阅读理解。
The Atacama Desert is located just west of the Andes, a 1000-km strip (狭长的地域) of land next to
the Pacific Ocean. In spite of its location beside the sea, several studies have shown that this region is the
driest place in the world. In the Antofagasta Region of the desert, the average annual rainfall is just 1 mm
and some weather stations have never received rain at all. Atacama is soaridthat the surrounding mountains that reach up to 6885 m, have absolutely no glaciers! In the region, the river beds have been dry for over 120,000 years.
However, unlike the Sahara Desert,Atacama is surprisingly not that hot. It has an average daily
temperature between 0'C and 25?! If you find that surprising, you'd be shocked to find out that this desert has lakes!
When there was rainfall in the region (many year ago), this accumulated water created what we now
know as the Salt Lakes. The name of these lakes was given as a result of the effect of the Atacama
environment: the long dry period makes the waterevaporate (蒸发),resulting in the higher concentrations of salt in the remaining water.
This region has been tested by scientists to see if life is present in the Atacama soil with the same instruments that would be used to detect life in the soil on Mars! As a result of the soil's similarites to that of
Mars,the Atacama land is used to test instruments for future Mars missions. In addition, the region has
been used in movies as a set for filming Mars scenes, most famously in the television showSpace Odyssey: Voyage to the Planets.
The Atacama Desert is truly a unique place, due to its lack of rain as well as its similarities to Mars.
You would think that this place would be a bareghost town (鬼域), but think again! Many people have
lived here for centuries, giving this desert its own culture and economic significance.
1.  What does the underlined word "arid" in the first paragraph mean?
A. Big.
B. Dry.
C. Hot.
D. Long.
2.Compared to the Sahara Desert,the Atacama Desert is _____.
A. smaller
B. wetter
C. less famous
D. less hot
3.What is Paragraph 3 mainly about?
A. origin of the Salt Lakes.
B. rainfall in the Atacama Desert.
C. the weather in the Atacama Desert.
D. The current situation of the Salt Lakes.
4.The TV program mentioned in the text____.
A. tells Atacama's similarities to Mars
B. focuses on the soil of Mars
C. explores life in Atacama
D. was filmed in Atacama
5. According to the author, the Atacama Desert ___.
A. is a very frightening place
B. is as mysterious as Mars
C. is somehow livable
D. has many poor towns

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