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