Australia, also known as “the Land Down Under”, is a country, an island and a continent(大陆). It's the world's smallest continent and the sixth largest country. But only about 24 million people live there. The first people there were the Aborigines. In the late 18th century the British arrived. Today the British influence on Australia is still very strong. For example, the national language is English and drivers drive on the left side of the road.

Australia was cut off from the other continents a long time ago, so a lot of Australia's animals, like the koala and the kangaroo aren't found anywhere else in the world. Australia also has some of the most dangerous animals in the world. There are poisonous(有毒的) snakes and spiders. In the north there are huge saltwater crocodiles, and in the sea, around the coast, there are sharks and poisonous jellyfish.

The largest city in Australia is Sydney with its famous Opera House and Harbour Bridge. The 2000 Summer Olympics were held in Sydney. But Sydney isn't the capital of Australia. The capital is Canberra.

Australia is a huge country, but most Australians live in the south-east corner between Sydney and Melbourne. This is because most of the land is very dry. Australians call this dry area the outback. There are some huge farms there with millions of sheep. The children who live on these farms can't go to school, because the nearest town is too far away. They study at home with the School of the Air. They used to talk to their teachers by the radio and, nowadays, on the Internet. There is also a “flying doctor” service. The doctor comes to the outback by plane.

1.What's the population of Australia?

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2.What does the second paragraph mainly tell us?

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3.Is Harbour Bridge in Sydney or Canberra?

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4.In which part of the country do most Australians live?

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5.Where do children living in the outback study?

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“Homestay” is a form of study abroad program. It allows the visitor to rent a room from a local (当地的) family to better understand the local lifestyle. It also helps to improve the visitor’s language ability, “ said a teacher during a school meeting last term. “Students who wish to learn more about foreign cultures or to get foreign experience should join this kind of holiday. I am sure you won’t be disappointed (失望的)After this special meeting, I always thought about this kind of holiday. Last month, I had a chance at last to go on such a holiday with some of my schoolmates and we went to London, a place where I had wanted to go since years ago.

As we were still young, we had a group leader who planned things for us and looked after us. After we got to London, we went to stay with different families. I was lucky that my host family (寄宿家庭) was a white couple who had a daughter about my age. They treated me as a daughter of their family during my stay there. They were interested in me and I learnt a lot of things from them, too.

The holiday was filled with activities every day. After breakfast, a local teacher would come to take us in his car. Then we would have classes or go on a sight-seeing trip to different places of interest like the Big Ben, the London Bridge, and the Buckingham Palace. We would go back to our own homes after the activities.

The holiday was a valuable experience for me. I enjoyed every minute of it. Yet, time really flew fast. Three weeks later, we had to leave “home” for Hong Kong.

1.In the “homestay” program, a visitor can .

A. learn more about holidays

B. understand his own culture better

C. improve the language ability

D. take part in foreign meetings

2.The writer had wanted to visit London since .

A. last month B. years ago

C. the special meeting D. her stay abroad

3.The group leader is a person who can .

A. take care of the students

B. make plans for the family

C. stay with different families

D. rent rooms to the students

4.The writer’s host family .

A. was very kind to her

B. went sight-seeing with her

C. had two white daughters

D. was interested in her activities

5.From the passage, we know that the writer in London.

A. spent only three weeks in her home

B. had classes in many interesting places

C. helped the teacher take the students in a car

D. wished to stay a little longer

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