A desert is a very dry land where there is hardly any rain. In the day, it can be so hot that you could fry an egg on the ground. But during the night it is sometimes so could that water would turn into ice.






Many desserts are covered in sand. But some have mountains, rocks, or lakes that have dried up in the heat. The Great American Dessert has cliffs(悬崖) that have been made into amazing and beautiful shapes by the wind. The Sahara Desert in Africa is mostly sand. The Australian Desert has red sand.
Sometimes it does not rain for a whole year in the desert. But there is water deep under the ground and some plants have roots that go very deep to find it. Other plants have roots that spread out(延伸) a long way so they can suck up the rain as soon as it falls.
One desert plant is the cactus, which has long, spreading roots. The cactus stores water inside its hard skin. This skin protects it from heat and cold.
Camels are a bit like cactus plants! They store water too—inside their bodies. They have special fur which protects them from the sun during the day and keeps them warm at night.
Some other animals live in deserts, too. They have to be very good at seeing and hearing because most of them only come out at night. This is why many desert animals have extra big eyes or ears.
A desert fox has bigger ears than a normal for. A gerbil has huge eye, so that it can see at night. It stays cool in the day by staying underground, like most desert animals.
Some people live in the desert but they always make their homes near an oasis. An oasis is where water comes from an underground river. Near an oasis, people can grow lots of plants and keep animals.
Life is hard in the desert, for people, animals and plants. But desert people like to live there.
【小题1】A desert is very dry because__________.

A．it is sandy	B．there is so little rain
C．the wind is strong	D．there is no water deep under the ground

【小题2】What does the underlined phrase"suck up"in paragraph 3 mean_________?

A．围堵

B．讨好

C．释放

D．吸收

【小题3】Some desert animals have extra big eyes or ears because__________.

A．the sunlight is too strong in the day	B．they need to see and hear well at night
C．it is very cold at nigh	D．they store water in them.

【小题4】Most desert animals stay cool in the day by_________.

A．storing water in side their bodies	B．drinking water as much as they can
C．staying underground	D．growing lots of plants

【小题5】Which of the following is true?

A．Desert people like to live in the desert though life is hard.

B．People in the desert usually fry eggs on the ground.

C．Camels have special fur to store water.

D．All the deserts are covered in sand.

A study finds that not enough morning light causes teenagers not to get enough sleep at night. “As teenagers spend more time indoors, they miss necessary morning light. Day light is needed to keep the balance of the body’s 24-hour biological system (生物系统), which regulates (调节) body temperature and sleep styles,” reports Dr. Mariana Figueiro. “These teenagers who receive little morning light are going to bed later, getting less sleep and doing badly in tests. They are more likely to fail in their exams.”
In the study, Dr. Figueiro asked 11 students in Grade 8 to wear special glasses to prevent blue morning light from reaching their eyes. At the end of the 5-day study she found that they fell asleep 30 minutes later than usual.
Throughout her research, Dr. Figueiro has been very worried about teenagers going to bed too late. The problem is that today’s schools require teenagers to be in school very early in the morning. These students are likely to miss the morning light because they often go to school before the sun is up or as it’s just rising.
Furthermore (此外), the schools are not likely to provide enough electric light to keep the balance of this biological system. Our biological system is much more sensitive (敏感的) to blue light. Therefore, having lots of light in the classroom does not make sure that there is enough light to keep our biological system balanced.
【小题1】Which of the following is the result of the study?

A．Blue light in the morning harms the biological system.

B．Not enough morning light keeps teenagers sleep less.

C．Not getting more light in the morning make teenagers happy.

D．Not enough sleep makes teenagers fail in tests.

【小题2】We know from the passage that morning light __________.

A．has the same effects as afternoon light

B．may change studying habits of teenagers

C．is important to children’s biological system

D．has no effect on students’ tests

【小题3】What’s the problem of the students according to the study?

A．There are not enough electric lights in the classroom.

B．Being in school early affects their study habits.

C．They have to go to bed very early to have enough sleep.

D．They go to school too early to get enough morning light.

   A Chinese couple forced their 4- year- old son to run naked (裸体的)during a snowstorm with the temperature dipping to -13℃ in New York, where they were enjoying a holiday.
The boy's father calls himself "Eagle Dad". He says he follows the parenting style of eagles, which are known to push their babies off cliffs（悬崖）so that they learn to fly by themselves.
Different people have different ideas about it. Some people think it is proper to do like "Eagle Dad". The 4- year- old boy, Duoduo, was weak since he was born, so his father tried to help him train to keep strong. But others disagree, they think we should concentrate more on the best ways to teach children in these fast changing times.
Different families use different methods to teach children, but all of them should be allowed by the law. Parents should pay full attention to children's physical and metal conditions, and make sure the ways can help their children think and act positively.
As long as parents know this, they can use different methods to educate children. Every child has different character. Some children grow up to be success under the guidance of (在......指引下)"eagle dads" or "tiger moms". Others are also successful growing up under more considerate elders.
【小题1】Duoduo was made to     on a snowy day.

