Australia is the largest island in the world. It is a little smaller than China. It is in the south of the earth. Australia is big, but its population is small. The population of Australia is nearly as large as that of Shanghai.

  Enough laws have been made to fight against pollution. The cities in Australia have got little air or water pollution. The sky is blue and the water is clean. You can clearly see fish swimming in the rivers. Plants grow very well.

Last month we visited Perth, the biggest city in Western Australia, and went to a wild flowers' exhibition (展览).There we saw a large number of wild flowers we had never seen before. We had a wonderful time. Perth is famous for its beautiful wild flowers. In spring every year Perth has the wild flowers' exhibition. After visiting Perth, we spent a day in the countryside. We sat down and had a rest near a path at the foot of a hill. It was quiet and we enjoyed ourselves.

Suddenly we heard bells ringing at the top of the hill. What we saw made us pick up all our things and run back to the car as quickly as we could. There were about three hundred sheep coming towards us down the path.

     Australia is famous for its sheep and kangaroos. After a short drive from any town, you will find yourself in the middle of white sheep. Sheep, sheep, everywhere are sheep.

1.Australia is                       

A. the largest country in the world    B. larger than China 

C. as large as Shanghai             D. not so large as China

2.Enough laws have been made to__

A．increase the population   B. grow more plants  

C. fight against pollution     D. show wild flowers

3.Perth is_       

A. the capital of Australia        B. in the west of Australia

C. in the east of Australia        D. the biggest city in Australia

4.In Perth you may visit a wild flowers' exhibition in        

   A. October        B. January     C. May     D. July

5.Which of the following sentences is TRUE?

A. All the big cities in Australia are seriously polluted.

B. Australia .is famous for its sheep, kangaroos and large population.

    C. We ran back to the car because we were in the middle of the white sheep..

    D. If you go to the countryside in Australia, you will see a large number of White sheep.

 

 

CANBERRA(Reuters)—Australia’s kangaroos are genetically similar to humans and may have first evolved in China, Australian researchers said Tuesday.

Scientists said they had for the first time mapped the genetic code of the Australian marsupials(有袋类)and found much of it was similar to the genome for humans, the government backed Center of Excellence for Kangaroo Genomics said.

 “There are a few differences, we have a few more of this, a few less of that, but they are the same genes and a lot of them are in the same order,”center Director Jenny Graves told reporters in Melbourne.

“We thought they’d be completely scrambled, but they’re not. There is great chunks of the human genome which is sitting right there in the kangaroo genome,” Graves said, according to AAP.

Humans and knagaroos last shared an ancestor at least 150 million years ago, the researchers found, while mice and humans separated and went in different ways from one another only 70 million years ago.

Kangaroos first evolved in China, but migrated across the America to Australia and Antarctica, they said.

“Kangaroos are hugely informative about what we were like 150 million years ago,” Graves said.

68.Where does the kangaroo first develop according the scientists?

         A.In China.       B.In America.  C.In Australia. D.In Antarctica.

69.What does the passage mainly tell us?

         A.How the Kangaroo first evolved. B.Kangaroo’ genetic code have been mapped.

         C.Kangaroos’genes are close to humans’.      D.Scientists did much research into Kangaroos.

70.What does the underlined word “scrambled” probably mean in the fourth paragraph?

         A.Funny.   B.Wrong. C.Curious.        D.Right.

 

阅读下列材料，从所给的六个选项(A、B、C、D、E和F)中，选出符合各小题要求的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。选项中有一项是多余选项。

The people below are going to make a trip in Australia. After the description of these people, there is information about six advertisements of organized tours A-F. Decide which tours would be most suitable for the person mentioned in descriptions 1-5 and then mark the correct letter (A-F) on your answer sheet. There is one extra paragraph about one tour which you do not need to use.

____1.Victor is fond of nature and adventure and he is making a study tour into geology in Australia. So he wants to make a whole day trip, enjoy the natural beauty and study geological phenomena as well.

