Wind , water, fire and ice-these powerful natural forces have shaped the land of America in the past. They are still changing it today.

The Colorado River slowly cut down through stone to make the Grand Canyon(大峡谷).

Long ago, ice sheets cut Yosemite Valley and the Great Lakes, and glaciers(冰川) are still on the move in Alaska.

Wind and rain storm hit the land from time to time. Fires sometimes burn down forests and destroy the homes of wild animals. This happened in Yellowstone Park in 1988.

Dead volcanic mountains such as Haleakala on Maui and Carter Lakein Oregon are beautiful to look at. But there are several active volcanoes in the US, especially along the Pacific Coast. There are also many earthquakes in this area. Scientists can do nothing to control earthquakes or volcanoes. This was shown clearly on May 18, 1980. At 8:32 that morning, Mount St Helens in Washington state broke out. The top of the mountain was blown off.

Over 60 people –campers, scientists, journalists, forest workers—were killed. Hundreds of square miles of forests were knocked down. In towns over 100 miles away, day suddenly became night. An ash cloud hid the sun for many hours. Towns and fields in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho were covered with dirty gray ash.

Scientists knew that Mt St Helens might erupt(爆发) soon. But no one could say when. And no one expected the terrible strength of the eruption. Many people were surprised and unready. Harry R. Truman, 84, owned a small hotel in Mt St Helens. Scientists had asked people to move away because the volcano was becoming dangerous.

But Harry Truman would not leave his home. Now it is covered with many feet of dirty ash. A small cross stands above the place where Harry probably died. Perhaps it is better that he did not see the destruction of Mt St Helens, the once beautiful lake, and the forests.

But slowly, life is returning to the dead area around the mountain. Grass and small plants are beginning to grow again. Deer and birds have been seen. The land will never be the same as it once was. Perhaps Mt St Helens will erupt again. But this is all part of nature’s pattern of change, and man has little power to control it.

1.Choose the best title for this passage.

2.After the eruption of volcano, what makes the sky turn dark?

3.The underlined word “it” means______.

4.We can infer from this article that ______.

Wind , water, fire and ice-these powerful natural forces have shaped the land of America in the past. They are still changing it today.

  The Colorado River slowly cut down through stone to make the Grand Canyon(大峡谷).

  Long ago, ice sheets cut Yosemite Valley and the Great Lakes, and glaciers(冰川) are still on the move in Alaska.

  Wind and rain storm hit the land from time to time. Fires sometimes burn down forests and destroy the homes of wild animals. This happened in Yellowstone Park in 1988.

  Dead volcanic mountains such as Haleakala on Maui and Carter Lakein Oregon are beautiful to look at. But there are several active volcanoes in the US, especially along the Pacific Coast. There are also many earthquakes in this area. Scientists can do nothing to control earthquakes or volcanoes. This was shown clearly on May 18, 1980. At 8:32 that morning, Mount St Helens in Washington state broke out. The top of the mountain was blown off.

   Over 60 people –campers, scientists, journalists, forest workers—were killed. Hundreds of square miles of forests were knocked down. In towns over 100 miles away, day suddenly became night. An ash cloud hid the sun for many hours. Towns and fields in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho were covered with dirty gray ash.

  Scientists knew that Mt St Helens might erupt(爆发) soon. But no one could say when. And no one expected the terrible strength of the eruption. Many people were surprised and unready. Harry R. Truman, 84, owned a small hotel in Mt St Helens. Scientists had asked people to move away because the volcano was becoming dangerous.

  But Harry Truman would not leave his home. Now it is covered with many feet of dirty ash. A small cross stands above the place where Harry probably died. Perhaps it is better that he did not see the destruction of Mt St Helens, the once beautiful lake, and the forests.

  But slowly, life is returning to the dead area around the mountain. Grass and small plants are beginning to grow again. Deer and birds have been seen. The land will never be the same as it once was. Perhaps Mt St Helens will erupt again. But this is all part of nature’s pattern of change, and man has little power to control it.

40. Choose the best title for this passage.

A.     Wind, water, fire and ice

B.     Volcano’s beauty and danger

C.     The power of nature

D.     Natural force shape beautiful land of America

41. After the eruption of volcano, what makes the sky turn dark?

A.     The smoke  B. The clouds.   C. The fog.  D. The ash.

42. The underlined word “it” means______.

A.     The body of old Harry

B.     The location of Harry’s home

C.     The opening on top of Mt St Helens

D.     The place where Harry probably died

43. We can infer from this article that ______.

A.     Washington and Oregon are neighboring states

B.     Colorado River runs through Yosemite Valley

C.     The eruption of Mt St Helens also caused trouble with the Yellowstone Park

D.     Scientists never knew Mt St Helens was active

In the second half of each year, many powerful storms are born in the tropical Atlantic and Caribbean seas. Of these, only about a half a dozen generate（产生） the strong, circling winds of 75 miles per hour or more that give them hurricane status（状况）, and several usually make their way to the coast. There they cause millions of dollars of damage, and bring death to large numbers of people.

  The great storms that hit the coast start as innocent（无害的） circling disturbances（搅动） hundreds---even thousands ---of miles out to sea. As they travel aimlessly over water warmed by the summer sun, they are carried westward by the trade winds. When conditions are just right, warm, moist air flows in at the bottom of such a disturbance, moves upward through it and comes out at the top. In the process, the moisture in this warm air produces rain, and with it the heat that is converted（变换） to energy in the form of strong winds. As the heat increases, the young hurricane begins to swirl（漩涡） in a counter-clockwise（逆时针方向） motion.

  The average life of a hurricane is only about nine days, but it contains almost more power than we can imagine. The energy in the heat released by a hurricane’s rainfall in a single day would satisfy the entire electrical needs of the United States for more than six months. Water, not the wind, is the main source of death and destruction(毁灭) in a hurricane. A typical hurricane brings 6-to12-inch downpours resulting in sudden floods. Worst of all is the powerful movement of the sea-the mountains of water moving toward the low-pressure hurricane center. The water level rises as much as 15 feet above normal as it moves toward shore.

44.When is an ordinary tropical storm called a hurricane?

  A. When it begins in the Atlantic and Caribbean seas

  B. When it hits the coastline

  C. When it is more than 75 miles wide

  D. When its winds reach 75 miles per hour

45What is the worst thing about hurricanes?

  A. the destructive effects of water

  B. the heat they release

  C. that they last about nine days on the average

  D. their strong winds

46The counter-clockwise swirling of the hurricane is brought about by _____.

  A. the low-pressure area in the center of the storm

  B.the force of waves of water

  C. the trade winds

  D. the increasing heat

47.  Apparently the word downpour means _______.

   A. heavy rainfall                

   B. dangerous waves

   C. the process of water to the hurricane center 

   D. the energy produced by the hurricane