Deserts are found where there is little rainfall or where rain for a whole year falls in only a few weeks time. Then inches of rain may be enough for many plants to survive if the rain is spread throughout the year. If it falls within one or two months and the rest of the year is dry, those plants may die and a desert may form.
Sand begins as tiny pieces of rock that get smaller and smaller as wind and weather wear them down. Sand dunes (沙丘) are formed as winds move the sand across the desert. Bit by bit, the dunes grow over the years, always moving with the winds and changing the shape. Most of them are only a few feet tall, but they can grow to be several hundred feet high.
There is, however, much more to a desert than sand. In the deserts of the Southwestern United States, cliffs (悬崖) and deep valleys were formed from thick mud that once lay beneath a sea more than millions of years ago. Over the centuries, the water dried up. Wind, sand, rain, heat and cold all wore away at the remaining rocks. The faces of the desert mountains are always changing — very, very slowly — as these forces of nature continue to work on the rock.
Most deserts have a surprising variety of life. There are plants, animals and insects that have adapted to life in the desert. During the heat of the day, a visitor may see very few signs of living things, but as the air begins to cool in the evening, the desert comes to life. As the sun begins to rise again in the sky, the desert once again becomes quiet and lonely.Many plants may survive in deserts when ________.
| A．the rain is spread out in a year |
| B．the rain falls only in a few weeks |
| C．there is little rain in a year |
| D．it is dry all the year round |
Sand dunes are formed when ________.
| A．sand piles up gradually |
| B．there is plenty of rain in a year |
| C．the sea has dried up over the years |
| D．pieces of rock get smaller |
The underlined sentence in the third paragraph probably means that in a desert there is ________.
| A．too much sand |
| B．more sand than before |
| C．nothing except sand |
| D．something else besides sand |
It can be learned from the text that in a desert ________.
| A．there is no rainfall throughout the year |
| B．life exists in rough conditions |
| C．all sand dunes are a few feet high |
| D．rocks are worn away only by wind and heat |
Chinese parents are very generous when it comes to educating their children. Not caring about the money, parents often send their children to the best schools or even abroad to England, the United States or Australia. They also want their children to take extra-course activities where they will either learn a musical instrument or ballet, or other classes that will give them a head start in life. The Chinese believe that the more expensive an education is, the better it is. So parents will spend an unreasonable amount of money on education. Even poor couples will buy a computer for their son or daughter.
However, what most parents fail to see is that the best early education they can give their children is usually very cheap.
Parents can see that their children’s skills vary, skilled in some areas while poor in others. What most parents fail to realize, though, is that today’s children lack self-respect and self-confidence.
The problem is that parents are only educating their children on how to take multiple-choice tests and how to study well, but parents are not teaching them the most important skills they need to be confident, happy and clever.
Parents can achieve this by teaching practical skills like cooking, sewing and doing other housework.
Teaching a child to cook will improve many of the skills that he will need later in life. Cooking demands patience and time. It is an enjoyable but difficult experience. A good cook always tries to improve his cooking, so he will learn to work hard and gradually finish his job successfully. His result, a well-cooked dinner, will give him much satisfaction and a lot of self-confidence.
Some old machines, such as a broken radio or TV set that you give your child to play with will make him curious and arouse his interest. He will spend hours looking at them,tying to fix them ,your child might become an engineer when he grows up. These activities are not only teaching a child to read a book, but rather to think, to use his mind. And that is more important.Parents in China according to this passage .
| A．are too strict with their children |
| B．are too rich to educate their children |
| C．have some problems in educating their children correctly |
| D．have no problems in educating their children strictly |
The writer of the passage does not seem to be satisfied with .
| A．the parents’ ideas of educating their children |
| B．the education system of the school |
| C．children’s skills in cooking at home |
| D．children’s hobbies in the classroom |
Doing some cooking at home helps children .
| A．learn how to serve their parents |
| B．learn how to become strong and fat |
| C．get a lot from it and prepare themselves for the future |
| D．make their parents believe that they are clever |
According to the last paragraph we can conclude that .
| A．broken radios and television sets are useful |
| B．one’s interest and curiosity may be useful for his later life |
| C．an engineer must fix many broken radios |
| D．a good student should spend much time repairing radios |
Britons Learn to Forgive
LEEDS, England—A Leeds University psychology(心理学) professor is teaching a course to help dozens of Britons forgive their enemies.
