The Sahara
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 n. 湿度
irrigate v. 灌溉
stretch v. 伸展
camel 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。
考生雅思8分心得:兴趣与技巧同样重要
对2014年雅思考试回忆汇总
对2014雅思考试听力的回忆
关于2014年雅思考试口语回忆
四六级不过照样可以短时间拿下雅思7分
2014年雅思考试A类阅读回忆
2014年雅思考试阅读回忆
短期雅思备考步骤
关于2014雅思考试口语回忆
薛鹏:2014雅思写作解析以及语料库
留澳大二学生雅思的备考之路
夏焱:2014年雅思口语天津外院蹲题记录
高分心得:快速提分 20天突破雅思
雅思考生备考经验之谈:一个月高分攻破雅思
老菜鸟考雅思6.5分的一些小体会
20天高分冲刺雅思考试
菜鸟雅思高分的经验总结
雅思8.5分考生心得
2014雅思考试A类口语回忆
英语菜鸟A类雅思6.5分的经验谈分享
高中生的雅思高分心得
2014年雅思考试口语回忆
2014年的雅思考试听力回忆
对2014年的雅思考试口语回忆
2014年的雅思考试口语回忆
关于2014雅思考试写作题目回忆
高中生考雅思高分感言
雅思考试亲身经历和经验分享
2014雅思考试口语回忆
雅思考试口语回忆
不限 |
英语教案 |
英语课件 |
英语试题 |
不限 |
不限 |
上册 |
下册 |
不限 |