1 .

Everyone tries to get to school on time. But when bad weather gives you trouble, can you still make it before the bell rings?

In northern China during spring, big sandstorms (沙尘暴) often make trouble for students and everyone else. When the sky is dark with sand (沙子), buses and cars all move much more slowly. Sometimes, people can’t even see for 20 meters. Sandstorms usually happen in spring. They have happened in more than 10 provinces in northern China this year.

People in southern China don’t have to worry about this kind of bad weather. Most of the sand comes from Gansu and Inner Mongolia (内蒙古). In northern China, lots of places have few trees and don’t get much rain. People there have been cutting down too many trees. When there aren’t many trees, the ground can’t keep enough water. Over the years, the ground dries up and turns to sand. When spring comes and the ice melts (融化), the ground becomes looser (更松散的). Strong winds take the loose sand into the sky.

Sandstorms are bad for people’s health. If people breathe too much sand, they could cough or have asthma (哮喘). Sandstorms also give farmers lots of problems. Sometimes their sheep get lost in the storms and never get back home. The winds also tear down farmers’ houses.

To stop sandstorms, you can ask your parents to help you plant some trees this spring. If you see people cutting down too many trees, tell them about the dangers of sandstorms, and ask your government to stop them from cutting.

根据语篇内容，选择最佳选项。
1. In which season do sandstorms usually happen?

A．In spring.

B．In summer.

C．In winter.

2. Which of the following provinces in China is often hit by sandstorms?

A．Fujian Province.

B．Yunnan Province.

C．Gansu Province.

3. What does the underlined phrase “tear down” mean in the passage?

A．使……哭泣

B．弄坏

C．摧毁

4. What cannot be caused by sandstorms according to the passage?

A．Health problems.

B．Noise pollution.

C．Traffic problems.

5. Which is NOT stated (说明) in the passage?

A．Trees can help keep enough rain water.

B．We need to plant more trees.

C．Sandstorms are the main cause of asthma.

2 . 根据语篇内容，从方框中选择恰当的单词，并用其正确形式填空。将单词填写在答题卡对应的横线上。每个单词只能用一次。

shake, quick, help, he, hear, good, some, nervous, wall, on,

It was about two o’clock in the early morning     1     21 September, 1999. Tommy was sleeping when the earthquake started. He felt a slight shake, then he     2     a loud noise like thunder. Soon the real noise came, like bombs under the ground. The earth started to     3    . People screamed in fear. Some ran out of the building. He tried his     4     to run out too, but he couldn’t.

Outside, people were running in all directions while pieces of glass and bricks were falling down. Then the     5     began to come down too!

Finally, the noise and shaking ended. It was dark and silent around him. He could not see anything at all, and he did not know if anyone else was near him. He felt     6     and his heart was beating fast. A moment of fear went through his mind, but he told     7     to calm down since he was still alive. He shouted for     8    , but no one came. He started to move slowly in the darkness. Luckily, there was just enough space for him to move.

Hours later, Tommy heard     9     noise above him. He screamed, “Help! Please help! I’m here!” Then he heard shouts from excited people. They     10     moved away the bricks. At last, Tommy was safe.