题目内容
Death valley is one of the most famous deserts in the United States, covering a wide area with its alkali（碱性）sand. Almost 20 percent of this area is well below sea level, and bad water, a salt water pool, is about 280 feet below sea level and it is the lowest point in the United States.
Long ago the Panamint Indians called this place Tomesha—the land of fire. Death Valley’s present name dates back to 1849 when a group of miners coming across from Nevada became lost in its unpleasantness and hugeness and their adventure ended with a disaster. Today Death Valley has been declared a National Monument and is crossed by several well-marked roads where good services can be found easily. Luckily the changes created by human settlement has hardly ruined the special beauty of this place.
Here nature created a lot of surprising scenes, almost like the sights on the moon, every changing as the frequent wind moves the sand about, showing the most unusual colors. One of the most astonishing and variable parts of Death Valley is the Devil’s Golf Course, where it seems hard for one to tell reality from terrible dreams. Sand sculptures（泥雕）stand on a frightening ground, as evening shadows move and lengthen.
1.The name of the valley comes
from ________.
A. an Indian name
B.the local people
C.a National Monument
D.the death of the miners
2. From the passage we can learn that ________.
A. people can find gas stations, cafes and hotels in the desert
B.no one had ever known the desert before the miners
C.it’s still not easy to travel across the desert
D.people have changed the natural sights of the desert
3. From the passage we can see the writer ________ the Death Valley.
A.is fearful of
B.appreciates
C.dislikes
D.has never been to
解析：
1.D 推理判断题。从第二段中 “Death Valley’s present name dates back to 1849 when a group of miners coming across from Nevada became lost in its unpleasantness and hugeness and their adventure ended with a disaster.” 可看出答案为D。 2.A 推理判断题。根据第二段 “Today Death Valley has been declared a National Monument and is crossed by several well-marked roads where good services can be found easily.” 一句我们可以推断出答案为A。 3.B．根据全文可以判断作者是喜欢Death Valley的，故选B。
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Death Valley is a land of beautiful yet dangerous extremes. Death Valley can be dangerously cold during the winter months. Storms in the mountains can produce sudden flooding on the floor of the Valley.
The air temperature during the summer has been as high as fifty- seven degrees Celsius. The sun can heat the ground so that the temperature of the rocks and soil can be as high as seventy -four degrees Celsius.
Death Valley contains evidence of several ancient volcanoes that caused huge explosions. Evidence of one of these explosions is called Ubehebe Crater. The explosion left a huge hole in the ground almost a kilometer and a half wide. In many areas of Death Valley it is easy to see where the ground has been pushed up violently by movement deep in the Earth. This movement has created unusual and beautiful rock formations. Some are red. Others are dark brown, gray, yellow or black.
The area was named by a woman in 1849. Thousands of people from other parts of the ountry traveled Lo the gold mining areas in California. They were in a hurry to get there before other people did. One group trying to reach California decided to take a path called the Old Spanish Trail. By December they had reached Death Valley. They did not have to survive the terrible heat of summer, hut there was still an extreme lack of water. There were few plants for their work animals to eat.
The people could not find a pass through the call mountains to the west of the Valley. Slowly, they began co suffer from a lack of food. To survive, they killed their work animals for food and began to walk out of the Valley. As they left, one woman looked back and said, “Good -bye, death valley.” The name has never been changed.
Almost everyone who visits Death Valley visits a huge house called Scotty' s Castle. The building design is Spanish, with high thick walls to provide protection from the fierce heat.
The castle is named for Walter Scott , called Scotty by his friends. He was a gold miner. He told everyone that he built the house with money he made from his gold mine. Many people believed him. But it was not really the truth.
【小题1】The first two paragraphs discuss Death Valley' s ．
| A．geography | B．climate | C．location | D．size |
| A．a valley that is formed by explosions |
| B．a place where volcanoes are still active |
| C．a good example of the violence of nature |
| D．a symbol of rock formations in history |
| A．explore the mystery of the valley |
| B．find an area with plants for animals |
| C．experience the terrible heat of summer |
| D．look for gold in California |
| A．the truth about Scotty's Castle |
| B．why Spanish built the castle |
| C．when the castle was built |
| D．where the castle lies in |
| A．the interesting place in Death Valley |
| B．the facts about Death Valley |
| C．the origin of Death Valley |
| D．the route to visit Death Valley |
Empty Deserts
In the 19th century Americans from the eastern states moved out west to settle in the rich new lands along the Pacific coast. The most difficult part of their trip was crossing the “Great American Desert in the western part of the United States by horse and wagon.
