（云南省玉溪一中2010届高三上学期期中考试）

New Zealand is an island that lies off the eastern coast of Australia. It __36___ two large islands: North Island and South Island. New Zealand is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean ___37___ the north and east, and the Tasman Sea to the south and west. It is about the same size as the Philippines. Wellington___38___, the capital city, lies on the North Island. Other important ___39___ are Auckland in the north, Christchurch on the South Island and Queenstown, further to the south.

___40___has a mild sea climate, while the north is subtropical. It rains quite a lot. The warmest months are December to February. The coldest months are June to August.

The ocean and seas surrounding the islands are deep blue and many of New Zealand’s cities lie on a bay and have a natural deep ___41___. The sand beaches in New Zealand are also very ___42___. New Zealand has a very beautiful natural landscape with green hills and mountains. Some of the ___43___ are dead volcanoes. The North Island is famous for an area of ___44___, some of which throw hot water into the air. Some of this ___45___ near the earth’s surface is used to make electricity. There are many plants and ___46___ that only live in New Zealand. The most famous animal is a little bird that cannot fly. It is called a kiwi and it is New Zealand’s national bird.

The ___47___were the earliest people to come to New Zealand. When they discovered it about 1,000 years ago, they called it Aotearoa, which means “ Land of the long white cloud”. The Maori came from the islands of Polynesia in the ___48___. It is some 3,500 kilometers from Polynesia to New Zealand , which they crossed in narrow ___49___. They ___50___ dogs, rats and plants with them and settled mainly on the ___51___ where the weather was warmer. Around 1421, Chinese sailors possibly discovered the islands on one of their ___52___ around the word. The Dutchman Abel Tasman named the islands New Zealand in 1642. More than 120 years later, Captain James Cook took possession of the islands in 1769 and from that time British people started to settle in New Zealand. By 1840 about 2,000 ___53___, mainly British, had come to settle in New Zealand and the Maori signed an agreement with these settlers. That day is still celebrated as a national holiday. It is every year on the sixth of February. Today there are many people in New Zealand who call ___54___ “the home country”, although it is a place ___55___ most of them have never been.

36. A. consists of        B.is  made of              C. is  made from       D. is separated by

37. A. on                     B. in                          C. to                    D. off

38. A. London              B. Wellington         C. Auckland                 D. Queenstown

39. A. states                  B. seas                         C. cities                        D. states

40. A. Christchurch      B. South Island             C. North Island            D. New Zealand

41. A. harbour            B. city                     C. river                      D. beach

42. A. polluted              B. blue                         C. narrow                    D. clean

43. A. mountains           B. rivers                 C. beaches                   D. places

44. A. miners              B. hot springs               C. animals                    D. landscapes

45. A. spring               B. heat                        C. water                            D. land

46. A. beaches              B. birds                       C. animals                    D. people

47. A. Chinese              B. British                     C. Maori                      D. Europeans

48. A. Atlantic              B. Indian                  C. Arctic                      D. Pacific

49. A. buses                  B. boats                      C. ships                      D. planes

50. A. raised                B. bought                   C. brought                  D. took

51. A. North Island       B. South Island             C. Queenstown            D. New Zealand

52. A. travels               B. trips                        C. fights                            D. voyages

53. A. Europeans        B. Asians                  C. Chinese                  D. Englishmen

54. A. New Zealand       B. England                   C. China                      D. Island

55. A. which               B. that                      C. where                     D. what