“The hatred (仇恨) we hold within us is a cancer,” Professor Ken Hart said, adding that holding in anger can lead to problems such as high blood pressure and heart disease.
More than 70 people have become members in Hart’s first 20-week workshop in London—a course he says is the first of its kind in the world.
These are people who are sick and tired of living with a memory. They realize their bitterness is a poison they think they can pour out, but they end up drinking it themselves, said Canadian-born Hart.
The students meet in groups of eight to ten for a two-hour workshop with an adviser every fortnight.
The course ending in July, is expected to get rid of the cancer of hate in these people. “People have lots of negative attitudes towards forgiveness,” he said. “People confuse（混淆） forgiveness with forgetting. Forgiveness means changing from a negative attitude to a positive one.” Hart and his team have created instructions to provide the training needed.
“The main idea is to give you guidelines on how to look at various kinds of angers and how they affect you, and how to change your attitudes towards the person you are angry with, ”said Norman Claringbull, a senior expert on the forgiveness project.
Hart said he believes forgiveness is a skill that can be taught, as these people “want to get free of the past”.From this passage we know that .
| A．high blood pressure and heart disease are caused by hatred |
| B．high blood pressure can only be cured by psychology professors |
| C．without hatred, people will have less trouble connected with blood and heart |
| D．people who suffer from blood pressure and heart disease must have many enemies |
In Hart’s first 20-week workshop, people there can .
| A．meet their enemies |
| B．change their minds |
| C．enjoy the professor’s speech |
| D．learn how to quarrel with others |
If you are a member in Hart’s workshop, you’ll .
| A．pay much money to Hart |
| B．go to the workshop every night |
| C．attend a gathering every fortnight |
| D．pour out everything stored in your mind |
The author wrote this passage in order to .
| A．persuade us to go to Hart’s workshop |
| B．tell us the news about Hart’s workshop |
| C．tell us how to run a workshop like Hart’s |
| D．help us to look at various kinds of angers |
If you do not use your arm or your legs for some time, they become weak; when you start using them again, they slowly become strong again. Everybody knows that. Yet many people do not seem to know that memory works in the same way. When someone says that he has a good memory, he really means that he keeps his memory in practice by using it. When someone else says that his memory is poor, he really means that he does not give it enough chance to become strong. If a friend says that his arms and legs are weak, we know that it is his own fault(过错). But if he tells us that he has a poor memory, many of us think that his parents are to blame(受责备), and few of us know that it is just his own fault. Have you ever found that some people can’t read or write but usually they have better memories? This is because they cannot read or write and they have to remember things; they cannot write down in a little notebook. They have to remember days, names, songs and stories; so their memory is the whole time being exercised. So if you want to have a good memory, learn from the people: Practice remembering.The main reason for one’s poor memory is that _______.
| A．his memory is not often used |
| B．he does not use his name or legs for some time |
| C．his father or mother may have a poor memory |
| D．he can’t read or write |
If you do not use your arms or legs for some time _______.
| A．you can’t use them any more |
| B．they will become stronger |
| C．they will become neither stronger nor weaker |
| D．they become weak and won’t become strong until you use them again |
Some people can’t read or write, but they usually have better memories, because _______.
| A．they have saved much trouble |
| B．they have saved much time to remember things |
| C．they have to use their memories all the time |
| D．they can’t write everything in a little notebook |
Which is the best title for this passage?
| A．Don’t Stop Using Your Arms or Legs |
| B．How to Have a Good Memory |
| C．Strong Arms and Good Memories |
| D．Learn From the People |
Living in a modern society has its advantages and disadvantages. One disadvantage is that you often have to live closer to other people than you would like to. Sometimes, your neighbors make a noise that you are not comfortable with.
