Question

Deserts are found where there is little rainfall or where rain for a whole year falls in only a few weeks' time. Ten inches of rain may be enough for many plants to survive (存活)if the rain is spread throughout the year, If it falls within one or two months and the rest of the year is dry, those plants may die and a desert may form.

Sand begins as tiny pieces of rock that get smaller and smaller as wind and weather wear them down. Sand dunes (沙丘) are formed as winds move the sand across the desert. Bit by bit, the dunes grow over the years, always moving with the winds and changing the shape. Most of them are only a few feet tall, but they can grow to be several hundred feet high.

There is, however, much more to a desert than sand. In the deserts of the southwestern United States, cliffs (悬崖) and deep valleys were formed from thick mud that once lay beneath a sea more than millions of years ago. Over the centuries, the water dried up. Wind, sand, rain, heat and cold all wore away at the remaining rocks. The faces of the desert mountains are always changing –-very, very slowly ---as these forces of nature continue to work on the rock.

Most deserts have a surprising variety of life. There are plants, animals and insects that have adapted to life in the desert. During the heat of the day a visitor may see very few signs of living things, but as the air begins to cool in the evening, the desert comes to life. As the sun begins to rise again in the sky, the desert once again becomes quiet and lonely.

1.Many plants may survive in deserts when__________________.

A. it is dry all the year round

B. the rain falls only in a few weeks

C. there is little rain in a year

D. the rain is spread out in a year

2.Sand dunes are formed when___________________.

A. sand piles up gradually

B. there is plenty of rain in a year

C. the sea has dried up over the years

D. pieces of rock get smaller

3.The underlined sentence in the third paragraph probably means that in a desert there is____________.

A. too much sand

B. more sand than before

C. nothing except sand

D. something else besides sand

4.It can be learned from the text that in a desert____________.

A. there is no rainfall throughout the year

B. life exists in rough conditions

C. all sand dunes are a few feet high

D. rocks are worn away only by wind and heat

Answer

1.D

2.A

3.D

4.B

【解析】

试题分析：本文主要是对沙漠自然状况的介绍。简述了沙漠的形成、植被、气候特征等。

1.D事实细节题。根据第一段第二句“…for many plants to survive if the rain is spread throughout the year”，如果一年降雨量是10英寸，且降雨分布在全年，那么许多植物就可以生存。throughout the year意思是“全年”或“一年中”。与B项中plenty of rain in a year同义，故选B。

2.A事实细节题，根据第二段第二句和第三句Sand dunes (沙丘) are formed as winds move the sand across the desert. Bit by bit, the dunes grow over the years, always moving with the winds and changing the shape. “当风吹动沙子穿过沙漠、沙丘就形成了。一点一点沙丘会经过几年而增大”，而A项piles up gradually为“逐渐堆积起来”之意。故选A。

3.D句义猜测题。划线句子意思是“可是，对于沙漠来说，有的不仅仅是沙子”也就是说除了沙子还有其它的自然界的东西让沙漠发生变化，并且本段有所描述。

4.B推理判断题。根据最后一段Most deserts have a surprising variety of life. During the heat of the day a visitor may see very few signs of living things, but as the air begins to cool in the evening, the desert comes to life.在最后一段中文章描述到“大多数沙漠都生有让人惊叹的生命，在白天，观光者能够看到很少的生命体，白天一片沉寂与荒凉，只有到晚上，沙漠才有了生机”，依此判断选B。

【名师点睛】

科普类阅读应试策略：

【命题趋势】

阅读理解题主要考查考生对书面语篇的整体领悟能力和接受及处理具体信息的能力。试题的取材，密切联系当前我国和世界经济、科技等方面的变化，有关数据的来源真实可信。因此科普知识类文章是每年的必考题。分析历年的科普类文章我们不难发现以下特点：

1、文章逻辑性强，条理清楚，语法结构简单，用语通俗。

2、文章内容注重科技领域的新发现。内容新颖，从而使文章显得陌生，内容抽象复杂。

3、命题方面注意对具体细节的准确理解和以之为依据的推理判断。如小题4:B推理判断题。根据最后一段Most deserts have a surprising variety of life. During the heat of the day a visitor may see very few signs of living things, but as the air begins to cool in the evening, the desert comes to life.在最后一段中文章描述到“大多数沙漠都生有让人惊叹的生命，在白天，观光者能够看到很少的生命体，白天一片沉寂与荒凉，只有到晚上，沙漠才有了生机”，依此判断选B。

4、以人们的日常行为或饮食健康入手，探讨利弊，诠释过程，阐述概念。

【应试对策】

许多考生在考试时感到困惑的是：为什么一些没有超越中学语法和词汇范围的篇章，读起来却不能正确理解，或者要花费很多时间才能读懂呢？这种现象的产生与阅读方法有很大的关系。例如，有的考生在考试时一见到文章就立刻开始读，结果读了半天，还不知道短文讲的是什么，试题要求了些什么，结果浪费了大量的时间，而阅读效果并不好。那么，怎样读效果才好呢？任何一种阅读方法或技巧的使用，都是由篇章特点和试题本身的要求决定的，应根据不同的体裁和试题要求采取不同的策略。

1、要想做好科普英语阅读理解题，同学们就要注意平时多读科普知识类文章，学习科普知识，积累常见的科普词汇，从根本上提高科普英语的阅读能力。

2、要熟悉科普类文章的结构特点。科普类文章一般由标题(Head line)，导语(Introduction)，背景(Back ground)，主体(Main body)和结尾(End)五部分构成。标题是文章中心思想高度而又精辟的概括，但根据历年的高考情况来看，这类阅读理解材料一般不给标题，而要同学们选择标题。导语一般位于整篇文章的首段。背景交待一个事实的起因。主体则对导语概括的事实进行详细叙述，这一部分命题往往最多，因此，阅读时，同学们要把这部分作为重点。结尾往往也是中心思想的概括，并与导语相呼应，命题者常在此要设计一道推理判断题。

3、在进行推理判断时，同学们一定要以阅读材料所提供的科学事实为依据，同时所得出的结论还应符合基本的科普常识。如小题1:D事实细节题。根据第一段第二句“…for many plants to survive if the rain is spread throughout the year”，如果一年降雨量是10英寸，且降雨分布在全年，那么许多植物就可以生存。throughout the year意思是“全年”或“一年中”。与B项中plenty of rain in a year同义，故选B。

考点：科教类阅读