Most of the sandstorms that had swept China last year came from foreign land, a Chinese official in charge of desertification(荒漠化) control said on Monday. And the invasions(入侵)could partly explain the frequent sandstorms in the country in recent years despite its achievements in desertification control.
Since the start of last spring, the north and northwestern Chinese regions had been hit by 17 sandstorms, of which, a dozen came from foreign land.
Situated in the central Asia sandstorm region, one of the world’s four largest sandstorm sources, China also suffers from sandstorms from outside the country while being blamed as a sand source to northeast Asia. The other three major sources are in Africa, North America and Australia.
The land suffering from desertification has been decreasing by 7,585 square kilometres annually in China, and the area of sandy land has also been falling by 1,284 square kilometres a year.
The shrinkage(收缩)forms a clear contrast to the fact that the land suffering from desertification and sandy feature was added by 10,400 square kilometers and 3,436 square kilometers late last century, respectively.
Currently, the desertification land in China makes up 2.64 million square kilometres, accounting for 27.46 percent of the nation’s land, and its sandy land totals 1.74 million square kilometres, accounting for 18.1 percent of the country’s total.
1.What does the underlined word “decreasing” mean in Paragraph 4?
A. Going down. B. Going up.
C. Coming from. D. Taking up.
2.Where do most of the sandstorms in China come from?
A. The northwestern Chinese regions. B. The northern Chinese regions.
C. The western part of China. D. Foreign countries.
3.Which of the following is believed to be the sand source to northeast Asia?
A. Mongolia. B. Africa.
C. China. D. Australia.
4.What can we infer from this passage?
A. The land in China suffering from desertification has been increasing greatly.
B. China has made achievements in its own desertification control.
C. The desertification land makes up nearly half of China’s territory.
D. Little progress has been made in controlling desertification in China.
受某英语报的委托，你最近对高中生的英语阅读兴趣做了一次调查。请根据以下信息，用英语为该报写一篇报告并谈谈你的看法。
1．调查内容：在新闻、故事、科普、学习方法四种英语文章中，学生更喜欢哪一种？
2．调查范围：江苏省的10所中学；
3．调查人数：1000；
4．调查方式：访谈；
5．调查结果：见图。
注意：
1．不要逐句翻译，但可适当增加内容，以使行文连贯；
2．词数：150词左右。
3．标题及首句已给出，但不计入总词数。
Reading Interests of Senior Middle School Students
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At the beginning of the twentieth century，many people thought that the American family was falling apart.A century later，we know that this was not the case.However，although the family is still alive in the United States，its size and shape were very different 100 years ago.
In the late 1800s and early 1900s，there were mainly two types of families in the United States: the extended and the nuclear.The extended family usually includes grandparents，parents，and children living under the same roof.The nuclear family consists of only parents and children.
Today there are many different kinds of families.Some people live in “traditional” families，that is，a stayhome mother，a working father，and their own biological children.Others live in twopaycheck families，singleparent families，adoptive or foster families，blended families (where men and women who were married before marry again and combine the children from previous marriages into the new families)，childless families，and so on.
What caused the structure of the family to change? In the early 1900s the birthrate began to fall and the divorce rate began to rise.Women were suddenly choosing to go to college and take jobs outside the home.In the 1930s and 1940s，many families faced serious financial，or money problems during the Great Depression，when many people lost their jobs.During World War Ⅱ(1939－1945)，5 million women were left alone to take care of their homes and their children.Because many men were at war，thousands of these “war windows” had to go to work outside their home.
During the next ten years，the situation changed.There were fewer divorces，and people married at a younger age and had more children than the previous generation.It was unusual for a mother to work outside the home during the years when her children were growing up.Families began leaving cities and moving into singlefamily homes in the suburbs.The traditional family seemed to be returning.
In the years between 1960s and 1990s，there were many important changes in the structure of the family.From the 1960s to the early 1970s，the divorce rate doubled and the birthrate fell by half.The number of singleparent families tripled，and the number of couples living together without being married doubled again.In fact，the singleparent household，once unusual，has replaced the “traditional” family as the typical family in the States.If we can judge from history，however，this will probably change again in the twentyfirst century.
The Changes of the American Family
Main comparisons | Contexts | |
Different 1. | There were two 2.types of families in the past， 3.，the extended and the nuclear. | |
| Nowadays 4.types of families can be seen than before. | |
Changes in different 5. | In the 1900s and 1940s | Many of the women had to work outside due to the 6.of money，thus causing the fall of 7. and the rise of divorce rate. |
In the 1950s | Divorce rate slide and there were more children.The families tended to be 8.again. | |
In the years between 1960s and 1990s | Different types of families 9..Traditional families are no longer the typical ones in America. | |
A trend worth noting Author's opinion on changes | Judging from what has happened in the past，it is 10.that the present structure will experience changes again in the near future. | |
Many parents often say their teenage son looks like a grown man.He is taller than his father，and his voice has turned deep.But his behavior is another matter.He makes hurried decisions, tries to smoke and drink，drives cars too fast and always makes his parents annoyed.Why?
That's because his brain is developing more slowly than his body.Researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health and UCLA carried out a longtime study of normal brain development.They found that the frontal lobe (大脑额叶 )，the area responsible for understanding future influences，making wise decisions and controlling impulses(冲动)，does not become mature (成熟的)until the early 20s.
Because of the immature brains，teenagers are easily influenced by the environment and unexpected behavior.So their death rates rise sharply.Research shows that rates of death by injury for people between the age of 15 and 19 are six times those seen in kids aged 10 to 14.The government reports that teens are four times more likely than older drivers to be involved in a car accident and three times more likely to die in one.
