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 could that water would turn into ice.

Many desserts are covered in sand. But some have mountains, rocks, or lakes that have dried up in the heat. The Great American Dessert 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 for. A gerbil has huge eye, 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.

46.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

47.What does the underlined phrase"suck up"in paragraph 3 mean_________?

A.围堵　　 　 B.讨好　　 C. 释放　 D.吸收

48.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 nigh　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D.they store water in them.

49.Most desert animals stay cool in the day by_________.

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

C.staying underground　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D.growing lots of plants

50.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.

　　Welcome to England! The weather of England is very changeable （多变的） . It doesn't snow very often, but it can be rainy, sunny, cloudy, windy, warm, foggy or cold at any time of year. If it's raining when you get up in the morning, it can be hot and dry by the afternoon. The west of England is wetter than the east, and the north is cooler than the south. Just be ready for any kind of weather.

　　In England, shops are usually open from 9:00 in the morning to 5:30 in the afternoon. On Sundays some shops are often open from 10:00 to 4:00. But a lot of shops are closed. Most towns have at least one open till night. Banks（银行）, museums（博物馆） or other places are open from 10;00 to 5: 00. You can go to the park at any time.

　　All the cities have buses, trains, and taxis. People queue for buses and they are unhappy if you push in at the front. Don't forget this, traffic goes on the left. Be careful.

（1） The weather in England is very________.

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（2） Englishmen are often ________ all kinds of weather in the day.

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（3） Most shops in England are open________ from Monday to Saturday.

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（4） When can you go to the park?

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A．At any time

B．In the day

C．On Sundays

D．From 10:00 to 5:0in the day

（5） You must wait ________ at the bus stop.

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A．if the others are not happy

B．or push in

C．on the left of the bus

D．in the queue

The supermarket is very ________ in the day.

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A．noise　　B．quiet　　C．noisy

　　阅读理解

In England, people often talk about the weather because they can have four seasons in one day. In the morning the weather is warm just like in spring. An hour later black clouds come and then it rains hard. The weather gets a little cold. In the late afternoon the sky will be sunny, the sun will begin to shine, and it will be summer at this time of a day.

　　In England, people can also have summer in winter or have winter in summer. So in winter they can swim sometimes, and in summer sometimes they should take warm clothes.

　　When you go to England, you will see that some English people usually take an umbrella or a raincoat with them in the sunny morning, but you should not laugh at them. If you don't take an umbrella or a raincoat, you will be sorry later in the day.

　　(1)Why do people in England often talk about the weather?

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　　A． Because they may have four seasons in one day.

　　B． Because they often have very good weather.

　　C． Because the weather is warm just like in spring.

　　D． Because the shy is sunny all day.

　　(2)From the story we know that ________ come and then there is a heavy rain.

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　　A． sunshine and snow

　　B． black clouds

　　C． summer and winter

　　D． spring and autumn

　　(3)“People can also have summer in winter.” Means “It is sometimes too ________ in winter.”

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　　(4)In the sunny morning some English usually take an umbrella or a raincoat with them because________.

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　　A． their friends ask them to do so

　　B． it often rains in England

　　C． they are going to sell them

　　D． they are their favorite thing

　　(5)The best title for this passage is “________”.

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　　A． Bad Season

　　B． Summer or Winter

　　C． The Weather in England

　　D． Strange English People

Are You an Owl or a Lark?

　　Do you start the day very slowly, and really wake up in the afternoon? Then you may be an owl (猫头鹰) . Are you full of pep (精力) in the morning and tired out later on? Then you may be a lark (云雀).

　　Owls and larks are different kinds of birds. Scientists use these names for different kinds of people, too. Owls are people who take more time to wake up. They seem to have more pep as the day goes on. Larks are people who are wide awake and busy right away. They may slow down in the afternoon.

　　The way we feel affects the kind of work we do. Larks do better work in the morning. They are more wide awake then. Owls do better work in the afternoon or at night. That can make a difference in a job or at school. Larks would probably do better on school tests first thing in the morning. Owls would do better later in the day.

　　Decide how you feel at different hours of the day. Try to save your hardest work for your best hours.

1．People who are called larks ________.

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2．An owl must be a bird that ________.

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3．You could be called a lark if you ________.

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4．A person called an owl would want to ________.

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5．What is the main idea of this story?

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