Canada, the second largest country in the world, lies in the north of America. The population of Canada is about 29 million and the capital is Ottawa. The country covers about 9,980,000 square kilometers and six of the world’s 24 time areas (时区) as well.
There are two official languages spoken in Canada: French and English. Many people can speak both English and French. More than 60% of Canadians speak English as their language. About 25% of the Canadians speak French. In one province of Canada where French is the common language, the programmes on TV and radios as well as the teaching in schools are all in French. Today, Chinese has become the first inofficial(非官方的) language in Canada.
Canada’s climate is not as cold all year around as some may believe. In winter, temperatures fall below freezing point throughout most of Canada. In summer, the southern provinces often experience high levels of temperatures that can reach over 30℃ regularly. The weather in Canada is just like the weather in China. It is rather cold in the north while it is fairly warm in the south. Winters in the north last long with snow for half a year. As the cold northern climate, only one-fifth of the land is suitable for farming.
As it is known to all, Canada has one-third of the world’s supply of fresh water. It has many great lakes. There are five great lakes in the south. And there are many others, especially in the north. It is also rich in natural resources, such as coal, oil, natural gas of which Canadians make use to produce energy.
People of northern Canada are called Inuit (因纽特人), who came from Asia and settled in Canada about 4,000 years ago. They used to travel around from place to place with teams of dogs which pulled their baggage. Now, they seldom move. There are about 2,500 Inuit in all. The government has started a new school project in which Inuit teach their own young children. So it is hoped that the way of Inuit life will be kept alive for more centuries.
【小题1】How many people are there living in Canada?

You might have noticed that the cost of food has gone up.In fact the price of wheat and rice has nearly doubled in the past few years.It’s thought that right now，850 million people—that’s more than 10 times the population of the UK—are short of food because it’s too expensive or there’s not enough of it.

The price of basic food such as wheat and corn has stayed the same for quite a long time，about 30 years.But as the world’s population is getting bigger，there’s more pressure to feed more people，plus there’s less land and water to go round.

Another reason is climate（气候）change.Droughts and floods make it hard to grow crops like rice and grain.The price of oil has gone up and that makes it more expensive for farmers to run their tractors and to transport the food they make.And lots of fields are being used to grow crops to make other things that can’t be eaten—which is bad news for hungry people.

The main losers are poor people who live in cities in poor countries，who are facing higher prices for food.Some people are doing well out of the food crisis（危机） though.Farmers in rich countries like the US，Canada and Australia are getting record prices for their harvests.

World leaders are meeting in the Italian capital Rome to talk about the problem of rising food prices.Some countries are helping out with the cost of foods and international aid agencies have called for more money for food production in poor countries.

1.The price of food goes up because all of the following EXCEPT _____.

A．there are more and more people in the world.

B．American farmers are getting richer and richer.

C．many farm lands are used to make other things rather than food.

D．climate change makes it harder to grow food.

2.Who lose the most because of the food crisis?

A．Farmers in rich countries.

B．Farmers in developed countries.

C．Poor people in cities in poor countries.

D．Poor people in cities in developed countries.

3.What does the food crisis mean to farmers in Canada?

A．They can get a lot of money from the government.

B．They have to save a lot of money.

C．They can make more money from the high price.

D．They are losing a lot of money.

4.What is the best title for this passage?

A．Why is the Price of Food Going Up？

B．How Many People are Short of Food?

C．What Can We Learn from the Food Crisis?

D．Who Can Benefit（受益） from the Food Crisis?

Asia is home to more than half of the world's population and three of the four most crowded countries are in Asia. China, India, and Indonesia alone have more than 2.5 billion people.

Until recently, most Asian nations fell behind the western countries in many fields. Government reform(改革), however, has led to important progress in each of these Asian countries. Across the area, education systems have been improved and economies（经济） have been growing. Most Asian countries now have a system of compulsory(义务的) education. Many countries have recently allowed private universities to be built, which was not allowed before. There are more chances for students to go to university now.

