Death Valley is the lowest, hottest, driest area in North America. This California National Park has less than 5 cm of rainfall a year and temperature up to 53℃ in summer. That’s enough to keep Americans away during the hottest months from June to August. But it is the high temperature and terrible heat that draw their most crazy fans, the foreign tourists. From all over the world, they come to the valley floor in cars, carrying maps and water bottles, and fanning themselves with newspapers to keep cool.
About 1.3 million visitors enter the park each year, from June through August. 90% of them are foreigners. They go there to experience the summer heat that gives Death Valley its name. The average high in July is 53.2 ℃ and the low 30 ℃. For August, the average high is 52.2 ℃ and the low 29.4 ℃.
So what do Americans think of the foreign visitors who arrive for the heat, just when locals from the United States try to avoid it? Park manager Brenda Henson says, “ The foreigners want to experience the heat in Death Valley. We think it’s crazy.”
In fact, Death Valley is a series of salt flats (盐滩) 225 km long and 6 km to 26 km wide. Birds and animals are largely absent, and only the hardiest plants have some chance of existence in this extreme place.
One tourist from Paris concluded, “ We come to it because we can tell all our friends and family that we’ve been to the hottest place in the world.”
小题1:The real attraction of Death Valley for foreigners is that _____.
A．summer heat keeps Americans away
B．experiencing the heat in it is cool
C．it is a series of salt flats
D．it is a famous place in the world.小题2:What does the underlined word “ hardiest” in Paragraph 4 mean?
A．Most difficult.
B．Most energetic.
C．Strongest.
D．Best.小题3:Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A．The hottest time in Death Valley is from June to August.
B．Not all the visitors to Death Valley are foreigners.
C．The lowest temperature in Death Valley is 29.4 ℃.
D．Death Valley is made up of salt flats.小题4:What would be the best title for the passage?
A．Crazy Fans of Death Valley.
B．Importance of Death Valley.
C．Beauty of California National Park.
D．The Best Tourist Attraction in North America.
