5．
阅读理解
An
atlas is-a book of maps. Atlases are made with different kinds of information
about different parts and areas of a country or the world. They are prepared
for desk use or travel use.
Desk
atlases are made for different groups of people with different needs. For
example, students may use desk atlases to help learn Geography, and other
people may use desk atlases to study a place. A popular type of the latest
atlas shows the recent fact of the world. New atlases are often carefully
produced to help people learn about the changes, such as name changes, boundary(界) changes and other important new information. A desk atlas can also
have some different maps of the same place. For example, an atlas may include
maps showing population and important products of a place.
Travel
atlases usually show the information about both natural and man-made features(特点). So it is not surprising to find universities, airports, forests,
rivers, roads as well as cities, towns and villages in them. A travel atlas is
often the first thing people need when they want to start a trip in a strange
place.
It
often has a map of a whole country, and a map with more special information of
each important place in the country. Take the atlas of the United States as an
example, it often has a map of the whole country and then a map of each of the
fifty states.
A
travel atlas may also point out the beautiful natural places. In the USA, the
atlas may include national parks such as the Yellowstone National Park and some
others to show the beauty of nature and interesting places to tourists.
