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.

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

From the passage, we can conclude that ______.

the western desert is a good place for people to live in

there is little water but there are many trees in the desert

the desert is dangerous but it is full of life

till now, people know little about the desert

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

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

A. illness                         B. high temperature   

C. cold weather                   D. poisonous water

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

　　The human nose has given to the language often word many interesting expressions. Of course, this is   1    Without the nose, we couldn't   2  or smell. It is the part of the face that gives a person special   3   . Cyrano do Bergerac said that   4  large nose showed   5  man courageous, manly and wise.

A famous woman poet   6  that she had two noses   7  a rose! Blaise Pascal made an   8   remark about Cleopatra' s nose (Cleopatra 为古埃及最后一位女王). If it had been shorter, he said, it would have changed the whole face of the world！

    Man's nose   9  an important role (作用) in his imagination. Man has referred to the nose in   10  ways to express his emotions. Expressions dealing with the nose refer to human   11  ; anger, pride, jealousy (嫉妒) and revenge (报复).

    In English there are a number of phrases   12  the nose. For example, to hold up one's nose expresses a basic human feeling——pride. People  13  hold up their noses at people, things and places.

    The phrase,   14  around by the nose, shows man' s weakness. A person   15  is led around by the nose lets other people   16  him. On the other hand, a person who   17  his nose lets his instinct (本能)——guide   18 

    There are a number of others   19   . It should be   20  the nose on your face that the nose is more than an organ (器官) for breathing and smelling.

1. A. not surprising        B. surprising 　　 　　C. not surprised　　   　　    D. surprised

2. A. breath    　　 　　  B. breathe   　　 　　C. taste　　  　　　　　　  　　 D. watch

3. A. feeling  　　　　  B. character 　　  　　C. things 　　　　　　  　　 D. love

4. A. the　　 　　   　　　　  B. this  　　 　　　　C. one   　　   　　　　 D. a

5. A. big       　　　　  B. large 　　 　　　　C. great    　　　　  　　 D. brave

6. A. wished   　　　　  B. said 　　  　　　　C. hoped    　　    　　 D. expected

7. A. to feel    　　　　  B. to see   　　　　　　  　　C. to touch    　　　　     D. to smell

8. A. encouraging 　　  B. interesting　　   C. moving　　      　　 D. exciting

9. A. has had       　　  B. had had 　　　　C. had　　  　　    　　 D. will have

10. A. much   　　 　　  B. few 　　  　　　　C. many   　　　　        D. some

11. A. illness   　　 　　  B. strength 　　   　　　　C. courage  　　　　 　　 D. weakness

12. A. with     　　　　  B. of  　　   　　　　C. by    　　  　　　　 D. about

13. A. must    　　　　  B. can 　　   　　　　C. need  　　   　　　　 D. should

14. A. to lead 　　　　  B. leading   　　　　C. to be led　　　　    D. lead

15. A. which   　　 　　  B. whom   　　  　　C. who   　　 　　　　 D. whose

16. A. protect 　　   　　　　  B. control   　　　　C. remember       　　 D. hate

17. A. follows      　　  B. leads 　　 　　　　C. drives 　　   　　　　 D. makes

18. A. himself 　　   　　  B. him  　　 　　　　C. one　　　　　　    D. man

19. A. otherwise    　　  B. thus 　　  　　　　C. so     　　　　　　 D. however

20. A. so plain as　　    B. as plain as　　    C. as clearly as　　　　 D. not as plain as

Little Bit

"Meow, meow, meow," is what I heard as I walked. I went to the noise and found there was a

  36   black and white cat under a piece of wood. I picked him up and   37   he must be freezing to death. I   38   home with the cat held in my jacket.

My new best friend, who soon became known as Little Bit, received his name because he was almost     39      when I held him in my hands. He stood about five inches tail. Little Bit' s small size had a great advantage -- he   40   perfectly in the pocket of my jacket, which made  41   him everywhere very easy. Any time I was home, he wouldn' t leave my   42   . He was always eager to play with me. When I fell asleep at night, he would always roll up around my head to keep me   43  .

Unfortunately, I grew up. My teenage life   44   my relationship with Little Bit. I lived at such a fast pace (节奏) that I stopped making time for him. My free time was spent with my   45      instead. I would come in the house on my phone and not   46   him at all. His meows became an annoyance to me, but it wasn' t his fault that he   47   his best friend back.

Time had caused a   48   to Little Bit. His body began shutting down and by the time I realized   49   was wrong with him, he had already lost his balance. He lay there and looked at me, and   50   this day I still remember the  51   look in his bright green eyes. I took him to the vet (兽医), but there was nothing he could do. The last time I   52   him he wasn' t the same tiny cat I had found ten years before. Little Bit filled my arms and he was put to sleep that day.

Little Bit' s  53   made me realize how much he meant to me. He was always there for me when I   54   him. I regret our last years together and I feel sorry for not always being there for him. I will always   55   the special memories we made.

