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

4. When the child looked down at the kids, they were standing with their mouths open because ______.

A. they felt sorry for what they had done before

B. they were afraid the author might fall off and get hurt

C. they wanted to see what the author would do on the bars

D. they were astonished to find the author’s progress

5 The most probable conclusion we can draw after reading the passage is ______.

A. the last incident was sad enough to make Mom weep

B. the child’s experience reminded Mom of that of her own

C. Mom could solve any problem except the one in the last paragraph

D. in fact Mom suffered more in the process of the child’s growth

第86天　　　　　　　　　　　　　 A

Death Valley is one of the most famous deserts in the United States, covering a wide area with its alkali sand. Almost 20 percent of this area is well below sea level, and Badwater, a salt water pool, is about 280 feet below sea level and the lowest point in the United States.　　　

Long ago, the Panamint Indians called this place “Tomesha”- the land of fire. Death Valley’s present name dates back to 1849, 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. Today Death Valley has been declared a National Monument(纪念碑) and is crossed by several well-marked roads where good services can be found easily. Luckily the change created by human settlement has hardly ruined the special beauty of this place.

　　 Here nature created a lot of surprising, almost like the sights on the moon, ever-changing as the frequent wind moves the sand about, showing the most unusual colors. One of the most astonishing and variable parts of Death Valley is the Devil’ s Golf Course, where it seems hard for one to tell reality from terrible dreams. Sand sculptures(沙雕) stand on a frightening ground, as evening shadows move and lengthen.

3. What does the sentence “I saw her ‘we’ll see about that’ look” imply?

A. Mom believed every aim could be achieved if you stuck to it.

B. The race across monkey bars was not difficult enough for a child to give up.

C. Mom was determined to prove she herself was better than the teacher.

D. What the child had said brought Mom great attraction and curiosity.

2. From the passage, we know monkey bars can help a child train ______.

A. the skill to throw and catch things　　　 B. the speed of one’s hand movement

C. the strength and skill to hang and sway　 D. the bodily skill to rotate round a bar

1. Which of the following expressions can be used most suitably to describe Mom’s attitude when she made the child to peel potatoes?

A. Cruel.　　　　　　 B. Serious.　　　　　　 C. Strict.　 D. Cold.

4. We learn from the last paragraph that Del Monte _________.

　 A. slowed other companies to develop pineapples

　 B. succeeded in keeping the pineapple for itself

　 C. tried hard to control the pineapple market

　 D. planned to help the other companies

B

Even before my father left us, my mother had to go back to work to support our family. Once I came out of the kitchen, complaining, “Mom, I can’t peel potatoes. I have only one hand.”

Mom never looked up from sewing. “You get yourself into that kitchen and peel those potatoes,” she told me. “And don’t ever use that as an excuse for anything again!”

In the second grade, our teacher lined up my class on the playground and had each of us race across the monkey bars, swinging from one high steel rod to the next. When it was my turn, I shook my head. Some kids behind me laughed, and I went home crying.

That night I told Mom about it. She hugged me, and I saw her “we’ll see about that” look. The next afternoon, she took me back to school. At the deserted playground, Mom looked carefully at the bars.

“Now, pull up with your right arm,” she advised. She stood by as I struggled to lift myself with my right hand until I could hook the bar with my other elbow. Day after day we practiced, and she praised me for every rung I reached. I’ll never forget the next time, crossing the rungs, I looked down at the kids who were standing with their mouths open.

One night, after a dance at my new junior high, I lay in bed sobbing. I could hear Mom come into my room. “Mom,” I said, weeping, “none of the boys would dance with me.”

For a long time, I didn’t hear anything. Then she said, “Oh, honey, someday you’ll be beating those boys off with a bat.” Her voice was faint and cracking. I peeked out from my covers to see tears running down her cheeks. Then I knew how much she suffered on my behalf. She had never let me see her tears.

3. The underlined word “fixture” in Paragraph 3 probably refers to something _________.

　 A. that people enjoy eating　　　　 B. that is always present

　 C. that is difficult to get　　　　　　 D. that people use as a gift

2. Why was the new type of pineapple selling well?

　 A. It was rich in nutrition and tasted nice.

　 B. It was less sweet and good for health.

　 C. It was developed by Del Monte.

　 D. It was used as medicine.

1. We learn from the text that the new type at pineapple is __________.

　 A. green outside and sweet inside

　 B. good-looking outside and soft inside

　 C. yellowy-gold outside and hard inside

　 D. a little soft outside and sweet inside