In the 19th century, Americans from the eastern states moved out west to settle

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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 on 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°F—165°F. There is less than inches of rain each year. Death Valley is the lowest place in America---925 metres 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. Snakes and rats have learned how to live in the desert heat. They live underground 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 (very bright) colours.
小题1:In the 19^th century, Americans moved from east to west because they .

A．enjoyed the trip	B．wanted to make their home there
C．wanted to find new grassland there	D．had no water to drink

小题2:From this passage. we can conclude that .

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

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

C．the desert is dangerous but it is full of beauty

D．till now, people know little about the desert

小题3:In the 1800s, many travelers died in Death Valley because of .

A．illness	B．high temperature
C．cold weather	D．poisonous water

小题4:In the desert, animals will die .

A．if they move about	B．if they can’t make holes underground
C．if they come out at night	D．if they drink much water

答案

小题1:B
小题1:C
小题1:B
小题1:B

解析

小题1:推理题:从文章第一段的In the 19^th century, Americans from the eastern states moved out west to settle in the rich new lands along the Pacific Coast.可知他们是想在西部安家.选 B
小题1:推理题:从文章第二段的句子: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.说明答案是 C
小题1:从第四段的句子:In the 1800s, many travelers died when they tried to cross this waterless valley in the terrible heat.可知他们因为酷热而死.答案是B
小题1:细节题:从最后一段的句子:Snakes and rats have learned how to live in the desert heat. They live underground and come out at night, when it is cool.看出如果不会打洞,动物就会死.选B

举一反三

For hundreds of years, Japan has been hit, from time to time, by tsunamis（海啸）, which are caused by earthquakes or underwater volcanoes. The story of the boy Yuuki is the story of such a disaster.
Yuuki lived with his family in a seaside village, below a small mountain. One day, as he played on top of the mountain, Yuuki felt a small earthquake but it was not strong enough to frighten anybody. Soon after, however, Yuuki noticed the sea darken and begin running away from the shore very fast, leaving behind wide areas of beach that had never been seen before.
Yuuki remembered reading that just before a terrible tsunami, the sea suddenly and quickly rolls backward. He ran to the beach, warning the villagers who had gathered to admire the new beach land.
But no one listened. They laughed at him and continued playing in the new sand.
Desperate, Yuuki could think of only one thing to do. He lit a tree branch, raced to the rice fields and began burning the harvested rice. Then he called out, “Fire! Fire! Everyone run to the mountain! Now!”
When everyone reached the mountain top, a villager cried out, “Yuuki is mad! I saw him set the fire.” Yuuki hung his head in shame, but said nothing as the villagers screamed at him.
Just then, someone shouted, “Look!”
In the distance a huge dark wave of water was speeding towards the shore. When it hit the shore, it destroyed everything.
On the mountain everyone stared at the village ruins in terror.
“I"m sorry I burned the fields,” said Yuuki, his voice trembling.
“Yuuki,” the village chief answered. “You saved us all.”
The villagers cheered and raised Yuuki into the air. “We were going to celebrate our rice harvest tonight,” said one, “but now we’ll celebrate that we’re all still alive!”
小题1: Where was Yuuki when the earthquake struck?

A．On the beach.	B．On the mountain.
C．In the rice fields.	D．At home.

小题2:In what order did the following events take place?
a.Yuuki ran to the rice fields.
b.The villagers paid no attention to Yuuki’s word.
c.Yuuki went to warn the villagers.
d.The village was in ruins.
e.The people were screaming at Yuuki.

A．c, b, d, a, e

B．a, c, d, b, e

C．c, b, a, e, d

D．a, c, d, e, b

小题3:How did Yuuki save the villagers from the disaster?

A．He told them about the earthquake.

B．He explained why the sea was flowing out.

C．He told the village chief to warn the people.

D．He set fire to the rice field.

小题4:What were the people planning to do before the tsunami struck their village?

A．Burn the rice crop.	B．Play on the beach.
C．Climb the mountain.	D．Celebrate the rice harvest.

