55. The author believes the awards she has received ____.

A. show that she is a top student

B. show how much time she has spent in learning

C. only mean that she knows how to learn, but she doesn’t know how to socialize

D. don’t necessarily reflect her real self

54. From the passage we can learn that the author _____.

A. comes to know how important it is to make some money

B. realizes that it is more important to develop oneself than just to learn knowledge

C. does not think education is a most important thing in her life any more

D. thinks that communication with others is more important than education

53. The underlined word “essential” in Paragraph 1 probably means _______.

A. impossible　　　　 B. unnecessary　　　　 C. most important　　 　 D. most useful

52. What is the purpose of the passage?

A. To explain why lakes and rivers are disappearing in Africa.

B. To show people the results of the loss of water in Africa.

C. To call on people to solve the problem of the loss of water in Africa.

D. To tell people how to protect the lakes and rivers in Africa.

D

I used to think education was the most important thing in my life. Recently my attitude has begun to change, although I still hold that it is essential for everyone in the world today. As a top junior student in my college, I was asked to make a speech on how to learn English well. Standing in front of the audience and facing so many freshmen, I was trembling. I didn’t remember any word that I had prepared. I ran out of the conference room without finishing my speech, leaving everyone puzzled. I cried that night in my room, feeling that I was a loser. Studying takes up so much of my time that I feel unable to really develop myself. I am just storing knowledge, yet I fail to communicate with others. I have received many awards in school, but they don’t necessarily reflect anything about me. I don’t know how to socialize. When I leave school I fear I will be of no use to society.

I realize that everyone has his own way of living. I want to change my lifestyle. Of course I will keep studying. Yet I plan to look for a part-time job, which might turn out to be a good chance to get to know society. I still believe that working my hardest makes me happy. I will still stay on in college. But I will not allow it to shelter me from the real world.

51. Which of the following is NOT one of the results of the loss of water in Africa?

A. African people’s daily life is affected.

B. Agriculture develops quickly.

C. The number of population in Africa will be smaller.

D. Many people will suffer from diseases.

50. The figures in the third paragraph show _______.

A. more and more lakes are drying up　　　　　　 B. Lake Chad was a large lake

C. how quickly water is being lost in Africa　　　　 D. Lake Chad is 4,160 square feet now

49. What can we infer from the first paragraph?

A. There are about 700 lakes and rivers in Africa.

B. Africa is the largest continent on earth.

C. As climate changes, there is less and less water in Africa.

D. Now Africa has less water than before.

48. From the passage we learn that there are ________ ways to reserve soil.

A. only three　 　　　 B. two　　　　 C. more than three　　　 　　　 D. six

C

Africa is home to nearly 700 lakes and rivers. It holds the largest amount of water on earth. Because of the overuse of the lakes, natural climate changes and other factors(因素), these lakes are disappearing quickly.

Millions of people in Africa depend on water sources like lakes and rivers for their daily water. In other words, they cannot live without these lakes and rivers. Recent studies by the United Nations show that this loss of water supply is putting a great pressure on the African population.

In the 1960s, Lake Chad was nearly 83,200 square feet large. In about forty years, it has lost 95% of its size and it has almost completely dried up. At one time, it was one of the largest lakes in the world, and was around 960,000 square feet around 6,000 years ago.

The sizes of lakes and rivers and the amount of water have something to do with seasons naturally. But, pollution and agriculture also play an important part in the loss of water. Many pollutants(污染物)are put into lakes and rivers so that many lakes and rivers are seriously polluted, and the water may be poisonous(有毒的). If something isn’t done soon about the disappearing lakes and rivers, there will not be enough water for everyone. Then many people in Africa will face diseases and possible dehydration(脱水).

47. One way of soil conservation on flat, open ground is ________.

A. to grow small plants such as grasses　　　　 B. to plant trees around an open field

C. to add fertilizer to the soil　　　　　　　　 D. A and B

46. Plants cannot grow on eroded land because _____.

A. there is a lot of sand　　　　　　　　　　　 B. there is not enough water and salts

C. there is no water　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. the land is too hard