The earth is about 4,600 million years old. Modern man has lived on the earth for only 35,000 years, but during that time, we have changed our planet in many ways. Many of the things that we have done are good, but more are not good for the earth.

Water pollution

A lot of people, birds and fish die each day because of water pollution. Factories have polluted the land and the water. As a result, many rivers and lakes are now dead.

Air pollution

In big cities, factories, as well as cars, trucks and buses are the main cause of air pollution. Many people in cities now have serious health problems. For example, Mexico city used to be a beautiful sunny capital, but today it is always covered by thick brown clouds.

Soil pollution

In order to have a good harvest, most of the farmers use chemicals too much in their fields. That’s bad for the soil. But this kind of pollution is difficult to stop.

Hope for the future

These problems are very serious for our future, so all of us should do something to improve our environment. If we can stop pollution, our planet will become more and more beautiful and our health will be better. Let’s be greener people!

(   56._____ have made the earth change a lot.

A.Human beings       B.Animals              C.Plants                D.People in other planets

(  )57.There are _____ kinds of pollution in this passage.

A.two                            B.three                  C.four                   D.five

(   )58.Pollution isn’t a big problem now, is it?

A.Yes, it is.              B.No, it isn’t.         C.Yes, there is.       D.No, there isn’t.

(   )59.Which sentence is NOT right according to the passage?

A.Most of things that we have done are good for our planet.

B.We must stop the factories from pouring waste water into the rivers and lakes.

C.Because of water pollution, many rivers and lakes are now dead.

D.Water pollution is very serious nowadays.

(   )60.Which sentence is RIGHT?

A.Though Mexico city is always covered by thick brown clouds, it’s still a beautiful sunny capital.

B.Air pollution can make people sick.

C.Now fewer farmers use chemicals in the fields.

D.Factories, cars, trucks and buses are the main cause of soil pollution.

From a plane we can see the fields, cities, mountains or seas below. If we go into space, we see more and more of the earth. People and man-made satellites have been sent out into space to look at the earth carefully and people have learnt more about the earth in the last few years.

    The sea looks very beautiful when the sun is shining on it: But it can be very terrible when there is a strong wind. The sea is very big. It nearly covers three quarters of the earth. The sea is also very deep in some places. There is one place and at that place the sea is about l1 kilometers deep. The highest mountain in the world is about 9 kilometers high. If that mountain was put into the sea at that place, there would be still 2 kilometers of water above it!

    In most parts of the sea, there are many kinds of fishes and plants. Some live near the top of the sea. Others live deep down. There are also a lot of small living things, and lots of fishes live by eating them. The sea can be very cold. When people go down the sea becomes colder and colder. Only some men can go down into the deep sea. But in 1970, five women scientists ( 科學(xué)家) lived in the deep sea for fourteen days.

56. This passage is _____     

     A. a short story                      B. for science reading

     C. a piece of news                     D. a report

57. The sea covers about _____ of the earth.

     A. One third                                       B. One fourth  

     C. Two quarters                                     D. Three fourths

58  _______  are not mentioned(提及) in this passage.

     A. Fishes         B. Plants          C. Islands    D. Living things

59. Which of the following is Not true ?

     A. The sea is usually beautiful when the sun is shining.

     B. The sea is always very terrible when the wind blows hard.

     C. The highest mountain in the deepest place of the sea.

     D. The deeper the people go into the sea, the colder they will feel,

60. The last sentence "But in 1970, five women scientists lived in the deep sea        for fourteen days means that ______    

     A. women wanted to live in the deep sea for a long time.

     B. women could go deeper into the sea than men.

     C. women  liked  living in the deep sea better than men.

     D. women could do the same work as men.

       There are many unusual hotels around the world. In Greenland, there is a hotel made out of ice, open between December and April every year. In Turkey, there is a cave hotel with a television, furniture, and a bathroom in each room. And in Bolivia, there is the Salt Palace Hotel.

       Thousands of years ago, the area around the Salt Palace Hotel was a large lake. But over time, all the waiter disappeared. Today, the area has only two small lakes and two salt deserts.

       The larger of the two deserts, the Uyuni salt desert, is 12,000 square kilometres. During the day, the desert is bright white because of the salt. There are no roads across the Uyuni desert, so local people must show guests the way to the hotel.

       In the early 1990s, a man named Juan Quesada built the hotel. He cut big blocks of salt from the desert and used the blocks to build it. Everything in the hotel is made out of salt: the walls, the roof(屋頂), the tables, the chairs, the beds, and the hotel’s bar.

       The sun heats（使變熱） the walls and roof during the day. At night the desert is very cold, but the rooms stay warm. The hotel has twelve rooms. A single room costs＄40 a night, and a double room costs＄60.

       A sign on the hotel’s wall tells guests, “ Please don’t lick（添）the walls.”

1. What is unique about the Salt Palace Hotel?

       A. its long history.                             B. the price of the rooms.

C. the guests that stay there.               D. what it is made of.

2. Which sentence about the area around the Salt Palace Hotel is NOT true?

A. It was a lake many years ago.

B. It is white during the day.

       C. There are several roads to the hotel.

       D. It is more than 10,000 square kilometers.

3. Where did the salt used for the hotel come from?

A. a salt factory                   B. the ground               C. Turkey       D. the walls of the hotel

4. What keeps the rooms warm at night?

       A. heat from the walls           B. the desert air      C. the sun       D. the furniture