Question

【题目】The Pacific island nation of Nauru used to be a beautiful place. Now it is an ecological disaster area. Nauru's heartbreaking story could have one good consequence-other countries might learn from its mistakes.

For thousands of years, Polynesian people lived in the remote island of Nauru, far from western civilization. The first European to arrive was John Fearn in 1798. He was the British captain of the Hunter, a whaling ship. He called the island Pleasant Island.

However, because it was very remote, Nauru had little communication with Europeans at first. The whaling ships and other traders began to visit, bringing guns and alcohol. These elements destroyed the social balance of the twelve family groups on the island. A ten-year civil war started, which reduced the population from 1,400 to 900.

Nauru's real troubles began in 1899 when a British mining company discovered phosphate(磷酸盐)on the island. In fact, it found that the island of Nauru was nearly all phosphate, which was a very important fertilizer for farming. The company began mining the phosphate.

A phosphate mine is not a hole in the ground; it is a strip mine. When a company strip-mines, it removes the top player of soil. Then it takes away the material it wants. Strip mining totally destroys the land. Gradually, the lovely island or Nauru started to look like the moon.

In 1968, Nauru became one of the richest countries in the world. Every year the government received millions and millions of dollars for its phosphate.

Unfortunately, the leaders invested the money unwisely and lost millions of dollars. In addition, they used millions more dollars for personal expenses. Soon people realized that they had a terrible problem—their phosphate was running out. Ninety percent of their island was destroyed and they had nothing. By 2000, Nauru was financially ruined. Experts say that it would take approximately$433, 600, 000 and more than 20 years to repair the island. This will probably never happen.

【1】What was Nauru like before the Europeans came?

A. Rich and powerful

B. Modern and open

C. Peaceful and attractive

D. Greedy and aggressive

【2】The ecological disaster in Nauru resulted from .

A. soil pollution B. phosphate overmining

C. farming activity D. whale hunting

【3】Which of the following was a cause of Nauru's financial problem?

A. Its leaders misused the money

B. It spent too much repairing the island

C. Its phosphate mining cost much money

D. It lost millions of dollars in the civil war.

【4】What can we learn about Nauru from the last paragraph?

A. The leaders will take the experts' words seriously

B. The phosphate mines were destroyed

C. The island was abandoned by the Nauruans

D. The ecological damage is difficult to repair.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】C

【2】B

【3】A

【4】D

【解析】

【1】根据文章第二段中的“Polynesian people lived in the remote island of Nauru, far from western civilization”，可以推断，在欧洲人来之前，这个地方虽然是在边远的地方，但自然风光优美，而且当地的人们生活很平静。故选项C正确。

【2】根据第四段中的最后一句以及第五段中的第一句，可知道这个地方的生态灾难根源就是磷酸盐的过度开发，因此可知B选项正确。

【3】根据最后一段的“the leaders invested the money unwisely and lost millions of dollars. In addition, they used millions more dollars for personal expenses”，可知这个地的领导人使用金钱不当，投资失败，可知A选项的意思与之相符。

【4】根据文章的最后一句，不难推断这个地区即使花钱花时间去修复恐怕也难以回到先前的状态，故选D正确。