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People need to relax and enjoy themse1ves．One way they can have a good time is to watch a baseball game or another sports event．Even thousands of years ago，groups of people gathered to watch skilled athletes（运动员）．
　　Over 2000 years ago in Greece，certain days in the year were festival days．These were holidays when people stopped work and enjoyed themselves．They liked to watch athletes take part in races and other games of skill．
The most important festival was held every four years at the town of Olympia．It was held in honor of the Greek God Zeus（Zus）．For five days，athletes from all parts of the Greek world took part in the Olympic Games．At the Olympic Games，people could watch them box(拳击)，run，jump and so on．There was a relay race between two teams of men in which

a lighted torch（火矩）was passed from runner to runner．The Olympic Games were thought to be so important that cities which were at war with one another had to stop fighting．Just then people were allowed to travel to the games safely．Thousands of people came to Olympia from cities in Greece and from her colonies（殖民地）in Africa，Asia and Italy．They met as friends to cheer their favorite

athletes and to enjoy themselves．
小题1:What happened in Greece over 2000 years ago？

A．People needn’t to work．

B．There were often against one another in cities．

C．People watched baseball games．

D．People didn’t go to any games at all．

小题2:What were those countries in Africa？

A．Friends．

B．Enemies．

C．Colonies．

D．Relatives．

小题3:What did people do at the games？

A．They fought．	B．They just talked to friends．
C．They cheered for their favorite athletes．	D．They tried to find friends．

小题4:Greek cities then were fighting so they_____．

A．were weak	B．were safe
C．couldn’t go to other cities freely	D．could see each other

小题5:The best title for the story is“_____”．

A．Greece at War	B．To gather for the Games
C．Stop Fighting	D．Sport

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The area south of the Thames at Greenwich has a long history. Throughout time different buildings have been constructed on the same site. The Palace of Placentia, an English Royal Palace built in 1447, no longer exists apart from a few remains under the present buildings.
The grand buildings on the South Bank of the Thames at Greenwich were designed by Sir Christopher Wren, most famous for St. Paul’s Cathedral. The buildings were finally completed in 1745, although some parts started to be used as early as 1705. They’re now part of a university — having served as a naval（海军）hospital and a naval college and the setting for several cinemas.
But the buildings stand on a site which has a much longer history, of which now only a part remains that is below the ground. For nearly two hundred years, from around 1450 to 1650, Greenwich was one of the main royal palaces of England. Some of the most famous English rulers, such as Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, not only lived there, but also were born there.
Henry VIII put an armory（兵工厂）there, and there were also gardens, a great fountain (喷泉) and a mass of buildings. The Palace was also in a strategic location, because at the time either side of Greenwich on the Thames were important Royal Dockyards (船厂).
Eventually, though, the Palace fell into disrepair. In 1664, the King at the time, Charles II, decided to replace it with completely new buildings in a modern style. Only a cellar (地窖) from the former Royal Palace now remains, under one of the new buildings. Its red brick, typical of the 16th century, contrasts (对比) sharply with the white stone above it.
Would you like to join us to have a good view of Greenwich?
小题1:We can learn from the passage that the Palace of Placentia _____.

A．had served as a university	B．was constructed with white stones
C．was designed by Christopher Wren	D．was of particular importance in a war

小题2: The buildings on the South Bank of the Thames at Greenwich now _____.

A．are in need of repair	B．differ from those in the 16th century
C．were designed in the style of Elizabeth I	D．have a history of more than half a century

小题3:According to the passage, when did the Palace of Placentia disappear from the ground?

A．In the late 1400s.	B．In the early 1600s.
C．In the late 1600s.	D．In the early 1700s.

小题4:Where can we most probably read this passage?

A．In a science report.	B．In a personal diary.
C．In a geography textbook.	D．In a travel magazine.

