Have you ever noticed the colour of the water in a river or stream after a heavy rainfall? What do you think caused this change in colour? It is soil that has been washed into the river from the riverbank or from t}le nearby fields．

Components of Soft

    Soil is made up of a number of layers(层)，each having its own distinctive colour and texture．The upper layer is known as the litter．It acts like a blanket．limiting temperature changes and reducing water loss．The topsoil layer is made up of small particles of rock mixed with rotten plant and animal matter called humus(腐殖质)，which is black and gives the topsoil its dark colour．This layer is usually rich in nutrients，oxygen，and water．Below the topsoil is the subsoil，a layer that contains more stones mixed with only small amounts of organic matter．This layer is lighter in colour because of the lack of humus．Beneath the soil lies a layer of bedrock．

    Soil forms from the bottom up．Over time bedrock is attacked by rain, wind，frost, and snow．It is gradually broken down into smaller particles in a process called weathering．Plants begin to grow，and rotten materials enrich the topsoil．Most of the soil in Eastern Canada．for example．Was formed from weathered rock that was exposed when the ice disappeared l2．000 years ag0．

Water Beneath the Soil

    Surface water collects and flows above the ground in lakes．ponds．and rivers．Once in the soil or rock，it is called groundwater．Gravity pulls groundwater through the soil in a process called percolation(渗透)．Eventually the water reaches a layer called the water table．Under this is bedrock through which water cannot percolate．

    As water percolates downward，it dissolves organic matter and minerals from the soil and carries them to deeper layers．This causes a serious problem because plants require these nutrients for growth.

Soil pH

    Soil can be acidic．neutral．or basic．The pH of the soil is determined by the nature of the rock

from which it was formed．and by the nature of t}le plants that grow and rot in it．

    The acidity of rain and snow can lower the pH of the groundwater that enters the soil．By burning fossil fuels such as coal，oil and gasoline，humans have been contributing to higher levels of acidity in many soils．When fossil fuels are burned．gases are released into the air and then fall back to earth as acid rain．Acid soil increases出e problem of carrying nutrients to lower soil levels．As nutrients are removed，soil is less fertile．Plants grow more slowly in acidic soil，and also become easily attacked by diseases．

67．The layer of soil that provides necessary nutrients for plant growth is called．

    A．1itter    B．topsoil    C．humus D．subsoil

68．According to the text．which of the following is NOT true?

    A．Soil forms from weathered rock on the earth surface．

  B．The deeper layer of soil is darker in colour than t}le surface soil．

  C．Air pollution is partially responsible for acid soil．

    D．Groundwater tends to carry away nutrients for plant growth．

69．We can infer from the passage that the water table lies       ．

A．between the topsoil layer and the subsoil layer

B．in the subsoil layer above bedrock

       C．between the subsoil layer and bedrock

       D．in the bedrock layer beneath the subsoil

70．The underlined word “dissolve” is used to express the idea that organic matter and minerals from soil are          ． 

    A．rushed away into the river

    B．cleaned and purified by water

    C．destroyed and carried away by water

    D．mixed with water and become part of it

I suddenly heard an elephant crying as though frightened Looking down I immediately recognized that something was wrong and ran down to the edge of the near bank There I saw Ma Shwe with her three-month-old calf struggling in the fast-rising water and it was a life-and-death struggle Her calf was floating and screaming with fear Ma Shwe was as near to the far bank as she could get, holding her whole body against the rushing water and keeping the calf pressed against her huge body . Every now and then the rushing water would sweep the calf a way.

There was a sudden rise in the water and the calf was washed clean over the mother’s body and was gone Ma Shwe turned quickly to reach it and pressed the calf with her head and trunk（象鼻）against the rocky bank Then with a huge effort she picked it up in her trunk and tried until she was able to place it on a narrow shelf of rock

Just at this moment she fell back into the river If she were carried down it would be certain death I knew as well as she did ,that there was one spot（地点）where she could get up the bank  but it was on the other side from where she had put her calf

While I was wondering what I could do next I heard the sound of a mother’s love Ma Shwe had crossed the river and got up the bank and was making her way back as fast as she could roaring（吼叫）all the time but to her calf it was music.

1.The moment the author got down to the river bank he saw______.

A．the calf was about to fall into the river

B．Ma Shwe was placing the calf on the rock

C．the calf was washed away by the rising water

D．Ma Shwe was holding the calf against the rushing water

2.How did Ma Shwe manage to save her calf from the fast-flowing water?

A．By putting it on a safe spot

B．By pressing it against her body

C．By taking it away with her

D．By carrying it on her back

3.How did the calf feel about the mother elephant’s roaring?

A．It was a great comfort      B．It was a sign of danger

C．It was a call for help       D．It was a musical note

4.What can be the best title for the text?

A．A Mother’s Love           B．A Brave Act

C．A Deadly River            D．A Matter of Life and Death

I suddenly heard an elephant crying as though frightened. Looking down, I immediately recognized that something was wrong, and ran down to the edge of the near bank. There I saw Ma Shwe with her three-month-old calf struggling in the fast-rising water, and it was a life-and-death struggle. Her calf was floating and screaming with fear. Ma Shwe was as near to the far bank as she could get, holding her whole body against the rushing water, and keeping the calf pressed against her huge body. Every now and then the rushing water would sweep the calf away.

