完形填空：阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从各题所给的四个选项中选出一个最佳答案。（共20小题，每小题1.5分）

   In the past, man did not have to think about the protection of his environment. There were few people on the earth, and natural resources seemed to be　46　 .                    Today things are　 47　 , the world has become too　 48　 . We are using up our natural resources too quickly, and at the same time we are　 49　 our environment with dangerous chemicals. If we continue to do this, human life on the earth　 50　 survive.

　　Everyone　51　 today that if too many fish are taken from the sea, there will soon be none left. Yet, with modern fishing　 52 , more and more fish are caught. We know that if too many trees are cut down, 　53　 will disappear and nothing will grow on the land. Yet, we　 54　 to use bigger and more powerful machines to　 55　 more and more trees.

　　We realize that if rivers are polluted with waste products from factories, we will die.　 56　 , in most countries wastes are　 57　 put into rivers or into the sea, and there are　 58　 laws to stop this. We know, too, that if the　 59　 of the world continues to rise at the present rate, in a few years there will not be enough 60　. What can we do to solve these problems ?

　  If  we eat more vegetables and less　 61　 , there will be more food available for everyone. Land that is used to grow crops　 62　 five times more people than land where animals are kept. Our natural resources will　 63　 longer if we learn to recycle them. The world population will not rise so quickly if people use modern methods of birth 64　 .

　　Finally, if we educate people to think about the problems, we shall have a better and clearer 65　 in the future.

A. beautiful         B. unlimited          C. rare                  D. valuable

A. common         B. the same            C. changeable     D. different

A. crowded         B. small                C. dirty                 D. busy

A. protecting       B. saving            C. polluting           D. fighting

A. may not          B. will not             C. shall not            D. could not

A. wonders         B. realizes             C. consider            D. discovers

A. poles              B. boats                 C. methods            D. ideas

A  mountains     B. the sea                  C. trees                 D. forests

A. continue         B. have                 C. ought                D. go on

A. grow            B. plant                 C. save                  D. cut down

A. Thus       B. However     

C. Generally speaking  D. Therefore

A. still                     B. even                 C. also                  D. certainly

A. too many      B. a few                C. some                 D. few

A. production    B. pollution           C. population      D. revolution

A. houses          B. vegetables      C. food                 D. lives

A. fruit             B. meat                 C. fish                   D. grain

A. feeds            B. increases           C. supplies             D. helps

A. use               B. stay                  C. keep                 D. last

A. control         B. born                 C. plan                  D. reward

A. nature           B. sea                 C. planet            D. forest

Empty Deserts

    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 in 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 degrees. There is less than two inches of rain each year. Death Valley is the lowest place in America---- 925 meters 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. Small insects, snakes and rats have learned how to live in the desert heat. They live under ground 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 colors.

1.In the 19^th century, Americans moved from the east to the west because they ______.

A. enjoy the trip                    B. wanted to make their home there

C. wanted to find new grassland there   D. had no water to drink

2.From the 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 life

D.       till now, people know little about the desert

3. If you want to find some old native American pictures painted on the rock you must go ______.

A. on foot    B. by boat    C. by car    D. by plane

4.In the 1800s many travelers died in Death Valley because of ______.

A. illness                         B. high temperature   

C. cold weather                   D. poisonous water

5.In the desert, animals will die ______.

A. if they move about      B. if they cannot make holes underground

C. if they come out at night  D. if they drink much water

 

They are walking down the way _______ there are many trees on ______side.

A. that, both          B. in which, either

C. on which, either          D. /, neither

 

Trees are useful to man in three important ways: they give him wood and other useful things, they give him cool places, and they help to stop drought and flood.

Unluckily, in many parts of the world, man has not found that the third of these points is the most important. Man wants to make money from trees, so he has cut them down in large numbers, only to find that without them he has lost the best friends he had. And also, he is usually too careless to plant and look after new trees. So the forests slowly disappear.

This does not only mean that man will have fewer trees. The results are even worse: for where there are trees, their roots break up soil-make the rain in-and also bind the soil, thus stopping it from being washed away easily; but where there are no trees, the rain falls on hard ground and flows away, causing floods and carrying away the rich top-soil. When all the top-soil is gone, nothing is left but useless desert.

