Empty Deserts

    In the 19^th century Americans from the eastern states moved out west to settle in the rich new lands along the Pacific coast. The most difficult part of their trip was crossing the “Great American Desert in the western part of the United States by horse and wagon.

The western desert can be very dangerous. There is little water and there are few trees. But the desert also has scenery of great beauty. Tall towers of red and yellow stone rise sharply from the flat sandy valley floor. The scene has been photographed many times and appears in movies and in TV.

    In Arizona, man made dams across the Colorado River have made two large lakes in the middle of the dry desert country. At Lake Powell, the red stone arch of Rainbow Bridge rises high above the blue lake.

    There are few roads. Many areas of Lake Powell’s shore can only be reached by boat or on foot. But hikers in this empty desert land sometimes find very old native American pictures, painted on the rocks.

    In Death Valley, California, the summer temperature rises to 130 degrees. There is less than two inches of rain each year. Death Valley is the lowest place in America---- 925 meters below sea level. In the 1800s, many travelers died when they tried to cross this waterless valley in the terrible heat.

    Although the desert is dry and seems empty, there is plenty of life if you look closely. Small insects, snakes and rats have learned how to live in the desert heat. They live under ground and come out at night, when it is cool. Plants such as cacti need very little water.  When it does rain in the desert (sometimes only once or twice a year), plants grow quickly, and flowers open in a single day. For a short time, the desert is covered with brilliant colors.

In the 19^th century, Americans moved from the east to the west because they ______.

A. enjoy the trip                    B. wanted to make their home there

C. wanted to find new grassland there   D. had no water to drink

From the passage, we can conclude that ______.

the western desert is a good place for people to live in

there is little water but there are many trees in the desert

the desert is dangerous but it is full of life

till now, people know little about the desert

If you want to find some old native American pictures painted on the rock you must go ______.

A. on foot    B. by boat    C. by car    D. by plane

In the 1800s many travelers died in Death Valley because of ______.

A. illness                         B. high temperature   

C. cold weather                   D. poisonous water

In the desert, animals will die ______.

A. if they move about      B. if they cannot make holes underground

C. if they come out at night  D. if they drink much water

假设你是红星中学高三(1)班的班长李华，你们全班同学在暑假期间开展了“体验一天低碳生活”的活动。请你根据以下四幅图的先后顺序，写一篇英文短文，介绍同学们这一天的体验活动，并谈谈自己的感受。短文的开头已为你写好。词数不少于120。

提示词：disposable chopsticks 一次性筷子     air conditioner 空调

A Low-carbon Day

The students in our class took part in an activity of “Experience a Low-carbon Day” during the summer vacation. …___________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

It is reported that the police will soon ________ the case of the two missing children.

A. look upon  B. look after   C. look into    D. look out

George ___ the good chance to present his proposal to the director, and at last, it was adopted.

A. realized        B. seized        C. delivered        D. released

 The farmers once used wood to build a house ______ to store grains all the year round.

A. how       B. what       C. in which  D. in where

The Olympic Games are being _____ live to many countries.

A. conveyed                 B. transferred                C. demonstrated            D. transmitted

 Any student, who is thought ______ the rules, for example, by cheating, has _____ before a student court.

　　A. to have broken; to appear 　　　  B. to break; to get

　　C. broken; taken 　　　　　　　　　D. to break; to be taken

Wang Pin is an advanced worker in our company. He _______ for four years in Yangzhou University.

A. studied              B. has studied        C. had studied        D. has been studying

第二节：完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）

阅读下面短文，从短文后所给各题的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

About five years ago I started at a new school, when my family moved to Iowa.I was just a little  36  ,but I worried I would never  37  in with the other sixth graders.

Lucy,a girl in my class, who I thought was not 38  for change,didn’t  39  me from the start.In fact,I was  40  sure she hated me.I would ask her a 41 ,and I could tell she thought I was a total  42 .

My teacher made us sit by each other for the last semester. Lucy was 43 .

I didn’t wear 44 ,and I didn’t wear those  45   bell-bottom pants.I didn’t exactly 46  the coolest girl. But, I kept smiling at her, though she  47  her eyes, and I kept telling her she looked  48  ,even if she sighed in anger.

