A kind of Yb3+-doped tellurite glass with the composition of 80TeO2-10Al2O3-10Cs2O-xYb2O3 (x=0~1.6)(mol%) was prepared by conventional melt-quenching method. The dependence of the density, thermal expansion coefficient and refractive index of the glass with wavelength were measured. The absorption spectra, fluorescence spectra and fluorescence lifetimes of samples doped with different concentrations of Yb3+ ions were studied. The stimulated emission cross-sections (σemi) of Yb3+ ions from 2F5/2 level to 2F7/2 level in the samples were calculated with the McCumber theory. The results indicate that the emission cross-section of the glass for the Yb2O3 doping level of 1 mol% is 1.06×10－20 cm2 at 1 004 nm, its fluorescence effective bandwidth is about 89.6 nm, and the fluorescence lifetime reaches the maximum of 0.80 ms. The laser performance assessment results show that the glass is a potential candidate for ultra-short pulse lasers.