1、Most of the sandstorms that had swept China last year came from foreign land, a Chinese official in charge of desertification (荒漠化) control said on Monday. And the invasions (入侵) could partly explain the frequent sandstorms in the country in recent years despite its achievements in desertification c
2、ontrol.Since the start of last spring, the north and northwestern Chinese regions had been hit by 17 sandstorms, of which, a dozen came from foreign land. Situated in the centralAsia sandstorm region, one of the worlds four largest sandstorm sources, China also suffers from sandstorms from outside t
3、he country while being blamed as a sand source to northeast Asia. The other three major sources are in Africa, North America and Australia.The land suffering from desertification has been decreasing (减少) by 7,585 square kilometres annually in China, and the area of sandy land has also been falling b
4、y 1,284 square kilometres a year. The shrinkage (收缩) forms a clear contrast to the fact that the land suffering from desertification and sandy feature was added by 10,400 square kilometres and 3,436 square kilometres late last century, respectively. Currently, the desertification land in China makes
5、 up 2.64 million square kilometres, accounting for 27.46 percent of the nations land, and its sandy land totals 1.74 million square kilometres, accounting for 18.1 percent of the countrys total. Section_ Introduction they must always look for grasses or desert plants for their animals. They usually
6、live in tents. When there is no more food for their animals, they fold up their tents, pat them on their camels and donkeys, and move to another place. In good years, when there is enough food for their animals, they trade their skins and their goats and camel hairs with the people of oases for whea
7、t and fruit. But in bad years, when there is not enough food for their animals, the people of the desert would attack the oases people. But they are also hospitable;_no man in the desert would ever refuse to give a stranger food and water.语篇解读：沙漠并非仅仅被沙子覆盖，有高高的山丘，深深的山谷，也有一些沙漠植物。沙漠人居无定所，他们的牲畜就是依靠这些植物生
8、存的。5According to the passage, deserts are mostly made up of _.Aclay BrockCsand Dstones解析：选 C 推理判断题。根据第一段第一、二句 “The deserts of the world are not all covered by sand. Many of them have surfaces of rock or clay or small stones.”可知，世界上的沙漠并非全都覆盖着沙。许多沙漠表面有岩石、泥土或小石子，由此可推知，沙漠主要是由沙组成的。故答案为 C 项。6The underline
9、d word “hospitable” has the meaning of being _.Abrave BcruelCstrange Dkind解析：选 D 词义猜测题。根据最后一句中的 “. no man in the desert would ever refuse to give a stranger food and water.”可知，沙漠里没有人会拒绝给一个陌生人食物和水，由此可推断，他们是很友好的(hospitable) ，故答案为 D 项。7In the desert, _.Ait rains in spring onlyBit rains for a short time
10、 every monthCthere is some rain, but far from enoughDthe rainfall is just enough for the plants解析：选 C 推理判断题。根据第一段最后一句 “There is little rain in the desert, but it does not fall often enough for most plants.”可知，沙漠有少量降水，但并不充足。故答案为 C项。8According to the passage, people live _.Aonly inside the oasesBonly
11、outside the oasesCboth inside and outside the oasesDin places with regular rainfalls解析：选 C 推理判断题。根据第二段第二句中的 “People also live outside oases (绿洲)”和第三段第四句中的“. they trade their skins and their goats and camel hairs with the people of oases for wheat and fruit.”可知，人们有住在绿洲内的，也有住在绿洲外的。故答案为 C 项。CThe skies
12、are raining big blocks of ice, and experts are trying to learn whats going on.For the second time in six days, California was attacked by ice balls. The latest happened on early Thursday. A large block of ice dropped into Loma Linda, California. The ice crashed through the metal roof of a fitness ce
13、nter, leaving a hole up to feet wide. No one was hurt.Two tennis players were playing outside the Drayson Center on Thursday morning. Suddenly they heard a strange sound, said Crawford, an official of the Loma Linda Fire Department.A similar event happened last Saturday in Oakland, California. Early
