Death Valley is one of the most famous deserts in the United States, covering a wide area with its alkali sand. Almost 20 percent of this area is well below sea level, and Badwater, a salt water pool, is about 280 feet below sea level and the lowest point in the United States.

Long ago the Panamint Indians called this place “Tomesha”— the land of fire. Death Valley’s present name dates back to 1849, when a group of miners coming across from Nevada became lost in its unpleasantness and hugeness and their adventure turned out to be a sad story. Today Death Valley has been declared a National Monument(纪念碑) and is crossed by several well-marked roads where good services can be found easily. Luckily the change created by human settlement has hardly ruined the special beauty of this place.

Here nature created a lot of surprising, almost like the sights on the moon, ever-changing as the frequent wind moves the sand about, showing the most unusual colors. One of the most astonishing and variable parts of Death Valley is the Devil’ s Golf Course, where it seems hard for one to tell reality from terrible dreams. Sand sculptures stand on a frightening ground, as evening shadows move and lengthen.

1. _______ is the lowest place in the desert.

　　A. Tomesha     B. Death Valley  C. Nevada    D. Badwater

2. The name of the valley comes from _______.

         A. an Indian name  B. the death of the miners   C. the local people  D. a National Movement

3. From the passage we can learn that _______.

　　A. no one had ever known the desert before the miners

　　B. it’s still not easy to travel across the desert

　　C. people can find gas-stations, cafes and hotels in the desert

　　D. people have changed the natural sight of the desert

4. Devil Golf Course is famous for _______.

         A. the frequent wind   B. the colors of the sand    C. dream-like sights   D. the sand sculptures

5. From the passage we can see that the writer _______ the Death Valley.

　　A. appreciates    B. is fearful of   C. dislikes     D. is tired of

background information

在美国加利福尼亚州与内华达州相毗连的群山之中，有一条特大的“死亡谷”。它长二百二十五公里，宽约六至二十六公里不等，面积达一千四百多平方公里。峡谷两“岸”，悬崖绝壁，地势十分险恶。这里也是北美洲最炽热、最干燥的地区。几乎常年不下雨，更有过连续六个多星期气温超过四十摄氏度的纪录。每逢倾盆大雨，炽热的地方便会冲起滚滚泥流。

vocabulary

alkali  碱性的

monument纪念碑

sculpture雕塑

答案解析

本文介绍了美国的一个著名沙漠——“死亡谷”名称的由来以及 “死亡谷”奇特的风光。

　　1. D. 细节题。根据 …and Badwater, a salt water pool, is about 280 feet below sea level and the lowest point in the United States 可推知此题答案为 D。

　　2. B. 推断题。根据 …when a group of miners coming across from Nevada became lost in its unpleasantness and hugeness and their adventure turned out to be a sad story… 可知“死亡谷”的名称来源于这些迷路矿工的死亡。

　　3. C. 推断题。根据 …well-marked roads where good services can be found easily… 可以判断 C 为最佳答案。

　　4. C. 细节题。根据 …where it seems hard for one to tell reality from terrible dreams 可推知答案为 C。