听力

第一节

听下面5段对话。每段对话后有一个小题，从题中所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳选项。听完每段对话后，你都有10秒钟的时间来回答有关小题和阅读下一小题。每段对话仅读一遍。

W：How do you make this machine work?

M：I’m not sure．Try pressing that button and see what happens．

1．What can we learn from the conversation?

A．Neither of them knows how to make the machine work．

B．The man knows how to make the machine work．

C．It’s really very difficult to make the machine work．

M：Who’s that going into the shop?

W：It must be the cleaners．They always do the floors before we open．

2．What do the cleaners do before the shop opens?

A．Clean the windows．

B．Clean the floors．

C．Clean the counters．

W：Are you going to stay in the office over lunchtime?

M：Yes．It’s important to check these figures．We’ll be using them in this afternoon’s meeting．

W：Oh, right, yes．Look, should Gareth call, will you say I’m not available until tomorrow? I really haven’t got time for him today．

3．What is the man going to do over lunchtime?

A．To attend a meeting．

B．To check the figures．

C．To meet somebody in the office．

M：Could you explain how this coffee machine works?

W：It’s quite simple．You put a coin in here and press the red knob(球形把手)．

4．What does the man want to get?

A．A coin．

B．Coffee．

C．A machine．

W：I can’t understand why the car has stopped．

M：You’ve run out of gas, that’s why!

5．Why has the woman’s car stopped?

A．There is no gas．

B．It has broken down．

C．It has failed to climb the slope．

第二节

听下面5段对话或独白。每段对话或独白后有几个小题，从题中所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳选项。听每段对话或独白前，你将有时间阅读各个小题，每小题5秒钟；听完后，各小题将给出5秒钟的作答时间。每段对话或独白读两遍。

听第6段材料，回答第6～7题。

M：Hey，look at that motorbike．What a beauty!

W：Look out! Mind that litter bin．

M：Ouch! I’ve hurt my leg．

W：Serves you right．You wouldn’t have hurt yourself if you’d been looking where you were going．

6．What attracted the man?

A．A beautiful girl．

B．A motorbike．

C．A litter bin．

7．How did he hurt his leg?

A．He fell down his motorbike．

B．He didn’t see the litter bin．

C．He didn’t notice the stairs．

听第7段材料，回答第8～10题。

M：Hey, Kathy．I’m thinking about renting a movie for tonight’s party, and I want to know what kind of movies you like．

W：Okay．What kind of movies do you have in mind?

M：Well, what about action movies？

W：Ah, I don’t really like action movies．Too much violence．

M：Okay, do you like comedies？

W：Wow, I do enjoy comedies．

M：Fine．Well, what do you think of horror movies or love stories?

W：Uh…I’m not really crazy about horror movies, but love stories are often fun to watch．Oh, and I really like foreign films, too．

M：Okay．I’ll go to the video store and see what I can find．Thanks．

8．What are they going to do tonight?

A．Go to the cinema．

B．Go to a party．

C．Go and buy tickets for the movie．

9．What movies doesn’t the woman like?

A．Love stories．

B．Foreign films．

C．Action movies．

10．What is the man most probably going to do right now?

A．To rent some videos．

B．To buy some books．

C．To find out what films are on the show．

听第8段材料，回答第11～14题。

　　Hello everyone, this is the captain speaking, and I want to welcome you to Flight 18 bound for Seattle．

　　Our flight time today is 2 hours and 14 minutes, and we will be flying at an average altitude of 29 000 feet．The local time in Seattle is a quarter to twelve, and the current weather is sunny, but there is a slight chance of rain later in the day．We will be arriving at Gate 13, and we will be announcing connecting flights on our approach to the Seattle airport．

　　On behalf of Sky Airlines and the crew, I want to wish you an enjoyable stay in the Seattle area or at your final destination．Sit back and enjoy the flight．

11．What is the number of this flight?

A．80．

B．18．

C．81．

12．How long is the flight time?

A．2 hours and 40 minutes．

B．2 hours and 14 minutes．

C．2 hours and 4 minutes．

13．What is the current weather in Seattle?

A．Partly cloudy．

B．Rainy．

C．Sunny．

14．At what gate will the plane arrive?

A．13．

B．3．

C．30．

听第9段材料，回答第15～17题。

M：Susan, are you free after class this afternoon?

