题目
题型:不详难度:来源:
“Great Britain” has several different names. Some people say “Britain”, or “the United Kingdom”, or just “UK”. There are four different countries in the United Kingdom: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Everyone from Britain is British, but only people from England are English. People from Scotland are Scottish, people from Wales are Welsh, and people from Northern Ireland are Irish. Don"t call a Scottish or Welsh person English. He won’t like it!
Altogether more than 56 million people live in Britain, many of them in big industrial cities like London, Liverpool and Manchester, but people are often surprised by how much of Britain is open country, with lovely hills and woods, quiet rivers, lakes and farmlands.
Everyone in Britain speaks English. But in some parts of Scotland and Wales people speak an older language as well. The Welsh are especially proud of their language, and you can see road signs in Welsh all over Wales.
Everyone speaks English, but they do not all speak it in the same way. A Scottish person has to listen carefully if he wants to understand a Londoner. And when a Welsh person speaks, everyone knows at once where he comes from!
Many people think that the weather is cold and wet in Britain all the year round. But it isn"t! True, it sometimes rains and even snows for days and days, but every year there are weeks of beautiful sunny weather when the British put on their bikinis and go out to sunbathe.
Britain is only a small country, but every part is different. Scotland is a land of mountains, lakes and romantic castles. The winters are cold, with plenty of snow, but the summers are often warm and sunny. Most farmers keep sheep, and there are many small factories which make fine sweaters from their wool. In some parts of Scotland, there are very few people. Deer live in the hills, and the rivers are full of fish. But Glasgow and Edinburgh are both large and busy, with all that is good (and bad) in modern cities.
Northern Ireland has its problems, but it has beauty too. In the warm, wet climate, the grass grows a brilliant green, and much of the land is farming country. Belfast is a large industrial city with many fine buildings and a big port from which ships come and go to Scotland and England. But Belfast has had many difficult years, and it is not the busy place it once was.
In the north of England there are many old industrial towns. Now, a great number of factories have closed and thousands of people have no work. Some have moved to the new towns, built in the 1960s and 1970s, where the industries are more modern. Outside the towns, much of this part of England is beautiful countryside, with green hills, lakes and sandy beaches. Fishing is an important industry in the North East, and every night (except Sunday) the fishing boats go out to sea.
The centre of England (the “Midlands”) is also an important industrial area, especially near the huge cities of Coventry and Birmingham, the centre of the car industry. But everywhere, even in the heart of a modern city, there are buildings from an older Britain — cathedrals, castles, and houses built hundreds of years ago.
Wales is a special place, a country of high mountains and pretty valleys. But Wales has plenty of industry too, with many factories and coal mines. The people of Wales are very musical. Every year they have a festival of Welsh music and poetry called an “Eisteddfod”.
The west of England is rich farming country. It produces milk, cream, butter, cheese and apples, which go to make cider, a popular drink. In the villages, country people often grow their own fruit, vegetables and flowers.
Some areas of Britain are very crowded. Around Manchester, in northwest England, and Glasgow, in Scotland, are large city areas of houses and factories. The southeast of England, too, has many towns and cities, including London, the giant capital. But quite near London there are still some quiet villages and peaceful farms.
Britain is an island, of course, and you are never far from the sea. Some of the coast, especially in the west, is wild and rocky, with small, sandy beaches, and romantic old harbours. Other parts are industrial. The east coast of Scotland, for example, is busy with oilrigs and fishing boats. The most popular beaches are near the many holiday towns on the south coast, where the weather is usually warmer. It is here that Londoners come to relax.
London London has been a capital city for nearly a thousand years, and many of its ancient buildings still stand. The most famous of these are the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey and St. Paul"s Cathedral, but most visitors also want to see the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace (the Queen"s London home) and the many magnificent museums.
Once, London was a small Roman town on the north bank of the Thames, but slowly it grew into one of the world"s major cities with more than nine million people. Fewer people live in the centre now, but the suburbs are still growing.
Places now in the heart of London, like Westminster, once stood in the middle of green fields. Many small villages, like Hampstead, Chelsea and Mayfair, became part of London, but they still keep some of their old atmosphere. Different areas of London seem like different cities. The West End is a rich man"s world of shops, offices and theatres. The East End is the old working people"s district, where there are many small flats and houses, some old, some new.
London is always changing. New buildings go up and old ones come down. Poorer areas become fashionable and people with more money move into them.
