Question

    Welcome to our program.You may have noticed that the world's population is not evenly （平均）distributed（分散）around our planet.There are some countries where people seem to be living nearly on top of each other because conditions are overcrowded.Then there are others where it seems that hardly anybody lives.What influences this unequal distribution of people? There are specific advantages and disadvantages of living in a certain area.The two main factors that influence people's choice of location are climate and resources.

Climate is the usual weather conditions in a region（地区）.Areas that have bad weather are generally less ideal as places to live in.The north and south poles at the top and bottom of the world may be beautiful in their rugged, natural way, but the disadvantage of the bitterly cold and windy conditions usually keeps people away.When it comes to climate, warm conditions and a normal amount of rainfall are advantages that attract people.

Natural resources are things that we get from nature that help us survive.Each region offers different resources, and therefore attracts different groups of people. People who enjoy the beach car make their living by catching and selling the ocean's many fish and other sea creatures.Those who prefer farming can take advantage of rich soil in valleys near rivers.Some people are willing to accept the disadvantages of the terrible conditions of deserts or mountains in order to take advantage of the resources like oil or woods.

1.The underlined part “on top of”in the first paragraph most likely means_________.

A.on the highest part of B.in control of

C.very close to D.on the surface of

2.The writer thinks many people don't live near the north or south pole because_________.

A.they can't get enough food there

B.the unpleasant weather keeps them away

C.they natural sights there don't attract people

D.the length of nighttime is too short or too long

3.Why do people go and live in valleys near rivers?

A.It's easier for people to grow plants or keep animals.

B.The resources like oil can bring them much money.

C.People can make their living by catching and selling fish.

D.The temperature isn't too low in winter.

4.The purpose of the example in the last paragraph is to tell us_________.

A.people cannot survive in cold conditions

B.People usually prefer living at the seaside to living in mountains

C.a normal amount of rainfall is necessary for people to live in the desert

D.different resources attract different groups of people.

Answer

1.C

2.B

3.A

4.D

【解析】

本文主要介绍了地球上人口在地球上不同地区分布不均的现象，及这一现象的主要原因：气候和资源，并简要介绍了有不同气候、资源的地区人们主要生活方式的不同。

1.词义猜测题。根据文中There are some countries where people seem to be living nearly on top of each other because conditions are overcrowded. 有一些国家那里的人们似乎彼此住的……因为那里的条件太拥挤了。可知前半句的意思是一些国家的人们住的非常拥挤，也就是彼此之间住的非常近，所以这里on top of相当于very close to，指的是“非常接近”，所以这里C选项的意思符合，故选C。

2.细节理解题。根据文中The north and south poles at the top and bottom of the world may be beautiful in their rugged, natural way, but the disadvantage of the bitterly cold and windy conditions usually keeps people away.可知，人们不会在南北极居住是因为那里的气候条件太差了，故选B。

3.细节理解题。根据文中Those who prefer farming can take advantage of rich soil in valleys near rivers. 喜欢耕种的人可以利用河流附近山谷的肥沃土壤。可知他们喜欢住在临近溪流的山谷里是因为他们可以利用山谷附近的肥沃土壤种植，并且饲养动物也能够更方便的得到水，故选A。

4.推理判断题。根据文中最后一段Natural resources are things that … in order to take advantage of the resources like oil or woods.的理解可知，主要讲述的是不同的地区有不同的气候资源，所以会有不同的生活人群，以及举的几个例子：在海边的，在山谷里的，甚至在大山沙漠里的……，所以举例就是为了说明观点不同的资源会吸引不同的生活人群，故选D。