The volcano erupted violently; yet the village at the foot o

The volcano is one of the most surprising frightening things of nature. Maybe you have seen pic­tures of these " fireworks " of nature. Sometimes when a volcano erupts, a very large wall of melted rock moves down the side of a mountain. It looks like a " river of fire". Sometimes volcanoes ex­plode, throwing the melted rock and ashes high into the air. But where does this melted rock come from?
The earth is made up of many layers (层). The top layer that we see is called the crust. Under the crust are many layers of hard rock. But far, far beneath the crust the rock is so hot that it is soft. In some places it even melts. The melted rock is called magma. Sometimes the magma breaks out to the surface through cracks (裂缝) in the crust. These cracks are volcanoes.
Most people think of mountains when they think of volcanoes. But not every mountain is a volca­no. A volcano is simply the opening in the earth from which the magma escapes. The hot magma, or lava as it is called, cools and builds up on the surface of the earth. Over thousands of years, this pile of cooled lava can grow to be very, very big. For example, the highest mountain in Africa, Kilimanja­ro, is a volcano. It rises more than 16,000 feet above the ground around it.
8. The underlined word "erupts" means ______.
A. moves down B. breaks away C. builds up D. suddenly throws out lava
9. Which words in the passage have the same meaning as "melted rock"?
A. volcano and crustB. crust and hard rock
C. magma and lavaD. volcano and magma
10. Which is the correct order of the layers of the earth (beginning with the top layer)?
A. crust — hard rock — magma — soft rock
B. crust — hard rock — soft rock — magma
C. agma — soft rock — hard rock — crust
D. volcano — cracks — magma — crust
11. The best title of the passage should be______.
A. The Volcano B. Kilimanjaro Volcano C. The Mountains D. The Melted Rock

A New Zealand volcano dormant for more than a century has erupted，sending up ash clouds，disturbing flights and closing roads．
Mount Tongariro, one of three volcanoes in the centre of the North Island, became active just before midnight local time, with reports of loud explosions，pouting rocks and steam.
The 1, 978m peak is in a national park popular with hikers. No damages have been reported after the eruption.
Witnesses described a dramatic scene as the volcano erupted.
“I saw this beautiful. big cloud and I thought: ‘Gee that looks like a volcanic plume’. Just as I thought that there was a great big orange flash,” truck driver Bryn Rodda told New Zealand National Radio. “It was quite impressive.”
Mount Tongariro last erupted 115 years ago. And scientists said they did not yet know if this eruption was a single event.
Experts said they were caught by surprise—they had recorded some activity like an earthquake in recent weeks but were not expecting an eruption．
“This might just be a quiet period and we should expect it to start again at any time. So we are watching things Very closely,” volcanologist Michael Rosenberg told TVNZ.
Eruption activity has currently reduced, New Zealand media said．Meteorologists(气象学家)said the ash was blowing east towards the Pacific Ocean.
A number of inland flights from the North Island to the South Island had been affected by the volcanic activity, Air New Zealand said.
Police said highways that had been closed because visibility was affected after the eruption are now open.
Some residents in the nearby areas had temporarily left their homes. Officials have not ordered an evacuation(撤离), but advised those affected by the ash cloud to stay indoors and close their doors and windows.
小题1:What effect did the eruption cause?

A．Flood.

B．Road block.

C．Strong wind.

D．Air crash.

小题2:What does the underlined word“dormant”in the first paragraph probably mean?

A．Inactive.	B．Movable.
C．Silent.	D．Covered.

小题3:Which of the following is true of the passage?

A．Some international flights were cancelled after the eruption.

B．All residents had to move away from their homes after the eruption.

C．Some witnesses thought it was very interesting and attractive.

D．Loud explosions caused great damage to the highways and airports.

小题4:What do the experts expect might happen next?

A．Another eruption.

B．An earthquake.

C．Diseases caused by the ashes.

D．An overall evacuation.

小题5:Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?

A．National Park in New Zealand Damaged

B．Nothing Is Impossible.

C．Volcano or Earthquake?

D．Sudden Eruption of a Volcano in New Zealand.

new zealand
what can you see? mountains, volcanoes, rivers, lakes, waterfalls, forests, beaches. both islands are mountainous. in fact, only 30% of new zealand is flat.
the maoris
when the maoris first arrived in new zealand, they lived in villages and were excellent fishermen, hunters and farmers. about 50 years ago many maoris started to live and work in the large cities and took jobs in ***, industries, medicine and education. they are proud of their culture and are determined to keep many of the customs which are part of their way of life.
who can you meet? most people live on north island. eighty-five percent of new zealanders are “pakeha” (“white men”), which means their “great grandfathers” came from europe. ten percent are maoris. the maoris came to new zealand from the polynesian islands probably around the tenth century. the “pakeha” started to arrive in new zealand from europe about 200 years ago as farmers and traders.
fact box: new zealand
position: south of the equator ; nearest neighbour: australia, 1600 km away.
size: two main islands — north island and south island: together they are 268.680 sq. km.
population: 4 million
capital: wellington
languages: english and maori
46. which of the following is a fact about new zealand?
a. 20% of the population being maoris.
b. four million white people.
c. about 1600 km south of the equator.
d. nearly 1/3 of the country being plains.
47. the country’s population is mainly made up of _________.
a. the white people and the polynesians
b. the white people and the “pakeha”
c. the maoris and the white people
d. the maoris and the polynesians
48. when did the white people begin to live in new zealand?
a. 1000 years ago. b. 200 years ago.
c. 85 years ago. d. 50 years ago.
49. what do the maoris value most in life?
a. living in small villages. b. developing farming skills.
c. keeping their own culture. d. taking up *** jobs.

