Deserts(沙漠)do not stay the same size (形状).Sometimes they grow bigger. Sometimes they get smaller. The world’s biggest desert, Sahara, is in Africa. Right now, the Sahara desert is growing fast.
Why is the Sahara growing ? In some places , People farm too much.  In other places ,animals eat all the grass. or people cut down the trees. This makes the soil(土壤) weak. Weak soil lets the desert grow.
Why is it a problem? people can not grow food in the desert. people can not build houses, hospitals , or schools in the desert . so people must leave their homes .They must live somewhere else.
What can people do ? They can plant trees. They can also farm less. These things make soil stronger. maybe the Sahara will stop growing . It’s a big problem. Many people must work together to solve (解决) it?
【小题1】What is the main idea ?(中心思想)

One day, I heard an American boy say to a Chinese girl student, “You speak very good English.” But the girl answered, “No, no. My English is very poor.” The foreigner was quite   1  at the answer. Thinking he had not made   2   understood or the girl had not heard him clearly, he said, “Yes, indeed, you speak very well.” But the girl still kept saying, “No.” In the end the American boy could not understand and didn’t know   3   to say.

What’s wrong with the girl’s answer? She didn’t   4   a compliment (恭维)in the same way as the American people do. She should answer, “Thank you” instead of “No”. She     5      understood what the American boy had said, but she thought she should be modest. In the west, people will feel proud and   6  when they are praised(赞扬). So if someone says the dishes you have cooked are very delicious, you should say, “Thank you.”

In our country we think being modest is a virtue (美德) and being proud is a bad thing, but in my opinion, being confident does not   7  being proud, so sometimes you should be confident    8   being modest.

  9    you are modest and say, “No, I’m afraid I can’t do it well”, while working in a western country, the others may think that you really cannot do it. If you often say “No”, you will certainly be looked down on by others. When asking for a job, if one says something like “Yes, I can certainly do it” instead of “Let me have a try ”, he or she will  10  get it. So in the west, you should be brave to show your self-confidence.

1.                A．excited         B．surprised       C．relaxed   D．frightened

2.                A．her            B．herself         C．himself   D．him

3.                A．when          B．which          C．what D．how

4.                A．accept         B．receive         C．refuse    D．disagree

5.                A．hardly          B．really          C．rarely    D．badly

6.                A．kind           B．modest         C．shy  D．confident

7.                A．think           B．say            C．ask  D．mean

8.                A．different from   B．as well as        C．instead of D．the same as

9.                A．Unless         B．Until           C．Whether  D．If

10.               A．expect to       B．fail to          C．succeed in     D．believe in

Have you ever seen the film Titanic? “Titanic” was one of the largest and finest ships in 1912. It hit an iceberg(冰山)on its first sailing from England to America and sank very soon, leaving a love story to the people. Do you know what an iceberg is?
The earth is round, like a ball. The top of the earth is the north. The bottom of the earth is the south. At the top and the bottom of the earth, there is a lot of ice. It is very cold there. Sometimes there is no sunshine for many months. There is ice everywhere all the time. Large pieces of ice fall into the sea. They don’t go to the bottom of the sea. They float(漂浮)near the top of the water. We call these large pieces of ice “iceberg”. Some icebergs are bigger than a tall building. Icebergs are dangerous for ships. Sometimes a ship hits an iceberg.
Then the ship sinks.
You can make a small iceberg. Put a piece of ice in a glass of water. Look ar it. The ice does not sink.
【小题1】Titanic is the name of a film and it’s also the name of a _______.
【小题2】Titanic sank ________ it hit an iceberg.
【小题3】The __________ is very cold in North Pole(北极)and in South Pole.
【小题4】At times we can’t see the ___ in North Pole and in South Pole for a long time.
【小题5】 Icebergs are made of large _________.

任务型阅读。（共5小题，每小题2分，计10分）阅读短文，并按要求完成下列试题。

Some countries have large numbers of earthquakes. Japan is one of them. One of the most serious earthquakes in world history took place in Japan in 1923. The shock and fires caused by it destroyed much of Tokyo and Yokohama and left more than 7000 dead. Other countries do not have many. For examples, there are few earthquakes in Britain, France, Germany.

There is often a great noise during an earthquake, but it is not always. The earth rocks. Houses fall down. Railway lines are broken. Sometimes many people are killed in an earthquake. People think earthquakes often happen near volcanoes(火山), but this is not always true. The centers of some are under the sea. The bottom of the sea suddenly moves. The powerful forces inside the earth break the rocks. The coast is rocking and great waves are caused there. These waves travel long distances and rush over the land when they reach it. They are strong enough to break down houses and other buildings; sometimes they break more buildings than earthquake itself.

What kind of building stands up best in an earthquake? A building with concrete(水泥) walls is perhaps the best. A steel frame(框架) will make it even stronger. The frame holds the different parts together and the walls do not easily fall. There is less chance of fire because concrete and steel(钢材) does not burn. This kind of building is the safest. Today modern concrete and steel apartment buildings are commonly seen in cities of Japan.

1.Why do we say that an earthquake is terrible?

_____________________________________________________________

2.What kind of building is the safest for us to live in against earthquakes?

_____________________________________________________________

3.Which country has the largest number of earthquakes, Britain, Japan, or France?

_________________________________________________________________

4.判断正误：正确的在括号里写T，错误写F。

(   ) The text mainly tells us how to protect ourselves when the earthquake happens.

5.Put the underlined sentences into Chinese

My name is Paul Miller. Sometimes I am too fat,  but lately I do not have this problem. My doctor tells me to jog. So early every morning I run for two miles. I do not run fast,  but I do not stop to rest. I jog before breakfast.

People call me a jogger. There are many joggers on my street. We often run together in the park or along the road. Jogging helps to keep us strong and healthy.

Jogging is very popular in the United States. People like to feel well and look nice. When my neighbors and I jog,  we help to keep our hearts and legs strong.

Many people do not jog,  but they do not get fat. They work hard on their jobs and they do not need to run before they go to work.

Diets are also popular. People on diets do not eat many foods that will make them fat. They learn to eat fruits and vegetables instead of candy or cakes.

My doctor tells me to eat only three meals a day. A diet is not necessary if I do not eat between meals. Some people like to eat many times a day. This is called snacking.

I feel healthy and my doctor is happy because I jog every day and I do not snack in the evening or after breakfast.

1.Jogging is a king of sport. One has the sport with       .

A．hands            B．legs              C．head             D．back

2.What’s the result after Paul Miller has jogged?

A．He seems to be very thin.

B．He can eat much.

C．He doesn’t look fat

D．He can eat much

3.Jogging can’t help us to     .

A．get fat                                B．be strong

C．be healthy                             D．look nice

4.If you snack， you will surely eat something     .

A．full of meat

B．with fruits and vegetables

C．quickly

D．in the evening or after breakfast

5.“Diet” in the passage means “     ” in Chinese.

A．规定的食物                           B．肉类食物

C．运动食物                             D．水果类食物