Europeans are being dug out from heavy snow after a week of very cold weather. The snowstorm is the harshest to hit Europe. Airports were shut down. And schools have been closed for a week.

    Until Wednesday, at least 400 people across Europe had died because of the cold temperature. Several countries have said a state of emergency. In Ukraine, temperatures dropped as low as -33℉.

    Although the situation is bad, at least one country is hoping the weather will last a little longer. In the Netherlands, the government is preparing for the country’s “11 Cities Tour”. The 125-mile ice-skating marathon will be held along a network which joins 11 towns and cities together in Friesland Province.

    The ice along the way must be inches thick for the event. Up to 2 million people are thought to cheer on the race’s 16,000 competitors.

    On Wednesday, Dutch soldiers joined in the preparations. They cleaned snow along the way. This will be the 16^th time that the event has taken place since the first race in 1909. Dutch General Hans said his soldiers were happy to lend a hand. “We want to do our bit for this national party.” he said.

1.What is “11 Cities Tour”?

A. It’s a 125-mile ice skating marathon.

B. It’s a 11-mile ice skating marathon.

C. It’s a 16000-mile ice skating marathon.

D. It’s a 33-mile ice skating marathon.

2.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A. Thousands of people across Europe died because of the weather.

B. The ice should be less than 6 inches thick for the event.

C. No country is glad to see the cold weather.

D. The first “11 Cities Tour” began in 1909.

3.Who helped clean snow along the way?

A. French soldiers                      B. Dutch soldiers 

C. Ukrainian soldiers               D. American soldiers

4.The underlined word “harshest” means _______ in the passage.

A. safest       B. most enjoyable       C. most serious         D. happiest

5.The passage is mainly about______.

A. the hard situation Europe faces

B. the European cold weather

C. preparations for a national party

D. the coldest season in Europe

There are several children ________ several countries.

1. A.
   to
2. B.
   come from
3. C.
   from
4. D.
   comes from

Europeans are being dug out from heavy snow after a week of very cold weather. The snowstorm is the harshest to hit Europe. Airports were shut down. And schools have been closed for a week.
Until Wednesday, at least 400 people across Europe had died because of the cold temperature. Several countries have said a state of emergency. In Ukraine, temperatures dropped as low as -33℉.
Although the situation is bad, at least one country is hoping the weather will last a little longer. In the Netherlands, the government is preparing for the country’s “11 Cities Tour”. The 125-mile ice-skating marathon will be held along a network which joins 11 towns and cities together in Friesland Province.
The ice along the way must be inches thick for the event. Up to 2 million people are thought to cheer on the race’s 16,000 competitors.
On Wednesday, Dutch soldiers joined in the preparations. They cleaned snow along the way. This will be the 16^th time that the event has taken place since the first race in 1909. Dutch General Hans said his soldiers were happy to lend a hand. “We want to do our bit for this national party.” he said.
【小题1】What is “11 Cities Tour”?

At present, more and more people are crazy about travelling. Why do people travel?  “To see more of the world,” many people would say. But travelling abroad now means much more than that for the growing number of Chinese tourists. Of course it offers us good opportunities to meet people from other countries, learn about their culture and customs.

According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), more than 1 billion people travelled to another country in 2012. In 2012, Chinese people travelled abroad 30 percent more than in 2011. The prosperity (繁荣) of the tourism industry can also bring both our country and foreign countries great economic benefits (经济利益). Chinese people usually join large tourist groups and visit several countries in one trip.

Chinese people don’t just travel for sightseeing. The China International Travel Service Company said that all their tour trips sold out a month before Christmas Day. Stores offered discounts (打折) during that time, so shopping in Europe and the United States is popular among Chinese travellers.

In December, China is going through a very cold winter. So many people like to go to some countries in Southeast Asia because the weather there is quite pleasant.

The improvement of living standards means more Chinese can travel abroad. But many of them don’t have a sense of public manners. A report by Living Social website in March 2012 even listed Chinese as the world’s second worst tourists.

If you want to change that bad name, remember to avoid the following: littering, spitting, snatching bus seats, line-jumping, taking off shoes in public, talking loudly and smoking in non-smoking areas. Besides, we should learn some necessary manners of foreign countries.

1.Chinese people travel abroad not to _________.

A. go shopping                                            B. see more of the world

C. go sightseeing                                         D. make money

2.According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization, ________.

A. 30% of the people who travelled abroad are Chinese

B. the number of people who travelled abroad rose by 30%

C. more than 1 billion people travelled abroad in 2012

D. more than 1 billion Chinese people travelled abroad in 2012

3.Which of the following is NOT true about Chinese people? _________

A. Chinese people like joining large tourist groups.

B. Many Chinese like to go to Southeast Asia in winter for sightseeing.

C. More and more Chinese people can travel abroad now.

D. Chinese are the second worst tourists in the world.

4.As a good tourist, you should ________.

A. litter and spit here and there

B. jump the line and take off the shoes in public

C. have a sense of public manners

D. speak loudly and smoke as you like

5.What’s the best title of the passage? __________

A. Travelling                                                      B. Travelling abroad

C. Chinese tourists                                                D. Chinese people like travelling