The Sahara is the largest desert in the world. It has one of the most terrible environments on the earth. It covers an area of about 600,000 square kilometers. This is nearly the whole size of the United States.
The huge desert spans (横跨) 11 countries. So it has many different land features (地貌特征). The most famous and beautiful one is the golden sand dune fields (沙丘地). Other land features include mountains, plateaus (高原) and so on. Some of the mountains have snow in winter. Thousands of years ago, the Sahara was not a desert at all. There were many plants and rivers. As the weather changed, it became hot and dry. Although the natural conditions are terrible, there are many plants and animals like snakes, foxes and birds living there. In some places, people grow fruit. Plants can grow there because their roots (根) can reach deep underground to get water.
More than 2,000,000 people live in the Sahara. Some of them move around from place to place with their camels. Others live in towns and cities. Camels are known as the “ships of the desert”. They can travel more than a week without water or food in the desert.
The desert is not always hot. The temperature changes a lot in a day in the Sahara. And the sunshine is strong there. So people have to prepare well if they plan to visit it.
1. The Sahara Desert is 9 times larger than the United States in area.2. Thousands of years ago, the Sahara was not a desert at all.
3. There are no living things in Sahara Desert because of the bad natural conditions.
4. The main idea of the passage is about how to travel in the Sahara.
2 . I didn’t have a fun day yesterday. The weather wasn’t very nice. It was cold and rainy. The bus wasn’t on time. It was late. My boss wasn’t very happy because I was late for work. He was a little angry.
At 1 o’clock I went to a restaurant for lunch. It was small and there were few people in it. The food wasn’t hot. I wasn’t very happy. Then I went back to work, but my papers weren’t on my desk. They were missing. I looked for them everywhere, but I couldn’t find them. Later someone gave them back to me. I left work at 5 o’clock and it started to rain again. I got wet.
Yesterday was really a bad day for me.
1. How was the weather yesterday?| A．Hot and sunny. | B．Rainy and cold. |
| C．Warm and nice. | D．Cool and windy. |
| A．happy | B．sad | C．angry | D．surprised |
| A．It was closed. |
| B．The food wasn’t hot. |
| C．There were many people in it. |
| D．The restaurant was large. |
| A．淋湿 | B．丢失 | C．清理 | D．找到 |
| A．good | B．bad | C．exciting | D．busy |
3 . The summer vacation is coming. During the vacation, you can do what you like and prepare yourself well for the future. You'll enjoy your summer vacation with the help of the following suggestions.
▲Take exercise. After studying hard for months, you must be bored and tired. Taking exercise is the best way to get energy again. Swimming and walking are perfect choices for you. All kinds of exercise are good for your health.
▲Master some basic life skills. You will live an independent life one day. Therefore, you should learn some necessary and useful basic life skills such as washing clothes and cooking. At the same time, you should help your parents with housework to express thanks to them.
▲Go travelling. The world is a book. Those who don't travel only read one page. Travelling is so interesting. Have you made your own plan? If not, do it at once. During the trip, you will have a chance to get more knowledge. While learning about different cultures and customs, you will also make a lot of friends.
▲Enjoy the time with family members. Family members play an important role in your life. They give you love, care and support all the time. Don't forget to spare some time together with them. You will find it great to stay with them, talking about dreams, hobbies or anything you like.
As long as you follow the suggestions mentioned above, you will have a wonderful vacation.
1. How many suggestions are mentioned in the passage?| A．Three. | B．Four. | C．Five. | D．Six. |
| A．Swimming. | B．Walking. | C．Taking exercise. | D．Rum |
| A．Because we will live an independent life one day. |
| B．Because we like to share housework with our family. |
| C．Because we don't want to express our thanks. |
| D．Because doing housework is difficult for us. |
| A．He thinks it's tiring. | B．He thinks it's interesting. |
| C．He thinks it's terrible. | D．He thinks it's boring. |
| A．the suggestions about basic life skills | B．the suggestions about taking exercise |
| C．the suggestions about summer vacation | D．the suggestions about travelling |
4 . Making good conversation with a stranger can be difficult. Here are some ways to try if you don’t know what to do Talk about a topic common to both of you. The topic can be the food or the weather. For example, “How do you like the food?” But keep it on the positive side! The first time you meet a person isn’t a good time to complain.
Ask open questions that can’t be answered with one word. “What’s keeping you busy these days?” is a good question if you are talking to a person who doesn’t have an office job.
Ask a follow-up (接下来的) question if you have asked a question that can be answered with one word. For example, if you ask, “Where are you from?”, an interesting follow-up question might be, “What would your life be like if you still lived there?”
Ask getting-to-know-you questions. You can ask, “What are your favourite newspapers and magazines? What websites do you often visit?” These questions often show a hidden interest, which can help you go on with a great conversation.
React (作出反应) to what a person is saying. If you are trying to make the conversation interesting, but the person never reacts, you will feel unhappy. So, if the person tells a joke, even if it’s not funny, try to laugh. And if he offers some surprising information, react with surprise.
1. How many ways of making good conversation with a stranger are mentioned in the passage?| A．Three | B．Four | C．Five | D．Six |
| A．tell jokes | B．ask questions | C．complain about anything | D．talk about the weather |
| A．can be answered with a smile | B．can’t be answered with one word |
| C．people don’t know how to answer | D．people don’t want to answer |
| A．we should respect the listener | B．good reactions are important |
| C．we should try to offer surprising information | D．it is difficult to be a good speaker |
| A．Skills in asking questions | B．Communication is becoming difficult |
| C．How to make friends with strangers | D．Ways to make good conversation with strangers |
5 . The fact that dogs and cats dislike each other is no secret. Now the results of this new study may cause a similar feeling between the animal owners. That's because it says that cat owners are usually smarter than dog owners!
Denise Guastello, a doctor made a survey of 600 university students. He asked the teenagers to choose themselves as dog or cat lovers. The survey also included questions that helped the doctor decide on their personalities. When the results were examined, the doctor made the decision that cat people are cleverer than dog people.
Denise says that the results are clear because people who prefer dogs usually like being outdoors with their pets, getting along with other like-minded people. However, those that prefer cats have personalities that are more introverted. They would rather spend their days reading or on some other 'intellectual' （智力的）activity. She believes that it is probably why they chose cats in the first place.
For those who don’t believe the survey, here is some sad news - This is not the first time researchers have made this kind of decision. A 2010 study made by U.K.'s Bristol University said that 'cat' people were more educated than 'dog' people.
However, not all is lost for dog owners. While they may be not as smart, their pets sure are. That was showed by a 2009 study in which there were two pieces of lines in front of the dogs and cats, only one line was put together with food. Guess which one could get the food? Dogs, this time!
1. Who took part in Denise Guastello’s survey?| A．Dogs | B．Cats | C．Students | D．Teachers |
| A．勇敢的 | B．懦弱的 | C．内向的 | D．活泼的 |
| A．more educated | B．hard-working | C．quieter | D．more outgoing |
| A．By running faster than cats | B．By learning faster than cats |
| C．By catching the mice | D．By getting the food on the line |
| A．Dogs don’t like cats | B．Cat owners ate smarter than dog owners |
| C．Dogs and cats can get along with each other | D．Dog owners are smarter than cat owners |
