northern part. The __5__ of Ireland is self governing(治理). The __6__ name of the United Kingdom is __7__ “The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland”．

__8__ is larger and richer than Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and has the most __9__ of the United Kingdom, so people often use the __10__ “England” and “English” when they __11__ “Britain” and “British”. This sometimes makes the Scots and the Welsh a little __12__. The Scots in particular are very __13__ of their separate nationality(民族). The Welsh too do not regard __14__ as English, and have a culture and even a __15__ of their own.

Ireland became part of the United Kingdom in 1801, but for forty years the “Irish __16__ ” was the greatest headache of the United Kingdom. __17__， Ireland is divided into two: Northern Ireland still __18__ to the United Kingdom, and in 1922 the rest of Ireland __19__ to found an Irish Free State, later called Eire and now the Republic of Ireland.

The Republic of Ireland does not regard itself as part of Britain, and is not now even a supporter of the Commonwealth of Nations(英联邦). Unlike the major Commonwealth countries it did not lift a finger to __20__ British in the Second World War and now wants the whole of Ireland to be a republic.

1. A. Wales　　B. Britain　　C. England　　D. Scotland

2. A. divided    B. cut      C. broken    D. separated

3. A. piece     B. island    C. country   D. part

4. A. south     B. north    C. part      D. whole

5. A. smaller   B. larger    C. rest      D. island

6. A. correct     B. true    C. full     D. complete

7. A. also      B. therefore  C. likely  D. perhaps

8. A. The UK       B. The British isles

C. Great Britain   D. England

9. A. colleges    B. officials      C. cities      D. population

10. A. words        B. names

C. spellings       D. pronunciations

11. A. call        B. forget       C. speak       D. write

12. A. angry      B. difficult      C. tired        D. lonely

13. A. proud      B. fond         C. full         D. kind

14. A. it         B. Wales        C. them       D. themselves

15. A. capital     B. language     C. history       D. programmes

16. A. Country    B. Question       C. Disease          D. Republic

17. A. At last     B. So             C. Meanwhile        D. Also

18. A. returns    B. belongs        C. gets             D. speaks

19. A. hoped      B. refused        C. broke away       D. used

20. A. feel       B. touch          C. fight            D. help

　　A teacher was asking one of her pupils some questions, but not even one of the answers was correct. So the teacher __(1)___ to ask him some very simple questions. She hoped that he could give at least one __(2)___ answer.

　　“Now Sam,”said the teacher,“__(3)___ is Waterloo?”

　　“Waterloo?”said the boy.“Oh, it's a kind of __(4)___ machine, I think.”

　　The teacher was __(5)___. She shook her head and raised __(6)___ question,“Sam, be __(7)___, please. Now tell me the __(8)___ to a very, very simple question: Who was Washington?”

　　“Well,”the answer __(9)___ quickly,“Washington must be the man who uses that washing machine.”

　　The teacher got __(10)___, but she didn't __(11)___. She thought and thought, and at last she thought of the __(12)___ question--if this could be __(13)___ a question: Who is the __(14)___ of the United States now?

　　Sam thought for a long time, but he had no __(15)___ at all. Then the teacher lost her temper（脾气）. She __(16)___,“Bush!”Sam looked __(17)___ and sat down.“Stand up!”Sam stood up again. He looked __(18)___.“Oh, I'm __(19)___.”he said，“I thought you were calling the __(20)___ student.”

All children in the United States have to receive an education, but not all children go to school. A number of parents　　36　not to send their children to school. Such children are known　　37　　 “home-schoolers”. Some parents prefer teaching their children at home　　38 they do not believe schools teach the correct religious (宗教的)　　39 ; others believe they can provide a better educational　　40 for their children by doing so.　　41 , results show home-schooled children often do better than 　　42 on national tests in reading and math.

　　David teaches his three children at home. He 　　43　that his children learn very differently from children in school. Learning starts with the children’s　　44　and questions. For example, when there is snowfall on a winter day, it may　　45　a discussion about climate, snow removal 　　46 , Alaska, etc. Or a spring evening when the family is out　47　the stars is a good time to ask questions about the sky. If the Brazilian rain forests are on TV, it　48　　be a perfect time to talk about how rain forests influence the climate, how deserts are　49　　and how the polar ice caps　50 ocean levels.

　Home schooling is often more interesting than　　51　schools, but critics (批评家) say home-schoolers might be uncomfortable　　52　 with other people in adult life. Critics also say that most parents are not　53　to teach their children. However, most parents don’t have the time or the　　54　to teach their children at home, so schools will continue to be　　55　　most children get their formal education.

Correct the mistakes