Death Valley is one of America’s great national parks, which can be extremely 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 57C. 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 is a good example of the violence of nature, it contains evidence of several ancient volcanoes that caused huge explosions. Evidence of one of this explosions left a huge hole in the ground. This movement has created unusual and beautiful rock formations. Some are red, others are dark brown, gray or yellow.

However, it would be wrong to think that nothing lives in Death Valley. The Valley is beautiful and full of life. Wild flowers grow up very quickly after a little rain. Many kinds of birds live in Death Valley. So do many other animals—mammals and reptiles. Here you can see many kinds of snakes, including one that is extremely poisonous with long sharp teeth called fangs.

  Almost everyone who visits Death Valley visits a huge house called Scotty’s Castle. The building has high thick walls to provide protection from the fierce heat. Many people come for just  a day.  Buses bring visitors from the famous city of Las Vegas, Nevada. They ride around the park in their bus, visit several places and are back in their Las Vegas hotel by night. However ,many other visitors can watch the sun set, slowly turn the Valley a gold color, and then change to a dark red.,

45. The word “it” in the paragraph means   

A. the coldness     B. the flooding     C. the  Valley      D. the extreme heat

46. The unusual rocks were caused by the

A. huge hole in the ground             B. fierce climate of Death Valley

C. explosion of a volcano              D. storms and floods there

47. If bitten by        , you are most likely to lose your life.

A. birds          B. mammals        C. reptiles          D. snakes with fangs

48.Why would visitors like to go to Scotty’s Castle?

A. To stay  in Furnace Creek           B. To escape from the extreme climate

C. To watch the sun set                D. To enjoy its high thick walls.

    The second way to heat your house is with active solar heating．Mechanical aids (things that help) are used．Specially setup solar panels (镶板) are fitted on the roof, collecting the rays from the sun．Under the panels are a network of water pipes．The panels heat up in the sunlight and in turn heat the water in the pipes．The hot water is then stored in a special holding tank, usually in the basement of the house．It is now ready to be piped into radiators in the house, giving heat to the rooms.

1．What does solar have something to do with?

A．the wind.

B．The rain.

C．The sun．

D．The air.

2．What’s the weakness of the passive solar house?

A．On the coldest days of the year some extra heater is needed to help to heat the room.

B．More curtains are needed.

C．In winter sunlight is not able to pass through the glass window.

D．Mechanical aids are expensive.

3．How does the solar energy heat the passive solar house?

A．Sunlight is kept in by the windows and walls.

B．The furnace in the middle of the room sends out heat.

C．Sunlight heats up the walls and floors through the windows and these heated walls and floors radiate the heat slowly.

D．Many windows are positioned in the house to prevent sunlight from coming in

4．What’s a radiator?

A．A large holding t

ank in the basement in which hot water is stored.

B．A heater in the room which radiates heat from hot water supplied, through pipes.

C．A solar panel on the roof.

D．A thick curtain keeping the heat inside the room.

5．Which of the following do you think correct?

A．The active solar house is useless in our modem life.

B．The passive solar house is more useful than the active solar house.

C．The active solar house is probably more expensive than the passive solar house.

D．The passive solar house is probably more expensive than the active solar house.

The sun can be used to heat your home in two ways．The first is called passive solar heating because no mechanical equipment is used．Windows in the house are positioned to allow a large amount of sunlight in during the day．As sunlight passes through the windows, it heats up the walls and floors in the room．These radiate the heat slowly, keeping the room warm longer after the sun has set．Thick curtains are lowered at night to keep the heat in．During our coldest months, an extra heating source, such as a furnace(火炉).will be needed to help the passive solar house.

    The second way to heat your house is with active solar heating．Mechanical aids (things that help) are used．Specially setup solar panels (镶板) are fitted on the roof, collecting the rays from the sun．Under the panels are a network of water pipes．The panels heat up in the sunlight and in turn heat the water in the pipes．The hot water is then stored in a special holding tank, usually in the basement of the house．It is now ready to be piped into radiators in the house, giving heat to the rooms.

1．What does solar have something to do with?

A．the wind.

B．The rain.

C．The sun．

D．The air.

2．What’s the weakness of the passive solar house?

A．On the coldest days of the year some extra heater is needed to help to heat the room.

B．More curtains are needed.

C．In winter sunlight is not able to pass through the glass window.

D．Mechanical aids are expensive.

3．How does the solar energy heat the passive solar house?

A．Sunlight is kept in by the windows and walls.

B．The furnace in the middle of the room sends out heat.

C．Sunlight heats up the walls and floors through the windows and these heated walls and floors radiate the heat slowly.

D．Many windows are positioned in the house to prevent sunlight from coming in

4．What’s a radiator?

A．A large holding tank in the basement in which hot water is stored.

B．A heater in the room which radiates heat from hot water supplied, through pipes.

C．A solar panel on the roof.

D．A thick curtain keeping the heat inside the room.

5．Which of the following do you think correct?

A．The active solar house is useless in our modem life.

B．The passive solar house is more useful than the active solar house.

C．The active solar house is probably more expensive than the passive solar house.

D．The passive solar house is probably more expensive than the active solar house.