There is little rain in desert. 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 Desert 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 in the Middle East, the Gobi Desert in Northern China and Mongolia, and Kalahari Desert in Africa.

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. Other animals keep water that they can use later. 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 Desert is growing larger and larger each year. What should we do with it ?

C

    Where can you learn about the cultural relies(文物)of our country? You may visit museums or read books, but now a CCTV show may give you a more fun way to learn about them.

    The show is called National Treasure, it has 10 episodes (集) it shows 27treasures from 9 museums across China. In order to make ancient culture relics come alive, the show uses different ways to explain the story history and culture behind them.

    Although it's a show about old relics, it looks modern and technical(技术的). An IMAX-sized LED sired screen on the stage shows the treasures in detail.

    The treasures are presented(呈现) by National treasure keepers(守护者), both famous people and common people. Instead of just telling the stories and history behind the treasures, the show invites famous actors to be national treasures keepers. And they act out, this stories on the stage. The actors even use the funny words to make their performances interesting and alive. For example, on the show, actor wang Kai played Emperor Qianlong TV viewers loved his performances.

    While telling the stories behind the treasures, National treasure keepers also tell their own stories. For example, an old man named Qiu Qingnian is good at making natural paints for repairing ancient paintings. For many years he has been looking for mines(矿) deep inside mountains. On the TV program, he shows TV viewers how to make natural paints.

    The show has become widely popular with its interesting plots(情节), good performances and funny words. It has promoted (推广)ancient cultural relics and has encouraged more people to visit museums.

The Voice of America, which first went on the air in 1942, is a multimedia（多媒体的）international broadcasting service funded(资助) by the U. S. Government. VOA broadcasts about 1, 500 hours of news, information, educational, and cultural programs every week to a worldwide audience of 134 million people. 

After World War Ⅱ ended in 1945, some Americans felt VOA's purpose had to be changed, considering the Soviet Union(苏联) became enemy of America. They wanted to1 Soviet listeners. Then VOA began broadcasting in Russian. 

In the early years VOA began 2 something new to its broadcast that was called "Music USA". Another new idea came along in 1959. VOA knew that many listeners did not know 3 English to completely understand its 4 English broadcast. So VOA invented a simpler kind of English, which uses about 1500 words and is spoken 5 . Of course, it is special English. 

In the opinion of most VOA listeners, the most important program is the news report. News from around the world flies into the VOA reporters in major cities and also from other 6 like BBC. VOA writers and editors use these materials to 7 news reports, which are being broadcast in 43 languages. 

China is a large country. Each different part of China has its own special 1 art. They usually try to show the important things in life, such as love, beauty and family. According to Chinese history, sky 2 were first used by Zhuge Kongming. He sent them out to 3 for help when in trouble. When the lanterns are lit (被点亮), they slowly rise into the air like small hot-air balloons for all to see. They are seen as bright symbols of happy wishes and good luck.

Paper cutting has been around 4 over 1500 years. Paper cutting sounds very easy, but it can be 5 to do. Among all kinds of paper cuttings, the most common ones are flowers and animals. During the Spring Festival, they are put on windows, doors and walls as 6 of wishes for good luck and a happy new year.

Chinese clay art (泥塑艺术) is very famous around the world. 7 the clay pieces are very small, they look very real. The pieces are usually cute children or lively 8 from the Chinese fairy tale (童话故事) or a historical story. The pieces are carefully shaped by 9 . After drying, they are fired at a very high heat. They are then polished (抛光) and painted. It takes several weeks to 10 everything. These small pieces of clay show the love that Chinese people have for life and beauty.

Today tourism (旅游业) has become one of the fastest growing industries (产业) in most places of the world. Why do more and more people like {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (travel)? We visited some people and asked them about {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (they) answers. Most of the reasons {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (be) just for fun. For example, after working hard through the weekdays, people would like {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (go) to the mountains or beaches nearby. When they come back from their trip, they will {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(usual) feel fresh and be full of energy to work harder.

Travelling is also one of the best {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (way) to learn. You may read or know about something from the Internet, but you can never get {#blank#}7{#/blank#} picture of it until you see it with your own eyes. You {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (learn) much during your travel if you spend some time getting useful information, such as the geography and history of the places you are visiting. Though you may do well {#blank#}9{#/blank#} many subjects at school, there is still a lot to learn through travelling. 

Let's make a plan and have an {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (amaze) trip right now!