题目内容
Death Valley is one of the most famous deserts in the United States, covering a wide area with its alkali sand. Almost 20 percent of this area is well below sea level, and Badwater, a salt water pool, is about 280 feet below sea level and 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 turned out to be a sad story. 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 change created by human settlement has hardly ruined the special beauty of this place.
Here nature created a lot of surprising, almost like the sights on the moon, ever-changing as the frequent wind moves the sand about, showing the most unusual colors. One of the most astonishing and colorful parts of Death Valley is the Devil's Golf Course, where it seems hard for one to tell reality from dreams. Sand sculptures 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 death of the miners
C. the local people D. a National Movement
2. From the passage we can learn that__________.
A. no one had ever known the desert before the miners
B. it's still not easy to travel across the desert
C. people can find gas-stations, cafes and hotels in the desert
D. people have changed the natural sight of the desert
3. The Devil's Golf Course is famous for__________ .
A. the terrible sights B. the moon-like sights
C. dream-like sights D. the ever-changing sights
4. From the passage we can see that the writer__________the Death Valley.
A. appreciates B. is fearful of C. dislikes D. is tired of
【小题1】B
【小题2】C
【小题3】C
【小题4】
Death Valley, one of America’s great national parks, is a place of strange and silent beauty. As beautiful as this place is, its name provides evidence of very real danger. Death Valley is a land of beautiful yet dangerous extremes. There are mountains that reach more than 3,000 meters into the sky. There is a place called Badwater that is the lowest area of land in the Western Hemisphere. If there were water there, it would be 86 meters below the level of the ocean.
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 57℃. The sun can heat the ground so that the temperature of the rocks and soil can be as high as 74℃. The extreme heat of Death Valley has killed people in the past. It will continue to kill those who do not honor this extreme climate. Death Valley does not forgive those who are not careful.
Death Valley is a good example of the violence of nature. It 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. Other areas of rock look as if some huge creature violently broke and twisted the Earth to create unusual, sometimes frightening shapes.
In other parts of Death Valley there are lines in the rock that show clearly that this area was deep under an ocean for many thousands of years. Much of the Valley is flat and extremely dry. In fact, scientists believe it is the driest place in the United States.
Death Valley, part of the Great Mojave Desert, is a huge place. It extends more than 225 kilometers across the southern part of California, and across the border with Nevada.
【小题1】Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A.The water in Badwater is 86 meters below the level of the ocean. |
B.The highest air temperature in summer can reach as high as 74℃. |
C.The ground has been pushed up violently by explosions of volcanoes. |
D.There might have been marine lives living in Death Valley. |
A.Because they didn’t respect Death Valley and thus they were punished. |
B.Because it is extremely hot in summer and dangerously cold in winter. |
C.Because they were not careful enough to take with them what they needed. |
D.Because several volcanoes erupted and caused huge explosions. |
A.bent and turned | B.created and developed |
C.built and shaped | D.changed and ruined |
A.encourage people to visit Death Valley, a beautiful national park in America |
B.warn people not to visit Death Valley because it is quite dangerous there |
C.introduce to us readers a special national park in America, Death Valley |
D.raise money for the protection of Death Valley because it is in danger now |
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 |