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 (懸崖) 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.

56. Many plants may survive in deserts when ______.

A. the rain is spread out in a year            

B. the rain falls only in a few weeks

C. there is little rain in a year                

D. it is dry all the year round

57. 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

58. 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

59. 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

It was the district sports meet. My foot still hadn’t healed（痊愈）from a（n）  36   injury . I had   37   whether or not I should attend the meet. But there I was,   38   for the 3,000-meter run.

“Ready … set …” The gun popped and we were off. The other girls rushed   39   me. I felt   40   as I fell farther and farther behind.

“Hooray!” shouted the crowd. It was the loudest   41   I had ever heard at a meet. The first-place runner was two laps（圈）ahead of me when she crossed the finish line.

“Maybe I should   42  ,” I thought as I moved on.   43  , I decided to keep going. During the last two laps, I ran   44   and decided not to   45   in track next year. It wouldn’t be worth it,   46   my foot did heal.

When I finished, I heard a cheer—  47   than the one I’d heard earlier. I turned around and   48  , the boys were preparing for their race . “They must be cheering for the boys.”

I was leaving   49   several girls came up to me. “Wow, you’ve got courage!” one of them told me.

“Courage? I just   50   a race! ” I thought.

“I would have given up on the first lap,” said another girl. “We were cheering for you. Did you hear us?”

Suddenly I regained   51  . I decided to  52   track next year. I realized strength and courage aren’t always   53   in medals and victories, but in the   54   we overcome（戰(zhàn)勝）. The strongest people are not always the people who win,   55   the people who don’t give up when they lose.

36. A. slighter         B. worse         C. earlier         D. heavier

37. A. expected       B. supposed           C. imagined            D. doubted

38. A. late              B. eager          C. ready          D. thirsty

39. A. from behind  B. ahead of            C. next to        D. close to

40. A. ashamed       B. astonished          C. excited        D. frightened

41. A. cheer           B. shout          C. cry                    D. noise

42. A. slow down    B. drop out            C. go on         D. speed up

43. A. Therefore     B. Otherwise          C. Besides              D. However

44. A. with delight   B. with fear            C. in pain        D. in advance

45. A. play             B. arrive         C. race                  D. attend

46. A. even if         B. only if        C. unless         D. until

47. A. weaker         B. longer         C. lower          D. louder

48. A. well enough                        B. sure enough      

C. surprisingly enough                    D. strangely enough

49. A. while            B. when          C. as                     D. since

50. A. finished        B. won                  C. passed        D. lost

51. A. cheer           B. hope          C. interest              D. experience

52. A. hold on B. turn to               C. begin with          D. stick with

53. A. measured      B. praised              C. tested         D. increased

54. A. sadness         B. struggles            C. diseases             D. tiredness

55. A. or         B. nor                   C. and                   D. but

 --_____ The train is about to leave.

   --But where’s the ticket?

A. Hang on a minute!                   B. How do you do?

C. Get a move on!                       D. I don’t get it.

 The girl came ______ to the cinema only ______ the tickets had been sold out.

A. to run; telling                           B. running; to be told     

C. and ran; being told                   D. running; to tell

 –Do you know where David is? He is not in the office.

   --Well, he ______ have gone far—his coat is still here.

A. shouldn’t         B. mustn’t           C. can’t        D. wouldn’t

 The days are gone ______ physical strength was all you needed to make a living.

A. when          B. that                   C. where         D. which

 Canada is a country ______ many different nationalities as well as one with foreign immigrants ______ the majority of its population.

A. making up of; occupied with             B. consisting of; making up

C. made up of; consisting of          D. consisted of; taking up

 In the last few years thousands of films ______ all over the world.

A. have produced                         B. have been produced  

C. are producing                          D. are being produced

 The old man slowly ______ to his feet and left the meeting room.

A. raised         B. rose                  C. lifted          D. increase

 He had his camera ready ______ he saw something that would make a good picture.

A. even if      B. if only        C. in case        D. so that