A desert is a very dry land where there is hardly any rain. In the day, it can be so hot that you could fry an egg on the ground. But during the night it is sometimes so cold that water would turn into ice.

Many deserts are covered in sand. But some have mountains, rocks, or lakes that have dried up in the heat. The Great American Desert has cliffs（悬崖）that have been made into amazing and beautiful shapes by the wind. The Sahara Desert in Africa is mostly sand. The Australian Desert has red sand.

Sometimes it does not rain for a whole year in the desert. But there is water deep under the ground and some plants have roots that go very deep to find it. Other plants have roots that spread out（延伸） a long way so they can suck up the rain as soon as it falls.

One desert plant is the cactus, which has long, spreading roots. The cactus stores water inside its hard skin. This skin protects it from heat and cold.

Camels are a bit like cactus plants! They store water too—inside their bodies. They have special fur which protects them from the sun during the day and keeps them warm at night.

Some other animals live in deserts, too. They have to be very good at seeing and hearing because most of them only come out at night. This is why many desert animals have extra big eyes or ears.

A desert fox has bigger ears than a normal fox. A gerbil has huge eyes, so that it can see at night. It stays cool in the day by staying underground, like most desert animals.

   Some people live in the desert but they always make their homes near an oasis. An oasis is where water comes from an underground river. Near an oasis, people can grow lots of plants and keep animals.

Life is hard in the desert, for people, animals and plants. But desert people like to live there.

1. A desert is very dry because ________.

  A. it is sandy                                           B. there is so little rain 

  C. the wind is strong                                D. there is no water deep under the ground

2. What does the underlined phrase “suck up” in paragraph 3 mean ________?

  A. 围堵                     B. 讨好                C. 释放              D. 吸收

3. Some desert animals have extra big eyes or ears because ________.

  A. the sunlight is too strong in the day               B. they need to see and hear well at night

  C. it is very cold at night                                   D. they store water in them

  4. Most desert animals stay cool in the day by ________.

     A. storing water inside their bodies            B. drinking water as much as they can

     C. staying underground                                  D. growing lots of plants

  5. Which of the following is true?

     A. Desert people like to live in the desert though life is hard.

  B. People in the desert usually fry eggs on the ground.

     C. Camels have special fur to store water.

     D. All the deserts are covered in sand.

阅读理解

阅读下面短文，根据短文内容，从短文后面每小题所给的四个选项中选择最佳答案。

Amy’s family has fun. They mail a diary（日记薄、日记）to each other. Everyone writes something in it. Amy’s brother is open. He tells many things about his life. Amy’s sister is lazy. She doesn’t write much. Amy’s dad writes stories. Her mom is talkative. She writes a lot. Everyone enjoys the diary.

1. Where do Amy’s family members write their diaries?

A. On the same family diary. B. On their own diaries.

C. On Amy’s diary. D. On Mother’s diary.

2. When did Amy design a new dress?

A. On Monday. B. On Tuesday. C. Yesterday. D. Today.

3. What does the brother think of his job?

A. The job makes him sad. B. The job always gives him pleasure.

C. The job is too easy. D. The job is a challenge.

4. What did the mother do today?

A. She made a chocolate cake. B. She did nothing but walk in the park.

C. She got a new job. D. She went for a walk and visited Aunt Betty.

5. What’s the best title for the passage?

A. Amy and her family. B. Amy and her diary.

C. A family’s diary. D. Amy’s father writes stories.

Please tell me ________. I have some gifts for him.

  A. how has Robert come                        B. where Robert is

  C. when will Robert leave                        D. what does Robert like

—Please ________ to return my book by Friday. I’ll use it on Saturday.

—No problem. I’ll finish reading it on Thursday.

A. don’t forget B. not to forget C. not forget D. forget not to

—Hi, guys. Where are you heading now?

 —Home. We ________ all our money, so we have to walk home now.

     A. spend                  B. spent                     C. have spent           D. are spending

This math problem is too difficult. Can you show me ________, George?

  A. what to work out                                    B. to work it out  

  C. how to work it out                                   D. how to work out it

—Who is the little girl in the picture?

  —It’s me. The picture ________ 10 years ago.  

  A. took                     B. is taken                  C. has taken               D. was taken

—Mom, when can I go out to play football?

     —Finish your homework first, or I ________ let you go out.

     A. don’t                    B. didn’t                   C. won’t                             D. haven’t

What time do you expect her ________?

     A. arrive                     B. is arriving                C. arriving                   D. to arrive

 Elephants eat ________, but they can move ________ when necessary.

     A. noisy; silent            B. noisily; silently          C. noisily; silence       D. noisy; silence