Australia is nearly 7.7 million square kilometres.Itˈs the sixth largest country in area after Russia，Canada，China，the United States and Brazil.

There are rainforests and large plains in the north，snowfields in the southeast，desert(沙漠) in the centre and croplands in the east，south and southwest.About one third of the country lies in the tropics(热带地区)．Australia has a coastline of 36，735 km if it were possible to drive non－stop along the whole coast at 60 km/h，it would take about 24 days to complete the trip.

Australia is the worldˈs smallest continent(洲) and the sixth largest country being equal(相等的) in area to the USA without Alaska.The continent is one of the oldest lands.It is more than 3，000 million years old，and it is the flattest of the continents.

The population of Australia is more than 20 million.It is one of the worldˈs most urbanized countries，with about 70% of the population living in the ten largest cities.Most of the population is concentrated(集中) along the eastern seaboard and the southeastern corner of the continent.

It may be hard to believe, but the American Revolution(革命)—the war that freed the American states from British control—began over a cup of tea. Tea was not the only thing that caused the war, of course, but it played a very big part.

The British people’s love of tea is well-known. When the British won control over mush of North America in the early 1700s, they brought their tea- drinking habits with them. Tea quickly became the continents most popular drink. As tea could not be grown locally, just as in Britain, it was shipped into the country—mostly from India.

In the early 1700s, the Britain government made a special deal with the East India Company, as an English trading company. They agreed that no other company was allowed to bring tea to Britain or any country controlled by Britain, including America. It was a great deal for the East India Company, since it meant that the company could decide whatever price it wanted for its products. And it always decided on a high price!

In North America, the local people did not like having to pay such high prices. Instead od overpaying for tea from the British, they turned to Dutch traders, who secretly brought tea to the country that was just as good—and much less expensive. Although this broke the law, the American people didn’t care. They got the same cup of tea at a much lower price.

The East India Company, however, didn’t like this at all. By the 1760s, they were losing millions of pounds each year to Dutch traders—a huge amount of money in a time when￡60 a year was considered a good income. Instead of reducing their prices to compete with the Dutch, the company asked the British government for help and the government agreed.

In 1767, the British introduced new law that increased the prices of all goods which were brought into America. These laws helped make the East India Company even richer and forced local people to pay much more for everything. The American leaders asked the British government not to do so, but the British refused to listen. These unfair laws increased Americans’ anger about British rule and the rest, as they say, is history.

Every morning, my father buys a newspaper on his way to work. Every day, I open my books   (1)   and start my lessons. Every evening, my mother   (2)   magazines at home. And very night, I look at the photos of David Beckham and Yao Ming on my bedroom wall before I go to sleep. Can we imagine life without paper or printing?

Paper was first created about 2,000 years ago in China. After its invention, people started to write on paper to make a book. In those days, books were only produced one   (3)    by hand. As a result, there were not many books, and they were expensive. So, few people had the    (4)    to learn to read.

Printing was invented in China during the Sui and Tang Dynasties. Later, developments in printing made it    (5)    to produce books more quickly and cheaply. A trade in books resulted, and more people learnt to read. Knowledge and ideas spread    (6)    than ever before.    (7)   , we can compare the invention of paper and printing to the introduction of the Internet in the twentieth century.

Although the Internet is still young, it is growing very fast, and may become more powerful than printing. A much larger    (8)    of information can be stored on the Internet than in books. Someone with an Internet connection can find information    (9)    more easily than they can find in printed forms. And the machines we use to read it are now small and light, often smaller and lighter than a single book.

Computers and the Internet are used in classrooms now, and newspapers and magazines are already read online. So what direction will traditional printing take in the future? Will books be   (10)    by the Internet? Let’s wait and see.

 Hongbao, usually a red envelope(信封)with some money inside, is a kind of traditional(传统的)gift in China.People always give it during the Spring Festival or for some special events such as birthdays, weddings(婚礼) and so on. It is considered as a way to  (1)  love, good wishes or blessing(祈祷).

      The red color means good luck in Chinese culture and can also  (2)   people stay away from bad things.This tradition started from more than 2,000 years  (3)  when old people began to give money to their grandchildren for good luck and safety in the New Year.

      Different from the traditional red envelope with  (4)   inside, the virtual(虚拟的)hongbao became quite popular this year.It provides people with a chance to give hongbao to other people or to receive them from   (5)  on the Internet.This new form of hongbao is becoming more and more popular  (6)   the WeChat(微信)users.

      During the seven daysˈ Spring Festival holiday,I   (7)   more than 300 yuan,by using WeChat, and got half of the money I gave. Although the smallest hongbao had only 0.01 yuan,in it, my friends and I still had great  (8)  giving and receiving the red envelopes. No matter in which way people send red envelopes, the meaning behind is the same.

However,some people,especially the youngs, spend too much time  (9)  with their mobile(移动的)phones to get the virtual hongbao.This not only makes them lose the time they spend with their family but is  (10)  for their health.So what do you think of the virtual hongbao?Are you for or against it?