Teens may be attracted to drugs and alcohol.Rates of drug and alcohol use are high when compared with those of other age groups.Frances Jensen and David Urion，doctors at Children's Hospital Boston and Harvard Medical School，discovered that adult brain cells recovered (恢复 ) more quickly from alcohol influence than younger brain cells.Jensen said in Harvard Magazine: “For a teenager，what he drank on the weekend is still with him during that test on Thursday.”
Teens aren't making trouble on purpose.They long for freedom，but they are still young.They're still forming into the adults they'll eventually be.And，of course，they won't be at this age forever.Home education plays one of the most important roles in young people's growth，and the influence is most lasting.Finally，they will grow up and become wise adults.
1.Which of the following is NOT the typical behavior of a teenage boy?
A. Driving cars too fast.
B. Making their parents annoyed.
C. Quarreling with their friends.
D. Making careless decisions.
2.Teens death rates rise sharply because of their ________.
A. immature brains
B. brave and impatient character
C. small and cheap cars
D. changeable environments
3.From the last paragraph，we can make the conclusion that ________.
A. teenagers should have freedom to do what they like to do
B. teenagers still require lots of care and attention from their parents
C. teenagers usually make their parents annoyed on purpose
D. teenagers actually know how to make wise decisions
Having a learning disability doesn't mean you can't learn，but you'll need some help and you'll need to work extra hard.If you have a learning disability remember that you are not slow.
Learning disabilities can be genetic(遗传的；基因的 )．That means they can be passed down in families through the genes.But kids today have an advantage over their parents.Educators now know a lot more about the brain and how learning works—and it's easier for kids to get the help they need.
“Dyslexia”is a learning disability that means a kid has a lot of trouble reading and writing.Kids who have trouble with math may have “dyscalculia”．Other kids may have “language disorders”，which means they have trouble understanding language and understanding what they read.
It can be confusing，though.How do we tell if a student has a learning disability? Reading，doing math，and writing letters may be difficult for lots of kids at first.But when those early troubles don't fade away (逐渐消失)after they have grown up，and it's really difficult for them to make any progress，it's possible the kid has a learning disability.
Finding out you have a learning disability can be upsetting.You might feel different from everyone else.But the fact is that learning disabilities are pretty common.And if your learning psychologist has found out which one you're facing，you're on the right route.Now，you can start getting the help you need to do better in school.But for this special help to really work，you'll need to practice the new skills you're learning.It may take a lot of effort (努力) every day.That can be a challenge，but you can do it.Soon，you'll enjoy the results of all your hard work: more fun and success at school!
1.Why does the author say kids today have an advantage over their parents?
A. Because kids can get help from educators.
B. Because kids are clever than their parents.
C. Because kids' learning skills are improved greatly.
D. Because kids are working harder than their parents.
2.Which of the following is TRUE about the learning disability?
A. It is a physical illness.
B. It can be treated by doctors.
C. It always happens to only a few children who are lazy.
D. It makes those who have a learning disability need new learning skills.
3.Which of the following sends the message that you have a learning disability?
A. The teacher says you are a slow student.
B. You have trouble with lessons at a young age.
C. You can't deal with early troubles when you have grown up.
D. Your learning style is quite different from others'.
4.What will happen to a kid if he/she has a learning disability?
A. He/She always fails in exams.
B. He/She will be laughed at by others.
C. He/She will enjoy more fun at school.
D. He/She will get into trouble with learning a certain subject.
Chinese archeologists were therefore surprised in the 1990s to find the remains of an ancient fortification (筑城) in Liqian，a remote town in Yongchang county on the edge of a desert area，which was strikingly similar to Roman defense structures.
They were even more astonished to find Westernlooking people with green，deepset eyes，long hooked noses and blond hair.
Though the villagers said they had never traveled outside the county，they worshipped bulls and their favorite game was similar to the ancient Romans' bullfighting dance.
DNA tests in 2005 confirmed some of the villagers were indeed of Caucasian origin，leading many experts to conclude they are descendants of an ancient Roman army headed by general Marcus Crassus.
“The‘foreign’origin of the Yongchang villagers，as proven by the DNA tests，does not necessarily mean they are of ancient Roman origin.”
Xie Xiaodong，a geneticist from Lanzhou University，also sounded a skeptical note.
“Even if they are descendants of Romans，it doesn't mean they are necessarily from that Roman army，” Xie said.
Their mysterious identity has brought wealth and fame to some of the villagers.
Cai Junnian has yellow wavy hair，a hooked nose and green eyes.A DNA test in 2005 confirmed he is of 56 percent European origin.It made him famous almost overnight.
Reporters，filmmakers，historians and geneticists from around the world pursued him.A Beijing film producer will spend millions to turn the villagers' story into a film.
Lanzhou University's new research body，set up this week by Chinese and Italian anthropologists，is a platform for experts to further research the subject but the research work will certainly be complicated.
The center will help Chinese learn Italian language and culture，he said.“More exchanges will certainly be helpful in unraveling the mystery.”
1.Scientists take DNA tests in order to ________.
A. explain why villagers have the Westernlooking
B. explain why ancient Roman army disappeared
C. explain why villagers are infected with AIDS
D. explain why villagers married at an early age
2.Which is NOT true according to the passage?
A. Romans like bullfighting dance.
B. The villagers are of ancient Roman origin.
C. The research work will be very complicated.
D. Cai Junnian's European origin makes him famous overnight.
3.What's the meaning of the underlined word“unraveling” in the last paragraph?
A. Keeping. B. Discovering.
C. Storing. D. Destroying.
4.Which of the following would be the BEST title for the passage?
A. Chinese Villagers Descended from Roman Soldiers
B. Unforgettable and Fierce Ancient Roman War
C. Similarities Between Chinese and Western People
D. An Introduction to Roman Defense Structures
