Mineral extraction (开采) industries are another main reason the water levels are falling, experts say. The Dead Sea\'s minerals have been used as medicine and can often be found in cosmetics (化妆品) and other consumer products.
And then, of course, there\'s the Middle East\'s hot, dry climate, which makes it difficult for the lake to replenish itself. Last year, Israel and Jordan signed a $900 million deal in an effort to keep the Dead Sea\'s water levels stable. It includes building a canal from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea which would be able to not only supple water to Israel and Jordan but also to pump water into the Dead Sea.
But for now, Küstner shows us that the Dead Sea remains very much a place of interest, with people from all over the world going there to swim in its salty waters.
The Dead Sea, known as the Salt Sea in the language of Hebrew, is one of the saltiest bodies of water in the world. And because of what has been happening over the years, the salt is only getting saltier.
语篇解读：本文是一篇说明文，根据中东环境问题专家的观察，死海的面积正在以惊人的速度缩小，本文分析了导致这一问题的原因。 4．How many reasons for the Dead Sea\'s shrinking does the author mention in the text? A．One. C．Three.
B．Two. D．Four.
解析：选C 推理判断题。根据第四段中的“The Dead Sea needs water from ... some of the water sources it relied upon were diverted (使改道)．” 第五段中的“Mineral extraction (开采) industries are another main reason the water levels are falling”及第六段中的“the Middle East\'s hot, dry climate”可知，死海面积缩小有三个原因：源头减少、矿物开采和中东炎热干燥的气候。
5．What can we learn about the Dead Sea\'s minerals? A．They have practical value. B．They are controlled by Israel. C．They can be extracted very easily. D．They are mainly used in heavy industry.
解析：选A 推理判断题。根据第五段最后一句可知，死海中的矿物质可以用作药物，也可以用来制作化妆品和其他消费品，因此说这些矿物质具有实用价值。
6．What does the underlined word “replenish” in Paragraph 6 probably mean? A．To clean something. B．To improve something. C．To fill something again. D．To find something again.
解析：选C 词义猜测题。根据第六段语境可知，中东炎热干燥的环境导致死海很难自行“恢复和补充”水分。
7．What would be the best title for the text? A．What we should do to save the Dead Sea B．More people travel to the Dead Sea C．Why the Dead Sea is salty D．The Dead Sea is drying out
解析：选D 标题归纳题。通读全文可知，本文主要告诉我们死海面积正在以惊人的速度缩小，而且分析了导致这一问题的原因，故D项为本文最佳标题。
C
Krubera Cave in the western Caucasus Mountains is the deepest known cave in the world. An international team prepared to descend into Krubera. The team members hoped to be the first cavers to reach a depth of 2,000 meters, brought five tons of equipment and other necessities with them, and established camps at key locations along the route. They worked for up to 20 hours each day.
In the third week, progress was blocked at 1,775 meters by a sump — a cave passage filled with water that gives cavers few options. There are basically three techniques available: dive through it, empty it, or go around it. Gennadiy Samokhin dove to the bottom but was disappointed. “No chance to get through，” he said. Searching for a way around the sump, Garcia Dils risked entering a waterfall of near freezing water and discovered that his dry suit had holes in it. “The water was so cold I lost the feeling in my fingers，” he said later. He, too, was unsuccessful.
Finally, two teammates found a way around the sump through a tight passage they called the Way to the Dream. The team was exhilarated. The passage led to yet another sump at 1,840 meters. After a short test dive, Samokhin emerged, smiling. There was a promising passage, he reported. But it would have to wait. After nearly four weeks, with supplies running low, the team had run out of time and would have to return to the surface.
Four weeks later, a team of nine Ukrainian cavers led by Yuri Kasjan went back to Krubera. Following the path opened by the previous team, they reached the sump at 1,840 meters relatively quickly. After much searching, a pit (坑), later named the Millennium Pit, was discovered that
allowed them to pass the 2,000 meter depth. More pits and passages led them to 2,080 meters, a spot they named Game Over. But the caving game is never over. Deeper caves will probably continue to be discovered and call out to be explored.
语篇解读：本文是一篇记叙文。文章讲述了探察洞穴者对世界上最深的洞穴——库鲁伯亚拉洞穴进行探索的过程。 8．Why did the team return to the surface after nearly four weeks? A．They were lacking in supplies. B．They had achieved their goal. C．They couldn\'t go through the sump. D．They gave their task to Yuri Kasjan\'s team.
解析：选A 细节理解题。根据第三段中的“After nearly four weeks, with supplies running low, the team had run out of time and would have to return to the surface.”可知，因为物资逐渐短缺，探察洞穴者才被迫返回地面。
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