A hundred years ago, the river was crowded with ships, leaving for Java and Japan, New Zealand and New York, but now the port is nearly empty. People travel by air, and London"s main airport, Heathrow, is one of the busiest in the world.
Like all big cities, London has streets and concrete buildings, but it also has many big parks, full of trees, flowers and grass. Sit on the grass (you"re allowed to!) in the middle of Hyde Park or Kensington Gardens, and you will think that you are in the country miles away.
Many people live outside the centre of London in the suburbs, and they travel to work by train, bus or underground. Every day, nearly half a million office workers travel into the “City”, the business centre of London, a small area full of banks and offices. Some people come from far out of London, even from the coast, and spend up to four hours travelling every day.
Working hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. From 8 until 10 every morning, and 4.30 to 6.30 every evening, the trains are crowded with people, and after the morning “rush hour” the shoppers come.
By day the whole of London is busy. At night, the City is quiet and empty, but the West End stays alive, because this is where Londoners come to enjoy themselves. There are two opera houses here, several concert halls and many theatres, as well as cinemas, and the pubs, restaurants and night clubs are busy half the night.
Many people think that London is all grey, but in fact red is London"s favorite colour. The buses are red, the letter boxes are red, and the mail vans are all bright, bright red. London is at its best when people are celebrating. Then the flags, the soldiers" uniforms, the cheering crowds and the carriages and horses all sparkle in the sunshine —if it"s not raining, of course!
Edinburgh Edinburgh is Scotland"s capital, and one of the most beautiful cities in Britain. The heart of Edinburgh is the thousand-year-old castle, where the kings of Scotland lived for centuries.
From Edinburgh castle you can see for miles, north over the beautiful old streets, an arm of the sea that pushes inland. Far away are the mountains of central Scotland, often covered with snow.
Edinburgh has a busy cultural life. Every year, in September the International Festival takes place. Musicians, actors and singers come from all over the world and thousands of visitors fill the city. In the evening, the opera house, the theatres and the concert halls are full. In cafes and pubs, small groups sing, act and read poetry.
The castle is at its best in festival time. Every night there is a magnificent military “Tattoo”. Highland soldiers wearing “kilts” play the bagpipes, and march to the music.
Tartans, the patterns of the kilts, have an interesting history. Since the fifteenth century, each Scottish family has worn its own tartan as a kind of badge. It was a useful way of recognizing people, especially in times of war. Many tartans date only from the nineteenth century, but some of the old patterns still exist. “Dress” tartans, worn on special occasions, have light, bright colours. ”Hunting” tartans are usually green, blue or brown.
Oxford What is so special about Oxford and Cambridge, the two oldest universities in England? Why do so many students want to study there?
Both of these university towns are very beautiful. They have some of the finest architecture in Britain. Some of their colleges and libraries are three, four and even five hundred years old, and are full of valuable books and precious paintings. Both towns have many lovely gardens, where the students can read and relax in the summer months.
Oxford is the older university of the two. The first of its colleges was founded in 1249. The university now has thirty-four colleges and about twelve thousand students, many of them from other countries. There were no women students at Oxford until 1878, when the first women"s college, Lady Margaret Hall, opened. Now, women study at most colleges.
Oxford is, of course, famous for its first class education as well as its beautiful buildings. Some of the most intelligent men and women in the country live and work here. Oxford gives them what they need: a quiet atmosphere, friendly colleagues, and the four-hundred-year-old Bodleian library, which has about five million books.
It is not easy to get a place at Oxford University to study for a degree. But outside the university there are many smaller private colleges which offer less difficult courses and where it is easy to enroll. Most students in these private schools take business, secretarial or English language courses.
小题1:Providing that you want to visit a most beautiful city and see “kilts” worn by men, you are supposed to go to ________.