Seeing a volcano erupt is a wonderful experience, and you can really feel the beat by climbing to the summit(山顶) of Pacaya for a close-up view. There are guided tours every day up this highly active volcano from Antigua, giving travelers a chance to see Mother Nature at her most powerful.
Pacaya is an easy drive from Antigua, a beautiful city with many colorful houses along its old streets that are turned into art-works during its Holy Week festival. No matter when you come to Antigua, you won’t miss the Pacaya-tour companies.
But climbing Pacaya is no easy job: it is 2560 metres high, and reaching the summit takes two to three hours of seemingly one-step-forward and two-step-back movements. As you climb, you hear the dull sounds of eruptions high above steaming. Hot remains from recent eruptions begin to line the path as you are near the active summit; the McKenney Cone(火山锥).
Many tours are timed so when you arrive at the cone of the volcano there is plenty of time for sunset and the full contrast between the erupting red lava and the darkening sky. On a good day the view from the summit is extremely exciting. The active mouth boils, sending red lava over its sides, and once in a while shoots hot streams up to 100 metres into the air. There is a strong bad smell in the air even if you take care to be upwind of the cone. As evening turns deeper into the night, the burning lava quietly falls down the side of the volcano. For you, too, it is time to get down .
小题1:What is the main purpose of this passage?

A．To attract tourists to Pacaya.

B．To describe the beauty of Pacaya.

C．To introduce guided tours to Pacaya.

D．To explain the power of nature at Pacaya.

小题2:Antigua is a city .

A．where people can have a close-up view of the volcano

B．where the daring Pacaya tour starts

C．that lies on the summit of Pacaya

D．that is famous for its tour companies

小题3:Climbing to the McKenney Cone, people will .

A．walk down to the active summit

B．hear the continuous loud screams from above

C．make greater efforts than to other summits

D．see a path lined with remains of earlier eruptions

小题4:Many tours are timed for people to .

A．get down the mountain in time when night falls

B．avoid the smell from the upwind direction of the cone

C．enjoy the fantastic eruption against the darkening sky

D．appreciate the scenery of the 2560-metre-high mountain

小题5:The short passage probably comes from___________.

A．a travel journal	B．a popular science magazine
C．A novel	D．an advertisement

D
Seeing a volcano erupt (喷发) is a wonderful experience, and you can really feel the beat by climbing to the summit(山顶) of Pacaya for a close-up view. There are guided tours every day up this highly active volcano from Antigua. Giving travelers a chance to see Mother Nature at her most powerful.
Pacaya is an easy drive from Antigua, a beautiful city with many colorful houses along its old streets that are turned into art-works during its Holy Week festival. No matter when you come to Antigua, you won’t miss the Pacaya-tour companies.
But climbing Pacaya is no easy job: it is 2560 metres high, and reaching the summit takes two to three hours of seemingly one-step-forward and two-step-back movements. As you climb, you hear the dull sounds of eruptions high above. Steaming. Hot remains from recent eruptions begin to line the path as you near the active summit; the McKenney Cone(火山锥). Just as though you were going to walk over to the edge of the cone, the road turns to the left and up to the relative safety of the old, inactive summit.
Many tours are timed so that you arrive at the cone of the volcano is plenty of time for sunset and the full contrast between the erupting red lava(熔岩) and the darkening sky. On a good day the view from the summit is extremely exciting. The active mouth boils, sending red lava over its sides, and once in a while shoots hot streams up to 100 metres into the air. There is a strong bad smell in the air even if you take care to be upwind of the cone. As evening turns deeper into the night. the burning lava quietly falls down tae side of the volcano. For you, too, it is time to get down .
小题1: What is the main purpose of this passage?

A．To attract tourists to Pacaya.	B．To describe the beauty of Pacaya.
C．To introduce guided tours to Pacaya.	D．To explain the power of nature at Pacaya.

小题2:Antigua is a city .

A．where people can enjoy cultural festivals	B．where the daring Pacaya tour starts
C．that gives a close-up view of Paraya	D．that is famous for its tour companies

小题3:Climbing to the McKenney Cone, people will .

A．walk directly to the active summit	B．hear the continuous loud noise from above
C．make greater efforts than to other summits
D．see a path lined with remains of earlier eruptions

小题4: Many tours are timed for people to .

A．get down the mountain in time when night falls

B．avoid the smell from the upwind direction of the cone

C．enjoy the fantastic eruption against the darkening sky

D．appreciate the scenery of the 2560-metre-high mountain