London is the capital of the United Kingdom. It has about seven million people. The river Thames runs through London.
People from all over the world visit London to see Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London. There are many museums, theatres and parks in London, as well as offices and factories. London began as a Roman settlement called Londinium. The plague(瘟疫) came to London in the 1600s, followed by the Great Fire of 1666. The city was badly bombed in World War II.
London is very slowly sinking into its foundations and the level of the river Thames is slowly rising. As a result, extra-high tides could flood a large part of London. To prevent this happening, a great barrier（屏障）has been built across the Thames at Woolwich. If very high tides happen, the barrier can be raised and London will be safe.
【小题1】London is the capital of _________, which began as a __________ settlement.

London is the capital of the United Kingdom. It has about seven million people. The river Thames runs through London.

People from all over the world visit London to see Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London. There are many museums, theatres and parks in London, as well as offices and factories. London began as a Roman settlement called Londinium. The plague(瘟疫) came to London in the 1600s, followed by the Great Fire of 1666. The city was badly bombed in World War II.

London is very slowly sinking into its foundations and the level of the river Thames is slowly rising. As a result, extra-high tides could flood a large part of London. To prevent this happening, a great barrier（屏障）has been built across the Thames at Woolwich. If very high tides happen, the barrier can be raised and London will be safe.

1.London is the capital of _________, which began as a __________ settlement.

A. England; Norman        B. UK; Frenchman  

C. Scotland; English      D. UK; Roman

2.According to the passage, from 1600 to now, ________ great disasters have happened in London.

A. one          B. two           C. three         D. four

3.The reason why a great barrier has been built across the Thames at Woolwich is that_________.

A.London is very slowly sinking into its foundations

B.the level of the river Thames is slowly rising

C.extra-high tides could flood a large part of London

D.all of the above.

Who give us life，raise us and are our constant support and well?wishers？Our mothers.That’s why millions of people across the world take Mother’s Day as an opportunity to express thanks and send best wishes to their moms.

However，the celebration of Mother’s Day is not the recent thing that many believe it to be.It was the ancient Greeks who started the tradition by celebrating their annual spring festival in honor of Rhea，the mother of many gods and goddesses.

Later，in the 1600s，Mothering Sunday came to be celebrated in England.On the fourth Sunday of Lent (大斋期)，children brought flowers and special fruitcakes to show their respect for their mothers.It may be the root of the modern Mother’s Day.

Thanks to the great efforts of Julia Ward Howe and Anna Jarvis，Mother’s Day became an official festival in the US.It is celebrated on the second Sunday in May.Later，many countries began to celebrate this day as Mother’s Day.

Today，Mother’s Day is an international festival honoring mothers.It is celebrated all over the world in different ways.In Western countries，the most common way is to treat mothers with breakfast in bed.Kids often allow their mothers to sleep till late in the morning while they prepare her favorite breakfast with their fathers.Some also make hand?made gifts or buy beautiful carnations (康乃馨)．It is the day when you acknowledge your mothers contribution in your life and pay a tribute (礼品) to her，often with flowers and gifts.It complements Father’s Day，the celebration honoring fathers.

Today，Mother’s Day is a day celebrated on various days in many places around the world.

1.Why do people across the world celebrate Mother’s Day?

A．Because they want to express thanks and send best wishes to their mothers.

B．Because they want to express thanks and send best wishes to Rhea.

C．Because Mother’s Day is an official festival in the US.

D．Because Mother’s Day is an international festival.

2.The modern Mother’s Day came from________.

A．Greece? B．England

C．America? D．China

3.From the passage we can learn that________.

A．Rhea is the mother of many gods and goddesses of England

B．many people wrongly believe Mother’s Day has a short history

C．in America Mother’s day is celebrated on the fourth Sunday of Lent

D．on Mother’s day fathers have to get up early to prepare breakfast

4.The passage mainly wants to tell us________.

A．how to celebrate Mother’s day

B．what to do on Mother’s day

C．the historical change of Mother’s day

D．the meaning of Mother’s day

Paris is the capital of the European nation of France. It is also one of the most beautiful and most famous cities in the world.

Paris is called the City of Light. It is also an international fashion center. What modern women are wearing in Paris will soon be worn by many women in other parts of the world. Paris is also a famous world center of education. For instance, the headquarters of UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) is in Paris.

The Seine River divided the city into two parts. Thirty－two bridges cross this scenic river. The oldest and perhaps most well－known is the Pont Neff, which was built in the sixteenth century. The Sorbonne, a famous university, is located on the left bank (south side) of the river. The beautiful white church Scare Coeur lies on top of the hill called Monometer on the right bank (north side) of the Seine.

There are many other famous places in Paris, such as the famous museum the Louvre as well as the cathedral of Notre Dame. However, the most famous land－mark in this city must be the Eiffel Tower.

Paris is named after a group of people called the paresis. They built a small village on an island in the middle of the Seine River about two thousand years ago. This island, called the lie de la Cite, is where Notre Dame is located. Today around eight million people live in the Paris area.

1. The Best title for this passage is “________”.

A. The French Language

B. The City of Paris

C. Education and Culture in France

D. The Eiffel Tower, the Symbol of Paris

2. The underlined word “headquarters” in Paragraph 2 means “________”．

A. buildings              B. research center

C. leading body            D. chief office

3. According to the passage we can infer that Notre Dame is located ________.

A. on the left bank        B. on neither bank 

C. on the right bank       D. on both banks

4. The Pont Neff  was built ________.

A. in the 1500s         B. in the 1600s

C. in the 1700s         D. around the 1600s

5. According to the passage, which one of the following sentences is TRUE?

A. There are thirty－two bridges in each part of the city.

B. Paris is both an international fashion center and an educational center.

C. Paris is named by some famous buildings.

D. All the women would like to go to Paris in the other part of the world.