Lake Victoria is the largest lake in Africa. It is also the second largest lake in the world. It is an important lake because it is one of the sources(源头) for the longest river in the world, the Nile River. Lake Victoria provides a source of water, food, and power(电力) for several African countries. Lake Victoria is a big part of African life.

Unfortunately, Lake Victoria has a problem. It is shrinking. There are several power stations at Lake Victoria in Uganda. These are on the Nile River, and besides producing power, they keep the water of the lake at a certain level. For the past forty years, that level has been 11.9 meters. Over the last several years, the water level has dropped by about 2.5 meters. There seem to be several reasons for this drop.

One possible reason is drought(干旱). Drought has been very bad in the area since 2000. Lake Victoria gets all of its water from rain, so the drought means less water in the lake.

However, some environmentalists believe that the real problem is the power plants(工厂) on Lake Victoria. Uganda depends on those power plants for most of its power, and they made the power plants larger in 2000. Many people believe the power plants have been taking too much water off Lake Victoria. As a result, they have been asked to use less water until Lake Victoria goes back to its old level.

Whether the low water level is caused by drought or power plants, the result is the same. This is already a poor area of Africa, where many people live a really hard life. People, animals and plants around Lake Victoria will suffer even more from low water levels on the lake. Many people need Lake Victoria for fishing or growing food. Fish need the water to live, and animals need it for water. Plants around the lake will die without the water, and then more animals and people will suffer. Unless the lake fills soon, many people will suffer and die.

1.Lake Victoria is __________.

A. an important lake in Africa

B. the largest lake in the world

C. the source of water, food and power for America

D. the only source for the Nile River

2.What does “It is shrinking” most probably mean?

A. It is becoming larger.

B. It is becoming more beautiful.

C. It is becoming smaller.

D. It is becoming more useful.

3.The water level of Lake Victoria is now __________.

A. 2.5 meters     　B. 11.9 meters              C. 14.4 meters          D. 9.4 meters

4.Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A. Rain water is the only source for the lake.

B. There has been little rain in the lake area since 2000.

C. The power plants in Uganda provide water for the lake.

D The power plants in Uganda were made larger in 2000.

5.According to the passage, how can we solve the problems around Lake Victoria?

A. People must build more power plants.

B. More sources of water must be found.

C. Every country should offer some money to Africa.

D. All the people living in the area should move to another place.

If you have a brother or sister, you already know you are different from each other. You live together in the same house and with the same parents, but you have different personalities.

Why is this? One possible reason is the way your parents treat you.

    First–born children receive all the attention from their parents. Most families have twice as many photos of a first–born than any other child．Parents usually give first–borns more responsibility（责任）and depend on them to take care of younger brothers and sisters. As a result, first–borns are often responsible, hard–wording and serious. They often want to do well at school and work. There are more first–born American presidents than second or last-born children—for example, George W. Bush, George Washington, and Lyndon Baines Johnson.

When a second child arrives, parents are not so excited．The second child has to compete with the first–born for the parents’ attention and love. These children often choose different sports and hobbies to do well at school and work, but have to be creative to get their family’s attention. They are often friendly and cool. Many famous talk-show hosts were born last.

（　 ）1. The writer thinks that the second children are often _______.

A．outgoing and serious                     B．cool and friendly

C．hard-working and serious                D．creative and responsible

（　 ）2. The underlined word “personalities” means _______ in the passage.

A．友好                   B．冷静                 C．个性                 D．智商

（　 ）3. _______ is usually the happiest in the family according to the passage.

A．The eldest child                                       B．The second child

C．The youngest child                                  D．The father

（　 ）4. We can learn from the passage that ________.

A．the second child is very similar to the first-born child

B．brothers and sisters usually have the same personalities

C．it’s easy for the second child to get his or her parents’ attention

D．there are more first-born successful people than second or last-born people

（　 ）5. The passage is mainly about          .

