单选题 England is not a big country., from north to south and from east to west it is only about three hundred miles across. But for a small country it has a surprising range of climate. People who have never visited England, or who have visited only one part of it, often make the mistake of thinking that it is a cold and wet country. Except for the summer months of June to Septem-ber, this is probably true of the north of England and the Midlands. In the south, however, the climate is much more pleasant. One result is that when people retire from a job in the north they often prefer to move down to the milder south.
Perhaps the warmest part of the country is the southwest, which consists of the counties of Devon and Cornwall. The warm Gulf Stream flows across the North Atlantic Ocean from the Gulf of Mexico and makes the coastal regions of the southwest quite warm. Palm trees, bamboo (竹) and many semitropical (亚热带的) plants grow well in the southwest of England. Flowers and vegetables ripen (成熟) as much as a month earlier than those elsewhere. Farmers in the area obtain a higher price for their vegetables and flowers because they are ready earlier. In winter there may be several feet of snow in other parts of England but there will probably be no snow at all in the southwest. This may be one of the reasons why the southwest is one of England"s most popular holiday areas.

单选题 The distance from the center of England to the south coast is about ______.

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】这是一道推断题。文中第一段第一句说：“英格兰幅员并不辽阔，从北到南和从东到西的距离大约都仅为300英里。”由此我们可以算出从英格兰中部到南部沿海的距离大约是150英里。因此选项C正确。

单选题 England is a country ______.

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】文中第一段介绍说，英格兰虽是个小地方，但有着令人惊奇的气候分布，它的北部和中部一年中除了夏季的7月至9月这几个月外，大部分时间都是又湿又冷，但南部地区气候却很宜人。由此我们可以得知，英格兰是一个气候多样的地方。因此选项D正确。选项A“有着又湿又冷的气候”，这只是北部和中部的部分气候特征；选项B“有着令人惊奇的气候”，不是气候令人惊奇，而是多样的气候分布令人惊奇；选项C“有着宜人的气候”，这只是南部的气候特征。

单选题 According to the passage, ______.

A、 flowers and vegetables from Devon are on the market one month earlier
B、 farmers in the southwest grow as many vegetables and flowers as farmers elsewhere
C、 people in the southwest have to pay a higher price for vegetables and flowers
D、 vegetables in Cornwall ripen as much as a month earlier than flowers

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】文中第二段第四句说：“在英格兰的西南部鲜花和蔬菜比别的地区早一个月成熟。这个地区的农民因他们的蔬菜和鲜花的价格较高而受益，因为他们收获得早些。”由此我们可以得知，Devon市场上鲜花和蔬菜必然比别的地区早一个月上市，那里的农民因此能卖上高价钱。所以选项A正确。

单选题 In the north of England and the Midlands, ______.

单选题 In winter, people in Devon and Cornwall ______.

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】文中第二段倒数第二句说：“冬天在英格兰的其他地方也许会出现几英尺厚的雪，但在西南部地区很可能完全没有雪。”由此我们可知，位于英格兰西南的Devon和Cornwall两地在冬天很少能看见雪。因此选项A正确。选项B“从来没有看见过雪”，文中说很可能完全没有雪，不等于从来没有看见过雪；选项C“也许有几英尺的雪”；选项D“时常看见雪”；均不符合文中内容。