40.The most important points of trees to man is ________.

A. they help him to make money

B. they give him cool

C. they give him wood and other things

D. they help him to stop drought and floods

41.In many places forests slowly disappear because ________ .

A. many trees have been cut down by man

B. new trees are not well looked after

C. man has not paid enough attention to planting trees

D. all the above

42.Land becomes desert after all trees are cut down because ________ .

A. roots of trees break up the soil

B. there are too many rainfalls

C. strong winds bring a lot of sand

D. there are no longer trees to keep the rain and protect the top-soil.

43.Which title best fits the passage?

A. Trees and Man    

 B. The Function of Tree Wood

C. How do People do with Trees?

 D. The Usage of Tree Roots

D

41—45 DD

 

Many trees in the Brackham area were brought down in the terrible storms that March. The town itself lost two great lime trees from the former market square. The disappearance of such striking features had changed the appearance of the town center entirely, to the annoyance of its more conservative inhabitants(居民).

Among the annoyed, under more normal circumstances, would have been Chief Inspector Douglas Pelham, head of the local police force. But at the height of that week's storm, when the wind brought down even the mature walnut tree in his garden, Pelham had in fact been in no fit state to notice. A large and healthy man, he had for the first time in his life been seriously ill with an attack of bronchitis.

When he first complained of an aching head and tightness in his chest, his wife, Molly, had tried to persuade him to go to the doctor. Convinced that the police force could not do without him, he had, as usual, ignored her and attempted to carry on working. Predictably, though he wouldn't have listened to anyone who tried to tell him so, this had the effect of fogging his memory and shortening his temper.

It was only when his colleague, Sergeant Lloyd, took the initiative (主动) and drove him to the doctor's door that he finally gave in. By that time, he didn't have the strength left to argue with her. In no time at all, she was taking him along to the chemist's to get his medicine and then home to his unsurprised wife who sent him straight to bed.

When Molly told him, on the Thursday morning, that the walnut tree had been brought down during the night, Pelham hadn’t been able to take it in. On Thursday evening, he had asked weakly about damage to the house, groaned (含糊不清地说) thankfully when he heard there was none, and pulled the sheets over his head.

It wasn't until Saturday, when the medicine took effect, his temperature dropped and he got up, that he realized with a shock that the loss of the walnut tree had made a permanent difference to the appearance of the living-room. The Pelhams’ large house stood in a sizable garden. It had not come cheap, but even so Pelham had no regrets about buying it. The leafy garden had created an impression of privacy. Now, though, the storm had changed his outlook.

Previously, the view from the living-room had featured the handsome walnut tree. This had not darkened the room because there was also a window on the opposite wall, but it had provided interesting patterns of light and shade that hid the true state of the worn furniture that the family had brought with them from their previous house.

With the tree gone, the room seemed cruelly bright, its worn furnishings exposed in all their shabbiness. And the view from the window didn’t bear looking at. The tall house next door, previously hidden by the tree, was now there, dominating the outlook with its unattractive purple bricks and external pipes. It seemed to have a great many upstairs windows, all of them watching the Pelhams' every movement.

“Doesn’t it look terrible?” Pelham whispered to his wife. But Molly, standing in the doorway, sounded more pleased than dismayed. “That's what I’ve been telling you ever since we came here. We have to buy a new sofa, whatever it costs.”

1.Why were some people in Brackham annoyed after the storm?

A．No market could be held.

B．The police had done little to help.

C．The town looked different.

D．Fallen trees had not been removed.

2.In the third paragraph, what do we learn about Chief Inspector Pelham’s general attitude to his work?

A．He finds it extremely annoying.

B．Не is sure that he plays an important role.

C．Не considers the systems are not clear enough.

D．He does not trust the decisions made by his superiors.

3. What aspect of the Pelhams’ furniture does “shabbiness” in paragraph 8 describe?

A．its condition.       B．its colour.          C．its position.        D．its design.

4.As a result of the storm, the Pelhams’ living-room _____.

A．was pleasantly lighter                    B．felt less private

C．had a better view                       D．was in need of repair

5.Why did Molly sound pleased by her husband’s comment?

A．It proved that he was well again.

B．She agreed about the tree.

C．She thought he meant the sofa.

D．It was what she expected him to say.