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 to 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 might be the author's purpose in writing the text?

A．To seek help for Nauru's problems．

B．To tell a heartbreaking story of a war．

C．To show the importance of money

D．To give a warning to other countries

2.What was Nauru like before the Europeans came?

APeaceful and attractive       B．Modern and open

C．Rich and powerful            D．Greedy and aggressive

3.The ecological disaster in Nauru resulted from

A．soil pollution                           B．phosphate overmining

C．farming activity                         D．whale hunting

4.Which of the following was a cause of Nauru's financial problem?

A．Its phosphate mining cost much money

B．It spent too much repairing the island

C．Its leaders misused the money

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

5.What can we learn about Nauru from me last paragraph?

A．The leaders will take the experts' words seriously

B．The ecological damage is difficult to repair.

C．The island was abandoned by the Nauruans

D．The phosphate mines were destroyed

A couple from Miami, Bill and Simone Butler, spent sixty –six days in a life-raft (救生艇) in the seas of Central America after their boat sank.

Twenty-one days after they left Panama in their boat, Simony, they met some whales (鲸鱼). “They started to hit the side of the boat,” said Bill, “and then suddenly we heard water.” Two minutes later, the boat was sinking. They jumped into the life-raft and watched the boat go under the water.

For twenty days they had tins of food, biscuits, and bottles of water. They also had a fishing-line and a machine to make salt water into drinking water— two things which saved their lives. They caught eight to ten fish a day and ate them raw (生的). Then the line broke. “So we had no more fish until something very strange happened. Some sharks (鲨鱼) came to feed, and the fish under the raft were afraid and came to the surface. I caught them with my hands.”

About twenty ships passed them, but no one saw them. After fifty days at sea their life-raft was beginning to break up. Then suddenly it was all over. A fishing boat saw them and picked them up. They couldn’t stand up. So the captain carried them onto his boat and took them to Costa Rica. Their two months at sea was over.

68. Bill and Simone were traveling ______ when they met some whales.

A. in a life-raft    B. in Miami     C. in Simony     D. in Panama

69. During their days at sea, ______ saved their lives.

A. tins of food and bottles of water    B. a fishing-line and a machine

C. whales and sharks               D. Twenty passing ships

70. After their boat sank, the couple ______.

A. jumped into the life-raft          B. heard water

C. watched the boat go under water   D. stayed in the life-raft

“We do look very different; we’re older. Leo’s 38, I’m 37. We were 21 and 22 when we made that film. You know, he’s fatter now -- I’m thinner.” So says Kate Winslet, who is thrilled at the 3-D re-release of Titanic to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the ship’s demise. “It happens every time I get on any boat of any kind." She recalls. There are all the people who want her to walk to the front of the ship and re-create her famous pose, arms flung wide. Most people remember the tragedy: The British passenger ship—said to be unsinkable—hit an iceberg and sank on April 15, 1912, during its maiden voyage from England to New York City. More than 1,500 people died. But little known is what the world learned from the sinking to prevent future incidents.
Probably the greatest deficiency (不足) of the Titanic was that she was built 40 years before the widespread use of the wonderful invention radar (雷达). Her only defense against icebergs and hidden obstacles was to rely on manned lookouts. On that fateful night the eyesight of trained lookouts only provided 37 seconds of warning before the collision.
Traveling at nearly 30 miles an hour, the Titanic was moving far too fast to avoid the huge iceberg. The warning did prevent a head-on collision as the officer on the bridge managed to turn the ship slightly.
The last ship to which it could send an SOS message was the California. She was within ten miles of the Titanic during the disaster, but her radio operator went to bed at midnight and never received any of the SOS messages from the Titanic. That was one of the important lessons learned from the catastrophe, the need for 24-hour radio operators on all passenger liners.
Another lesson learned was the need for more lifeboats. The Titanic remained afloat (漂浮) for almost three hours and most of the passengers could have been saved with enough lifeboats.
1,500 passengers and workers died in the 28 degree waters of the Atlantic. Out of the tragedy, the sinking did produce some important maritime reforms. The winter travel routes were changed to the south and the Coast Guard began to keep an eye on the location of all icebergs. The new rules for lifeboats were obvious to all. There must be enough lifeboats for everybody on board.
The most important lesson learned was that no one would ever again consider a ship unsinkable—no matter how large or how well constructed. Never again would sailors place their faith in a ship above the power of the sea.
【小题1】The text mainly tells us ______.