W：Hardly．I have to pick my brother up from football practice at 4∶30, and my mom asked me to cook dinner for the family at 5∶30．I feel like a slave sometimes．Then, I have to clean the dishes and finish reading my history assignment．Who knows how long that’ll take?

M：Hey listen, why don’t I come over later in the evening?And we can make some popcorn and watch a movie．

W：Oh, that’d be great, but our video machine is broken．

M：Huh．Well, let’s just play a game or something．

W：Sounds good, but give me a call before you come．My mom might try to come up with something else for me to do．

15．What will Susan have to do at 4∶30 that afternoon?

A．To finish her homework．

B．To cook dinner for the family．

C．To pick up her brother．

16．What can be inferred from what Susan says?

A．She gets really angry with her mother．

B．She is tired of having to do so many things．

C．She does not want the man to come over this evening．

17．Why can’t they watch a video at Susan’s house?

A．The machine isn’t working．

B．Susan’s mother is going to use it．

C．Susan’s mother has asked Susan to do something else．

听第10段材料，回答第18～20题。

　　You’d think by now that everyone would be aware of the dangers of cigarette smoking．So why are more women lighting up?

　　Since 1980, some 3 million women have died of smoking-related illnesses．A new study reports women now account for 39 percent of all smoking-related deaths, a figure that has more than doubled since 1965．

　　In the early decades smoking was mainly popular among men, and it took nearly 25 years before the gap narrowed and smoking became quite common among women．

　　Nearly all women who smoke picked up the habit as teenagers－and 30 percent of today’s high school seniors smoke．Dr Thompson says, “We must begin this battle in schools before girls even begin to smoke．We must share with teenage girls that smoking is really harmful．”

18．How many women died of smoking-related illnesses since 1980?

A．About 3 million．

B．About 2 million．

C．About 6 million．

19．What can be inferred from the talk?

A．More and more women start smoking．

B．The number of male smokers is decreasing．

C．Smoking-related illness is one of the major threats to women．

20．When did most of women smokers pick up the habit of smoking?

A．When they entered high school．

B．Soon after they graduate from high school．

C．When they were teenagers．

听力

第一节

听下面5段对话。每段对话后有一个小题，从题中所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳选项。听完每段对话后，你都有10秒钟的时间来回答有关小题和阅读下一小题。每段对话仅读一遍。

W：Hi, Tom, we haven’t seen each other for a long time．What are you doing these days?

M：I’m reading an interesting book at the moment．I’ll lend it to you when I’ve finished it．

1．What will the man probably do when he finishes reading the book?

A．He’ll return the book to the library．

B．He’ll lend the book to the woman．

C．He’ll borrow another book from the woman．

W：I hear you’ve been offered a job．

M：That’s right, but I’m not going to take it．

2．What does the man think of the job offered to him?

A．The job is too demanding．

B．It is the job he is looking forward to．

C．He does not like the job．

M：Has George decided what to do when he leaves school?

W：Oh, yes．Everything is planned．He’s going to have a holiday for a few weeks and then he’s going to do an English course．

3．What is George going to do right after he leaves school?

A．To do an English course．

B．To make a plan．

C．To take a holiday．

M：Did you finish your work this afternoon?

W：Yes．There was nobody to disturb me, so I was able to finish it．

4．Why was the woman able to finish her work this afternoon?

A．Because she was helped by someone．

B．Because she was not disturbed by anybody．

C．Because she overworked this afternoon．

W：I wonder why Ann didn’t come to the party．Perhaps she wasn’t invited．

M：Yes, it’s possible．She might not have been invited．

5．Why didn’t Ann come to the party?

A．Perhaps she was not asked to．

B．Perhaps she did not want to come．

C．Perhaps she busied herself with something else．

第二节

听下面5段对话。每段对话后有几个小题，从题中所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳选项。听每段对话前，你将有时间阅读各个小题，每小题5秒钟；听完后，各小题将给出5秒钟的作答时间。每段对话读两遍。

听第6段材料，回答第6～7题。

W：I’m going to have a party next Saturday．Can you come?

M：On Saturday? I’m not sure．Some friends of mine are coming to stay with me next week but I think they’ll have gone by Saturday．But if they’re still here I won’t be able to come to the party．

W：OK．Well, tell me as soon as you know．

M：Right．I’ll phone you during the week．

6．What is the man NOT sure?

