DESERTS TEST 1
Choose the word which has the underlined part pronounced differently from the rest. 1. a. grasses b. stretches c. comprises d. potatoes 2. a. lie b. wide c. circle d. comprise 3. a. compound b. route c. house d. south 4. a. dune b. hummock c. shrub d. buffalo 5. a. west b. between c. growth d. which
Choose a, b, c, or d that best completes each unfinished sentence, substitutes the underlined
part, or has a close meaning to the original one.
6. ________ Sahara of ________ Africa is the world's largest desert. a. Ø/ the b. The/ Ø c. A/ an d. The/ an
7. Deserts can be defined as areas that receive ________ average annual precipitation of less than 250 mm. a. a b. an c. the d. Ø
8. The Sahara contains complex linear dunes that are ________ by almost 6 kilometers. a. developed b. separated c. lay d. located
9. A _______ is a landscape or region that receives very little precipitation. a. dune b. desert c. sandy area d. shrub land
10. Deserts are often composed of ________ and rocky surfaces. a. water b. trees c. oil d. sand
11. Three great stretches of sandy deserts almost circle the center of Australia. a. dunes b. valleys c. lands d. areas
12. Deserts are also classified by their ________ location and dominant weather pattern. a. geographical b. aerial c. sandy d. facial
13. Thanks to pictures taken by satellites, deserts have not ________ a mystery in our time. a. hidden b. intended c. remained d. attained
14. Deserts take ________ one-third of the Earth's land surface. a. up b. on c. over d. after
15. The Simpson Desert was named _______ Mr. Simpson, President of the South Australian Branch
of the Royal Geographical Society of Australia. a. with b. at c. after d. for
16. In 1953, Peveril Meigs divided desert regions ________ Earth ________ categories according to
the amount of precipitation they received. a. through/ in b. from/ with c. on/ into d. in/ for
17. More and more ________ are very excited at discovering as many interesting things in the deserts as possible. a. explores
b. explorations c. explorers d. exploratory
18. Can you make a ________ estimate of how much our expedition in the desert may be? a. rough b. roughly c. roughing d. roughen
19. After Peter had returned from the Sahara desert, he was confined to bed by a ________ disease. a. mystery
b. mysterious c. mysteriously d. mysteriousness
20. I want to work as an interpreter in the future, ________, I am studying Russian at university. a. but b. so c. however d. therefore
21. I am going shopping for food this evening ________ I do not have to go at the weekend. a. so b. but c. however d. moreover
22. When she got the news from her family, she could not do anything, ________ cry. a. but b. and c. so d. however
23. Mrs. Lindon has ________ that she is unable to get a job. a. but not enough education b. so little education c. however little education d. such little education
24. That small car, ________, is advertised in many current magazines.
a. so inexpensive and comfortable
b. however inexpensive and comfortable
c. inexpensive but comfortable
d. and inexpensive but comfortable
25. We live in the same building ________ we have hardly seen each other a. and b. therefore c. but d. so
26. I went to buy a Rolling Stones CD ________ the shop didn't have it. a. and b. but c. therefore d. so
27. Anna needed some money, ________, she took a part-time job. a. furthermore b. moreover c. however d. therefore
28. Julie has a guitar ________ she plays it really well. a. and b. so c. but d. therefore
29. My fingers were injured ________ my sister had to write the note for me. a. and b. however c. so d. but
30. The concert was cancelled ________ we went to a nightclub instead. a. so b. however c. so on d. but Error Identification.
31. Desert is a large area of land that has very little water however very few A B C
plants growing on it. (and) D
32. Rain falls occasionally in deserts so desert storms are often violent. A B (but) C D
33. The Nile River, the Colorado River, but the Yellow River flow through A (and) B
deserts to deliver their sediments to the sea. C D
34. Deserts may have underground springs, rivers, or reservoirs they lie A B
close to the surface, or deep underground. (that/ which) C D
35. Most plants in deserts have adapted to sporadic rainfalls in a desert. A B C
environments. (environment) D
Read the passage carefully and choose the correct answer.
A desert is a hostile, potentially deadly environment for unprepared humans. In hot deserts, high
temperatures cause rapid loss of water due to sweating, and the absence of water sources with which
to replenish it can result in dehydration and death within a few days. In addition, unprotected humans
are also at risk from heatstroke.
Humans may also have to adapt to sandstorms in some deserts, not just in their adverse effects on
respiratory systems and eyes, but also in their potentially harmful effects on equipment such as filters,
vehicles and communication equipment. Sandstorms can last for hours, sometimes even days.
Despite this, some cultures have made hot deserts 'their home for thousands of years, including
the Bedouin, Tuareg tribe, and Pueblo people. Modern technology, including advanced irrigation
systems, desalinization and air conditioning, has made deserts much more hospitable, In the United
States and Israel for example, desert farming has found extensive use.
In cold deserts, hypothermia and frostbite are the chief hazards, as well as dehydration in the
absence of a source of heat to melt ice for drinking. Falling through pack-ice or surface ice layers into
freezing water is a particular danger requiring emergency action to prevent rapid hypothermia.
Starvation is also a hazard; in low temperatures the body requires much more food energy to maintain
body heat and to move. As with hot deserts, some people such as the Inuit have adapted to the harsh conditions of cold deserts.
36. The text is about ________.
a. troubles that human beings have to face in a desert
b. desert storms and desert inhabitants
c. hot deserts and cold deserts in the United States
d. desert hospitality and environment
37. Which is not a problem for an unprepared man in a hot desert? a. sandstorm b. loss of water c. irrigation d. heatstroke 38. Sandstorms ________. a. do no harm to machinery
b. have effects only on the eyes
c. never lasts more than one hour
d. have bad effects on both human beings and machinery 39. Which sentence is true?
a. No one can survive in both hot and cold deserts.
b. Modern technology makes deserts more hospitable.
c. In the United States, all deserts are quite uninhabited.
d. There are no deserts in Israel.
40. Which is not a problem in cold deserts? a. Starvation b. Hypothermia c. Frostbite d. Body heat
Fill in each numbered blank with one suitable word or phrase.
Desert biomes are the (41) _____ of all the biomes. In fact, the most important characteristic of a
desert is that it receives very little (42) _____. Most deserts receive less than 300 mm a year
compared (43) __ rainforests, which receive over 2,000 mm. That means that the desert only gets 10
percent of the rain that a rainforest gets! The temperature in the desert can (44) _____ drastically
from day to night because the air is. (45) _____ dry that heat escapes rapidly at night. The daytime
temperature averages 38°C (46) _____ in some deserts it can get down to -4°C at night. The
temperature also varies greatly depending on the (47) _____ of the desert.
Since desert conditions are so severe, the plants that live there need to have (48) _____ to
compensate for the lack of water. Some plants, such as cacti, (49) _____ water in their stems and use
it very slowly, while others like bushes conserve water by growing few leaves or by having large root
systems to gather water or few leaves. Some desert plant species have a short life cycle of a few
weeks that (50) _____ only during periods of rain. 41. a. coldest b. hottest c. driest d. wettest 42. a. rain b. rainfall c. raindrop d. raincoat 43. a. with b. for c. about d. in 44. a. change b. exchange c. transform d. transfer 45. a. such as b. such c. so much d. so 46. a. when b. while c. as d. because 47. a. part b. region c. area d. location
48. a. adaptations b. agreements c. accepts d. achievements 49. a. place b. put c. store d. hold 50. a. spend b. take c. last d. experience