A．stay at home

B．exercise

C．jump from a cliff

D．go to school

【小题2】Duoduo's father was inspired by     .

A．the ways eagles train their babies	B．how eagles feed their babies
C．how baby eagles fell from the cliffs	D．the place where eagles live

【小题3】 The third paragraph mainly tells us      .

A．the best way to train children	B．Duoduo was weak when he was born
C．modern society has influenced on children	D．two different opinions to the event

【小题4】The writer thought parents should     .

A．be strict with children	B．be kind to children
C．choose proper ways to educate children	D．tell children to obey the laws

【小题5】 Which of the following is WRONG?

A．The event happened in America.	B．Duoduo was only four years old.
C．The writer didn't agree "eagle dad’s” educating method.
D．Different children have different characters.

A desert is a very dry land where there is hardly any rain. In the day, it can be so hot that you could fry an egg on the ground. But during the night it is sometimes so could that water would turn into ice.






Many desserts are covered in sand. But some have mountains, rocks, or lakes that have dried up in the heat. The Great American Dessert has cliffs(悬崖) that have been made into amazing and beautiful shapes by the wind. The Sahara Desert in Africa is mostly sand. The Australian Desert has red sand.
Sometimes it does not rain for a whole year in the desert. But there is water deep under the ground and some plants have roots that go very deep to find it. Other plants have roots that spread out(延伸) a long way so they can suck up the rain as soon as it falls.
One desert plant is the cactus, which has long, spreading roots. The cactus stores water inside its hard skin. This skin protects it from heat and cold.
Camels are a bit like cactus plants! They store water too—inside their bodies. They have special fur which protects them from the sun during the day and keeps them warm at night.
Some other animals live in deserts, too. They have to be very good at seeing and hearing because most of them only come out at night. This is why many desert animals have extra big eyes or ears.
A desert fox has bigger ears than a normal for. A gerbil has huge eye, so that it can see at night. It stays cool in the day by staying underground, like most desert animals.
Some people live in the desert but they always make their homes near an oasis. An oasis is where water comes from an underground river. Near an oasis, people can grow lots of plants and keep animals.
Life is hard in the desert, for people, animals and plants. But desert people like to live there.
【小题1】A desert is very dry because__________.

A．it is sandy	B．there is so little rain
C．the wind is strong	D．there is no water deep under the ground

【小题2】What does the underlined phrase"suck up"in paragraph 3 mean_________?

A．围堵

B．讨好

C．释放

D．吸收

【小题3】Some desert animals have extra big eyes or ears because__________.

A．the sunlight is too strong in the day	B．they need to see and hear well at night
C．it is very cold at nigh	D．they store water in them.

【小题4】Most desert animals stay cool in the day by_________.

A．storing water in side their bodies	B．drinking water as much as they can
C．staying underground	D．growing lots of plants

【小题5】Which of the following is true?

A．Desert people like to live in the desert though life is hard.

B．People in the desert usually fry eggs on the ground.

C．Camels have special fur to store water.

D．All the deserts are covered in sand.

B

Sun Liping, 6 , lives in a small village in Yunnan. Her biggest wish is to have running water in her home. All 35 families in Sun’s village have a serious problem--- they don’t have enough water. Every day, the villagers have to walk 20 minutes to get water.

Last year, the worst drought since the 1950s hit Yunnan, making more than 2 million people short of drinking water. This year, the drought is even worse.

Not only Yunnan, but many other provinces in China are short of water as well, such as Gansu and Qinghai.

According to a report on February 17, each Chinese person has about 28% of the world’s average（平均的） person’s amount of available(可用的) water. Two thirds of China’s cities are short of water and nearly 300 million people in rural areas don’t have safe water for drinking.

Every drop of water is important. Waste a drop of water a day and you lose a bucket(桶) a year. How can we use water in a smart way? Here are some tips for you to save water in your daily life:

1. Put plastic bottles of water in your toilet to cut down the water waste when you flush (冲洗) your toilet.

2. Don’t keep the water running while you’re brushing your teeth or washing your face and hands.

3. Use low-flow(低流量) shower heads .

4. Use a bucket to collect shower water while you wait for it to warm up.

5. Make your shower time shorter.

6. Set up a rain bucket to collect rainwater for watering plants or flowers.

1. What is the problem in Sun’s village?

A．They don’t have enough food.

B．They don’t have enough water.

C．They have to walk far away to go to school.

D．There are fewer and fewer villagers.

2. What does the underlined word drought mean in the second paragraph?

A．饥饿

B．干旱

C．水灾

D．贫穷

3. According to the report, __________________________________.

A. China has just 28 percent of the world’s available water.

Each Chinese person can use more water than the world’s average person.

There is not enough water in two thirds of China’s cities.

D. There are about 300 million people in China’s cities who don’t have enough water.

4.Which of the following would lead to a waste of water?

A．Using low-flow shower heads.

B．Collecting shower water while waiting for it to warm up.

C．Taking a quick shower.

D．Keeping the water running while brushing one’s teeth.