A．Whether his friends will come to stay with him．

B．Whether his friends will have gone by Saturday．

C．Whether his friends will come to the party with him．

7．How does the woman know whether the man can come to the party or not?

A．The man’s friends will try to tell her his decision．

B．She will get in touch with the man during the week．

C．The man will call her before Saturday．

听第7段材料，回答第8～10题。

W：Brian! How nice to see you! What are you doing these days?

M：I’m training to be a supermarket manager．

W：Really? What’s it like? Are you enjoying it?

M：It’s all right．What about you?

W：Well, actually I’m not working at the moment．I’m trying to find a job, but it’s not easy．But I’m very busy．I’m painting my flat．

M：Are you doing it alone?

W：No, some friends of mine are helping me．

8．What does the man want to be?

A．A supermarket manager．

B．A school master．

C．A technician．

9．What is the woman trying to do?

A．To keep her job．

B．To quit her job．

C．To find a job．

10．What is she doing now?

A．Helping her friends．

B．Painting her flat．

C．Taking care of her children．

听第8段材料，回答第11～13题。

M：So you want to borrow some money．How do you want to spend it?

W：We’re going to advertise on local radio and in the paper．We’ve planned it carefully．We only need ＄500．

M：Very well．The bank will lend you the money．But you must pay us back in three months．Can you do that?

W：We’ll do it, I promise．

M：Now, go and see the loans clerk and he’ll help you fill in the necessary forms．

W：Thank you for your help．

M：You’re welcome．

11．How much money does the woman want to borrow?

A．＄5000．

B．＄1500．

C．＄500．

12．When must she pay the money back?

A．In three years．

B．In three months．

C．In three weeks．

13．What is the woman most probably going to do?

A．To fill in some forms．

B．To make a careful plan．

C．To visit the bank manager．

听第9段材料, 回答第14～16题。

W：Well, who shall we ask to this party?

M：Oh, not too many．Just a few people we can be relaxed with．

W：Yes, I agree．So, who, for example?

M：My cousin John, of course, and Carlo．

W：Carlo?Who’s he?

M：He’s the Italian guy who is staying with John’s family．

W：Oh, yeah．Is he the one whose wallet got stolen when they were in London?

M：That’s right．They caught the guy who did it, but he’d already spent all the money Carlo had brought with him．

W：Poor Carlo．Perhaps the party will cheer him up．

14．What are they talking about?

A．The coming party．

B．The arrangement of the party．

C．Whom to be invited to the party．

15．Where is Carlo from?

A．London．

B．Italy．

C．France．

16．What is wrong with Carlo?

A．He has spent all his money．

B．He has caught by the police．

C．He lost his wallet．

听第10段材料，回答第17～20题。

W：Hi, Ed．Are you in town for another job interview?

M：Yes, I’m pretty hopeful this time．I’ve just finished my second interview with this company．

W：That sounds great．I hope it works out for you．But wasn’t it expensive just getting here?

M：No, in fact the company is paying all my expenses．They’ve put me up in a hotel downtown．

W：How nice! How many people are they interviewing?

M：Well, they interviewed 16 the first time, and now four of us were chosen to come back for this interview．

W：It sounds like you have a good chance to be selected then．

M：I hope so．The manager told me he would call us on Monday．

W：Well, I hope it goes well．John and I would love it if you came to this area to work．

M：I would too, but my girlfriend doesn’t want to leave her family．She hopes I find a job close to her home．

W：Oh dear, what a decision．

M：But anyway, I’ve got to wait until Monday to find out whether I can even have the chance．

W：Good luck!

17．How does the man seem to feel after this interview?

A．Nervous．

B．Hopeful．

C．Excited．

18．How many people were chosen for the second interview?

A．4．

B．8．

C．16．

19．When will the man probably get to know whether he gets the job?

A．That afternoon．

B．Next Monday．

C．Tomorrow．

20．What does the man’s girlfriend want?

A．She hopes to find a job near the man．

B．She hopes the man finds a job near her．

C．She hopes the man gets the job．

听力(共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分)

第一节

听下面5段对话。每段对话后有一个小题，从题中所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳选项。听完每段对话后，你都有10秒钟的时间来回答有关小题和阅读下一小题。每段对话仅读一遍。

W：What about those in England?

M：The fifty-pence’s the biggest, and the half-penny is the smallest．

W：Really? In America, the biggest is the fifty-cents, and the smallest is the cent．

1．What are the speakers doing?

