【推荐1】Considering Australia' s size and the fact that early settlements were far apart, Australian society is remarkably homogeneous ( 同种的). Its citizens are fundamentally prosperous and the way of life in the major cities and towns is much the same however many miles divide them. It takes a sharp ear to identify regional accents.
However, there is some difference in lifestyle between city settlers and the country people. Almost 90 percent of the population lives in the fast-paced cities along the coast and has little more than a passing familiarity with the desert. . The major cities preserve images of colonial heritage, but the overall impression is modern, with new buildings reflecting the country' s youth. In contrast, the rural communities tend to be slow-moving and conservative. For many years, Australia was said to have "ridden on the sheep' s back" , a reference to wool being the country' s main money earner. However, it is no longer dominant ( 主宰的) . Much of Australia' s relatively sound economy is now achieved from natural coal and wheat, and by being the largest diamond producer in the world. Newer industries such as tourism and wine making are also increasingly important. Australians are generally friendly and relaxed, with a modest sense of humor.
Yet, contrary to widespread belief, very few Australians have true prisoner origins. Within only one generation of the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788, Australia had become a nation of immigrants. Originally coming almost entirely from the British Isles, today one in three Australians comes from elsewhere. Australia' s liberal postwar immigration policies led to a flowing of survivors from war-torn Europe, most notably Greeks, Italians, Poles and Germans.
The emphasis has shifted in recent years and today the majority of new immigrants are from Southeast Asia. Today Australia is a "mixture of nations" and although some racism exists, it has generally been a successful experiment and the country is reasonably proud to have one of the most harmonious multicultural communities in the world.
1. What does the writer mean by saying "has little more than a passing familiarity with the desert" in the second paragraph?

A．The major population has a close relationship with the desert.

B．The fast-paced cities are just located by the desert.

C．The major population knows little about the desert.

D．The major population is familiar with the people living in the desert.

2. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A．The pace of life in the city is different from that in the country.

B．One third of people living in Australia come from Europe.

C．The Australian economy is dependent on sheep exports.

D．Most Australians have ancestors who were prisoners.

3. What used to be Australia' s main money earner?

A．Wheat.

B．Wool.

C．Tourism.

D．Diamond.

4. We can infer from the passage that ____.

A．nothing about Australia' s colonial part in modern cities can be seen by visitors

B．tourism and wine making resulted in fast development in rural communities only

C．immigrants from Europe have brought racial problems

D．Australia' s recent immigration policy encourages immigrants from Southeast Asia

【推荐2】A few weeks ago I paid a visit to the UK.The moment I reached Heathrow airport,I was attracted by all the language differences between American and British English. Instead of reading “exit”,the signs read “way out”.The announcer said “alight” instead of “get off“ the plane.

My first stop in the UK was the British museum and I was particularly interested in Room 41.In that room，I saw the oldest sentence ever found written in Old English.Archeologists(考古学家)believe it is from between 450 and 480 AD.

The next stop was Westminster Abbey. At the Poets’ Corner I saw graves of famous writers,such as Shakespeare,Charles Dickens and Samuel Johnson. The list is going on and on.Another thing on the Ab-bey grounds that you should not miss is a colorful glass window in St. Margaret’s Church,as you walk up to the Abbey.The window,about halfway up the left side of the church,honors William Caxton.He was the first person to bring the printing press to England and set up his printing business near the Abbey, probably because he was likely to get work from the government offices in the area.Caxton may not be as well-known as the writers in Poets’ Corner,but he played a very important part instandardizing English.

My final stop was the Tower of London,which wasthe symbol of power of the people who changed English. This castle was built by William the conqueror after he defeated King Harold II in the Battle of Hastings during the Norman Invasion in 1066.After the Normans took over England,the official language became French for hundreds of years,and this was the time when many French words entered the English language especially words related to upper-class life such as words about government and cooking.

So that was my trip.

1. Where did the author see the oldest written form of English?

A．At the Heathrow airport.

B．In the British museum.

C．At the Westminster Abbey.

D．In the St.Margaret’s Church.

2. What did the author say about William Caxton?

A．He was one of the greatest British poets.

B．He was buried in St.Margaret’s Church.

C．He once worked in the government office.

D．He helped to standardize the British English.

3. What does underlined word “conqueror” in Paragraph 4 mean?

A．Photographer.	B．Inventor.
C．Victor.	D．Teenager.