It is reported that six Chinese ships have entered waters near islands claimed by both China and Japan. China said the ships were carrying out “law enforcement” to demonstrate its jurisdiction(管辖权) over the islands, known as Diaoyu in China and Senkaku in Japan. At least two of the ships left after the Japanese coast guard issued a warning, Japanese officials say.

The action came after Japan sealed a deal to buy three of the islands from their private Japanese owner. Japan controls the uninhabited but resource-rich East China Sea islands, which are also claimed by Taiwan.

The Japanese Coast Guard said the first two Chinese boats entered Japan’s territorial waters at 06:18 local time, followed by another fleet of four other ships just after 07:00. The first two ships then left the area. A third ship left later on Friday morning, one report said. No force was used, Japanese officials added. “Our patrol(巡逻) ships are currently telling them to leave our country’s territorial waters,” the coastguard said in a statement.

The Chinese foreign ministry confirmed that its ships were there. “These law enforcement and patrol activities are aimed to demonstrate China’s jurisdiction over the Diaoyu Islands and ensure the country’s maritime interests,” a statement said.

The US has called for “cooler heads to be accepted” as tension worsens between China and Japan over the islands. US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is going to visit both Japan and China from this weekend as part of a tour of the region.

The dispute(争端) has seriously damaged diplomatic relations between China and Japan and threatens to damage the strong trading relationship, says the BBC’s John Sudworth in Beijing. The dispute has also caused strong nationalist emotions on both sides that makes it very difficult to be seen to be backing down, says our reporter.

The Japanese government says it is buying the islands to promote their stable and peaceful management. China on the other hand, says the islands have historically been its territory and fishing grounds. Meanwhile Japan’s newly-appointed ambassador to China, Shinichi Nishimiya, remains in hospital in Tokyo. He was appointed on Tuesday to replace Uichiro Niwa, who has been criticized for his dealing with the worst diplomatic dispute between Japan and China in recent years.

1.The Diaoyu Islands are actually inhabited(居住) by              .

A．Japan            B．China             C．Taiwan            D．Nobody

2.Which of the following is TRUE?

A．Japan fired at the 6 Chinese ships to warn them to leave the waters.

B．China admitted that the 6 ships had been forced to leave the waters.

C．The US called on both sides to calm down.

D．Shinichi Nishimiya was unconscious(昏迷的) in the hospital because somebody attacked him.

3.Why was Uichiro Niwa replaced?

A．He isn’t iron(强硬) enough in dealing with the diplomatic disputes between Japan and China.

B．His health condition is not good enough to work there.

C．He didn’t do well in dealing with the diplomatic dispute about the Diaoyu Islands.

D．He criticized the Chinese government publicly in an improper way.

4.This news report is most likely to be selected from the              newspaper.

A．British            B．Chinese           C．Japanese          D．American

Valencia is in the east part of Spain. It has a port on the sea, two miles away on the coast. It is the capital of a province that is also named Valencia.

The city is a market center for what is produced by the land round the city. Most of the city’s money is made from farming. It is also a busy business city, with ships, railways, clothes and machine factories.

Valencia has an old part with white old buildings, colored roofs, and narrow streets. The modern part has long, wide streets and new buildings. Valencia is well known for its parks and gardens. It has many old churches and museums. The university in the center of the city was built in the 13^th century.

The city of Valencia has been known since the 2^nd century. In the 8^th century it was the capital of Spain. There is also an important city in Venezuela named Valencia.

From the text, how many places have the name Valencia?

   A. One.          B. Two.             C. Three.               D. Four.

What is the main difference between the two parts of the city?

   A. The age of the buildings.             B. The parks and gardens.

   C. The number of people.                 D. The churches and museums.

When was Valencia the most important city in Spain?

   A. In the 2^nd century.    B. In the 8th century.  C. In the 13th century.     D. In the 20th century.

What is Valencia famous for?

   A. Its seaport.                          B. Its university.     

C. Its churches and museums.                D. Its parks and gardens.

The main income of the city of Valencia is from its _____.

   A. markets           B. businesses           C. factories            D. agriculture