1 . Six months ago, 28-year-old Danny Wallace, who earns his living as a TV comic and “ideas” man, had a great idea. What if he started his own country and invited anyone who wanted to join him to become a citizen? So, naming himself King Danny I and declaring his one-bedroom flat in East London an independent state, he set about taking the necessary steps to make his dream come true. He even documented his progress in his BBC2 series How To Start Your Own Country, which comes to the end of its six-week run on Wednesday.
Over the six weeks, Danny explored the possibilities of forming his own country. The first thing on his agenda was to hand in his Declaration of Independence to the prime minister. With this out of the way, he was free to start thinking about writing a constitution and setting up a government. Then he was off to design his own flag and record his own national anthem and even got someone to design possible postage stamps of his country, with his face on them!
The final thing Danny had to do was to find a name for his country. At his request, citizens sent in thousands of suggestions as to what this new country could be called. Ideas ranged from Flatland to Wallaceland! But, in the end, the final selection came down to just two: Home or Lovely. Aiming to become the most democratic democracy in the world where its citizens have the opportunity to enjoy equality, King Danny achieved a world first and let the people decide. Lovely finally stood out.
Whether the country will continue to grow will very much depend on how busy its creator is. And, as Danny Wallace is much in demand for several other TV projects, it might fall to other members of his government to keep things running. But with elections promised every six months, the creation of the University of Lovely and several sporting events planned over the coming weeks, there are plenty of activities to keep the citizens of Lovely occupied for quite a while yet.
1. What does Danny Wallace’s “great idea” in Paragraph 1 refer to?A.Making a documentary. | B.Founding a new country. |
C.Owning an independent state. | D.Choosing actors for a TV show. |
A.Drafting a constitution. | B.Getting official approval. |
C.Analyzing the possibilities. | D.Composing a national anthem. |
A.Lovely beat Home in the final selection. |
B.The world is created by ordinary people. |
C.The citizens’ rights of a country are respected. |
D.Lovely signals the successful rule of King Danny. |
A.The future of Lovely. | B.The life of the citizens. |
C.The daily routine of Danny Wallace. | D.The establishment of the University of Lovely. |
2 . The Most Populous Cities in the World
The cities listed below are the most populous (人口稠密的) in the world, according to a 2018 U. N. report.
Tokyo, Japan
Population in Urban Area: 37,340,000
Population in City Area: 13,960,000
Tokyo is the most populated city in the world and the largest “Megacity” in the world.
The city called the “Capital of the East” is located on the eastern coast of the Japanese main island of Honshu.
Delhi, India
Population in Urban Area: 31,181,000
Population in City Area: 20,591,874
Delhi, also known as the National Capital Territory of India is the largest city in the country. According to a U. N. report, the Indian capital is expected to be the spot of the world’s second most populous city through at least 2030.
Shanghai, China
Population in Urban Area: 27,796,000
Population in City Area: 22,315,474
This is China’s most populated and also wealthiest city. Situated in the Yangtze River Delta, in eastern China, it has a huge business district, two large airports (Pudong and Hongqiao) and the world’s fastest train (the Shanghai Maglev).
Sao Paulo, Brazil
Population in Urban Area: 22,043,028
Population in City Area: 10,021,295
This busy metropolis (大都市) in southeast Brazil, is the largest city of the Southern Hemisphere (半球) and the largest Portuguese-speaking city in the world.
1. How many people are there in City Area of Delhi?A.10,021,295. | B.20,591,874. | C.22,315,474. | D.13,960,000. |
A.Tokyo, Japan. | B.Delhi, India. | C.Shanghai, China. | D.Sao Paulo, Brazil. |
A.They belong to the same hemisphere. |
B.They are the largest cities in their countries. |
C.They all have a larger population in their countries. |
D.They are all the richest in their own countries. |
3 . One of the best ways to understand war comes from studying letters written by soldiers on the battlefront. During the participation in World War II, some soldiers fought across Europe, Africa and Asia. Many soldiers wrote moving letters home about their experiences. The following accounts tell the stories of soldiers who fought around the world and experienced the terror of wars.
Edgar Shepard wrote to the parents of Russell Whittlesey, who saved his life on Guadalcanal, an island in the South Pacific. “Russ and I went through several battles together, never leaving each other’s side. I was hit and dropped to the ground. With Russ’s assistance,I could move a bit. Then we met a group of Japanese soldiers. Russ stood over me with a knife in hand while three guys charged him with bayonets (刺刀). He managed to kill the first two, but he was attacked by the third one in the back. He lay down beside me and said, ‘Well, Shep, I guess this is where we came in’. Then he went to sleep.”
Frank J Conwell, 34 years old, was attracted by the beauty of the Ardennes Forest in Belgium, where so many soldiers died in the Battle of the Bulge. He wrote to his aunt and uncle on February 6,1945. “There’s a lot of snow on the Western Front these days, and the country looks like a Christmas card. But the snowmen are German soldiers. The snowballs are bombs. And when you’re wet and cold there’s no place to go, nothing to look forward to, nothing but snow.”