14、 in the morning an ice ball dropped into a field at Bushrod Park and made a hole up to 2 feet wide. Luckily, no one in the park was injured.One theory is the ice was dropped from planes. But theres little direct support for that. A few experts have suggested there may be other causes of similar ice
15、falls, perhaps even global warming.Stories about dropping ice go back for centuries. They didnt begin to receive serious scientific attention until a few years ago, however, when Spain was attacked by a dozen large ice balls in 2000.Scientist Jesus MartinezFrias in Madrid and his team have collected
16、 reports of forty cases around the world since 1999 of puzzling falling ice. He thinks the ice forms in the air by a process similar to the formation of hail (冰雹) inside storms but without a storm.MartinezFrias believes global warming is causing the troposphere (对流层) to rise. This means the roof of
17、the troposphere is forced to a greater height, where it cools more than normal. Thus, the temperature difference between warm and cold air in the troposphere produces strong upanddown winds that repeat the hailformation process, without a storm.语篇解读：本文是一篇说明文。科学家正在努力破解天降冰球之谜。9What took place on Thurs
18、day morning?AA fitness center caught fire.BA big ice ball fell in Loma Linda.CThere was heavy rain in Loma Linda.DTwo tennis players were hit by an ice ball.解析：选 B 细节理解题。由第二段中的 “A large block of ice dropped into Loma Linda”可知答案。10What is the similarity between the two events in California?ANo one wa
19、s injured.BNo building was destroyed.CBoth were seen by Crawford.DBoth caused a large number of holes.解析：选 A 细节理解题。由第二段中的 “No one was hurt.”和第四段中的“no one in the park was injured”可知，这两起事件都未造成人员受伤。11What do we learn about dropping ice?AIt is very common around the world.BIt often happens in Spain in r
20、ecent years.CIt has been carefully studied since 2000.DIt is most likely to be produced by planes.解析：选 C 细节理解题。由第六段中的 “They didnt begin to receive serious scientific attention until a few years ago . in 2000.”可知，从 2000 年开始，科学家才开始认真研究天降冰球现象。12What is the cause of ice falls according to MartinezFrias?
21、AStrong winds above the troposphere.BThe formation of hail.CGlobal warming.DBig storms.解析：选 C 细节理解题。由最后一段中的 “MartinezFrias believes global warming is causing the troposphere(对流层) to rise.”可知答案。.阅读七选五What do you do to take care of the books in your library? Some collectors refuse to read the books in
22、 their collections, so the books remain in good condition. Others buy two copies of a book: they read one, and leave the other untouched. _1_ Here are some tips to remember if you want your books to remain in good condition.Avoid writing.You may have been told to write in your books, or even to unde
23、rline words, phrases, and paragraphs. But if you plan to keep the book, add it to your library, or even sell it, dont write in the book. _2_ Use a notebook to take notes or use pieces of paper. If you are required to write in your book, use a pencil, and remove the markings later.Avoid food and drin
24、ks.Food and drinks are things that may be dangerous to your books, so the best way is to avoid eating or drinking while you read. If you need to read while you eat, make sure your fingers are clean and dry as you hold the book or turn the pages. _3_Take care._4_ Dont let it drop to the ground. When
25、you read the book, dont fold (折) the corners of the pages (use a bookmark instead). Dont place your book with the book open, face down. Youd better use a book cover to keep your book in the best condition._5_If you want to take care of your books, keep your books on a shelf when you are not reading
26、them. But, also, take care that the books should be placed in an upright (竖直的) position.APut it on the shelf.BProtect it from dust.CThe ink may damage your book forever.DWhen you handle your book, hold it with care.ENo one knows exactly how to protect their books.FAlso, keep the book well away from food and drinks.GHowever, many readers must read their books, but they still want to protect them.答案：15 GCFDA