What’s the difference between the British Isles, Britain, the United Kingdom and England?
The British Isles is made up of two large islands: One is called Ireland and the other Britain. Britain, or Great Britain, is the larger of these two islands and it is divided into three parts: Scotland, Wales and England.
The United Kingdom (UK) is short for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It is made up of Scotland, Wales, and England (i.e. the whole of Britain), and also about one-sixth of Ireland, the Northern part. The rest of Ireland is self-governing(自治的).
England is the largest, most populous (人口众多的), and generally speaking, the richest section. English people often use the words “England” and “English” when they mean “Britain” and “British”. This sometimes makes the Scots and the Welsh angry. The Scots are very proud of their separate nationality. The Welsh too do not consider themselves as England, and have a culture and even a language of their own. Ireland became part of the United Kingdom in 1801, but is soon grew discontented (不满的), and for forty years the “Irish Question” was the greatest headache of British Parliament(国会). At last, Ireland divided itself into two: Northern Ireland remained loyal(忠诚于) to the Crown(英国王室), and in 1922 the rest of the country broke away to form Irish Free State, now the Republic of Ireland.Which is the largest in area?
A.The British Iles | B.Great Britain |
C.England | D.The United Kingdom |
Which is the largest island of the British Isles?.
A.Ireland | B.Britain |
C.England | D.Northern Ireland |
The United Kingdom is mainly made up of .
A.3 parts: Scotland, Wales, and England |
B.4 parts: Scotland, Wales, England and Ireland |
C.2 parts: the whole of Britain and Ireland |
D.2 parts: the whole of Britain and Northern Ireland |
Strictly speaking(严格地说), which is wrong?
A.“English” refers(指) to people of England. |
B.“The Scots” refers to people of Scotland. |
C.“England” refers to all the people to the UK. |
D.Only one-sixth of Ireland belongs to the UK. |
Who will be happy if we use “England” when we mean Britain?
A.The British | B.People of England |
C.People of the Republic of Ireland | D.The welsh |
第三部分阅读理解(共15小题;每小题2分,满分30分)
请阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项的标号涂黑。
May 16th Wednesday Sunny
They used to call her “the witch(女巫)”, but today I found things were different.
My legs were too short to reach the floor from up there on the big chair. I was so afraid. My legs started to shake.
It was the first time I had been to the principal’s(校长的) office. And I knew what she was going to ask me.
Why had I been running on the concrete(混凝土) in the playground? Why hadn’t I followed the school rules?
The principal’s secretary was sitting at her desk. She kept asking me questions like whether I liked school and what grade I was in. I didn’t want to talk to her, so I just gave one-word answers.
Then she asked what my dad did. But I didn’t really know what he did, so I made something up. “He plays basketball for the Boston Celtics,” I said.
The secretary just looked at me, and said nothing more.
Just then, the door to the principal’s office opened. There she was, the woman that everyone called “the witch”.
Was she really that bad? I was surprised to see her office walls were bright yellow, and there were some nice pictures on the desk.
She told me about the pictures. I was surprised that she had a family and a kid, just like me.
Then she asked how my family was. It turned out that she had known me since I was only a few weeks old. I was happy to hear that. If she knew my mum, then I wouldn’t get into much trouble.
She cleaned the cut on my knee and told me to be more careful. She also told me about the rules of the playground. But she didn’t punish or shout at me. And I forgot all the bad things I had heard about “the witch”. I had met her and I knew she was nice.
1.“The witch” in the story refers to _______.
A. the writer B. the writer’s father C. the secretary D. the principal
2.Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. The writer often asked the principal for help.
B. The principal must be very strict with students.
C. Running in the playground was allowed by the school rules.
D. The writer’s father was an excellent basketball player.
3.Which word can replace the underlined phrase “made up” (in Paragraph 6)?
A. Told. B. Invented. C. Minded. D. Memorized.
4. How did the writer find the principal in the end?
A. Terrible. B. Kind. C. Proud. D. Strict.
A lot of us lose life's tough battles by starting a frontal attack--when a touch of humor might well enable us to win. Consider the case of a young friend of mine, who was on his trapped way to work shortly after receiving an ultimatum(最后通牒) about the job. Although there was a good reason for Sam's being late--serious illness at home--he decided that this by-now-familiar excuse wouldn't work any longer. His supervisor was probably already pacing up and down preparing a dismissal speech.