____2. Vanessa is planning a short city tour of Sydney so that she can enjoy the highlights of the city and attend an important lecture given by Professor Brown Smith at 2:00 pm at the University of Sydney.

____3.Charlie and his friends are making their first journey in Australia. Having traveled around the city of Sydney, they plan to visit Canberra, the capital and political center of the country.

____4.Jenny, a European woman with her children is visiting her relatives in Australia. They want to relax themselves by enjoying the sunshine on the sandy beaches along the coast and have fun with dolphins.

____5. Mike and Susan are from Brazil. They have been traveling in Australia for a couple of days. This weekend, they would like to have a change and travel to the countryside to have some idea of Australia grape farming and wine producing instead of making city tours around.

 

A.City Highlights, Manly Beach, Northern Beaches

Tour the highlights of Sydney, then cross the Sydney Harbor Bridge to Manly and the Northern Beaches. Capture the beauty and lifestyle of the harbor city from Gray Line’s specially selected vantage points. Departs: 8:30am                             Adult: $51.00 Returns: 11:50am                            Child:25.50

 B. New Parliament House, National Museum,Australian War Memorial

The nation’s capital---a purpose built city, ultra modern, with imposing architecture yet a rural charm of lakeside, gardens and open spaces. This hi-tech city is the seat of Parliament and home of superb national monuments, museums and galleries. Departs: 8:30am                             Adult: $110.00 Returns: 9:15pm                             Child:$55.00

 C. Cuddle a Koala, Kangaroos, Harbour LuncheonCruise

Observe and meet our unique native animals with ample opportunity to get to know the Cuddly Koala. Then enjoy a spectacular luncheon cruise on beautiful Sydney Harbour. You can choose between the Matilda Cruises Sailing Catamarans, the streamlined Captain Cook Cruisers or Magistic Cruises. Departs: 8:40am                             Adult: $115.00 Returns: 2:00pm                             Child: $57.50

 D. Hunter Valley Wineries, Wine Tasting,Traditional Aussie Towns

 

World acclaimed Australian wines from the vineyards of the rolling hills and valleys of the Hunter region.The Hunter Valley is Australia’s oldest commercial wine producing district with over 7,000 acres under vine. Visit historic Wollombi and the Old Tavern, tour Cessnock and the lower Hunter Valley noted for its early Australiana townships and try local cheeses that compliment fine wines. Departs: 8:40am                             Adult: $127.00 Returns: 6:45pm                             Child: $63.50

 E. Port Stephens, Central Coast Beaches, NorthCoast, Dolphin Watching

Discover the beautiful Central Coast north of Sydney with its holiday villages, white sandy beaches and the sparkling Pacific Ocean. Ride the wave crests with the Dolphins in the azure waters of sheltered Port Stephens where forests, villages and stately homes meet with the sea. This quiet arm of the blue Pacific Ocean is home to a pod of nature’s most lovable and intelligent marine mammals. Departs: 8:30am                             Adult: $126.00 Returns: 7:00pm                             Child: $63.00

 F. Jenolan Caves, Blue Mountains, AdventureCaves

The Blue Mountains National Park is a kaleidoscope of contrasts and colour rich in Australian bush and wildlife, always with a distant blue haze horizon. Spectacular Jenolan Caves --- the brilliance and timelessness of nature are revealed. Been thralled with the beauty of these ancient limestone caves. Departs: 8:40am                             Adult:$114.00

 

MELBOURNE, Australia – A kangaroo frightened by a man walking his dog attacked the pair, throwing the pet underwater and hitting the owner in the stomach with its back legs. The Australian, Chris Rickard, was in stable condition Monday after the attack, which ended when the 49-year-old struck the kangaroo in the throat.

Rickard said he was walking his blue dog, Rocky, on Sunday morning when they surprised a sleeping kangaroo in Arthur's Creek northeast of Melbourne. The dog chased the animal into a pond, when the kangaroo turned and knocked the pet underwater.