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Nuclear weapons（核武器）were first developed in the United States during the Second World War to be used against Germany．However, by the time the first bombs were ready for use, the war with Germany had ended and, as a result, the decision was made to use the weapons against Japan instead．Hiroshima and Nagasaki have suffered the consequences of the decision to the present day.
The real reasons why bombs were dropped on two heavily populated cities are not altogether clear．A number of people in 1944 and early 1945 argued that the use of nuclear weapons would be unnecessary, since American Intelligence was aware that some of the most powerful and influential people in Japan had already realised that the war was lost, and wanted to discuss a Japanese surrender （投降）．It was also argued that, since Japan has few natural resources, a blockade （封锁） by the American navy would force it to surrender within a few Weeks, and the use of nuclear weapons would prove unnecessary．If a demonstration of force was required to end the war, a bomb could be dropped over an unpopulated area like a desert, in front of Japanese observers, or over an area of low population inside Japan, such as a forest．Choosing this course of action might decrease the loss of further lives on all sides, while the power of nuclear weapons would still be adequately demonstrated（展示）．
All of these arguments were turned down, however, and the general agreement was that the quickest way to end the fighting would be to use nuclear weapons against the centres of population inside Japan．In fact, two of the more likely reasons why the decision was reached seem quite shocking to us now．
小题1:The meaning of the underlined sentence in Paragraph 1 is that .

A．the two cities were badly damaged after they were bombed

B．the two cities suffered because Japan would not agree to end the war

C．the terrible effects of dropping nuclear weapons on these cities can still be felt

D．the end of the war with Germany meant Hiroshima and Nagasaki, would suffer

小题2:According to Paragraph 2, a blockade would have been successful because

A．Japan had to import most of its natural resources

B．Japan would not be powerful enough to beat a blockade

C．an attack would probably destroy Japanese resources within a few weeks

D．the Americans could defeat Japan"s navy since it was short of resources

小题3:The last paragraph tells that .

A．the writer probably expects us hot to argue with his opinion

B．the nuclear bombs must have been dropped on Tokyo, too

C．the real reasons for" the decision may never have been made clear

D．the writer has not done much research on this subject to establish the facts

小题4:What would probably be discussed in the paragraphs that follow?

A．The reasons why Japan chose to surrender．

B．The writer"s attitudes towards the Japan"s surrender.

C．People"s different opinions about dropping nuclear weapons onto the cities．

D．Some of the possible reasons for dropping nuclear weapons onto the cities．

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There are some great differences between the traditional family and the modern family.
The first important difference is in the man’s role.The traditional husband was the head of the household because he was the only one who worked outside the home.If the wife worked for money,then the husband was not considered to be a good provider,In many families today,both husband and wife work for money.Therefore,they share the role of head of household.In addition,the traditional husband usually made big decisions about spending money.However,the modern husband shares these decisions with his working wife.Also,the traditional husband did not help his wife with housework or meal preparation. Dinner was ready when he came home,In contrast,the modern husband helps his working wife at home.He may do some of the household chores,and it is not unusual for him to cook.
The second difference is in the woman’s role. In the traditional family,the woman may have worked for miney during her first years of marriage.However,when she gave birth,she would usually give up her job. Her primary role would be to take care of her family and home.In contrast,in many families today,the modern woman works outside the home even after she has children .She’s doing two jobs instead of one,so she is busier than the traditional mother was.The traditional wife learned to live within her husband’s income.But the modern wife does not have to because the family has two incomes.
The final difference is in the role of the children .In the traditional family,the children were taken care of by the mother because she didn’t work outside.However,today pre-school children may go to a child-care center or to a baby-sitter regularly because the mother works.The school-age children of a traditional family were more dependent.Their mother was there to help them get ready for school and to make their breakfast.In conrtast,modern children are more independent.They have to get up early and get ready for school themselves,and they may even have to make their own breakfast.
小题1:The main idea of the passage is .

A．the change of the American society

B．the change of the American children

C．the change of the American family

D．the change of the American adults

小题2:In the past,if the husband let his wife get a job, .

A．people would not think highly of his wife

B．people would think little of him

C．people would refuse to be friends with him

D．people would look up to him

小题3:The husband in the modern family .

A．is still the boss of the family who decides all of the important things

B．lets the wife make all of the decisions alone

C．shares big decisions with his working wife

D．no longer works for money because the wife is working

小题4:According to the passage,which of the following is true?

A．The husband in the modern family does a lot of housework except cooking.

B．Modern wives have more free time because their husbands share housework.

C．Modern wives no longer cook dinners for husbands.

D．It’s common for men to buy dishes,send children to school ,and even cook in a modern family.

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