Yes, the boss was, Sam entered the office at 9:35. The place was as quiet as a locker room(更衣室); everyone was hard at work. Sam's supervisor came up to him. Suddenly, Sam forced a grin and stretched out his hand. "How do you do!" he said. "I'm Sam Maynard. I'm applying for a job, which, I understand, became available just 35 minutes ago. Does the early bird get the worm?"
The room exploded in laughter, except that the supervisor had to clamp off a smile and walked back to his office. Sam Maynard had saved his job--with the only tool that could win, a laugh.
Humor is a most effective, yet frequently neglected, means of handling the difficult situations in our lives. It can be used for patching up differences, apologizing, saying "no", criticizing, getting the other fellow to do what you want without his losing face. For some jobs, it's the only tool that can succeed. It is a way to discuss subjects so sensitive that serious dialog may start a quarrel. For example, many believe that comedians on television are doing more today for racial and religious tolerance than people in any other forum.
1. Why was Sam late for his job?
A. Because he was seriously ill at home. B. Because he received an ultimatum.
C. Because he was caught in a traffic jam. D. Because he was busy applying for a new job.
2. What is the main idea of this passage?
A. Sam Maynard saved his job with humor B. Humor is important in our lives
C. Early bird can get the worm D. Humor can solve racial discriminations
3. The phrase "clamp off" in Paragraph 3 means__________.
A. try to hold back B. pretend to set C. send off D. give out
4. Which of the following statements can we infer from the passage?
A. Many lose life's battles for they are lacking in a sense of humor.
B. It wasn't the first time that Sam came late for his work.
C. Sam was supposed to come to his office at 8:30.
D. Humor is the most effective way of solving problems.
With only about 1,000 pandas left in the world, China is desperately trying to clone the animal and save these in a dangerous situation. That's a move similar to what a Texas A & M University researchers have been undertaking for the past five years in a project called "Noah's Ark".
Noah's Ark is aimed at collecting eggs, embryos(胚胎), semen and DNA of these animals and storing them in liquid nitrogen. If certain species should become extinct, Dr. Duane Kraemer, a professor in Texas A & M's College of Veterinary, Medicine, says there would be enough of the basic building blocks to reintroduce the species in the future.
It is estimated that as many as 2, 000 species of mammals, birds and reptiles will probably become extinct in over 100 years. The panda, native only to China, is in danger of becoming extinct in the next 25 years.
This week, Chinese scientists said they grew an embryo by introducing cells from a dead female panda into the egg cells of a Japanese white rabbit. They are now trying to implant the embryo into a host animal.
The entire procedure could take from three to five years to complete.
"The nuclear transfer of one species to another is not easy, and the lack of available panda eggs could be a major problem," Kraemer believes. "They will probably have to do several hundred transfers to result in one pregnancy (having a baby). It takes a long time and it's difficult, but this could be groundbreaking science if it works. They are certainly not putting any live pandas at risk, so it is worth the effort," adds Kraemer, who is one of the leaders of the Project at Texas A& M, the first-ever attempt at cloning a dog.
"They are trying to do something that's never been done, and this is very similar to our work in Noah's Ark. We're both trying to save animals that face extinction. I certainly appreciate their effort and there's a lot we can learn from what they are attempting to do. The cooperation between us is very much needed."
1. The aim of "Noah's Ark" project is to__________.
A. make efforts to clone the endangered pandas
B. save endangered animals from dying out
C. collect DNA of endangered animals to study
D. transfer the nuclear of one animal to another
2. According to Professor Kraemer, __________.
A. The long time lasting cloning research could be successful.
B. The eggs transfers immediately result in having a baby.
C. The lack of nuclear transfer could be a major problem to have new pandas.
D. If species should die out, basic building blocks would heal them.
3. The best title for the passage may be__________.
A. China's Success in Pandas Cloning
B. Helping Ways to Avoid Extinction
C. Exploring the Possibility to Clone Pandas
D. The Practice in Noah's Ark
4. From the passage we know that __________.
A. Kraemer and his team have succeeded in cloning a dog
B. scientists try to implant a panda's egg into a rabbit
C. about two thousand of species are to die out in a century
D. Kraemer will work with Chinese scientists in clone researches
Western New Bridge Library Announcement
Shortened Library Hours for Spring Break
Library Hours have been shortened to 7 hours a day(9:00 a.m.—4:00p.m.)for Spring Break from
March 24 to March 30.