A.Edinburgh | B.London | C.Manchester | D.Birmingham |
A.it has a big and modern library |
B.it has a quiet and friendly atmosphere |
C.tremendous of the most intelligent people in the country live and work there |
D.all of the above |
答案
小题1:A
小题2:B
解析
试题分析:文章介绍了英国的相关信息,英国的组成,名称,语言和风土人情,文章还具体介绍了几个大城市的特点。
小题1:细节题:从 Edinburgh 这部分里面的句子:Edinburgh is Scotland"s capital, and one of the most beautiful cities in Britain.和 Highland soldiers wearing “kilts” play the bagpipes, and march to the music.两句话,可知要想享受英国最美的风景和看男的穿裙子,可以去Edinburgh.选 A
小题2:细节题:从文章倒数第二段的句子:Oxford gives them what they need: a quiet atmosphere, friendly colleagues, and the four-hundred-year-old Bodleian library, which has about five million books.可知牛津大学因为有安静地友好的氛围所以特殊,选B。
核心考点
试题【Great Britain“Great Britain” has several different names. Some people say “Brita】;主要考察你对题材分类等知识点的理解。[详细]
举一反三
When they arrived, Liu introduced them to her husband Yang and asked them to sit down at a table containing eight plates of various cold dishes. Half an hour later she came back and sat down and the three began to eat. Yang came in from time to time, putting hot dishes on the table. Most of the food was wonderful, though neither George nor Janice could eat the fatty pork, and there was much more than they could eat. They kept wishing Yang would sit down so they could talk to him. Finally he did sit down to eat a bit, but soon it was time to go home.
Janice and George felt slightly depressed by this experience, but returned the invitation two weeks later. They decided to make a nice American meal and felt lucky to find olives, crackers(脆饼), tomato juice, and even some cheese in the shop. They put these out as appetizers(开胃品). For the main course they prepared spaghetti and a salad.
When Liu and Yang arrived and began to have dinner, they took small tastes of the appetizers and seemed surprised when both George and Janice sat down with them. They ate only a little spaghetti and didn’t finish the salad on their plates. After a while, George cleared the table and served coffee and pastries(糕点). Yang and Liu each put four spoons of sugar into their coffee but didn’t drink much of it and ate only a bite or two of pastry.
After they left, George and Janice were upset. “ We left their place so full but they’re going to have to eat again when they get home. What went wrong?
小题1:What do we know about the dinner at Liu’s home?
A.It lasted about half an hour. |
B.There were eight dishes in all. |
C.the hot dishes were mainly cooked by Yang. |
D.Many dishes were cooked in American style. |
A.They received a cold welcome. |
B.The fatty pork was not delicious. |
C.The dinner was not well prepared. |
D.Yang spent little time talking with them. |
A.found little food to enjoy. |
B.ate much salad and pastry. |
C.drank a lot of coffee with much sugar. |
D.showed much interest in American food. |
A.cooking skills | B.cultural differences |
C.language learning | D.business management |
In the early years, these schools were much alike. Only young men attended colleges. All the students studied the same subjects, and everyone learned Latin, Greek and Hebrew. Little was known about science then, and one kind of school could teach everything that was known about the world. When the students graduated, most of them became ministers or teachers.
In 1782, Harvard started a medical school for young men who wanted to become doctors. Later, lawyers(律师) could receive their training in Harvard’s law school. In 1852, Harvard began teaching modern languages, such as French and German, as well as Latin and Greek. Soon it began teaching American history.
As knowledge increased, Harvard and other colleges began to teach many new subjects that interested them.
Special colleges for women were started. New state universities began to teach such subjects as farming, engineering and business. Today, there are many different kinds of colleges and universities. Most of them are divided into smaller schools that deal with special fields of learning. There is so much to learn that one kind of school cannot offer it all.
小题1: Yale, Princeton, Columbia and Dartmouth were the names of the _______ in America.
A.states | B.cities | C.universities | D.colonies |
A.everything that is known | B.many new subjects |
C.French and German | D.farming |
A.Famous Harvard University |
B.American Universities |
C.The Changing of American Universities |
D.The American Revolution |
A.The early schools are still much alike. |
B.There is more to learn today than in 1636. |
C.All the early students worked harder. |
D.Students in modern America learn only science. |
At some time or another, every one of us has to “face the music”, especially as children. We can all remember father’s angry words “I want to talk to you”. And only because we did not listen to him. What a bad thing it was!
In the middle or at the end of every term, we students have to “face the music”. The result of the exam will decide whether we will face the music or not. If...that means parents cold faces and contempt (轻视) of the teachers and classmates.
“To face the music” is well known to every American, young or old. It is at least 100 years old. It really means that you have to do something, no matter how terrible the whole thing might be, because you know you have no choice.
小题1:“To face the music” means “to__________”.
