Unit 4 The Wonders of Nature 阅读专项训练 2025-2026学年人教版英语八年级下册

英语人教版新教材八年级下册阅读专项训练

Unit 4 The Wonders of Nature

        这份阅读专项训练包含三部分内容，第一部分为阅读理解，第二部分为完形填空，第三部分为阅读填空，旨在提高学生的阅读理解能力，请认真答题。

第一部分  阅读理解

A

There is little rain in deserts. Because deserts are so dry, they have no “quilt” to help stop the soil from going away. As a result, they may get very hot during the day with the sun shining, but don't hold the heat overnight. Many deserts can quickly get cold once the sun goes down. Some deserts can reach temperatures of over 100 degrees F during the day and then drop below freezing (32 degrees F) during the night.

The largest hot and dry desert in the world is the Sahara in Northern Africa. The Sahara is a sandy desert with great sand hills. It covers over 3 million square miles of Africa. Other large deserts include the Arabian Desert, the Gobi Desert, and the Kalahari Desert.

Animals that live in the desert are also used to needing little water. Many get all the water they need from the food they eat.      ▲     The camel stores up fat in its hump while other animals keep something they need in their tails.

Only certain types of plants can live in the terrible environment of the desert. You won't see a lot of tall trees in the desert. Most plants have a way to keep water in their leaves or trunks, so they can live a long time without water.

Now deserts cover around 20% of the world's land, but they are growing. This is called desertification and is caused by different reasons including human activities. The Sahara is growing larger and larger each year. What should we do with it?

1.How is the weather in deserts?

A. It's hot during the day but cold during the night.
B. It's cold during the day but hot during the night.
C. It's hot both during the day and during the night.
D. It's cold both during the day and during the night.

2.Which of the following sentences can be put into “     ▲     ”?

A. Other animals keep water that they can use later.
B. Some animals try to eat more than before.
C. People try to find some special animals.
D. There are many different useful animals.

3.What does Paragraph 4 mainly talk about?

A. The weather in deserts. B. The animals in deserts.
C. The plants in deserts. D. Large deserts in the world.

4.What does the underlined word “they” in the last paragraph refer to?

A. The world's land resources. B. Human activities.
C. Different reasons. D. Deserts.

B

You must have seen many rivers in your life, but have you ever heard of stone rivers? Such rivers can be found in some parts of the world. Among them, the Big Stone River is a very amazing one.

The Big Stone River is the most interesting sight of Taganay National Park in Russia. Different from other rivers, it is filled with rocks and stones. Not a drop of water can be seen. Interestingly, as one comes near to the rocky river, the sound of running water can be heard. Rocks fell down from the mountains slowly and made the river of rocks.

The Big Stone River is about 6 km long and is made up of many small rocky rivers. It cuts through a thick forest like a real river. It is mostly about 200 meters wide, and in some places, it is up to 700 meters wide. Some of the rocks weigh up to 10 tons each and the layer of rocks goes down 6 meters deep.

Scientists believe it is the consequence of the movement of glaciers(冰川)about 10,000 years ago. At that time, ice covered the top of the mountains. As time went by, the ice turned into water. Seeing the amazing river is a great experience. The best way to experience this natural wonder is from above. Come and visit it when you come to Russia.

5.What is special about the Big Stone River?

A. It is in Tagaway National Park.
B. It is full of fish.

C. It is impossible to see water there.
D. It makes a loud sound of running water.

6.How wide is the widest part of the Big Stone River?

A. 6 meters. B. 200 meters. C. 700 meters. D. 6,000 meters.

7.What does the underlined word“consequence” mean in Paragraph 4?

A. Reason. B. Result. C. End. D. Beginning.

8.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. The Big Stone River is the only stone river in the world.
B. The Big Stone River is a real river through a thick forest.
C. The Big Stone River is made up of some big rocky rivers.
D. Enjoying the Big Stone River from a higher place is the best way.

9.Why does the writer write the passage?

A. To introduce the Big Stone River.
B. To share a very amazing stone.
C. To share an unforgettable experience.
D. To introduce a running river.

第二部分  完形填空

A

Two years ago, on a flight to New Zealand, I watched the film Everest. In the film, a group of travelers get stuck on the mountain in a snowstorm and almost   1   dies. Maybe I just   2   more adventures in my life, I thought. So I made up my mind to start climbing, which was not the reaction（反应）most people have   3   watching that film.

I decided to climb the highest mountain in every European   4  , about 50 mountains in total. I wanted to see if girls just like me could climb mountains.   5   I was just a normal teenager, I wished to be a role model for girls.

There is no standard definition（标准定义）of a mountain. In Holland, the highest mountain is   6   just a small hill. You could even park your car at the top. It sounded a bit like cheating, but I still decided to climb the   7   mountain. Then, I chose to climb Mount Elbrus in Russia, Europe's highest mountain. It was tiring, but I made it. And I started to make plans for climbing since my   8   to