Coming Events
·On Monday, March 24,at 10:30 a.m.,Scott Sutton,a children’s writer, will tell stories to kids over
seven.Sutton’s attractive style will surely inspire everyone present!
·At 1:00 p.m., on March 26,the Geogetown Musicians will present an Irish Folk Concert,which will be entertaining for the entire family.Come for the music and stay to check out some relevant books for the rest of the week!
·On Thursday, March 27,at 2:00 p.m., the annual Children’s Gathering will take place in Room 201,
the second.floor.Pick up an invitation in the Children’s Room and return your RSVP(回复)to reserve
your seat at the table by 3:00 p.m.on Tuesday, March 25.Only children are allowed in the Gathering.
·At 10:30 a.m.on Friday, March 28,Enzo Monfre of the hit kid’s science show, ENZOology, will bring Fossils Live! Surely Enzo will take the audience back in time,deep beneath the surface of the earth to uncover the mysteries of killer dinosaurs,and more.Enzo recently appeared on the Ellen DeGeneres Show--come and see him at the library!
Please note:In case of emergency, please call the Help Desk at 926—3736 and follow the procedures
outlined on the voice message.The call-down service is staffed 24 hours a day,7 days a week for emergencies.The Help Desk supplies service to you all the year around! For questions about all these, please contact hltm@wnbl.org.
Come for the great Fun;Stay for the relevant Books!
1. To attend the annual Children's Gathering, one has to__________.
A. buy a ticket B. apply in advance
C. make a reservation D. contact the call-down service
2. According to the passage, Enzo Monfre will__________.
A. show the children around a zoo
B. tell stories to children over seven
C. be present at the science show in person
D. lead the children to the Ellen DeGenerse Show
3. The Help Desk in this library supplies service__________.
A. only during the daytime B. in case of emergency
C. till the end of the Spring Break D. after 22:00 p.m. every day
4. We can learn from the passage that children can__________
A. attend all the activities with their parents
B. enjoy reading some relevant books in the activities.
C. participate in the activities from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
D. choose only one of the activities according to their interest
Death Valley is one of the most famous deserts in the United States, covering a wide area with its alkali sand. Almost 20 percent of this area is well below sea level, and Badwater, a salt water pool, is about 280 feet below sea level and the lowest point in the United States.
Long ago the Panamint Indians called this place "Tomesha"-- the land of fire. Death Valley's present name dates back to 1849, when a group of miners coming across from Nevada became lost in its unpleasantness and hugeness and their adventure turned out to be a sad story. Today Death Valley has been declared a National Monument and is crossed by several well-marked roads where good services can be found easily. Luckily the change created by human settlement has hardly ruined the special beauty of this place.
Here nature created a lot of surprising, almost like the sights on the moon, ever-changing as the frequent wind moves the sand about, showing the most unusual colors. One of the most astonishing and colorful parts of Death Valley is the Devil's Golf Course, where it seems hard for one to tell reality from dreams. Sand sculptures stand on a frightening ground, as evening shadows move and lengthen.
1. The name of the valley comes from__________ .
A. an Indian name B. the death of the miners
C. the local people D. a National Movement
2. From the passage we can learn that__________.
A. no one had ever known the desert before the miners
B. it's still not easy to travel across the desert
C. people can find gas-stations, cafes and hotels in the desert
D. people have changed the natural sight of the desert
3. The Devil's Golf Course is famous for__________ .
A. the terrible sightsB. the moon-like sights
C. dream-like sights D. the ever-changing sights
4. From the passage we can see that the writer__________the Death Valley.
A. appreciates B. is fearful of C. dislikesD. is tired of