A.do something that we don’t like to |
B.go to the theatre |
C.go to the music show |
D.do something that we want to |
A.we don’t do a good job | B.we get an “A” in the exam |
C.the exam is easy | D.the exam is difficult |
A.“To face the music” is well known in the United States. |
B.“To face the music” has a history of more than 100 years. |
C.The young Americans know what “to face the music” means. |
D.Only the old in the United States know the meaning of “to face the music”. |
What’s a “gift”? If you look it up in the dictionary, you’ll see that it’s another word for a present. For example, “They brought him some gifts.” However, if you’re German, “gift” means something completely different: poison!This word “gift” is an example of a false friend--- a word that looks the same in two languages, but which actually has two different meanings. As English is basically a mixture of German, French and Latin, there are many words that are similar in these languages. For example, the English word “education” is “education” in Spanish. And the English words “word, book, nine, house” are “Wort, Buch, Neun, Haus” in german.
These similar-looking words can be very helpful when learning other languages --- they’re our “friends”. However, sometimes they can turn out or be “false friends”. Here are a few examples.
In English, someone who is “sensible” thinks before they act and shows good judgement. For example , “The sensible thing to do would be to consult a lawyer.” However, in Spanish, “sensible ” means “sensitive” (showing understanding of other people’s problems, needs or feelings).
The English word “coin” refers to a piece of money made of metal. For example, “I had a few coins in my pocket.” But the French word “coin” means “corner”.
The English word “library” is a place where you can go to borrow books. For example, “I borrowed six books from the library.” But the Spanish word “libreria” refers to a bookshop (where you buy books).
The English word “actually” means “in fact”. For example, “Actually I’m not Italian, I’m form American.” But the Spanish word “actualmente” means “currently” or “at the moment”.
Finally, the English word “embarrassed” means “ashamed”. For example, “They looked a bit embarrassed.” However, the Spanish term “embarazada” means “pregnant” (with a child).
小题1:
We can learn from the first two paragraphs that English _______.A.is easy to master |
B.is simpler than Spanish |
C.has a complex background |
D.has changed greatly throughout history |
小题2:
Which of the following pairs of words are true friends according to the author?A.Nine and Neun. | B.Library and libreria. |
C.Actually and actualmente. | D.Embarrassed and embarazada. |
小题3:
According to the text, in Spanish ______.A.“coin” means “corner” |
B.“gift” refers to something negative |
C.“educacion” simply means “book” |
D.“sensible” doesn’t necessarily means “wise” |
小题4:
The author develops the text mainly by ______.A.following the order of space | B.comparing different ideas |
C.providing typical examples | D.analyzing the cause and effect |
In the early 17th century, the idea of the “Grand Tour” was born.Rich young English people sailed across the English Channel(英吉利海峡).They visited the most beautiful and important European cities of the time, including Paris in France, and Rome and Venice(威尼斯)in Italy.Their tours lasted for two to four years, and the tourists stayed a few weeks or months in each city.The “Grand Tour” was an important part of young people’s education—but only for the rich.
In the 18th century, tourism began to change.For example, people in the UK started to visit some towns, such as Bath to “take the waters”.They believed that the water there was good for their health.So large and expensive hotels were built in these towns.
In the 19th century, travel became much more popular and faster.When the first railways were built in the 1820s, it was easier for people to travel between towns, so they started to go for holidays by the sea.And some started to have holidays in the countryside as cities became larger, noisier and dirtier.
Traveling by sea also became faster and safer when the first steamships were built.People began to travel more to far-away countries.
The 20th century saw cars become more and more popular among ordinary people.Planes were made larger, so ticket prices dropped and more people used them.
Thus tourism grew.In 1949, Russian journalist Vladimir Raitz started a company called Horizon Holidays.The company organizes everything—plane tickets, hotel rooms, even food—and tourists pay for it all before they leave home.The package tour and modern tourist industry was born.
The first travel agency in China was set up as early as 1949.But tourism did not take off until 1978.In 2002, the industry was worth 500 billion Yuan and became an important part of China’s social development.
小题1:In the early times, the travelers __________.
A.all came from Roman |
B.had lots of money |
C.were very young and strong |
D.traveled by boat |
A.The young men learned little from Grand Tour. |
B.Tourism became faster and safer when the first railways were built in the 18th century. |
C.More people chose planes for its cheap price. |
D.In 2002, tourism became a significant part of China’s social development. |
A.Education | B.Transportation | C.Money | D.People’s ideas |
A.in 1978 | B.in Roman times | C.in the early 17th century | D.in 1949 |
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