The western desert can be very dangerous. There is little water and there are few trees. But the desert also has scenery of great beauty. Tall towers of red and yellow stone rise sharply from the flat sandy valley floor. The scene has been photographed many times and appears in movies and in TV.
In Arizona, man made dams across the Colorado River have made two large lakes in the middle of the dry desert country. At Lake Powell, the red stone arch of Rainbow Bridge rises high above the blue lake.
There are few roads. Many areas of Lake Powell’s shore can only be reached by boat or on foot. But hikers in this empty desert land sometimes find very old native American pictures, painted on the rocks.
In Death Valley, California, the summer temperature rises to 130 degrees. There is less than two inches of rain each year. Death Valley is the lowest place in America---- 925 meters below sea level. In the 1800s, many travelers died when they tried to cross this waterless valley in the terrible heat.
Although the desert is dry and seems empty, there is plenty of life if you look closely. Small insects, snakes and rats have learned how to live in the desert heat. They live under ground and come out at night, when it is cool. Plants such as cacti need very little water. When it does rain in the desert (sometimes only once or twice a year), plants grow quickly, and flowers open in a single day. For a short time, the desert is covered with brilliant colors.
【小题1】In the 19th century, Americans moved from the east to the west because they ______.
| A．enjoy the trip | B．wanted to make their home there |
| C．wanted to find new grassland there | D．had no water to drink |
| A．the western desert is a good place for people to live in |
| B．there is little water but there are many trees in the desert |
| C．the desert is dangerous but it is full of life |
| D．till now, people know little about the desert |
| A．on foot | B．by boat | C．by car | D．by plane |
| A．illness | B．high temperature |
| C．cold weather | D．poisonous water |
| A．if they move about | B．if they cannot make holes underground |
| C．if they come out at night | D．if they drink much water |
In the 19th century, Americans from the eastern states moved out west to settle in the rich new lands along the Pacific Coast. The most difficult part of their trip was crossing “the Great American Desert” in the western part of the United States by horse and wagon.
The western desert can be very dangerous. There is little water and there are few trees. But the desert also has scenery of great beauty. Tall towers of red and yellow stone rise sharply from the flat, sandy valley floor. The scene has been photographed many times and appears in movies and on TV.
In Arizona, man-made dams across the Colorado River have made two large lakes in the middle of the dry desert country. At Lake Powell, the red stone arch of Rainbow Bridge rises high above the blue lake.
There are few roads. Many areas of Lake Powell’s shore can only be reached by boat or on foot. But hikers in this empty desert land sometimes find very old native American pictures, painted on the rocks.
In Death Valley, California, the summer temperature rises to 130°F—165°F. There is less than inches of rain each year. Death Valley is the lowest place in America---925 metres below sea level. In the 1800s, many travelers died when they tried to cross this waterless valley in the terrible heat.
Although the desert is dry and seems empty, there is plenty of life if you look closely. Snakes and rats have learned how to live in the desert heat. They live underground and come out at night, when it is cool. Plants such as cacti need very little water. When it does rain in the desert (sometimes only once or twice a year), plants grow quickly, and flowers open in a single day. For a short time, the desert is covered with brilliant (very bright) colours.
【小题1】In the 19th century, Americans moved from east to west because they .
| A．enjoyed the trip | B．wanted to make their home there |
| C．wanted to find new grassland there | D．had no water to drink |
| A．the western desert is a good place for people to live in |
| B．there is little water but there are many trees in the desert |
| C．the desert is dangerous but it is full of beauty |
| D．till now, people know little about the desert |
| A．illness | B．high temperature |
| C．cold weather | D．poisonous water |
| A．if they move about | B．if they can’t make holes underground |
| C．if they come out at night | D．if they drink much water |