The name Sahara derives from the Arabic word for desert or steppe. At 3. 5 million square miles,an area roughly the size of the United States,the Sahara Desert in northern Africa is the largest desert in the world. lt spans the continent from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea. Daytime temperatures can reach as high as 130F. The humidity sometimes gets into the teens. But it can also be as low as 2. 5 percent,the lowest in the world. Most of the Sahara receives less than five inches of rain per year,while large areas sometimes have no rainfall at all for years.
At the heart of the Sahara is the landlocked north African country of Niger. Here the sand dunes can be 100 feet tall and several miles long. Here sand plains stretch over an area larger than Germany where there is neither water nor towns. Yet sitting in the midst of the surrounding desert is the town of Bilma. Suddenly there are pools of cIear water. Surprisingly,there are groves of date palms. Underground water resources,or oases,sufficient to support irrigated agriculture are found in dry stream beds and depressions. Irrigation ditches run off a creek to water fields. Corn,cassava,tea,peanuts,hot peppers,and orange,lime,and grapefruit trees grow in these fields. Donkeys and goats graze on green grass.
The Sahara of Niger is still a region where you can see a camel caravan of 500 camels tied together in loose lines as long as a mile,traveling toward such oasis towns. There a caravan will collect life-sustaining salt,which is mined from watery basins,and transport it up to 400 miles back to settlements on the edges of the desert. The round trip across the vast sands takes one month.
词汇:
Humidity /hjumId t l/ n. 湿度 irrigate / lrlgelt/ v. 灌溉
stretch / stret / v. 伸展 camel /k m l/ n. 骆驼
date palms n. 椰枣树
注释:
1. Underground water resources,or oases,sufficient to support irrigated agriculture are found in dry stream beds and depressions. 在干河床和洼地处可找到充足的地下水资源或者绿洲来支持灌溉农业。
2. Irrigation ditches run off a creek to water fields. 灌溉沟渠通过一条小溪到达水田中。
3. Donkeys and goats graze on green grass. 青草上放养着驴和山羊。
练习:
1. This passage is mostly about _______.
A) life in the Sahara
B) the deserts of Africa
C) Bilma
D) how camels travel in the desert
2. Rainfall in most of the Sahara is_______.
A) less than five inches per year
B) less than ten inches per year
C) less than twenty inches per year
D) zero
3. The Sahara can be described as_______.
A) a place of contrasts
B) a place where no one Iives
C) an area where the winters are cold
D) an area that appeals to many tourists
4. The phrase an area roughly the size of the United States gives an indication of the size of_______.
A) northern Africa
B) Niger
C) the Sahara
D) all of Africa
5. In this passage caravan means _______.
A) traveling circus
B) group traveling together through difficult country
C) railroad train
D) a small,fast sailing ship
答案与题解:
1. A 本题问的是:这篇文章主要讲了什么?根据文段,本文主要介绍了撒哈拉沙漠的地理概 况,城镇的农业,以及城镇之间的日常来往。B 选项范围过宽。C 选项不全面,文章不止介绍了比尔马的情况。D 选项文中没有具体介绍。所以 A 是对的。
2. A 本题问的是:在撒哈拉的绝大多数地区,降雨情况如何?根据第一段的最后一句话,撒哈拉的绝大多数地区每年降雨量低于 5 英寸。所以 A 正确。
3. A 本题问的是:撒哈拉沙漠可以被描述成什么? A 的意思是,一个具有强烈对比的地方。B 的意思是杳无人烟的地方。C 的意思是冬天很冷的地区。D 的意思是吸引很多游客的地方。B,C,D 均不符合文意,因此 A 正确。
4. C 本题问的是:句子大约和美国大小相当的地区指明的是什么地方的大小?根据第一段的第二句话可知,本句的主语是撒哈拉沙漠。因此 C 正确。
5. B 本题问的是:文中caravan的意思是什么? A 的意思是旅行马戏团。C 是火车。D 是又小又快的帆船。根据文中的介绍,穿过沙漠的驼队由上百只骆驼组成,来到绿洲城镇收集 盐,因此 B 选项一群人一起穿过条件恶劣的国家是正确的。
2017届高考英语一轮复习话题复习课件:模块必修3 话题13 财富人生(新人教版必修模块)
2017届高考英语一轮复习话题复习课件:模块必修1 话题2 语言学习(新人教版必修模块)
2017届高考英语一轮复习夯实训练:Unit 5《Rhythm》(北师大版含解析)
特朗普座驾“野兽”曝光 看看总统新车长啥样?
有哪些秘密只有心理学家才知道?
2017届高考英语一轮复习话题复习课件:模块必修1 话题3 旅游交通(新人教版必修模块)
2017届高考英语一轮复习话题复习课件:模块必修2 话题7 体育运动(新人教版必修模块)
2017届高考英语一轮复习夯实训练:Unit 3《Celebration》(北师大版含解析)
2017届高考英语一轮复习话题复习课件:模块必修2 话题6 历史文化(新人教版必修模块)
2017届高考英语一轮复习夯实训练:Unit 23《Conflict》(北师大版含解析)
记者探秘:瑞典冰雪酒店奇妙之旅
2017届高考英语一轮复习话题复习课件:模块必修3 话题11 节假活动(新人教版必修模块)
2017届高考英语一轮复习话题复习课件:模块必修1 话题4 自然灾害(新人教版必修模块)
2017届高考英语一轮复习《创新大课堂》课时作业:37(新人教版含解析)
2017届高考英语一轮复习话题复习课件:模块必修4 话题18 语言幽默(新人教版必修模块)
2017届高考英语一轮复习话题复习课件:模块必修2 话题9 生物保护(新人教版必修模块)
男性吸引力的3个强大的迹象:需要留意的事
4个简单步骤助你拥有一个丰收年
2017届高考英语一轮复习话题复习课件:模块必修4 话题17 农业技术(新人教版必修模块)
2017届高考英语一轮复习《创新大课堂》课时作业:33(新人教版含解析)
2017届高考英语一轮复习话题复习课件:模块必修4 话题20 主题公园(新人教版必修模块)
2017届高考英语一轮复习《创新大课堂》课时作业:38(新人教版含解析)
2017届高考英语一轮复习话题复习课件:模块必修2 话题10 文娱活动(新人教版必修模块)
2017届高考英语一轮复习话题复习课件:模块必修5 话题23 计划愿望(新人教版必修模块)
2017届高考英语一轮复习《创新大课堂》课时作业:35(新人教版含解析)
2017届高考英语一轮复习《创新大课堂》课时作业:40(新人教版含解析)
科技公司挑战传统银行 纷纷入局支付大战
2017届高考英语一轮复习话题复习课件:模块必修5 话题21 科普知识(新人教版必修模块)
行政拘留年龄拟降至14岁 有关专家对此反应不一
2017届高考英语一轮复习夯实训练:Unit 1《Lifestyles》(北师大版含解析)