million acres，even larger than the famous Yellowstone National Park．

　　Death Valley is a land of extremes．It is one of the hottest places on earth．The highest ground temperature ever recorded was 93．9℃ on July 15，1972．It is the driest place in North America with an average rainfall of only 1.96 inches a year. Death Valley also has the lowest point in the eastern hemisphere-Badwater at 85.95 metres below sea level．

　　Death Valley got its name in 1849．At that time，a group of people were looking for a faster way to get to the gold fields of California．They were given bad advice and went into the valley．Some of them died because of the bad weather and the difficult trip．When the rest finally walked out, they gave the area its name by saying, "Good-bye, Death Valley."

　　As the name might suggest, there is very little plant life in Death Valley.. First impressions，however, can fool you. Actually, Death Valley includes more than 1,000 species of plants that have been able to stay alive there．______________, too．The sunrise and sunset are two of the most beautiful attractions. From different angles(), they show many of the area's different moods．For the best views，be sure to be there one hour before sunset or sunrise．

Death Valley National Park is open year round. In spite of the climate，hiking is one of the most popular activities in Death Valley．The surrounding mountains are a beautiful sight along with snow-covered peaks，abandoned(deserted) mines, and industrial structures．

1．What is probably the purpose of this passage (Please answer within 15 words)

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2．How does"Death Valley"get its name?(Please answer within 25 words)

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3．In spite of the horrible living conditions，what does the author think is the best view? (Please answer within 10 words)

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4．Fill in the blank in paragraph 5 with a sentence．

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5．Translate the underlined part into Chinese．

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