阅读理解

　　The Atlantic Ocean, named for the lost island of Atlantis in very old stories, has made up for the romantic beginning of its name by becoming the most important business highway in the world; yet traces (痕迹) of romance are continually mixed with the business of the sea.

　　For instance, the Spanish adventurers who first sought gold and silver in America frequently found their ships stopped because there was no wind, usually on the edge of the steady trade winds ---- about 30 degrees north or south latitude (纬度). A sailing ship could carry only so much water, and as it lay still under a hot sun for days or weeks, the severe pains of thirst would make anyone dying or go away forever.

　　The horses were generally the first victims (牺牲品);they had to be thrown overboard when they died or became mad with thirst. Because the Spanish gentlemen thought highly of their horses, even believing they had souls after their death, they suffered bitter regret and believed the ghosts (灵魂) of the proud war horses would so often come to the scene; and they saw the restless spirits in their dreams and related their dreams to sailors.

　　Whenever the seamen passed that way, they would see in the waves or clouds images of wild horses bearing down on them; they began to call the broad belts of calm the “horse latitudes”. The romantic name by which they are known today.

(1)According to the passage, Atlantic ________.

[　　]

A．probably did not exist even long, long ago

B．was an island named after the ocean in which it was supposed to have existed

C．was surely an actual island which had disappeared

D．was the name of an island given by the Spanish adventurers

(2)Today the Atlantic is ________.

[　　]

A．romantic, rather than businesslike

B．completely lacking in romance

C．less important to business than in the days of the sailing ships

D．more important to business than in the days of the sailing ships

(3)The area of “horse latitudes” was dangerous because ________.

[　　]

A．ships could easily sink there

B．there was no wind there

C．ships were overloaded with horses

D．there were souls of dead horses often making trouble to seamen.

(4)Dying horses were probably thrown overboard in order to ________.

[　　]

A．save water

B．lighten the ship

C．spare them the serious pains of thirst

D．spare the men the trouble of caring for them

阅读理解

　　The Atlantic Ocean, named for the lost island of Atlantis in very old stories, has made up for the romantic beginning of its name by becoming the most important business highway in the world; yet traces (痕迹) of romance are continually mixed with the business of the sea.

　　For instance, the Spanish adventurers who first sought gold and silver in America frequently found their ships stopped because there was no wind, usually on the edge of the steady trade winds ---- about 30 degrees north or south latitude (纬度). A sailing ship could carry only so much water, and as it lay still under a hot sun for days or weeks, the severe pains of thirst would make anyone dying or go away forever.

　　The horses were generally the first victims (牺牲品);they had to be thrown overboard when they died or became mad with thirst. Because the Spanish gentlemen thought highly of their horses, even believing they had souls after their death, they suffered bitter regret and believed the ghosts (灵魂) of the proud war horses would so often come to the scene; and they saw the restless spirits in their dreams and related their dreams to sailors.

　　Whenever the seamen passed that way, they would see in the waves or clouds images of wild horses bearing down on them; they began to call the broad belts of calm the “horse latitudes”. The romantic name by which they are known today.

(1)According to the passage, Atlantic ________.

[　　]

A．probably did not exist even long, long ago

B．was an island named after the ocean in which it was supposed to have existed

C．was surely an actual island which had disappeared

D．was the name of an island given by the Spanish adventurers

(2)Today the Atlantic is ________.

[　　]

A．romantic, rather than businesslike

B．completely lacking in romance

C．less important to business than in the days of the sailing ships

D．more important to business than in the days of the sailing ships

(3)The area of “horse latitudes” was dangerous because ________.

[　　]

A．ships could easily sink there

B．there was no wind there

C．ships were overloaded with horses

D．there were souls of dead horses often making trouble to seamen.

(4)Dying horses were probably thrown overboard in order to ________.

[　　]

A．save water

B．lighten the ship

C．spare them the serious pains of thirst

D．spare the men the trouble of caring for them