However, in Asia, there are still not enough chances for students to get higher education and many people prefer to go abroad for further study. As a result, India, China, South Korea, Japan and other Asian countries send thousands of students to study in the United States and Europe each year.

Part of the people in Asian countries can speak English, and English has become the most important language for business across the area. The percentage(百分比) is the largest in Japan, Singapore, the Philippines, SriLanka and South Korea. Many people in China, India and Malaysia can also speak English. Some countries have made English part of the primary and secondary education program. In some countries, children begin to study English even at the age of 4 or 5.

1.The population of Asia is about__________         .

   A. 2.5 billion  B. half of the world's population

C. 1.3 billion   D. 6 billion

2.Most Asian countries __________ the western countries in many fields.

    A. are better than             B. are more powerful than

    C. get greater progress than.    D. are not as good as

3.In the past, __________ was not allowed in many Asian countries.

    A. speaking English             B. moving to other countries

    C. building private universities     D. building middle schools

4.Why do so many students in Asia go to study in the USA and Europe?

A. Because they are rich.

B. Because there are not enough chances for students to get higher education in Asia.

C. Because they don't want to work hard.

D. Because they can speak English very well.

5.Which of the following is NOT true?

  A. There're more than 2.5 billion people in China, India and Indonesia.

  B. The economies in Asian countries are becoming worse.

  C. Education in Asia has had great changes.

D. In some Asian countries, English has become very important for business

In the past, man did not have to think about the protection of his environment. There were not many people on earth, and natural resources seemed to be unlimited.
Today, things are different. The world has become too crowded. We are using up our natural resources too quickly, and at the same time we are polluting our environment with dangerous chemicals. If we continue like this, human life on earth will not survive.
Everyone realizes today that if too many fish are taken from the sea, there will soon be none left. Yet, with modern fishing methods, more and more fish are caught. We know that if too many trees are cut down, forests will disappear and nothing will grow on the land. Yet, we continue to use bigger and more powerful machines to cut down more and more trees.
We realize that if rivers are polluted with waste products from factories, we will die. However, in most countries waste products are still put into rivers or into the sea, and there are few laws to stop this.
We know, too, that if the population of the world continues to rise at the present rate, in a few years, there will not be enough food.
What can we do to solve these problems?
If we eat more vegetables and less meat, we will easily get more food. Land that is used to grow crops can feed five times more people than land where animals are kept.
The world population will not rise so quickly if people use modern methods of birth control.
Finally, if we educate people to think about the problems, we shall have a better and cleaner living place in the future.

The one-child policy has been carried out for about 20 years .Most Chinese families have only one child. By the year 2008,the number of only children in China had already been 330 million ,which was about the population of the United States .In the next twenty years ,the only-child generation (一代人) will become the main builders of our society .No one knows how much he or she will change the world .

Only children in families often receive the best care, sometimes ,even get a lot of indulgence .Parents always try their best to satisfy their children’s needs .Those children, who are called “little emperors” ,are in danger of too much love .

However these kids often fell lonely because neither their parents nor their classmates can take the place of a brother or a sister.

It seems that only children are still not ready to do their duty .some elder only children have already graduated from college .But they still depend on their parents .They need a longer time to change for their jobs, because they were brought up in a safe environment. When their parents get older, a couple of only children will have four parents and even more grandparents to look after. It will surely be the biggest problem if they don’t well prepare to face it. 

1.What was the population of the U.S.A in the year 2008?

 A. About 3, 300, 000.   B. About 330, 000, 000.  C. About 33, 000, 000.

2.In this passage the word  “indulgence” means ________.

A. 溺爱             B. 批评               C.指导

3. Why do only children feel lonely?

A. Their parents have no time for them.  

B. They don’t have free time for activities.

C. They have no brothers or sisters.

4.What’s the biggest problem for the family that is made up of two only children?

A. They have to look after four parents and even more grandparents.

B. They they still depend on their parents.         

C. They need a longer time to change for their jobs

5.The best title for the passage is ____________.

A. Parents for Only Children  B. The Only-child Generation  C. The Only-child Policy