An Indian warship destroyed a suspected pirate vessel off the Horn of Africa last November. Finally, here is the language that pirates can understand:   36.   a ship.

   Several countries have    37.    forces to patrol Somali waters in    38.   to the growing number of pirate attacks on   39.  . But the pirates have only become more brazen (肆无忌惮),   40.   larger ships. Pirates even hijacked (劫持) a Saudi    41.   that was carrying over $100 million of oil.

   Nearly 100 ships were hijacked    42.   the Horn of Africa in 2008. Ransoms (赎金) paid to   43.   the ships reached nearly $50 million. This has   44.    much hand-wringing (much disappointment) in government circles, and some  45.     decisions by shipping companies. Some have decided to reroute their ships all the way    46.   the Cape of Good Hope. That could  47.     over $250,000 to each trip, but it’s better for their ship and crew to be kept by pirates for some weeks.

   International patrols are having little    48.  . Pirates responded by moving their armed attacks    49.  offshore. In effect, they've created a much larger field of play. The Sirius Star was    50.   450 nautical miles off the Kenyan coast, in the Indian Ocean--a     51.   of water so vast that    52.   forces can't possibly patrol(巡航) it.

   It seems that shipping firms have a decision to make: 53.    the region altogether or arm their ships to defend off direct attacks. There are some creative ways to do that. A chemical tanker fought off pirates    54.   with automatic weapons by releasing foam from fire hoses into the waters around the ship. In 2005, a cruise ship used a Long Range Acoustic Device, capable of causing permanent ear damage and temporary vision loss, to defend off a pirate attack on Somalia's coast.

When shall   55.   return to this body of water? People are still seeking the answer.

36. A. Attack               B. Sink           C. Control              D. Drive

37. A. joined                B. attended        C. gathered            D. united

38. A. return                B. turn            C. response           D. favor

39. A. warships            B. commercial ships   C. fishing ships   D. passengers ships

40. A. aiming               B. targeting                C. intending      D. taking

41. A. fishing boat        B. goods ship       C. passenger ship   D. oil tanker

42. A. out                    B. about                    C. off            D. from

43. A. charge         B. seize            C. keep           D. free

44. A. caused        B. led                          C. did            D. brought

45. A. reasonable          B. unreasonable       C. negative             D. sensitive

46. A. about                 B. over              C. around                 D. beyond

47. A. increase             B. put               C. make                   D. add

48. A. effect                B. affect             C. effort                    D. afford

49. A. away                 B. further            C. about                    D. around

50. A. forced               B. left               C. captured         D. broken

51. A. sea                    B. flow              C. mass                     D. body

52. A. air                     B. naval             C. land                         D. mixed

53. A. Avoid                 B. Protect             C. Keep                     D. Guard

54. A. mixed                B. combined          C. fitted                      D. armed

55. A. war             B. hijack                C. peace            D. conflict