题目内容
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.
1.The first two paragraphs discuss Death Valley' s ．
A．geography B．climate C．location D．size
2.The volcanoes mentioned in the third paragraph proved ．
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
3.The woman who named Death Valley intended to ．
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
4.If the passage continues, it will be about .
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
5.The main idea of the passage is about ．
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
1.B
2.C
3.D
4.A
5.B
【解析】
试题分析：文章主要向读者介绍了死亡山谷的地理，气候和位置等以及一系列与死亡山谷相关联的故事和传说。
1.细节题。根据The air temperature during the summer has been as high as fifty- seven degrees Celsi 故B符合题意
2. 推断题。根据This movement has created unusual and beautiful rock formations故C符合题意
3.细节题。根据The area was named by a woman in 1849. Thousands of people from other parts of the ountry traveled to the gold mining areas in California。故D符合题意
4.猜测题。根据Many people believed him. But it was not really the truth. 根据关联性原则，会接着写出有关Scotty's Castle的真相
5.细节题。根据文章的内容，文章主要向读者介绍了死亡山谷的相关信息。故B符合题意。
考点：考查说明性文章
点评：说明文是对事物的特征、本质、性能、状态，或事物的发生、发展、结果、用途、原理等进行介绍、解释、说明的一种文体。它所说明的对象可以是实体的事物，如仪器仪表、自然环境等，也可以是抽象的事理、如概念、原理、定律、规章等。它包括说明书、解说词、文献资料、图表等形式。尽管说明文中可能会掺有一些记述、描写或议论的成分，但说明文的最主要表达方式还是说明。必须说明的是与汉语说明文相比，英语说明文所涉及的范围似乎更大，在英语中，天文地理、人情世故、客观事物、主观意识等宇宙间的一切都可以通过说明文加以阐述说明。
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 |