Place a piece of dark metal and a piece of light-coloured wood or cloth of about the same size side by side in the sunlight on a bright afternoon. Touch them after a while, or set a thermometer on each. You will find the dark metal is hotter, though both have been warmed by the sun for the same length of time. This is because some things absorb(吸收) more heat from the sun than others, lying in their colour, form and material. A ploughed field of black soil becomes heated faster than a field of corn. The cornfield in turn absorbs more heat than a lake or a pond. This curious fact about heating explains the most common thunderstorms(雷雨), the kind seen on a summer afternoon.

4. From the passage we know________.

A. the colour of wood or cloth is lighter than that of metal

B. if you stand in a cornfield you'll feel hotter than in a ploughed field

C. when the sunlight is not quite bright light-coloured wood absorbs more heat than dark metal

D. if you put something in the sun, its temperature will be affected by its color, form and material

5. The underlined word "thermometer"probably means________.

A. something that is like a stove

B. an instrument for measuring temperature

C. a tool which is used to heat

D. a watch which can be started and stopped

6. The last sentence of the passage leads us to conclude that________.

A. thunderstorms break out over a lake

B. thunderstorms have something to do with the heat from the sun

C. thunderstorms are often seen in winter, too

D. thunderstorms have never happened in dark materials

We experience different forms of the Sun’s energy every day. We can see its light  and feel its warmth. The Sun is the major source of evaporation (蒸发) of water from the oceans and lakes. Sunlight also provides the energy used by green plants to make their own food. These green plants then provide food for all organisms (生物) on the Earth.

Much of the energy that comes from the Sun never reaches the Earth’s surface. It is either reflected or absorbed by the gases in the upper atmosphere. Of the energy that reaches the lower atmosphere, 30% is reflected by clouds or the Earth’s surface. The remaining 70% warms the surface of the planet, causes water to evaporate, and provides energy for the water cycle and weather. Only a tiny part, approximately 0.023%, is actually used by green plants to produce food.

Many gases found in the atmosphere actually reflect heat energy escaping from the Earth’s surface back to the Earth. These gases act like the glass of a greenhouse in that they allow energy from the Sun to enter but prevent energy from leaving. They are therefore called greenhouse gases.

When sunlight strikes an object, some of the energy is absorbed and some is reflected. The amount reflected depends on the surface. For example, you’ve probably noticed how bright snow is when sunlight falls on it. Snow reflects most of the energy from the Sun, so it contributes to the low temperatures of winter. Dark-coloured surfaces, such as dark soil or forest, absorb more energy and help warm the surrounding air.

1.According to the passage, the root cause for weather changes on the Earth is ______.

2.Only a small part of the Sun’s energy reaches the Earth’s surface because most of it _______________.

3.We learn from the passage that _______________.

That holiday morning I didn’t have to attend school. Usually, on holidays, Mother   36  me to sleep in. And I would certainly take full advantage of it. On this particular morning,  ___37___,I felt like getting up early.
I stood by my window overlooking the ___38___, having nothing better to do. But as it turned out, I was soon to learn about something ___39___ in life.
As I watched several people go by, get into their cars and go off, I ___40___ an old man on a bicycle with a bucket on its ___41___ and a basket rags and bottles on its back-carriage. He ___42___ from one car to another, washing and cleaning them. From the water on the ground, it seemed that he had already ___43___ washing and cleaning about a dozen or more cars. He must have begun to work quite early in the morning.
Several thoughts ___44___my mind as I watched him work. He wasn’t well-dressed. He had on a pair of shorts and a(n) ___45___ T-shirt. The bicycle he rode was not by any means the kind modern ___46___would want to be seen riding on. But he seemed___47___ with life. There he was, working hard at his small business, ___48___ at passers-by and stopping to chat now and then ___49___ elderly men and women on their way to the market nearby.
There was a noticeable touch of___50___ in the way he seemed to be doing things— ___51___the windscreen (挡风玻璃), then standing back to admire it; scrubbing (擦净) the wheels and ___52___, standing back to see what they look like after the scrub.
It was a ___53___ to learn, I felt. At no age need one have to beg for a ___54___if one has good health and is willing to work hard. For a while I felt ___55__ of myself. Young as I am—just sixteen, and there was this old man who must have been usefully engaged perhaps before the sun appeared above the horizon.

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?

阅读理解                     

   The easy way out isn't always easiest . I learned that lesson when I decided to treat Doug , my husband of one month , to a special meal . I glanced through my cookbook and chose a menu(菜谱) which included homemade bread . Knowing the bread would take time , I started on it as soon as Doug left for work . As I was not experienced in cooking , I thought if a dozen was good , two dozens would be better , so I doubled（加倍）everything . As Doug loved oranges , I also opened a can of orange and poured it all into the bowl . Soon there was a sticky dough (面团) covered with ugly yellowish marks . Realizing I had been defeated , I put the dough in the rubbish bin outside so I wouldn't have to face Doug laughing at my work , I went on preparing the rest of the meal , and , when Doug got home , we sat down to eat Cornish chicken with rice . He tried to enjoy the meal but seemed disturbed . Twice he got up and went outside , saying he thought he heard a noise . The third time he left , I went to the windows to see what he was doing . Looking out , I saw Doug standing about three feet from the rubbish bin , holding the lid up with a stick and looking into the container . When I came out of the house , he dropped the stick and explained that there was something alive in our rubbish bin . Picking up the stick again , he held the lid up enough for me to see . I felt cold . But I stepped closer and looked harder . Without doubt it was my work . The hot sun had caused the dough to double in size and the fermenting yeast (酵母)made the surface shake and sigh as though it were breathing .It looked like some unknown being from outer space. I could see why Doug was so shaken. I had to admit what the 'living thing” was and why it was there . I don't know who was more embarrassed(尴尬)by the whole thing － Doug or me.

The writer's purpose in writing this story is ___________

A．to tell an interesting experience

B．to show the easiest way out of a difficulty

C．to describe the trouble facing a newly married woman

D．to explain the difficulty of learning to cook from books

Why did the woman's attempt at making the bread turn out to be unsuccessful?

A．The canned orange had gone bad.

B．She didn't use the right kind of flour.

C．The cookbook was hard to understand.

D．She did not follow the directions closely.

Why did the woman put the dough in the rubbish bin?

A．She didn't see the use of keeping it

B．She meant to joke with her husband.

C．She didn't want her husband to see it .

D．She hoped it would soon dry in the sun.

What made the dough in the rubbish bin look frightening?

A．The rising and falling movement.

B．The strange-looking marks.

C．Its shape.

D．Its size.

When Doug went out the third time , the woman looked out of the window because she was ______________.

A．surprised at his being interested in the bin

B．afraid that he would discover her secret

C．unhappy that he didn't enjoy the meal

D．curious to know what disturbed him