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.
【小题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

【小题2】What does the underlined phrase"suck up"in paragraph 3 mean_________?

A．围堵

B．讨好

C．释放

D．吸收

【小题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 nigh	D．they store water in them.

【小题4】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

【小题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.

A little knowledge can make a difference at a time of life or death. Do you know what to do if you find yourself in an earthquake?
lf you are inside:
Quickly move under a strong desk, a strong table or along a wall. You can also go into a small room like the bathroom. This will protect you from falling things. Do not get into a lift.
Don't stand near windows, large mirrors, heavy furniture of fireplaces.
If you're outside:
Move away from buildings and streetlights. These could fall on you. Squat(蹲下) and protect your head until the shaking stops.
After the earthquake:
Check, take care of injuries and help make sure people around you are all right. Watch out for aftershocks.
Protect yourself by wearing long pants, a long-sleeved(长袖的)shirt and strong shoes. Listen to tile radio for the latest information.
【小题1】If you are in a tall building when an earthquake happens, you'd better        .

A．run into a lift	B．not stay in the bathroom
C．stand near large mirrors	D．not stand near windows

【小题2】lf you outside during an earthquake        

A．you must move into a building

B．you cannot squat

C．you have to stop the shaking

D．you must move away from streetlights

【小题3】After the earthcluake, you should        

A．look after injuries

B．not help the others around you

C．protect yourself without wearing shoes

D．not listen to the radio for the latest information

【小题4】The underlined word "aftershocks" in the passage means        in Chinese.

A．震感

B．震源

C．余震

D．防震

A wise man used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach every morning.
One day, when he was walking along the shore（海岸）, he saw a young man moving like a
dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought that someone would dance on the beach. So he began to walk faster to catch up.
As he got closer, he saw that the young man wasn’t dancing, but instead he was reaching down to the shore, picking up something and very gently throwing it into the ocean.
He called out, “Good morning! What are you doing?” The young man stopped, looked up and replied, “Throwing starfish in the ocean.” “I guess I should have asked, why are you throwing starfish in the ocean?”
“The sun is up and the tide（潮汐）is going out. And if I don’t throw them in, they’ll die.”
“But, young man, don’t you realize that there are miles and miles of beach and starfish all along it. You can’t possibly make a difference!”
The young man listened politely. Then he bent down, picked another starfish, and threw it into the sea, and said, “It made a difference for that one.”
There is something very special in each and every one of us. We have all been gifted（赋予）
with the ability to make a difference.
We must each find our starfish. And if we throw starfish wisely and well, the world will be better.
【小题1】What was the wise man used to doing every morning?

A．Taking a walk on the shore.

B．Watching the young man dance.

C．Meeting up with the young man.

D．Helping the young man pick up starfish.

【小题2】Why did the young man throw the starfish into the ocean?

A．To have fun.

B．To study starfish.

C．To feed some fish.

D．To save starfish.

【小题3】What can we learn from the story?

A．Each of us should learn to protect starfish.

B．People living on the shore always try to save starfish.

C．Each of us has the ability to make an important effect on something.

D．People can come up with some good ideas when walking on the shore.

A wise man used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach every morning.
One day, when he was walking along the shore（海岸）, he saw a young man moving like a
dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought that someone would dance on the beach. So he began to walk faster to catch up.
As he got closer, he saw that the young man wasn’t dancing, but instead he was reaching down to the shore, picking up something and very gently throwing it into the ocean.
He called out, “Good morning! What are you doing?” The young man stopped, looked up and replied, “Throwing starfish in the ocean.” “I guess I should have asked, why are you throwing starfish in the ocean?”
“The sun is up and the tide（潮汐）is going out. And if I don’t throw them in, they’ll die.”
“But, young man, don’t you realize that there are miles and miles of beach and starfish all along it. You can’t possibly make a difference!”
The young man listened politely. Then he bent down, picked another starfish, and threw it into the sea, and said, “It made a difference for that one.”
There is something very special in each and every one of us. We have all been gifted（赋予）
with the ability to make a difference.
We must each find our starfish. And if we throw starfish wisely and well, the world will be better.
【小题1】What was the wise man used to doing every morning?

A．Taking a walk on the shore.

B．Watching the young man dance.

C．Meeting up with the young man.

D．Helping the young man pick up starfish.

【小题2】Why did the young man throw the starfish into the ocean?

A．To have fun.

B．To study starfish.

C．To feed some fish.

D．To save starfish.

【小题3】What can we learn from the story?

A．Each of us should learn to protect starfish.

B．People living on the shore always try to save starfish.

C．Each of us has the ability to make an important effect on something.

D．People can come up with some good ideas when walking on the shore.

A wise man used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach every morning.
One day, when he was walking along the shore（海岸）, he saw a young man moving like a
dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought that someone would dance on the beach. So he began to walk faster to catch up.
As he got closer, he saw that the young man wasn’t dancing, but instead he was reaching down to the shore, picking up something and very gently throwing it into the ocean.
He called out, “Good morning! What are you doing?” The young man stopped, looked up and replied, “Throwing starfish in the ocean.” “I guess I should have asked, why are you throwing starfish in the ocean?”
“The sun is up and the tide（潮汐）is going out. And if I don’t throw them in, they’ll die.”
“But, young man, don’t you realize that there are miles and miles of beach and starfish all along it. You can’t possibly make a difference!”
The young man listened politely. Then he bent down, picked another starfish, and threw it into the sea, and said, “It made a difference for that one.”
There is something very special in each and every one of us. We have all been gifted（赋予）
with the ability to make a difference.
We must each find our starfish. And if we throw starfish wisely and well, the world will be better.
【小题1】What was the wise man used to doing every morning?

A．Taking a walk on the shore.

B．Watching the young man dance.

C．Meeting up with the young man.

D．Helping the young man pick up starfish.

【小题2】Why did the young man throw the starfish into the ocean?

A．To have fun.

B．To study starfish.

C．To feed some fish.

D．To save starfish.

【小题3】What can we learn from the story?

A．Each of us should learn to protect starfish.

B．People living on the shore always try to save starfish.

C．Each of us has the ability to make an important effect on something.

D．People can come up with some good ideas when walking on the shore.