A．Comparing goods．

B．Doing shopping．

C．Talking about coins．

M：This meat is like old leather! It’s enough to break every tooth in your head．

W：Perhaps you’d like to change your order, sir．The fish is very tender．

2．How does the man feel?

A．Unsatisfied．

B．Impatient．

C．Pleased．

M：Tomorrow is the Tenth of June．It’s my birthday and I’m going to the George and Dragon．Would you like to come?

W：To celebrate your birthday? Of course I would．What group’s playing?

M：The Red Rose, I think．

3．What is the woman interested in?

A．The man．

B．The party．

C．The band．

W：Why are you so late?

M：My alarm clock failed to work again．

4．Why is the man late?

A．He could not walk fast．

B．He slept late last night．

C．His clock was out of order．

M：Where’s the book about cars I was reading last night? I laid it down on the table, and now it’s gone．

W：I don’t know．I cleaned early this morning and I don’t remember where I put it．

5．What is the man looking for?

A．A book about cards．

B．A book about furniture．

C．A book about cars．

第二节

听下面5段对话或独白。每段对话或独白后有几个小题，从题中所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳选项。听每段对话或独白前，你将有时间阅读各小题，每小题5秒钟；听完后，各小题将给出5秒钟的作答时间。每段对话或独白读两遍。

听第6段材料，回答第6～8题。

M：Why aren’t you doing your homework?

W：I’ll do it later, Dad．I must get these things right first．Our group’s playing in a concert on Saturday．

M：Oh, is it? You’ll be making records next, will you?

W：We hope so．The man from “Dream Discs” is coming to the concert．So I’d better play well．

M：You’d better get on with your homework! You can practise the guitar all day Saturday．

W：Oh, Dad, you don’t understand at all．This concert could change my life．

M：It certainly could! You’ve got exams next month．Important ones．If you don’t pass them, you won’t get a good job．

W：I don’t want a boring old job in a bank．

M：Oh, don’t you? Whose boring old job paid for this house? And for what?

W：Yours, I know．But I’d rather be happy than rich．

6．What is the girl doing now?

A．Repairing a guitar．

B．Practising the guitar．

C．Preparing for making records．

7．What does the girl expect?

A．To be chosen by a band．

B．To pass the coming exams．

C．To get a job in a bank．

8．What is the man?

A．A school teacher．

B．A guitar player．

C．A bank clerk．

听第7段材料，回答第9～11题。

W：Hello?1523852．

M：Hello, may I speak to Anna?

W：I’m afraid Anna isn’t in．

M：Is that Tracy speaking?

W：No, this is Jane．

M：Oh, I’m sorry…er…well, could you please leave Anna a passage for me?

W：Sure, what is it?

M：Well, I’ll meet Anna for lunch at my home．Would you ask her to see if she has my French dictionary? And if she does, tell her to bring it along．

W：All right．And where are you calling from?

M：My home．I’m Anna’s friend, Pat．

W：Thank you for calling, Pat．

M：And thank you, Jane．

9．Where is Pat calling from?

A．His home．

B．His school．

C．His office．

10．Who does Pat want to call?

A．Tracy．

B．His friend Anna．

C．Tracy and Anna．

11．Why can’t Pat speak to Anna now?

A．Because Anna is at work．

B．Because Anna is out for lunch．

C．Because Anna is not at home．

听第8段材料，回答第12～14题。

W：Good evening, sir．I’m Assistant Manager．I’m afraid we’ve had a complaint about the noise from your neighbour who’s trying to get some sleep．

M：Oh, I see．

W：Could you please ask your friends to be a little quieter so that our guests can get a good night’s sleep?

M：Oh, I’m so sorry．I suppose we were talking rather loudly．We won an important prize．We were having a celebration．

W：I’m pleased to hear it．Shall I have some coffee brought to you?

M：No, that won’t be necessary．We were just about to pack up anyway．

12．Where does the conversation take place?

A．At a hotel．

B．In a flat building．

C．In the manager’s office．

13．What is the woman pleased to hear?

A．The man’s apology．

B．The man’s story．

C．The man’s explanation．

14．What were the man and his friends about to do?

A．End their activity．

B．Leave where they were．

C．Apologize to their neighbor．

听第9段材料，回答第15～17题。

W：So, what do you think? How do you like New York?