  49  ,Lucy let me talk to her,even  50  her“cool”friends. She started telling me how beautiful I looked. I still remember that first time when she 51 at me saying that, and I smiled right back, telling her 52 . Lucy ,invited me over to her house for sleepovers ,and talked to me all the time instead her other friend.Lucy,the girl who  53  me ,called me her best friend .After that, we still were good friends a whole year later . I will never forget Lucy . She was a great friend .I love a 54 by A braham Lincoln: “Am I not   55 my enemies when I make friends of them?”

36.A.surprised       B.nervous       C.excited D.amused

37.A.study      B.fit C.contact D.perform

38.A.ready     B.appealing    C.classic  D.close

39.A.dislike    B.help          C.observe       D.like

40.A.pretty     B.hardly  C.scarcely       D.never

41.A.reason    B.leave    C.question      D.favour

42.A.genius    B.fool     C.pretense      D.beggar

43.A. happy    B.relaxed C.fascinating   D.horrified

44.A.make-up B.grown-up    C.stand-by      D.go-between

45.A.attractive       B.preferable    C.cheap   D.awesome

46.A.pretend as      B.turn out       C.turn up       D.look like

47.A.scratched       B.closed

hristmas  C.opened D.rolled

48.A.beautiful B.ugly     C.fat      D.gorgeous

49.A.Happily  B.Fortunately  C.Eventually   D.Helplessly

50.A.in honor of  B.in sight of   C.by means of       D.in case of

51.A.cried     B.shouted       C.smiled  D.laughed

52.A.thanks   B.jokes   C.nuisances    D.worries

53.A.forgave  B.hated                          C.beat     D.contacted

54.A.letter      B.warning      C.book    D.quote

55.A.destroying     B.respecting    C.worshiping  D.promoting

    In the 1960s, medical researchers Thomas Holmes and Richard Rahe developed a checklist of stressful events. They appreciated the tricky point that any major change can be stressful. Bad events like "serious illness of a family member" were high on the list, but so were some helpful life-changing events like marriage.

    When you take the Holmes-Rahe test you must remember that the score does not show how you deal with stress － it only shows how much you have to deal with. And we now know that the way you deal with these events dramatically (戏剧性的) affects your chances of staying healthy. By the early 1970s, hundreds of similar studies had followed Holmes and Rahe. And millions of Americans who work and live under stress worried over the reports. Somehow the research got boiled down to a memorable message. Women's magazines ran titles like "Stress causes illness".   

 If you want to stay physically and mentally healthy the articles said avoid stressful events. But such simplistic advice is impossible to follow. Even if stressful events are dangerous , many — like the death of a loved one — are impossible to avoid. Moreover, any warning to avoid all stressful events is a prescription (处方) for staying away from chances as well as trouble. Since any change can be stressful, a person who wanted to be completely free of stress would never marry, have a child, take a new job or move. The idea that all stress makes you sick also takes no notice of a lot of what we know about people. It supposes we' re all vulnerable and not active in the face of the difficult situation. But what about human ability and creativity? Many come through periods of stress with more physical and mental strength than they had before. We also know that a long time without change or challenge can lead to boredom and physical and mental pressure.

41. The result of Holmes-Rahe’s medical research tells us _________________.

     A. the way you deal with major events may cause stress

     B. what should be done to avoid stress

     C. what kind of event would cause stress

     D. how to deal with sudden changes in life

42. The studies on stress in the early 1970s led to ___________________.

     A. popular avoidance of stressful jobs      

B. great fear over the mental disorder

C. a careful research into stress-related illnesses

D. widespread worry about its harmful effects

43. The score of the Holmes-Rahe test shows ________________.

A. how you can deal with life-changing events  

B. how helpful events can change your life

C. how stressful a major event can be          

D. how much pressure you are under

44. Why is “such simplistic advice” (Line 1, Paragraph 3) impossible to follow?

     A. No one can stay on the same job for long.    

B. No prescription is effective in reducing stress.

C. People have to get married someday.         

D. You could be missing chances as well.

45. According to the passage people who have experienced ups and downs may become _______.

A. nervous when faced with difficulties          B. physically and mentally tired

C. more able to deal with difficulties            D. cold toward what happens to them