27. “one out of seven” refers to____.

　　A.more than a third of the lands' earth

　　B.the percentage of the earth's land that is desert-like

　　C.the number of people who live in dry regions

　　D.a day of a week

　　28. In paragraph 2,“they are taken to the greener lands in the south.”They

　　refers to____.

　　A.the Sahel farm land B.the farmers

　　C.the cattles D.the trees

　　29. How many ideas for saving the land are described?

　　A.Five. B.Two.

　　C.Four. D.Three.

　　30. Which of the following statements is true, according to the passage?

　　A.The earth's desert are slowly spreading.

　　B.One out of 10 people lives in dry regions.

　　C.Their life in the desert is threatened now by traditional problems.

　　D.New water wells can solve the problem in Africa's desert.

　　Questions 31 to 35 are based on the following passage:

　　Telephone, television, radio, and telegraph all help people communicate with each other. Because of these devices, ideas and news of events spread quickly all over the world. For example, within seconds, people can know the results of an election in another country. An international football match comes into the homes of everyone with a television set.News of a disaster such as an earthquake or a flood can bring help from distant countries within hours, help is on the way. Because of modern technology like the satellites that travel around the world, information travels fast.

　　How has this speed of communication changed the world? To many people,the world has become smaller. Of course this does not mean that the world is actually physically smaller. It means that the world seems smaller. Two hundred years ago,communication between the continents took a long time. All news was carried on ships that took weeks or even months to cross the ocean. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries,it took six weeks for news from Europe to reach America.This time difference influenced people's actions. For example, one battle, or fight, in the War of 1812 between England and the United States could have been avoided. A peace agreement had already been signed. Peace was made in England, but the news of peace took six weeks to reach America. During these six weeks, the large and serious Battle of New Orleans was fought. Many people lost their lives after a peace treaty had been signed.They would not have died if news had come in time.In the past,communication took much time than it does now.

　　There was a good reason why the world seemed so much larger than it does today.

　　31. News spreads fast because of____.

　　A.modern transportation B.new technology

　　C.the change of the world D.a peace agreement

　　32. According to this passage,____is very important to people in a disaster area.

　　A.fast communication B.modern technology

　　C.latest news D.new ideas

　　33. Which of the following statements is true?

　　A.The world now seems smaller because of faster communication.

　　B.The world is actually smaller today.

　　C.The world is changing its size.

　　D. The distance between England and America has changed since the War of 1812

　　34. Two hundred years ago,news between the continents was carried____.

　　A.by telephone and telegraph B.by land

　　C.by air D.by sea

　　35. The New Orleans Battle could have been avoided if the peace agreement had been signed____.

　　A.by both sides B.in time

　　C.in America D.in England