4. What can be learned from Paragraph 4?

A．English borrowed many words from French.

B．The Norman Invasion was led by King Harold II.

C．French has become the official language since 1066.

D．The Tower of London was built before the Norman Invasion.

【推荐3】Many expressions that we use in American English come from novels． Today we will look at some of them from Lewis Carroll's famous novel "Alice in Wonderland" in detail．

The story is about a young girl falling down a rabbit hole． When she finally lands， she finds herself in a strange world and meets some strange characters．

The first character Alice meets is the White Rabbit， who runs past her and says some strange words．Alice chases（追赶）him， and that is where her adventures begin．

In English， chasing a white rabbit means chasing an impossible clue and finding yourself in a misleading situation．

Then， as she runs after the rabbit， she falls down the rabbit hole into Wonderland．

To fall down the rabbit hole can mean to enter a confusing（令人困惑的）situation． However， usually we use this expression to mean we get interested in something to the point of distraction（分神）． It often happens by accident and is about something not that meaningful．

Later in the story， Alice meets the March Hare and the Hatter at a crazy tea party． Hares（野兔）have long been thought to behave excitedly in March， which is their mating（交配）season． Scientifically， this may not be true． But to be mad as a March Hare means that someone is completely mad， or crazy． The expression mad as a Hatter also means to be completely crazy． Of the two， mad as a Hatter is more common． But don't tell the March Hare． Who knows how he will react（反应）！

Near the end of the story， Alice meets the Queen of Hearts． A woman who is called a Queen of Hearts likes controlling others and always tries to control everything and everyone around her．

1. Which of the following situations best fits the expressions to fall down a rabbit hole？

A．When Tom was taking a walk in the forest， he suddenly fell over onto the ground．

B．When Mary turned on the TV， she chose to watch the talk show programme as usual．

C．When Jim was looking for a sport book online， he lost himself in many report on superstars．

D．When Lily was thinking about how to solve a math problem， she came up with a good idea．

2. According to the passage， the expression to be mad as a March Hare．

A．describes how hares behave in March

B．shows hares' characteristics in a scientific way

C．is used more often than the expression mad as a Hatter

D．has the same meaning as the expression mad as a Hatter

3. Which character in "Alice in Wonderland" wants others to obey his or her orders in every situation？

A．Alice．

B．The March Hare．

C．The Hatter．

D．The Queen of Hearts．

4. The writer mainly wants to in the passage．

A．introduce a famous novel and its language style

B．introduce a famous writer Lewis Carroll and his novels

C．explore some English expressions from a famous novels

D．explain why many expressions in English come from novels

【推荐1】The $380,000 aircraft, called the "Speeder", will be able to reach at least 150 miles per hour and have a 45-mile range and fly as high as 15,000 feet when it is on sale next year, according to David Mayman, CEO of JetPack Aviation, one of the companies that create and sell flying vehicles. This motorcycle can take off vertically (垂直地) from the grassland or a street and land on the other side of the city in a similar position. This idea has always been treated like science fiction.

At some point, the Speeder could be adapted to use electric energy, which is more environmentally friendly, but for now, Mayman said, no battery cells come close to the speed and potential power created by jet engines. Besides, like other developing similar craft, currently the Speeder will only be used for recreation and sport until laws and regulations begin to change in America.

Mayman argued that there was a large role for the Speeder to play in both civilian and military life. He said his company has been working for several years to develop a jet pack that could be used by Special Forces soldiers. As their cost continued to increase, he said, engineers began designing a personal aircraft that eventually turned into the Speeder.

Mayman said that the aircraft could be used to transport heavy loads or move soldiers on and off the battlefield, especially in areas too dangerous for helicopters. Unlike other flying vehicles, the craft is small enough to sit on the back of a boat or can be easily delivered by a common fighting vehicle.

1. What can we infer about the Speeder according to paragraph 1? ______

A．It can fly 150 miles without stop.

B．It is created by several companies.

C．It has already appeared in markets.

D．It can land on a school playground.

2. What limits the use of the Speeder at present? ______

A．The financial crisis.

B．The government policy.

C．The bad environment.

D．The technology development.

3. What was the Speeder first intended for? ______

A．Sports games.

B．Military force.

C．Electrical engineering.

D．Public transportation.

4. What advantage does the Speeder have when compared to other flying vehicles? ______

A．Its high speed to move heavy loads.