A．birth order and personalities

B．the personalities of the second child in a family

C．the personalities of the eldest child in a family

D．the personalities of the youngest child in a family

Lake Victoria is the largest lake in Africa. It is also the second largest lake in the world. It is an important lake because it is one of the sources(源头) for the longest river in the world, the Nile River. Lake Victoria provides a source of water, food, and power(电力) for several African countries. Lake Victoria is a big part of African life.
Unfortunately, Lake Victoria has a problem. It is shrinking. There are several power stations at Lake Victoria in Uganda. These are on the Nile River, and besides producing power, they keep the water of the lake at a certain level. For the past forty years, that level has been 11.9 meters. Over the last several years, the water level has dropped by about 2.5 meters. There seem to be several reasons for this drop.
One possible reason is drought(干旱). Drought has been very bad in the area since 2000. Lake Victoria gets all of its water from rain, so the drought means less water in the lake.
However, some environmentalists believe that the real problem is the power plants(工厂) on Lake Victoria. Uganda depends on those power plants for most of its power, and they made the power plants larger in 2000. Many people believe the power plants have been taking too much water off Lake Victoria. As a result, they have been asked to use less water until Lake Victoria goes back to its old level.
Whether the low water level is caused by drought or power plants, the result is the same. This is already a poor area of Africa, where many people live a really hard life. People, animals and plants around Lake Victoria will suffer even more from low water levels on the lake. Many people need Lake Victoria for fishing or growing food. Fish need the water to live, and animals need it for water. Plants around the lake will die without the water, and then more animals and people will suffer. Unless the lake fills soon, many people will suffer and die.
【小题1】Lake Victoria is __________.

Lake Victoria is the largest lake in Africa. It is also the second largest lake in the world. It is an important lake because it is one of the sources(源头) for the longest river in the world, the Nile River. Lake Victoria provides a source of water, food, and power(电力) for several African countries. Lake Victoria is a big part of African life.

Unfortunately, Lake Victoria has a problem. It is shrinking. There are several power stations at Lake Victoria in Uganda. These are on the Nile River, and besides producing power, they keep the water of the lake at a certain level. For the past forty years, that level has been 11.9 meters. Over the last several years, the water level has dropped by about 2.5 meters. There seem to be several reasons for this drop.

One possible reason is drought(干旱). Drought has been very bad in the area since 2000. Lake Victoria gets all of its water from rain, so the drought means less water in the lake.

However, some environmentalists believe that the real problem is the power plants(工厂) on Lake Victoria. Uganda depends on those power plants for most of its power, and they made the power plants larger in 2000. Many people believe the power plants have been taking too much water off Lake Victoria. As a result, they have been asked to use less water until Lake Victoria goes back to its old level.

Whether the low water level is caused by drought or power plants, the result is the same. This is already a poor area of Africa, where many people live a really hard life. People, animals and plants around Lake Victoria will suffer even more from low water levels on the lake. Many people need Lake Victoria for fishing or growing food. Fish need the water to live, and animals need it for water. Plants around the lake will die without the water, and then more animals and people will suffer. Unless the lake fills soon, many people will suffer and die.

1.Lake Victoria is __________.

A．an important lake in Africa

B．the largest lake in the world

C．the source of water, food and power for America

D．the only source for the Nile River

2.What does “It is shrinking” most probably mean?

A．It is becoming larger.

B．It is becoming more beautiful.

C．It is becoming smaller.

D．It is becoming more useful.

3.The water level of Lake Victoria is now __________.

A．2.5 meters        B．11.9 meters        C．14.4 meters        D．9.4 meters

4.Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A. Rain water is the only source for the lake.

B. There has been little rain in the lake area since 2000.

C. The power plants in Uganda provide water for the lake.

D The power plants in Uganda were made larger in 2000.

5.According to the passage, how can we solve the problems around Lake Victoria?

A．People must build more power plants.

B．More sources of water must be found.

C．Every country should offer some money to Africa.

D．All the people living in the area should move to another place.