M：I’m having a good time．I love it．I’m glad we came．

W：Yeath really like the stores and the shopping centers?．

M：I love the museums, too．

W：But the traffic is pretty bad．

M：Yeah．I hate all the traffic．It’s really noisy．

W：Listen, it’s almost dinner time．There are lots of restaurants around here．What do you want to try? Italian? Greek? Japanese? Chinese?

M：I can’t stand making decisions．You choose．

W：OK, let’s go American．Where is the nearest McDonald’s?

15．What do you know about the speakers from the dialogue?

A．They are native American．

B．They are tourists to New York．

C．They are from Japan．

16．What do they dislike here?

A．The museum．

B．The restaurants．

C．The traffic．

17．Which restaurants are NOT mentioned in their dialogue?

A．Chinese restaurants．

B．Thai restaurants．

C．American restaurants．

听第10段材料，回答第18～20题。

　　Scientists are trying to make desert into good land again．They want to bring water to the deserts, so people can live and grow food．They are learning a lot about the deserts．But more and more of the earth is becoming desert all the time．Scientists may not be able to change the desert in time．

　　Why is more and more land becoming desert? Scientists think that people make deserts．

　　People are doing bad things to the earth．

　　Some places on the earth don’t get much rain．But they still don’t become deserts．This is because some green plants are growing there．Green plants and grass are very important to dry places．Plants don’t let the wind blow away the dirt．When a bit of rain falls, the plants hold the water．Without plants, the land can become desert more easily．

18．Why is land becoming desert little by little according to the passage?

A．Because plants can’t grow there．

B．Because there is not enough rain．

C．Because people do bad things to the earth．

19．Why are green plants very important to dry places?

A．Because they don’t let the wind blow the earth away?．

B．Because they hold water．

C．Both of the above．

20．From this passage, what can we learn?

A．Plants can keep dry land from becoming desert．

B．All places without a lot of rain will become deserts?．

C．It is better to grow crops on dry land than on wet land．

听力测试(共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分)

第一节

听下面5段对话。每段对话后有一个小题，从题中所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳选项，并标在试卷相应的位置。听完每段对话后，你都有10秒钟的时间来回答有关小题和阅读下一小题。每段对话仅读一遍。

W：What about those in England?

M：The fifty-pence’s the biggest, and the half-penny is the smallest．

W：Really? In America, the biggest is the fifty-cents, and the smallest is the cent．

1．What are the speakers doing?

A．Comparing goods．

B．Doing shopping．

C．Talking about coins．

M：This meat is like old leather! It’s enough to break every tooth in your head．

W：Perhaps you’d like to change your order, sir．The fish is very tender．

2．How does the man feel?

A．Unsatisfied．

B．Impatient．

C．Pleased．

M：Tomorrow is the tenth of June．It’s my birthday and I’m going to the George and Dragon．Would you like to come?

W：To celebrate your birthday? Of course I would．What group’s playing?

M：The Red Rose, I think．

3．What is the woman interested in?

A．The man．

B．The party．

C．The band．

W：Why are you so late?

M：My alarm clock failed to work again．

4．Why is the man late?

A．He could not walk fast．

B．He slept late last night．

C．His clock was out of order．

M：Where’s the book about cars I was reading last night? I laid it down on the table, and now it’s gone．

W：I don’t know．I cleaned early this morning and I don’t remember where I put it．

5．What is the man looking for?

A．A book about cards．

B．A book about furniture．

C．A book about cars．

第二节

听下面5段对话或独白。每段对话或独白后有几个小题，从题中所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳选项。听每段对话或独白前，你将有时间阅读各小题，每小题5秒钟；听完后，各小题将给出5秒钟的作答时间。每段对话或独白读两遍。

听第6段材料，回答第6～8题。

M：Why aren’t you doing your homework?

W：I’ll do it later, Dad．I must get these things right first．Our group’s playing in a concert on Saturday．

M：Oh, is it? You’ll be making records next, will you?

W：We hope so．The man from “Dream Discs” is coming to the concert．So I’d better play well．

M：You’d better get on with your homework! You can practise the guitar all day Saturday．

W：Oh, Dad, you don’t understand at all．This concert could change my life．

M：It certainly could! You’ve got exams next month．Important ones．If you don’t pass them, you won’t get a good job．

W：I don’t want a boring old job in a bank．

M：Oh, don’t you? Whose boring old job paid for this house? And for what?

