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Death Valley is one of the most famous deserts in the United States, covering a wide area with its alkali sand. Almost 20 percent of this area is well below sea level, and Badwater, a salt water pool, is about 280 feet below sea level and the lowest point in the United States.
Long ago the Panamint Indians called this place “Tomesha”— the land of fire. Death Valley’s present name dates back to 1849, when a group of miners coming across from Nevada became lost in its unpleasantness and hugeness and their adventure turned out to be a sad story. Today Death Valley has been declared a National Monument(纪念碑) and is crossed by several well-marked roads where good services can be found easily. Luckily the change created by human settlement has hardly ruined the special beauty of this place.
Here nature created a lot of surprising, almost like the sights on the moon, ever-changing as the frequent wind moves the sand about, showing the most unusual colors. One of the most astonishing and variable parts of Death Valley is the Devil’ s Golf Course, where it seems hard for one to tell reality from terrible dreams. Sand sculptures(沙雕) stand on a frightening ground, as evening shadows move and lengthen.
1._______ is the lowest place in the desert.
A. Tomesha B. Death Valley
C. Nevada D. Badwater
2.The name of the valley comes from _______.
A. an Indian name
B. the death of the miners
C. the local people
D. a National Movement
3.From the passage we can learn that _______.
A. no one had ever known the desert before the miners
B. it’s still not easy to travel across the desert
C. people can find gas-stations, cafes and hotels in the desert
D. people have changed the natural sight of the desert
4.Devil Golf Course is famous for _______.
A. the frequent wind B. the colors of the sand
C. dream-like sights D. the sand sculptures
5.From the passage we can see that the writer _______ the Death Valley.
A. appreciates B. is fearful of
C. dislikes D. is tired of
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One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw Kyle from my class walking home from school. It looked like he was carrying all of his books.
As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running towards him knocking all his books out of his arms so he landed in the dirt. I saw terrible sadness in his eyes.
Handing him his books, I said, "Those guys are fools. They really should get punished." He smiled at me gratefully. It was the smile that showed real gratitude. I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived. We talked all the way home, and I carried his books. I invited him to play football on Saturday with me. Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends.
Graduation day, I saw Kyle. He was one of those guys that really found himself during high school. I could see that he was nervous about his speech. As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began. "Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those tough years: your parents, your teachers, maybe a coach, but mostly your friends. I am here to tell you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give them."
I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the story of the first day we met. He had planned to kill himself over the weekend. He gave me a little smile. "Thankfully, I was saved. My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable." I heard the gasp(倒吸气) go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us all about his weakest moment. I saw his Mom and Dad looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile. Not until that moment did I realize its depth.
Never underestimate the power of your actions. With one small gesture you can change a person’s life. God puts us all in each other’s lives to impact one another in some way. Each day is a gift from God! Don’t forget to say, “Thank you!”
1.When I first met Kyle, he ______.
A. ran with a bunch of kids
B. felt very sorrowful
C. got hurt landing in the dirt
D. was tired from walking
2.The reason why Kyle and I become friends is all the following EXCEPT that _____.
A. I helped him pick up his book
B. I talked with him all the way home
C. I helped him punish the kids chasing him
D. I asked him to play football on weekend
3.In Paragraph4, the underline word “them” refers to _____.
A. your coaches B. your teachers
C. your parents D. your friends
4.What can we infer from Paragraph5?
A. My kindness helped Kyle through his hard time.
B. It was Kyle’s weakest time after he met me.
C. Kyle experienced his hardest time when speaking.
D. Kyle’s parents managed to stop him from killing himself.
5.What is the purpose of the passage?
A. To tell us a story about friendship.
B. To show us the impact of kindness.
C. To advise us to be grateful for God.
D. To help us get through the hard time.
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What is the definition of “happiness?” Is it material wealth filled with fancy cars, a dream house or jewelry? Or does happiness simply mean having a roof over your head? Food in the fridge? Having a swimming pool? A designer Gucci bag? Love? Money? A perfect job?
Do you recall a time----let’s say when you were about 5 years old-----what defined happiness back then? Was it getting a puppy for Christmas? Or maybe, you were a child of divorce; and all you wanted was for Mom and Dad to get back together again? Then as you got older, you were hoping that someone would ask you to the party that would have made your day. During college, good grades made you happy, but it was short-lived. Because in the real world, you had to look for a job, and competition was fierce. But then, you got a perfect job, could you be happy?
