Question

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 on 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. Then 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 ten­year 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 is 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 strip­mine. When a company strip­mines, it removes the top layer of soil. Then it takes away the material it wants. Strip­mining totally destroys the land. Gradually, the lovely island of 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 2，000, Nauru was almost 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.

20. What might be the author's purpose in writing the text?

A. To seek help for Nauru's problems.

B. To give a warning to other countries.

C. To show the importance of money.

D. To tell a heartbreaking story of a war.

21. What was Nauru like before the Europeans came?

A. Rich and powerful.

B. Modern and open.

C. Peaceful and attractive.

D. Greedy and aggressive.

22. The ecological disaster in Nauru resulted from      ________．

A. soil pollution  B. phosphate overmining

C. farming activity  D. whale hunting

23. 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.

24. What can we learn about Nauru from the last paragraph?

A. The ecological damage is difficult to repair.

B. The leaders will take the experts' words seriously.

C. The island was abandoned by the Nauruans.

D. The phosphate mines were destroyed.

Answer 1

文章主要讲述了太平洋岛国瑙鲁如何从一个环境优美的天堂岛变成一个生态失衡、满目疮痍的小岛。

20．B　写作意图题。由文章第一段的“Now it is an ecological disaster area. Nauru's heartbreaking story could have one good consequence—other countries might learn from its mistakes.”可以看出，作者的目的是给当前很多只注重发展经济而忽略环境保护的国家一个警告。故选B。

21．C　细节理解题。从第一段提到的“太平洋上的国家瑙鲁岛曾经是一个美丽的地方”看出，瑙鲁岛是“有魅力的，迷人的”；由第二段第一句以及第三段第一句可知，上千年来，瑙鲁岛的人们生活在偏远的小岛上，过着平静的生活。故选C。

22．B　细节理解题。由最后一段的“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.”可以看出“磷酸盐逐渐减少，开采殆尽”。由此可以看出，“磷酸盐的过量开采”导致了生态灾难。故选B。

23．A　细节理解题。由最后一段的“Unfortunately, the leaders invested the money unwisely and lost millions of dollars. In addition, they used millions more dollars for personal expenses. ”看出，是领导人不正确使用资金导致了财政问题。故选A。

24．A　推理判断题。文章最后告诉我们：Experts say that it would take approximately $433，600，000 and more than 20 years to repair the island，也就是说，瑙鲁岛上的生态损失弥补起来需要大量的资金和时间，即选项所说的“修复起来很难”。故选A。