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 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

Answer

1.D

2.A

3.B

4.C

5.B

【解析】

试题分析：

1.D 推理题。根据第一段第2行Now it is an ecological disaster area．Nauru's heartbreaking story could have one good consequence-other countries might learn from its mistakes．生命作者写这篇文章的目的就是希望别的国家从这个国家的经历中得到教训，故D正确。

2.A 推理题。根据第二段第一行Polynesian people lived in the remote island of Nauru，far from western civilization．说明这个国家远离西方文明，很宁静很美丽，故A正确。

3.B 细节题。根据文章4,5段内容可知过度开采phosphate是这个国家灾难的开端，故B正确。

4.C 细节题。根据最后一段1,2行the leaders invested the money unwisely and lost millions of dollars．In addition，they used millions more dollars for personal expenses．说明C正确。

5.B 细节题。根据本文最后三行Experts say that it would take approximately$433，600，000 and more than 20 years to repair the island．This will probably never happen．说明这样的生态灾难很难修复，故B正确。

考点：考查新闻报告类短文