Question

    People travel for a lot of reasons. Some tourists go to see battlefields or religious shrines ( 宗教圣殿). Others are looking for culture, or simply want to have their pictures taken in front of famous places. But most European tourists are looking for a sunny beach to lie on.

Northern Europeans are willing to pay a lot of money and put up with a lot of inconveniences for the sun because they have so little of it. Residents (居民) of cities like London, Copenhagen, and Amsterdam spend a lot of their winter in the dark because the days are so short, and much of the rest of the year in the rain. This is the reason the Mediterranean has always attracted them. Every summer, more than 25 million people travel to Mediterranean resorts and beaches for their vacation. They all come for the same reason: sun!

The huge crowds mean lots of money for the economies of Mediterranean countries. Italy’s 30,000 hotels are booked solid ( 全部客满) every summer. And 13 million people camp out on French beaches, parks, and roadsides. Spain’s long sandy coastline attracts more people than anywhere else. 37 million tourists visit yearly, or one tourist for every person living in Spain.

But there are signs that the area is getting more tourism than it can handle. The  Mediterranean is already one of the most polluted seas on earth. And with increased tourism, it’s getting worse. The French can’t figure out what to do with all the garbage left by campers around St. Tropez. And in many places, swimming is dangerous because of pollution.

None of this, however, is spoiling anyone’s fun. The Mediterranean gets more popular every year with tourists. Obviously, they don’t go there for clean water and solitude (清净自在). They tolerate traffic jams and seem to like crowded beaches. They don’t even mind the pollution. No matter how dirty the water is, the coastline still looks beautiful. And as long as the sun shines, it’s still better than sitting in the cold rain in Berlin, London, or Oslo.

1.The writer seems to imply that Europeans travel mostly for the reason that  _____.

A.they want to see historic remains or religious spots

B.they are interested in different cultural traditions and social customs

C.they wish to escape from the cold, dark and rainy days back at home

D.they would like to take pictures in front of famous sites

2.In paragraph 2, cities like London, Copenhagen, and Amsterdam are mentioned  _____.

A.to tell us how wealthy their residents are

B.to show that they are not good cities in terms of geography and climate

C.to suggest that these cities lack places of historic interest and scenic beauty

D.to prove that they have got more tourism than they can handle

3.The latter half of the last sentence in Paragraph 3, “or one tourist for every person living in Spain” means  _____.

A.all the 37 million people living in Spain are tourists

B.every Spanish is visited by a tourist every year

C.every person living in Spain has to take care of a tourist

D.every year almost as many tourists visit Spain as there are people living in that country

4.According to the passage, which of the following factors might spoil the tourists’ fun at Mediterranean resorts and beaches?

A.Rainy weather B.Polluted water C.Traffic jams D.Crowded buses

Answer

1.C

2.B

3.D

4.A

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。文章解释了为什么很多欧洲人愿意花钱去一个有阳光的沙滩上躺着。

1.推理判断题。由文章第二段中的Residents of cities like London, Copenhagen, and Amsterdam spend a lot of their winter in the dark because the days are so short, and much of the rest of the year in the rain. This is the reason the Mediterranean has always attracted them.（像伦敦、哥本哈根、阿姆斯特丹这样的城市中的居民，因为那里的白天短，所以冬天大部分在黑暗中度过，并且其它季节中大部分时间还在下雨。这也是为什么地中海很吸引他们的原因。）可推知，欧洲人喜欢旅行是为了逃避家里寒冷、黑暗以及多余的环境。故选C。

2.推理判断题。由第二段中的Residents of cities like London, Copenhagen, and Amsterdam spend a lot of their winter in the dark because the days are so short, and much of the rest of the year in the rain. This is the reason the Mediterranean has always attracted them.（像伦敦、哥本哈根、阿姆斯特丹这样的城市中的居民，因为那里的白天短，所以冬天大部分在黑暗中度过，并且其它季节中大部分时间还在下雨。这也是为什么地中海很吸引他们的原因。）可推知，文章提及London、Copenhagen、Amsterdam这三个城市是为了说明在地理位置和气候上，它们不是很好的城市。故选B。

3.词句猜测题。由划线句子前的“Spain’s long sandy coastline attracts more people than anywhere else. 37 million tourists visit yearly（西班牙长长的海岸线较之其他旅游胜地吸引更多的游客。每年有3700百万的游客）”可推知，划线句子意思也是描写西班牙游客之多。所以“or one tourist for every person living in Spain”的意思为：或者说居住在西班牙的每个人都有一位游客，也就是说每年西班牙的游客与居住在那里的西班牙人一样多。故选D。

4.细节理解题。由文章最后一段中的“And as long as the sun shines, it’s still better than sitting in the cold rain in Berlin, London, or Oslo.（只要阳光在闪耀，总比坐在柏林、伦敦或者奥斯陆冷冷的雨中要好）”可知，只要有太阳，地中海沿岸度假区和沙滩上的游客就会开心。也就是说，只有阴雨的天气能破坏他们的雅兴。故选A。