Lawrence Leonard, was stationed in Japan after the war. On November 3,1945, he wrote to a friend back home. “Here are greetings from downtown Kure. But it really isn’t ‘downtown’ because there just isn’t a town. All that is left of Kure is a pile of ashes and burned steel…”
1. What does the author intend to do by sharing the letters?A.Prove wars are unavoidable. | B.Call on people to hate wars. |
C.Help us to understand wars. | D.Tell the history of World War II. |
A.His parents. | B.His friend. | C.Russ’s parents. | D.Russ. |
A.Belgium was filled with happy atmosphere. |
B.The battle on the Western Front was violent. |
C.Frank missed his family while in Belgium. |
D.Frank didn’t like Belgium’s cold weather. |
A.Edgar Shepard’s. | B.Frank J Conwell’s. |
C.Russell Whittlesey’s. | D.Lawrence Leonard’s. |
4 . The proposal for a new Indonesian capital city has been on the cards ever since the country gained independence from the Dutch in 1945. The political and economic crises which followed have long delayed the plan, but current president, Joko Widodo, now appears determined to make the move a reality. The government officially confirmed that the capital will be moved from Jakarta to a new location within Kalimantan, part of the island of Borneo in Indonesia.
What is the suitable title for the passage?
A.Move to new | B.City built on swamp |
C.Protect the Forest City | D.Abandon the home |
Today, there are groups of native people around the world that still live a traditional lifestyle. Some live in remote parts of South America,
A.Britain |
B.France |
C.Spain |
D.American |
A.St. Augustine was destroyed by the hurricanes in 2017. |
B.American became in charge of St. Augustine in 1821. |
C.The United Kingdom is the real owner of St. Augustine now. |
D.The visitors do not like to see the coastal views there. |
A.The extraordinary history of St. Augustine. |
B.The hardships St. Augustine once suffered. |
C.The popular coastal tourism of St. Augustine. |
D.The beautiful architecture and scenery in St. Augustine. |
7 . Team up with former enemies
Dozens of Israeli climate-tech companies are teaming up with once-unfriendly neighbors in the Arab world, working together to stop the threat that climate change will render much of their region uninhabitable.
“It's a matter of human existence,” said AI Anoud AI Hashmi, chief executive of the Futurist Company in the UAE, whose government-supported project-management firm has been working with Israeli companies and organizations since the relation-normalization deals were signed.
Elad Levi, the vice president for the Middle East and Africa for the Israeli company Netafim, agreed that “there's an opportunity to work together.” The company invented the world's first drip-irrigation systems, developed at tiny Kibbutz Hatzerim in Israel's Negev desert, which covers half of the country.
“It's not out of generosity,” said Gidon Bromberg, the Israeli director of the regions environmental organization Eco-peace. “It's out of an understanding that Jordan is particularly vulnerable.
Since the normalization deals, Israeli business with the Arab world has risen quickly. Trade between Israel and Arab countries has grown 234%, according to Israel's Bureau of statistics. He agreements “have opened the floodgates,” said Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, deputy mayor of Jerusalem. She estimated that trade just between Israel and the UAE has reached $1 billion.
In Glasgow, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett pledged net-zero emissions by 2050. In a meeting with Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Bennett announced plans for a climate-change working group focused on water solutions and other regional climate issues.
A.It is Israel's own security needs to help Jordan meet its water needs. |
B.Despite Israel's advances in climate technology, scientists warned that decades of governmental neglect have left the country unprepared for the coming crisis. |
C.He said Israel was committed to exporting its "brainpower" and experience as its main contribution to the global fight against climate change. |
D.Over the years, Israel has used technology to transform the vast desert into an agricultural region where high-tech, water-saving farms grow crops. |
E.She insists that the region can no longer afford to spend resources on conflicts. |
F.The normalization agreements have also given a boost to Israel's economic ties with Jordan and Egypt. |
1. How many countries in Africa speak Portuguese?
A.Two. | B.Three. | C.Five. |
A.It has its own national type of music. |
B.It has the oldest bookstore in the world. |
C.It is the oldest country in Europe. |
A.The beaches. | B.The major cities. | C.The northern forest area. |
A.After finishing university. |
B.After a few years of work. |
C.After his retirement. |
1. 阅读其他跟帖之后的感受;
2. 讲述自己家乡的传统或文化习俗。
注意:1. 词数80左右;
2. 首句已为你写好。
I have read all of the posts above.
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10 . The capital of a country is often a very populated city where much history has been made due to the high-level political and economic functions that occur there. However, sometimes government leaders decide to move the capital from one city to another. Capital relocation has been done hundreds of times throughout history. The ancient Egyptians, Romans, and Chinese changed their capital frequently.
Some countries choose new capitals that are more easily defended in a time of invasion (侵略) or war. Some new capitals are planned and built in previously undeveloped areas to promote development. Countries sometimes change their capital because they expect some type of political, social, or economic benefit. They hope and expect that the new capitals will surely develop into cultural treasure and hopefully make the country a more stable place.
Here are capital relocations that have occurred in approximately the last few centuries.
Asia | Japan | from Kyoto to Tokyo — 1868 |
Turkey | from Istanbul to Ankara — 1923 | |
Israel | from Tel Aviv-Jaffo to Jerusalem — 1950 | |
Europe | Poland | from Krakow to Warsaw — 1596 |
Finland | from Turku to Helsinki — 1812 | |
Italy | from Turin to Florence to Salerno to Rome — 1871 | |
The Americas | The US | from New York to Washington — 1800 |
Jamaica | from Port Royal to Spanish Town to Kingston — 1872 | |
Oceania | New Zealand | from Auckland to Wellington — 1865 |
A.To further expand their land. |
B.To uncover ancient treasure. |
C.To develop undeveloped areas. |
D.To declare war on another country. |
A.Turkey. | B.Poland. |
C.The United Sate. | D.New Zealand. |
A.They moved the capitals more than once. |
B.Their capitals were destroyed in the war. |
C.They moved their capitals in the same year. |
D.Their capitals moved because of the economy. |