1 . The United Kingdom, Great Britain, Britain, England-many people are confused by what these different names mean. So what is the difference between them, if any? Getting to know a little bit about British history will help you solve this puzzle.

In the 16th century, the nearby country of Wales was joined to the Kingdom of England. Later, in the 18th century, the country Scotland was joined to create the Kingdom of Great Britain. In the 19th century, the Kingdom of Ireland was added to create the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Finally, in the 20th century, the southern part of Ireland broke away from the UK, which resulted in the full name we have today: “the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Most people just use the shortened name: “the United Kingdom” or “the UK”. People from the UK are called “British”, which means the UK is also often referred to as Britain or Great Britain.

The four countries that belong to the United Kingdom work together in some areas. They use the same flag, known as the Union Jack, as well as share the same currency and military defence. However, they also have some differences. For example, England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland all have different education systems and legal systems. They also have their own traditions, like their own national days and national dishes. And they even have their own football teams for competitions like the World Cup!

The United Kingdom has a long and interesting history to explore, which can help you understand much more about the country and its traditions. Almost everywhere you go in the UK, you will be surrounded by evidence of four different groups of people who took over at different times throughout history. The first group, the Romans, came in the first century. Some of their great achievements included building towns and roads. Next, the Anglo-Saxons arrived in the fifth century. They introduced the beginnings of the English language, and changed the way people built houses. The Vikings came in the eighth century, left behind lots of new vocabulary, and also the names of many locations across the UK. The last group were the Normans. They conquered England after the well-known Battle of Hastings in the 11th century. They had castles built all around England, and made changes to the legal system. The Normans were French, so many French words slowly entered into the English language.

1. What can help us find out the difference between some different names of the UK?

A．British languages.	B．British history.
C．British location.	D．British education.

2. Which country is the first to be joined to the Kingdom of England?

A．Britain.

B．Scotland.

C．Wales.

D．Ireland.

3. What is different for the four countries of the UK?

A．The flag.	B．The currency.
C．The military defence.	D．The education system.

4. Which of the following is the achievement of the Normans?

A．Building towns and roads.

B．Changing the way of building houses.

C．Leaving behind many new vocabulary.

D．Changing the legal system.

2 . 根据课文内容，在空白处填入所缺的单词。

The United Kingdom has a long and interesting history to explore, which can help you understand much more about the country and its traditions. Almost everywhere you go in the UK, you will be surrounded by     1     of four different groups of people who took     2     at different times throughout history. The first group, the Romans, came in the first century. Some of their great     3     included building towns and roads. …The Vikings came in the eighth century, left behind lots of new vocabulary, and also the names of many     4     across the UK.

3 . Spain is a country that lies in southwestern Europe. It’s surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea on the south and the east, while to the north and northeast of Spain lie France, Andorra and the Bay of Biscay. The west and northwest of Spain are surrounded by Portugal and the Atlantic Ocean.

The official name of the state is the Kingdom of Spain. Madrid is the capital city, which is also one of the famous places in Spain. Spain, which covers 505，925 square kilometres, is one of the largest countries in Europe.

The weather in Spain differs from one area to another. Most of the rain that happens in Spain is in the mountainous areas. The plains hardly receive any rainfall.

Soccer is an important part of life in Spain. It’s said that Spanish children learn to walk and play soccer at exactly the same time. Real Madrid and FC Barcelona are two Spanish soccer teams, which are respected by soccer fans not only in Spain, but all over the world. The popularity of the sport can be judged from the fact that three major soccer teams, which are Real Madrid, Atletico de Madrid, and Rayo Vallecano, were born in Madrid.

If you are a tourist, then you will want to know about the driving rules in Spain. If you’re not from the European Union, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, or Liechtenstein, then for you to drive you’ll have to carry your international driver’s license. Bad news if you haven’t celebrated your 18th birthday. If you want to rent a car, then you must have completed 21 years of age. If you’re driving, make sure you take all the documents at all times during your stay in Spain.

1. Paragraph 1 is mainly about         .

A．the history of Spain	B．the location of Spain
C．famous cities in Spain	D．neighbouring countries of Spain

2. What is the best example showing that soccer is popular in Spain?

A．Three major soccer teams were born in Madrid.

B．Spanish people enjoy watching soccer matches.

C．Spanish people play soccer when they are walking.

D．Spanish soccer teams have fans all over the world.

3. Who is allowed to rent a car in Spain?

A．Tom who is 17 years old.	B．Jenny who is 19 years old.
C．Mike who is 20 years old.	D．Bruce who is 22 years old.

4. The purpose of the passage is to         .

A．explain how to enjoy life in Spain	B．prove Spain is a beautiful country
C．make readers know more about Spain	D．attract more people to pay a visit to Spain

5 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

The United Kingdom, Great Britain, Britain, England—many people are     1     (confuse) by what these names mean. You can solve this puzzle if you study British history.

In the 16th century, Wales was joined to the Kingdom of England. In the 18th century, Scotland was joined     2     (create) the Kingdom of Great Britain. In the 19th century, the Kingdom of Ireland was added to create the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Finally, the southern part of Ireland broke away from the UK, which resulted     3     the full name we have today: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.     4    , most people prefer to use the shortened name: The UK. Although the four countries work together in some areas, they still have some     5     (different). There were four sets of invaders and the last group were the Normans. They had the castles     6     (build) all round England and made changes to legal systems. The capital city London is     7     ancient port city     8     has a history dating back to Roman times. Studying the history of the country will help you understand more about the country and     9     traditions as well as make your visit much more     10     (enjoy).

6 . Which country does the man want to go to?

A．England.

B．France.

C．Brazil.

7 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小 题。
1. Where does the man come from?

A．Mexico.

B．America.

C．Germany.

2. What does the woman think of Mexico?

A．Busy.

B．Quiet.

C．Expensive.

3. Why does the woman prefer New York to Mexico?

A．People are friendlier

B．Life is more exciting.

C．It is more beautiful.

8 . 根据课文内容，在空白处填入所缺的单词。

The United Kingdom, Great Britain, Britain, England — many people are confused by     1     these different names mean. So what is the difference between them, if any?     2     to know a little bit about British history will help you solve this puzzle.

10 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

The United Kingdom has several names and many people     1     (confuse) by them. In the 16th century, the nearby country of Wales was joined to the Kingdom of England. Later, the country Scotland and the Kingdom of Ireland joined the country     2     (form) the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

    3     (final), in the 20th century, the southern part of Ireland broke away from the United Kingdom,     4     resulted in the full name today: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The four countries     5     (belong) to the United Kingdom work together in some areas. They use the same flag,     6     (know) as the Union Jack, as well as share the same currency and military defence. However, there are some     7     (different) between them

The United Kingdom has a long and interesting history to explore, which can help you learn more about the country and its traditions. Wherever you go in the UK, you are surrounded     8     evidence of four different groups of people who took over at different times throughout history.

The first group, the Romans, came in     9     first century. Some of their great achievements included building towns and roads. Next, the Anglo-Saxons arrived in the fifth century. They introduced the beginnings of the English language. The Vikings came in the eighth century, left behind lots of new vocabulary. The last group were the Normans. They had castles     10     (build) all around England, and made changes to the legal system.