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A

The crystal clear, blue water and the magnificent sun make the Caribbean Island of Saint Maarten a favorite vacation spot, one that is popular with North Americans during their winter holidays from December through March, as well as with South Americans and Europeans from April through August. The French and Dutch settled on the island in the 1600s, and to this day, the island is divided between the two of them. The French capital is Marigot; the Dutch capital is Philipsburg.

Tourists soon discover that Saint Maarten has an interesting history. Ancient artifacts (手工艺术) found on the island date back to the Stone Age, 6,000 years ago! Tourists also learn that 1,200 years ago the Arawak Indians lived on all the islands of the West India and were peaceful people living under the guidance of their chiefs. Three hundred years after the Arawaks first arrived on Saint Maarten, in the 1300s, they were defeated and forced to give up the island by a hostile tribe of Indians originating in South America. This new tribe was called the Carib. The Caribbean Sea was named after them. Unlike the Arawaks, they had no permanent chiefs or leaders, except in times of when the chiefs led them to fight. And they were extremely warlike. Worse, they were man-eaters, eating the enemy warriors they caught. In fact, the very word cannibal (means man-eater) comes from the Spanish name for the Carib Indians. The Spanish arrived in the fifteenth century and, unfortunately, they carried diseases to which the Indians had no immunity (免疫).

Many Indians were infected with common European illnesses; others died from the hard labor forced upon them.

26. One can infer from the passage that the Stone Age people lived on Saint Maarten around the

year ________.

A. 6000 B.C B. 4000 B.C C. 800 A.D D. 1300 A.D

27. Which of the following is NOT true about the Carib Indians?

A. The sea was named after them B. They were peaceful fishermen, hunters and farmers

C. They ate human flesh D. They settled after defeating the Arawak Indians

28. According to the passage, the Carib Indians were finally defeated by _________.

A. sickness and forced labor B. the more aggressive Arawak tribe

C. the Dutch West Indian Company D. The French explorers

29. We can infer from the passage that the underlined word “strife” means _________.

A. thief B. war C. duty-free D. danger

30. According to the article, present-day Saint Maarten __________.

A. belongs to the Spanish B. is independent

C. is shared by the French and the Dutch D. is part of the US Virgin Islands

B

Deserts are found where there is little rainfall or where rain for a whole year falls in only a few weeks' time. Ten inches of rain may be enough for many plants to survive (存活) if the rain is spread throughout the year, If it falls, within one or two months and the rest of the year is dry, those plants may die and a desert may form.

Sand begins as tiny pieces of rock that get smaller and smaller as wind and weather wear them down. Sand dunes (沙丘) are formed as winds move the sand across the desert. Bit by bit, the dunes grow over the years, always moving with the winds and changing the shape. Most of them are only a few feet tall, but they can grow to be several hundred feet high.