1 . Africa is often called the cradle(摇篮)of civilization. The first human beings appeared on the continent about 2 million years ago. Old civilizations grew along the banks of the Nile River. Thousands of years ago ancient Egypt became a powerful empire, to the south Nubia emerged(出现)in today’s Sudan. After 1000 AD, great empires emerged in Ghana and other areas in western Africa. City-states, including Mogadishu and Zanzibar, grew into powerful trading centers in East Africa. Towards the end of the Middle Ages the first Europeans came to Africa. From the early 1500s on, they made money by bringing slaves to North America. The British, Dutch and Portuguese set up trading posts along the western African coast where they searched for gold and ivory. In the 17th century, the Dutch set up a trading post at the Cape of Good Hope. It grew into a Dutch colony(殖民地)until the 19th century, when the British took over. At the end of the 19th century, Europeans ruled most of Africa. They saw the continent as a major source of raw materials that they could bring back to Europe for their emerging industries. As a result, the Industrial Revolution did not take place in Africa. Throughout the colonial period, European countries fought for influence and control in Africa. In the “Scramble(争夺)for Africa”, they divided the continent into areas of interest. Native Africans often resisted colonial governments and in many areas, they were killed in uprisings(起义).
One of the last countries to gain independence was Rhodesia, today’s Zimbabwe, where blacks fought for over a decade against the British. In South Africa, white Europeans gave up control of the country after Apartheid(种族隔离)ended in the 1990s.
Many African countries did not know how to deal with their newly gained independence, largely because they had no experience in administrating and governing a nation. As a result, civil wars, tribal(部落的)conflicts and power struggles broke out. They resulted in dozens of wars in Africa since the 1960s.
1. What can be inferred from Paragraph 1?| A．Nubia was then part of ancient Egypt. |
| B．Sudan was founded earlier than Egypt. |
| C．Africans were the earliest people on earth. |
| D．Areas along the Nile River greatly developed. |
| A．They sold low-quality items to the natives. |
| B．They treated the local Africans as goods. |
| C．They hurt and murdered the local people. |
| D．They seized local people’s fortune by force. |
| A．To fight against the local people’s resistance. |
| B．To make parts of Africa into their control. |
| C．To develop the economy of the limited parts. |
| D．To prevent local people getting into other countries. |
| A．They lack managing abilities. | B．They are short of resources |
| C．They want more free land. | D．They still have no civil rights. |
2 . A lot of people think Scotland is a part of England, but, as any Scotsman will tell you, it certainly is not. In fact, until the eighteenth century, Scotland was an independent country, with a parliament of its own. The English had tried many times over many centuries to bring Scotland under their rule. They succeeded at last in 1707, and some Scots have never forgiven them.
Scotland is now governed from London, but in some ways it is still a separate nation. It has its own capital city (Edinburgh), its own law, and its own stamps, it even has a language of its own, spoken now by only a few people in the islands.
In some ways Southern Scotland is like England, with his good farmland and low green hills. Central and Northern (the Highlands) have high mountains and deep valleys, fast rivers and cold lakes. These days, of course, there are good roads and railways all through Scotland. Aberdeen, the northeast city where the oil from the North Sea comes to land, is especially easy to reach. But it can still be quite different to travel in the winter when the hills are covered with snow. It always takes a long time to visit the beautiful but far-off islands on the west coast. One reason why Scotland has stayed so different from England is the wildness of the land. It has always been difficult to get around there.
1. From the history of the Great Britain we can know Scotland_____________.| A．had been an independent country by the 19th century |
| B．had been a dependent country by the 18th century |
| C．was a separate country before the 18th century |
| D．was a dependent country before 18th century |
| A．the Scots used to fight against the rules from England many times |
| B．the Scots defeated the English at all the battles |
| C．the Scots never defeated the English at all the battles |
| D．it was quite easy for the English to occupy Scotland |
| A．which is spoken by all the Scots | B．which not many people speak now |
| C．which is almost the same as English language | D．which the English prevent from being spoken |
| A．there are no good roads in Scotland because of high mountains |
| B．there are no railways in Scotland because of deep valleys |
| C．England has not any rivers and lakes in the center and the north |
| D．England has good farmland and low green hills |
3 . Scotland is a country in Great Britain, to the north of England. Scotland has nearly 800 islands, but people only live on some of them. About five million people live in Scotland, which is 8.5% of the UK population. Most people live in the south of the country, in and around the cities of Edinburgh, Glasgow, Perth and Dundee.
Language
In Scotland, most people speak English and Scots and a minority speak Scottish Gaelic, an old Celtic language which is very different from English. Scots is spoken by young and old people and sometimes people mix Scots and English. Some words in Scots are the same as in English and some are different.
Sport
The most popular sport in Scotland is football and famous teams include Celtic and Rangers, from Glasgow, Scotland’s biggest city. Another popular game, golf, was invented in Scotland in the Middle Ages. You can go skiing in winter at Scotland’s five mountain ski fields and any time of the year at snow sports centers around the country.
Food
When people think of Scottish food, they often think of haggis, a type of sausage made from parts of a sheep. However, Scotland is also known for its variety of seafood and beef.
Symbols
Blue is a colour which is often connected with Scotland. The Scottish flag is blue with a white X-shaped cross called the Saint Andrew’s cross. St Andrew is the Patron Saint(守护神) of Scotland. Everywhere you go in Scotland, you will see tartan(苏格兰格子呢), kilts and bagpipes. Also, look out for the national animal, the unicorn, and the thistle, the national flower of Scotland.
1. What can we learn from the first paragraph?| A．The Scottish live separately on 800 islands. |
| B．Most of the Scottish live in big cities. |
| C．8.5% of the UK population live in Scotland. |
| D．Scotland lies to the north of Great Britain. |
| A．Two. | B．Three. | C．Four. | D．Five. |
| A．Scotland is the birthplace of golf. |
| B．Celtic and Rangers are famous golf clubs. |
| C．The special Scottish food is its seafood. |
| D．The Scottish flag is white with a blue cross. |