When Rickard tried to pull his dog free, the kangaroo turned on him, attacking with its back legs and tearing a deep cut into his stomach and across his face.

"I thought I might take action to drag the dog out from under his grasp, but I didn't expect him to actually attack me," Rickard, 49, told The Herald Sun newspaper. "It was a shock at the start because it was a kangaroo, about 5 feet high, they don't go around killing people."

"I was stuck having to hold on to the dog with both hands because it was half drowned and I couldn't really see anything because the kangaroo just attacked me.”

He added, "All I could do was just keep pushing for the bank and he was trying to push me under the water, so at that point I struck him in the throat and that made him back off a little bit.

"I don't think I'll ever be able to watch kangaroo programs quite the same as I used to — it might bring back a couple of bad memories.”

Kangaroos rarely attack people but will fight if they feel threatened.

    Dogs often chase kangaroos, which have been known to lead the pets into water and defend themselves there.

Rickard said he ended the attack by hitting the kangaroo in the throat adding Rocky was "half-drowned" when he pulled him from the water.

1.Rickard and his pet dog were attacked when _________.

A. swimming in the pond                     B. he was teasing a kangaroo

C. he was walking his dog                    D. dragging his dog out from water

2.In Australia, kangaroos ________.

A. get along rather peacefully with people        B. are only seen in zoos

C. frequently attack people and pets             D. can be found swimming in ponds

3.The kangaroo attacked the man and his dog probably because ________.

A. the man struck it in the throat               B. it wanted to drown the dog

C. the man wanted to drown it                 D. the dog chased it

4.As a result of the attack, ________.

A. the kangaroo was killed

B. Rickard was left a deep impression

C. kangaroos should be under stricter protection

D. the dog was drowned dead

 

International students in Christine Rhodes’ English class in Australia share their favorite places they have visited in Australia.

Canberra, the nicest city in Australia.   

Siggi Siebold from Germany

I went for a short holiday to Canberra because my son lives there. It’s the nicest city in Australia, a little bit similar to Cairns. There’re lots of big rivers and trees around the city.

The small city of Mount Isa

Indra Ekanayake from Malaysia

I came to Mount Isa six months ago. It’s a long way from Brisbane-about 2,000 km .It’s a small city, with a population of 21,000, but it has all the basic facilities(设施)such as a hospital, six schools and supermarkets. It’s a mining city. It’s hot and gets little rain. There’re two big lakes to keep the rainwater for drinking for the city.

Lake Moondarra and a mine

Ida Robb from Indonesia

In Mount Isa, there’s a dam called Lake Moondarra. On the weekend you can go there with your friends. People go fishing and even catch a crocodile. There’s a big mine in Mount Isa. Many people come to work in the mine and earn much money. It isn’t a beautiful green place, but many people love it.

My impression(印象)of Sydney

Namfon Pitaxsin from Thailand

The fist time I came to Australia, I was happy. I traveled to Sydney. Four million people live there ,and many are  Asians. I saw the harbor (港口)，Sydney Harbor Bridge and the Opera House and I went to see the koalas and kangaroos in Taronga Park Zoo. After that I went to the Thai restaurants. There is a revolving (旋转的) restaurant, so you can eat and see the city.

1.Why did Siggi Siebold go to Canberra?

A．Because it’s the nicest city in Australia.

B．Because her son lives there

C．Because it is similar to her hometown

D．Because there’re lots of rivers

2.According to Indra Ekanayake, Mount Isa______

A．is a famous harbor in Ausralia

B．has a large population

C．probably doesn’t have enough drinking water

D．doesn’t have enough basic facilities

3.Where is Lake Moondarra?

A．In Canberra.       B．In Mount Isa.       C．In Brisbane.        D．In Sydney

4.The first time Namfon Pitaxsin went to Australia, she________

A．saw some special Australian animals

B．met more Americans than Asians

C．ate in a revolving restaurant

D．enjoyed the music in the Opera House

5.How many cities does the passage mainly talk about?

A．Two              B．Three            C．Four.             D．Five