W：Yours, I know．But I’d rather be happy than rich．

6．What is the girl doing now?

A．Repairing a guitar．

B．Practising the guitar．

C．Preparing for making records．

7．What does the girl expect?

A．To be chosen by a band．

B．To pass the coming exams．

C．To get a job in a bank．

8．What is the man?

A．A school teacher．

B．A guitar player．

C．A bank clerk．

听第7段材料，回答第9～11题。

W：Hello?1523852．

M：Hello, may I speak to Anna?

W：I’m afraid Anna isn’t in．

M：Is that Tracy speaking?

W：No, this is Jane．

M：Oh, I’m sorry…er…well, could you please leave Anna a message for me?

W：Sure, what is it?

M：Well, I’ll meet Anna for lunch at my home．Would you ask her to see if she has my French dictionary? And if she does, tell her to bring it along．

W：All right．And where are you calling from?

M：My home．I’m Anna’s friend, Pat．

W：Thank you for calling, Pat．

M：And thank you, Jane．

9．Where is Pat calling from?

A．His home．

B．His school．

C．His office．

10．Who does Pat want to call?

A．Tracy．

B．His friend Anna．

C．Tracy and Anna．

11．Why can’t Pat speak to Anna now?

A．Because Anna is at work．

B．Because Anna is out for lunch．

C．Because Anna is not at home．

听第8段材料，回答第12～14题。

W：Good evening, sir．I’m Assistant Manager．I’m afraid we’ve had a complaint about the noise from your neighbour who’s trying to get some sleep．

M：Oh, I see．

W：Could you please ask your friends to be a little quieter so that our guests can get a good night’s sleep?

M：Oh, I’m so sorry．I suppose we were talking rather loudly．We won an important prize．We were having a celebration．

W：I’m pleased to hear it．Shall I have some coffee brought to you?

M：No, that won’t be necessary．We were just about to pack up anyway．

12．Where does the conversation take place?

A．At a hotel．

B．In a flat building．

C．In the manager’s office．

13．What is the woman pleased to hear?

A．The man’s apology．

B．The man’s story．

C．The man’s explanation．

14．What were the man and his friends about to do?

A．End their activity．

B．Quarrel with the Assistant Manager．

C．Apologize to their neighbor．

听第9段材料，回答第15～17题。

W：So, what do you think? How do you like New York?

M：I’m having a good time．I love it．I’m glad we came．

W：Yeath I really like the stores and the shopping centers．

M：I love the museums, too．

W：But the traffic is pretty bad．

M：Yeah．I hate all the traffic．It’s really noisy．

W：Listen, it’s almost dinner time．There are lots of restaurants around here．What do you want to try? Italian? Greek? Japanese? Chinese?

M：I can’t stand making decisions．You choose．

W：OK, let’s go American．Where is the nearest McDonald’s?

15．What do you know about the speakers from the dialogue?

A．They are native American．

B．They are tourists to New York．

C．They are from Japan．

16．What do they dislike here?

A．The museum．

B．The restaurants．

C．The traffic．

17．Which restaurants are NOT mentioned in their dialogue?

A．Chinese restaurants．

B．Thai restaurants．

C．American restaurants．

听第10段材料，回答第18～20题。

　　Scientists are trying to make desert into good land again．They want to bring water to the deserts, so people can live and grow food．They are learning a lot about the deserts．But more and more of the earth is becoming desert all the time．Scientists may not be able to change the desert in time．

　　Why is more and more land becoming desert? Scientists think that people make deserts．People are doing bad things to the earth．

　　Some places on the earth don’t get much rain．But they still don’t become deserts．This is because some green plants are growing there．Green plants and grass are very important to dry places．Plants don’t let the wind blow away the dirt．When a bit of rain falls, the plants hold the water．Without plants, the land can become desert more easily．

18．Why is land becoming desert little by little according to the passage?

A．Because plants can’t grow there．

B．Because there is not enough rain．

C．Because people do bad things to the earth．

19．Why are green plants very important to dry places?

A．Because they don’t let the wind blow the earth away．

B．Because they hold water．

C．Both of the above．

20．From this passage, what can we learn?

A．Plants can keep dry land from becoming desert．

B．All places without a lot of rain will become deserts．

C．It is better to grow crops on dry land than on wet land．