2018年6月英语六级真题及答案集锦(3)

　　Passage 1

　　At some 2300 miles in length， the Mississippi is the longest river in the United States。 At some 1000 miles， the Mackenzie is the longest river in Canada。 But these waterways seem mute in comparison to the world’s two longest rivers --- the Nile and the Amazon。 The Nile， which begins in central Africa and flows over 4100 miles north into the Mediterranean。 Host to one of the world’s great ancient civilizations along its shores， Calm and peaceful for most of the year， the Nile used to flood annually。 Their by creating， irrigating and caring new top soil to the nearby farmland on which ancient Egypt depended for a livelihood。 As a means of transportation， the river carried various vessels up and down its length。 A journey through the unconstructed part of this waterway today would pass by the splendid valley of the kings with tombs of many of these ancient monarchs， having stood for over 3000 years。 Great civilizations and intensive settlements are hardly associated with the Amazon。 Yet this 4000 mile-long south American river carries about 20% of the world’s fresh water， more than the Mississippi， Nile and the Mackenzie combined。 Other statistics are equally astonishing。 the Amazon is so wide at some points that from its center neither shore can be seen。 Each second the Amazon pours some 55 million gallons of water into the Atlantic。 There， at it’s mouth stands one island larger than Switzland。 Most important of all， the Amazon irrigates the largest tropical rainforest on earth。

　　9。 What can be found in the valley of the kings？

　　10。 In what way is the Amazon different from other big rivers？

　　11。 What does the speaker say about the Amazon？

　　（杨启光）