The best way to solve this problem is to talk with your neighbor first. You should be very polite and ask your neighbor if he knows how thin the walls of your homes are. This way doesn’t criticize (批评) his behavior（行为）; it simply points out that he may not realize how far his sound travels. Tell him that you know that sometimes you make noise as well, but that you do your best to keep it down. Often this will solve the problem right away, but sometimes the neighbor may become angry.
If your neighbor becomes angry with you, there are some more steps you can take. You might write a letter to the neighborhood committee. Make sure you write down the source of the noise and the time in the letter. They will review the situation and decide whether your neighbor is out of line. Some noise is considered to be reasonable, even if it bothers you. So you may prepare a good pair of earplugs (耳塞).
Even if your neighbor makes too much noise, you don’t have to live your life in discomfort. It’s always a good idea to be friendly with your neighbors. You may clean the rubbish in front of his door. He’s sure to appreciate behavior like this and be more open to your suggestions about noise level.What is the first step to deal with the noisy neighbor?
| A．To buy a good pair of earplugs |
| B．To offer suggestions to the neighbor |
| C．To ask the neighborhood committee for help |
| D．To tell the neighbor how bad his behavior is |
The underlined word “reasonable” in the third paragraph probably means “____”.
| A．terrible | B．loud | C．proper | D．unpleasant |
What does the last paragraph mainly talk about?
| A．You should control your noise as well |
| B．You can live comfortably even if there is noise |
| C．Your neighbor may be more friendly than you think |
| D．You should build good relationship with your neighbor |
The author wrote this passage to tell us ____ .
| A．why we should get on well with neighbors |
| B．how to relax ourselves in a modern society |
| C．how to become known among neighbors |
| D．what we should do with our noisy neighbor |
Nick Petrels is a doctor in Montreal. He works 60 hours a week. He takes care of 159 patients a week in the hospital and at his office. He’s been a doctor for ten years.
Dr. Petrels gives his patients good medical advice. But he doesn’t just tell his patients what to do. He also sings to them on television! Dr. Petrels has his own TV show. The show is in Italian, English and French. The doctor starts the show with a song and then gives medical advice. He explains a medical problem or disease in simple language. After that, he sings another song.
Dr. Petrels produces and performs in his own show every week. The program is very popular with his patients and with people who enjoy his singing. His dream is to perform in Las Vegas. His favorite songs are love songs, and he has a compact disk of love songs that he wrote. Dr. Petrels says, “I always loved to sing. All my problems are gone when I sing.” But when Dr. Petrels was young, his father didn’t want him to be a singer, so he went to medical school.
Some people tell Dr. Petrels he can help people more as a doctor. But Dr. Petrels says he helps people when he sings, too. “I like to make people smile. Sometimes it’s difficult to make a sick person smile. Medicine and pleasure both try to do the same thing. They try to make people feel good.” Dr. Petrels works 60 hours a week, because he _______.
| A．gives his patients medical advice |
| B．takes care of 159 patients a week |
| C．sings on television |
| D．has his own TV show |
Dr. Petrels _______, so he is called a singing doctor.
| A．also sings to his patients on TV |
| B．always loves to sing |
| C．is popular with his patients |
| D．has been a doctor for ten years |
In his TV show, Dr. Petrel _______.
| A．sings and gives medical advice |
| B．sings about different diseases |
| C．starts to explain diseases with a song |
| D．sings love songs he wrote |
Dr. Petrels says he likes to _______.
| A．help people sing | B．make people feel better |
| C．do the same thing | D．make difficult people smile |
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