B．Its potential to use electric energy.

C．Its ability to replace helicopters.

D．Its small size that makes it convenient.

【推荐2】Three divers enter a hole leading to a water-filled cave on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. They swim for an hour. Finally, they reach a large room 60 feet underground and about the size of two basketball courts. Here, they discover an upside-down human skull. Other bones lie nearby.

The team came across the skull in 2007. The divers then told the Mexican government about the finding. Soon the government formed a team of scientists to look into it. The group, which included archaeologist Dominique Rissolo, believed that the skull belonged to someone who lived in the last ice age. At the ice age some twenty thousand years ago, sea levels dropped and new land appeared. Over time, rain and wind ate holes into some of the land.

"The person may have died after entering the cave," Rissolo says. Then, when the ice age ended some ten thousand years ago, sea levels rose. Water flooded the cave, covering the remains.

Worrying that moving the skull might destroy it, scientists decided to examine it at its watery resting place. They collected information about the skull and other pieces of bones. They found that the bones belonged to a 15- to 17-year-old girl who lived at least twelve thousand years ago. The team named her after a type of water nymph (仙女) in Greek myths: the Naiads (Naia).

Naia is the oldest nearly complete human skeleton (骨架) ever found in the Americas. DNA tests showed that she's a direct ancestor of present-day Native Americans. Naia's DNA also matches with people native to Siberia, a part of Russia. Scientists have long thought that ancient people from this area arrived in Alaska during the last ice age. They were the first humans to live in the Americas. And Naia proves how far south they went.

In 2014 the scientists decided to bring up Naia's skull from the cave to protect it from curious divers. So it was taken to a lab, where it remains today.

1. What can we learn about the skull?

A．It was left alone in the cave.

B．It lay under a basketball court.

C．It drew the government's attention.

D．It was discovered by three scientists.

2. Why was the skull studied in the cave?

A．Scientists tried to protect it.

B．The temperature was fine in there.

C．It was against the law to take it out.

D．It would help scientists study the cave.

3. Who were Naia's distant ancestors?

A．Early humans in Greece.

B．Early humans in Siberia.

C．Early humans in Alaska.

D．Early humans in Mexico.

【推荐3】European researchers say they have created a process that can produce oxygen from moon dust. The process could provide a major source of oxygen for humans taking part in moon exploration activities in the future.

Researchers from the European Space Agency, or ESA, carried out the experiments at a laboratory in the Netherlands. They reported their results in a study published in Planetary and Space Science.

The team says ESA’s experimental “plant” was able to successfully produce oxygen from simulated moon dust. The dust is part of a material known as regolith (月壤)，a top layer of dirt and rock pieces that sit on the surface of the moon.

Samples of regolith from the moon have confirmed that the material contains about 45 percent oxygen by weight. However, the oxygen is chemically locked in the form of minerals or glass, so it is not easily available for use. Having real samples of regolith from the moon made it possible for the researchers to create the simulated moon dust material used during testing.

The oxygen extraction (提取)process is carried out using a method called molten salt electrolysis (熔盐电解). This involves first placing the regolith in a metal container. Calcium chloride salt is added to the mixture, which is then heated to 950 degrees Celsius. At this temperature, the regolith remains solid. Next, an electrical current                                               is passed through the material. The researchers say it is this step that results in oxygen being extracted from the regolith. The study reported that up to 96 percent of oxygen in the simulated moon dust was extracted during                                               the experiments.

ESA’s long-term   goal is to design an oxygen -producing “pilot plant” to operate full-time on the moon. The first technology demonstration of the system is expected to take place in the middle of 2020s.

The researchers reported that “as a bonus”，the process also results in the production of usable metallic materials.

1. What can benefit from the process?

A．The treatment of some patients.	B．The environment of the moon.
C．Future moon exploration activities.	D．Future experiment in the laboratory.

2. Why is oxygen in the regolith hard to use?

A．It exists in the form of solid.

B．It only exists on the surface.

C．It is mixed with other materials.

D．It is locked in a metal container.

3. What step makes oxygen extracted from the regolith?

A．Adding calcium chloride salt to the mixture.

B．Placing the regolith in a metal container.

C．Passing an electrical current through the material.

D．Heating the metal container to 950 degrees Celsius.

4. What does the underlined word “simulated” in Paragraph 4 most probably mean?

A．Mixed.

B．Copied.

C．Exposed.

D．Abandoned.