5. A。推断题。根据the special beauty of this place…like the sights on the moon… ever-changing…showing the most unusual colors等关键词语可以知道作者是带着赞赏的语气来描述“死亡谷”的。

(2)

The Erie Canal was the first important national waterway built in the US. It crossed New York from Buffalo on Lake Erie Troy to Albany on the Hudson River. It joined the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. The canal served as a route over which industrial goods could flow into the west, and materials could pour into the east. The Erie Canal helped New York develop into the nation’s largest city.

The building of the canal was paid for entirely by the state of New York. It cost $ 7 143 789, but it soon gained its price many times over. Between 1825, when the canal was opened, and 1882, when toll charges(过运河费) were stopped, the state collected $121 461 891.

For a hundred years before the Erie was built, people had been talking about a canal which could join the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean. The man who planned the Erie Canal and carried the plan through was De Witt Clinton. Those who were against the canal laughingly called it “Clinton’s Ditch(沟)”. Clinton talked and wrote about the canal and drew up plans for it. He and Governor Morris went to Washington in 1812 to ask for help for the canal, but they were unsuccessful.

Clinton became governor of New York in 1817, and shortly afterwards, on July 4, 1817, broke ground for the canal in Rome, N.Y. The first part of the canal was completed in 1820. As the canal grew, towns along its course developed fast. The length of the canal is 363 miles.

4. C。细节题。根据 …where it seems hard for one to tell reality from terrible dreams 可推知答案为 C。

3. C。推断题。根据 …well-marked roads where good services can be found easily… 可以判断 C 为最佳答案。

2. B。推断题。根据 …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… 可知“死亡谷”的名称来源于这些迷路矿工的死亡。

1. D。细节题。根据 …and Badwater, a salt water pool, is about 280 feet below sea level and the lowest point in the United States 可推知此题答案为 D。

5. From the passage we can see that the writer _______ the Death Valley.

A. appreciates 　　　　　　　　　　 B. is fearful of

C. dislikes 　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. is tired of

[答案解析]本文介绍了美国的一个著名沙漠--“死亡谷”名称的由来以及 “死亡谷”奇特的风光。

4. Devil Golf Course is famous for _______.

A. the frequent wind 　　 　　　 B. the colors of the sand

C. dream-like sights 　　　　　　 D. the sand sculptures

3. 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

2. 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

1. _______ is the lowest place in the desert.

A. Tomesha 　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. Death Valley

C. Nevada　　　　　　　　　　 　　　 D. Badwater