The seasons in Australia are not like ours. When it is winter in china, it is summer there. Australia is a southern country, it is in the south of the world. July and August are the winter months; September, October and November are spring, the summer is in January, February and December, and March, April and May are the autumn months. The north of the country is hotter than the south.

A very large part of this country has no rain at all. The east coast (海岸地区)has rain all year, and there are no dry months there. The southeast winds blows(吹) here all the year. They bring rain from the sea. There is not much rain on the west side. The southeastern part of Australia has summer rain from the southeast winds. They only blow here in summer.

The southwestern part of Australia has winter rain. The west winds blow over the southwest in winter only. In summer, the southwest of the country has no rain. In the north of Australia, there is no rain in winter. The rain comes in summer. The northwest winds bring it.

1.In October, it is ______ in Australia.

A. spring B. summer C. autumn D. winter

2.It is ____ in the south than in the north in Australia.

A. warmer B. hotter C. colder D. cooler

3.The ______ part of Australia has the most rain.

A. eastern B. southeastern C. southern D. northern

4. The west winds only come over the ____ of the country in winter.

A. east B. west C. northwest D. southeast

5.There is _____ rain in winter in the north of Australia.

A. enough   B. a heavy   C. more   D. no  

根据对话内容和首字母提示，在下文空格处填入适当的词使对话完整。（每空一词）

10 January, 2013

Dear David,

Thank you for your letter. I am glad to know that everything is going w  1.

  with you. Thanks also for the photos. Linda looks h  2.   and taller than before.

  It is very hot here now, but sometimes rains. We love the rain very much. We are enjoying our stay here. I am now s  3.  in a bigger school. There are m  4.   teachers and students in this school than in my school in England. My teachers and classmates are all very friendly to me.

  Time goes so quickly. I am having new experience (经历) all the time. It is difficult to l  5.  Chinese, but I am making progress (进步) w  6.   the help of my teachers and classmates.

The summer holiday is coming. Here in Yangzhou the summer holiday usually lasts about two m  7.

  . So I’ll be f 8.   for over sixty days. I h  9.   you and Linda could come to Yangzhou for a visit. Then I can show you a  10.   the famous “Moon City” in China.

All the best,

Mike

1.When does the train X504 leave Washington?

A. 9:00.   B. 9=30.   C. 10:00.   D. 10=30.

2.If you have to get to New York before 12=00, you'd better take ______.

A. X500   B. X501   C. X502    D. X503

3.Which of the following trains does not stop at BWI Airport?

A. X502.   B. X503.   C. X504.   D. X505.

4. If you want to go on weekends, you can NOT choose ______.

A. X501   B. X502   C. X503    D. X504

5.Which of the following is true according to the timetable?

A. You can have meals on most of the trains.

B. Most of the trains do not stop at Neward Int'l Airport.

C. You can't buy a ticket at the stations without reservation.

D. Nobody can get from Princeton Junction to Metropark on January 30.

Farmer Ed Rawlings smiles as he looks at his orange trees. The young oranges are growing well in Florida’s weather. Warm sunshine and gentle rains, along with Ed Rawlings’ expert care, will produce a good crop（收成）of oranges this year.
However, Ed has to guard against Florida’s changeable winter weather. In January and February, temperatures can destroy Ed’s entire orange crop. Having farmed in Florida for the past 35 years, Ed is prepared for the frost(霜). When temperatures drop below freezing, Ed tries to save his crop by watering his orange trees. The water freezes and forms a thin layer(层) of ice around the trees. Strange as it may sound, this thin layer of ice actually keeps the fruit warm.
What happens is simple. When the trees are watered, the water loses heat and becomes ice. The warmth of the heat it loses is taken in by the fruit and keeps its temperature at a safe level. Ed has effectively used this method to save many orange crops.
But Ed still faces difficulties. The trees must be watered at the exact moment the temperature drops to the freezing point. Also, just the right quantity(数量)of water must be used. Too much water can form a thicker layer of ice that will break the tree’s branches(树枝). Another difficulty is that wind blows away the heat, so Ed has to worry about not only when but also how often his trees should be watered, and how much water should be used.
Computer technology may help Ed with some of these worries. With equipment(设备), air and soil temperatures and wind speed can be measured. The information is fed into a computer which can calculate(计算) when the temperature will drop below freezing. The computer can correctly decide the quantity of water to be used and how frequently(  ) the trees should be watered. Ed finds looking after his orange trees a lot easier with the help of a computer, and, his customers will have the benefits(利益) of computer—age oranges. 
【小题1】The passage is mainly about______.