1.A. lovely             B. tiny                 C. pretty          D. friendly

2.A. agreed             B. remembered       C. realized    D. proved

3.A. left           B. stayed           C. drove        D. hurried

4.A. weightless         B. useless          C. breathless   D. hopeless

5.A. grew           B. fitted           C. played       D. existed

6.A. showing        B. keeping          C. taking       D. putting

7.A. pocket             B. heart            C. mind         D. side

8.A. quiet          B. asleep           C. safe         D. warm

9.A. weakened       B. built            C. deepened     D. sharpened

10.A. friends       B. computer         C. parents      D. relatives

11.A. find          B. feed             C. notice       D. hear

12.A. pulled        B. won              C. wanted       D. permitted

13.A. fear           B. loss            C. accident     D. concern

14.A. everything    B. nothing          C. anything     D. something

15.A. before        B. until            C. during       D. for

16.A. shameful      B. serious          C. long         D. sorrowful

17.A. helped        B. met              C. held         D. doubted

18.A. illness       B. death            C. sadness      D. story

19.A. needed        B. caught           C. protected    D. picked

20.A. treasure      B. admire           C. remind       D. explore

阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并从答题卡上将该选项涂黑。

I sat in the all-too-quiet waiting room of the cancer center, counting the minutes until my treatment. I thought I'd  36  it two years ago, but it was back. After my   37    diagnosis, Nom and Dad had driven more than l,200 miles from their home to be with me for three  38  while I was getting over from   39   and chemotherapy(化疗). When the cancer returned last, they, once again,   40    it here , too. They waited for hours while I received my treatments------Dad with his   41   and Mom with a magazine.

But now, they were   42   in Westlake.

My children are  43   and my four brothers live far from my home outside Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania.  I knew    44  of them would come if  asked, but I didn't want to  45   them,even with the intense    46  I felt.

I   47   picked one of the magazines on the end table beside me and couldn't help  wishing my  48   were there inside. One publication caught my   49  , a magazine I liked best and had   50    to ages ago. I couldn't tell you the last time when I'd read an issue. I   51   it up and I started right in with the letters to the   52  .

"I love  53   my copy every month," the first letter began. The author mentioned a daughter who  54    in Clinton, Pennsylvania. Huh, that's funny. I thought. That's my town! I read the letter to the end, where my    55   fell upon the author's signature:

"Thank you, Margie and Tom Parrish, Westlake, Louisiana"

Alone? Hardly. Margie and Tom-or as I call them, Mom and Dad-were right beside me,even now.

1.A. treated           B. beaten         C. infected              D. operated

2.A. first             B. terrible        C. invisible               D. last

3.A. days             B. months        C. years                 D. hours

4.A. illness            B. hospital       C. work                 D. surgery

5. A. made             B. put           C. hoped               D. arrived

6.A. pen               B. glasses        C.Bible                D. smile

7. A. in hospital        B. back home     C. at work              D. in town

8.A. youn             B. caring         C. struggling            D. full-grown

9.A. any              B. some          C. none                 D. both

10.A. scare             B. disappoint      C. surprise              D. trouble

11.A. loneliness         B. pride          C. happiness             D. anger

12.A. half-heartedly      B. carefully       C. seriously             D. anxiously

13.A. brothers           B. children       C. friends               D. parents

14.A. thought           B. mind          C. eye                  D. hand

15.A. referred           B. subscribed      C. turned               D. contributed

16.A.put                B.picked         C.set                   D.broke

17.A. editor             B. writer         C. producer              D. reader

18.A. editing            B. sending        C. receiving             D. organizing

19. A. studied            B. worked        C. died                 D. lived

20.A.gaze               B.touch          C.thought               D.sense

It’s 2009. You feel sick, so you go to the doctor. She checks your fever, looks at your throat, and asks what you’ve been thinking about lately. When you leave，she gives you some medicine, but also a list of thinking skills that you are supposed to practice daily. She says that the way you think is causing some of your illness.
Doctors and other scientists who study the human mind and try to explain why people behave in the way that do, called psychologists, are starting to believe it. You know that your brain is connected to every part of your body through your nervous system(神经系统). Now scientists have proved that how you think and feel can have an influence on the health of your body.
Stress(压力，紧张) is caused whenever there is a problem or a change in your life. Of course, everybody has stress more or less; nobody’s life is perfect. In fact, stress is necessary. Without stress, we would never learn anything or grow or change. We would probably be bored to death. But too much stress can hurt you. It can weaken your body’s protection so that you are more likely to catch diseases. It can even make you more likely to have an accident.
When you feel stress, your brain sends a message to your body to produce a chemical called adrenaline(肾上腺素). Adrenaline speeds up your breathing and your heartbeat. Today you have a different kind of stress. Problems like endless homework or troubles with your family are the kind of things you can’t fight or run away from, so you don’t use up all that adrenaline. It just stays bottled up inside you, and that’s what can do something bad to you.
What can you do about stress? First, you can try to find ways to change things so you aren’t under so much stress. You can set up a plan to finish homework or go to a doctor or a psychologist to try to work things out with your family or your friends. But sometimes you can’t change a stressful situation. Sometimes you don’t even want to. A big change might be a good change, but it will still be stressful.
The link(关联) between your body and brain works in two ways. Your body can help your mind deal with stress. If you are under stress, you need to take especially good care of your body. It’s important to get enough sleep and eat nutritious meals. Some people take a vitamin-mineral pill every day. Another thing that you can do is daily exercise. If you go walking or do aerobic(需氧的) dancing or work out at the gym, you give your body a chance to burn up some of that adrenaline. Of course, a person who isn’t used to much physical activity should start slowly. Anyone with a continuing physical problem should check with a doctor before staring any exercise programs.
1. A psychologist is a person who may help you with your ______.
A. illness and abilities                                B. thoughts and behaviour
C. mind and nervous system                       D. physical activity and daily exercise
2. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. You shouldn’t go to the gym if you are under stress.
B. One can do his homework to burn up adrenaline.
C. Diseases and accidents are caused by stress.
D. Everyone needs stress to improve himself.
3. From the last sentence of Paragraph 5 we can infer that ________.
A. it’s difficult to change a stressful situation
B. it’s not stressful when a good change takes place
C. a big change will cause another stressful situation
D. a stressful situation can’t be changed without any effort
4. What is probably the best title for this passage?
A. The body-Brain Link                             B. The Causes of Stress
C. The Advice on Health                                   D. The Nervous System