We like having and accumulating things. We work so we can pay our rents, credit card debts, school loans, car payments… The list goes on and on. And at some point, we realize that apart from having most of what we want, we still aren’t happy. Now since we’ve learned to adapt to new standards which we’ve created for ourselves, we find that we have less time, less patience, less sleep, which leads to more stress and more anxiety. Therefore, don’t stupidly make a conclusion that happiness is just based on “things”.
Sometimes, we trade our lives for not only basic necessities, but for excessive items and services as well. Certainly, you’ve heard of individuals trying to “find themselves”, or to “rediscover themselves”. But the point has been missed: happiness is already there.
Disappointments and tragedies in life will come and go, but happiness never leaves you. We can lose our jobs, but be grateful for those who love us. We can lose our homes to nature, but be thankful to be alive. If we think we are happy, we are indeed happy. Happiness is merely a perception of each individual.
Happiness is part of love, and love is an ocean. Go dive in and get some, and then share it with everyone, which can be an endless supply. But sharing happiness with people around demands skilful techniques.
1.The author puts forward a lot of questions to__________.
A. ask readers for information
B. compare answers from readers
C. expect positive answers from readers
D. draw readers’ attention to the topic
2.It can be inferred from Para.3 that___________.
A. accumulating things is not a good habit.
B. pressure and worry should be ridded of.
C. people have to work hard to pay for daily necessities
D. some aren’t satisfied with what they have possessed
3.Individuals trying to “rediscover themselves ” fail to realize that___________.
A. they haven’t got lost in the material life
B. each individual has different opinions on happiness
C. there has existed something worth making them happy
D. it is not necessary for them to bear heavy financial burden
4.People will feel happy if__________.
A. they think of the positive aspects of life
B. they seek excessive items and services
C. they have no disappointments in life
D. they can get a puppy for Christmas in their childhood
5.The paragraph following the last will probably talk about___________.
A. the definition of happiness
B. how to share happiness with others
C. the ways to rediscover happiness
D. where to seek happiness in our daily life
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Most young people enjoy some form of physical activity. It may be walking, cycling or swimming, or in winter, skating or skiing. It may be a game of some kind: football, hockey, golf, or tennis. It may be mountaineering.
Those who have a passion for climbing high and steep mountains are often looked upon with astonishment. Why are men and women are willing to suffer cold and hardship, and to take risks on high mountains? This astonishment is caused probably by the difference between mountaineering and other forms of activity to which men give their leisure.
Mountaineering is a sport, not a game. There are no man-made rules, as there are for such games as tennis and football. There are, of course, rules of a different kind which it would be dangerous to ignore, but it is this freedom from man-made rules that makes mountaineering attractive to many people. Those who climb mountains are free to use their own methods.
If we compare mountaineering and other more familiar sports, we might think that one big difference is that mountaineering is not a “team sport”. Then we are mistaken in this. There are, it is true, no “matches” between “teams” of climbers, but when climbers are on a rock surface linked by a rope on which their lives may depend, there is obviously teamwork.
A mountain climber knows that he may have to fight forces that are stronger and more powerful than man. He has to fight the forces of nature. This sport requires high mental and physical qualities.
A mountain climber continues to improve his skills year after year. A skier is probably past his best by the age of thirty, and most international tennis champions are in their early twenties. But it is not unusual for a man of fifty or sixty to climb the highest mountains in Alps. They may take more time than younger men, but they probably climb with more skills than waste less effort.
1.Why is mountaineering not a game?
A. Because it is dangerous.
B. Because it has no man-made rules.
C. Because it is unfamiliar to many people.
D. Because so few people go in for this sport.
2.Mountaineering can be called a team sport because ______.
A. it is an Olympic event
B. teams compete against each other
C. there are five climbers on each team
D. mountaineering may depend on their opponents(对手) when in danger
3.Mountaineers compete against _____.
A. nature
B. high mountains
C. other mountaineers
D. international standards
4.The last paragraph mainly tells us that _____.
A. a mountaineer improves his skill constantly
B. a good mountaineer may be an elderly one
C. mountaineering is different from other sports
D. an elderly man climbs the highest mountains in Alps
5.In this passage the author intends to _____.
A. tell us to have sports
B. introduce us to sports
C. tell us to go mountaineering
D. introduce us to mountaineering