There was a sudden rise in the water and the calf was washed clean over the mother’s body and was gone. Ma Shwe turned quickly to reach it and pressed the calf with her head and trunk (象鼻) against the rocky bank. Then with a huge effort, she picked it up in her trunk and tried until she was able to place it on a narrow shelf of rock.

Just at this moment she fell back into the river. If she were carried down, it would be certain death. I knew, as well as she did, that there was one spot(地点) where she could get up the bank, but it was on the other side from where she had put her calf.

While I was wondering what I could do next, I heard the sound of a mother’s love. Ma Shwe had crossed the river and got up the bank and was making her way back as fast as she could, roaring (吼叫) all the time, but to her calf it was music.

1.The moment the author got down to the river bank he saw _____,

A. the calf was about to fall into the river

B. Ma Shwe was placing the calf on the rock

C. the calf was washed away by the rising water

D. Ma Shwe was holding the calf against the rushing water

2.How did Ma Shwe manage to save her calf from the fast-flowing water?

A. By putting it on a safe spot.        B. By pressing it against her body.

C. By taking it away with her.       D. By carrying it on her back.

3.How did the calf feel about the mother elephant’s roaring?

A. It was a great comfort.          B. It was a sign of danger.

C. It was a call for help.           D. It was a musical note.

4.What can be the best title for the text?

A. A Mother’s Love            B. A Brave Act

C. A Deadly River              D. A Matter of Life and Death

阅读理解

　　The yellow River is the second longest river in China． It rises in the mountains on Qinghai and flows right across China to the Yellow Sea． Both the river and the sea are called Yellow because of the yellow mud which the river carries down from the desert into the sea, making the water a yellow color, When the river reaches the flat plain and flows less fast, it drops much of its mud, filling up the riverbed and forcing the water to overflow its banks and flood the countryside for miles. These terrible floods wash away crops and destroy whole villages. They have brought death and famine(饥饿)to so many people that the river is sometimes called “China’s sorrow”. In order to prevent the floods, they have built banks of earth, called dykes(河堤)along both sides. As the river brought down more mud and broke through the dykes, people mended them and built them higher, until now in some parts the river flows as much as twenty feet above, in spite of the danger of floods, farming had been carried on for centuries.

1．The Yellow River is ________

[　　]

A．the longest river that flows to the Yellow sea

B．the longest river in China

C．The longest river that flows to the East China Sea．

D．The second longest river that flows to the East China Sea．

2．Where does the yellow mud come from?

[　　]

A．From the desert

B．From the riverbed

C．From the sea

D．From the riverbanks

3．The flood comes when ________

[　　]

A．the river flows fast

B．the river overflows its banks

C．the river reaches

D．the river drops its yellow mud

4．Which of the following is NOT true?

[　　]

A．The terrible floods used to destroy many villages.

B．Many Chinese people suffered a lot from the river in history.

C．Farming cannot be carried on till now.

D．Floods often brought famine and death to the people.

5．To prevent the floods, people today ________

[　　]

A．have built higher banks all along the river

B．have moved away the mud on the river-red

C．have built dams and waterworks

D．have built new buildings along the river banks

King Midas used to love gold. One day he met a fairy who allowed him to make a wish for something. The king replied at once , ‘‘I love gold . I want everything I touch to change into gold”. ‘‘Very well , tomorrow morning, everything you touch will turn into gold .”Saying this, the fairy disappeared.

    The king waited excitedly till the next morning. To his joy ,everything he touched changed immediately into gold. ‘‘I’m the richest man in the world now.” He shouted.

    Soon Midas became hungry. He sat down at his table. All the foods and drinks turned into gold in his hand . ‘‘I’m dying of hunger.” He cried.

    Just then his daughter came running in . ‘‘Why are you so sad , dad ?” she asked, putting her arms around him. There and then she became a golden statue. The king loved his daughter very much .Seeing this ,he began to cry. He looked up and suddenly saw the fairy before him.  ‘‘Don’t you like the golden touch?” asked the fairy. ‘‘ Please take it away,” begged the king, ‘‘ give me back my daughter.”  ‘‘Well, you have learned your lesson. Go and wash in the river. Then the golden touch will be gone.” The king ran quickly to the nearby river.

The fairy allowed the king to make a wish because_____

she hoped to make the king the richest in the world.    B. She loved gold too.

She wanted to teach the king a lesson. 

D. She wanted to turn the king’s daughter into gold gold.

When the foods and drinks turned into gold the king was _____

   A. excited  B. hungry  C. worried   D  happy

Which of the following might have happened afterwards?

A. The king died in the river.

B. The king’s daughter changed back from gold to a lovely girl.

C. All the things the king had touched changed back into real ones.

D. Both B and C

What do you think the story tries to tell us?

A. Gold makes people unhappy.   

B. More gold , more happiness.

C. Gold is not the thing that makes life happy.

D. People feel happy if they have not gold.