The Hawaiian Islands are in the Pacific Ocean almost 4,000, kilometres west of California. Tourism is very important to Hawaii. The tropical weather and beaches bring people from all over the world. But Hawaii is also experiencing problems from the downturn(經(jīng)濟(jì)衰退).

Last year was the first year since 2004 that Hawaii has had fewer than seven million visitors. The state had 6,800,000 arrivals in 2008. That was a decrease of 10% from the year before. State officials expect a decrease this year of another 2%. And they expect no growth in the economy through most of the year.

The Hawaiian Islands were formed millions of years ago by hot liquid rock flowing from undersea volcanoes. Visitors can still watch the process take place on the largest island, which like the state is named Hawaii. People usually just call it the Big Island.

Experts say Polynesian people first sailed to Hawaii about 2,000 years ago. A king ruled the islands when the 18th century British explorer James Cook arrived. At first, Hawaiians treated Captain Cook like a god. But in the end, he was killed on the Big Island in 1779.

Britain gave the islands their independence in 1843. Then, fifty years later, a group of American businessmen ousted the ruler and founded the Republic of Hawaii. It became an American territory in 1900.

That was three years after the United States set up a naval base at Pearl Harbor, on the island of Oahu, which served as the command base for American operations in the Pacific during World War Two.

After the war, most Hawaiians required that Hawaii should be an independent state. In Congress(國會), though, there was resistance from southern states because of Hawaii’s non-white native population. But Congress passed the Hawaii Statehood Bill in 1959. Hawaiians accepted it, and on August 21st, President Eisenhower declared Hawaii the fiftieth state.

1..The number of visitors to Hawaii in 2009 is expected to be about _________.

A. 5,984,000           B. 6,664,000       C. 6,800,000       D. 6,936,000

2..When did the US set up a naval base at Pearl Harbor?

A. In 1893.            B. In 1897.        C. In 1900.        D. In 1959.

3..What does the underlined word “ousted” in Paragraph 5 mean?

A. Forced out.         B. Picked out.     C. Elected.        D. Became.

4..Which of the following is the correct order in the history of Hawaii?

  a. It was ruled by a Polynesian king.   b. It became an American territory.

  c. The Republic of Hawaii was founded.  d. It was under the rule of the British.

  e. It became independent in 1843.       f. It joined the United States.

  A. a, b, d, c, e, f  B. a, e, d, c, b, f   C. a, d, e, c, b, f            D. a, e, e, d, b, f

 

　　On February 23,1779, a ragged group of men were advancing to a fort(要塞) held by British soldiers in Vincennes, Indiana. The men were　　1　 . Their leader was a man named George Rogres Clark. Clark and his　　2　　army of about 125 men made up their minds to　　3　　the fort. To complete this task, they had marched across Illinois through　　4　　and rain. The men were very　　5　 . They had almost no ammunition(彈藥). By the time they　　6　　Vincennes, they had been　　7　　food for. two days.　　8　　before they could attack the fort, they　　9　　to seize the town. Clack sent a　　10　　to the townspeople. In it Clark advised the townspeople who were　　11　　the British to go to the fort　　12　 . All others were to stay inside their　　13　 . His army, Clark's message　　14　 , was powerful! To make the townspeople believe that this was so, Clark had his men march in and out of the　　15　　around Vincennes. They marched from early afternoon until dark. Some men, by　　16　　of Clark, also carried flags on long poles so that they were　　17　　visible in the town. The townspeople　　18　　thought Clark's army was a powerful one. The town fell to Clark and his men and not a　　19　　was fired. On February 25, the fort, which had enough supplies to hold out　　20　　six months, gave it to the ragged American army!

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　　The third theme of geography is movement. As people travel around the world, exchanging goods, ideas and interests, the global community is transformed. Take surfing, for example, the sport originated in Hawaii centuries ago. Today, the cry “surf up!” can be heard along coastlines everywhere.

　　Europeans were the first Westerners to observe the sport. In 1779, Captain Cook, a British explorer, and his crew sailed around the Sandwich Islands ( Now Hawaii ). Near the rocky coast of the Big Island, they witnessed a man riding a wave while standing on a board.

　　Cook was stricken by what he saw. Hawaiians would pray for good waves and hold ceremonies when building surfboards. Their boards were built according to rank: Chiefs used long boards (16 to 18 feet long ), while commoners used shorter ones (6 to 8 feet long ).

　　After the arrival of Europeans, Hawaiian surf culture declined. Many Hawaiians died of European-borne diseases. Also, Christian missionaries (傳教士) spread the belief that surfing was “ignorant (愚昧的)fun”.

These conditions changed after Hawaii became a United States territory in 1900( It became a state in 1959.) Travelers to the islands brought back stories of wave riding. Tales of the thrilling sport spread across the U.S., then to the rest of the world.

　　Today, surfing is the king of board sports. According to wannasurf.com, the world has nearly 8,000 “surf spots” in 136 countries on 6 continents. The Association of Surfing professionals (ASP) holds an annual world tour in which top riders compete for millions of fans on the waves.

top-5 countries with surf spots

country    NO. of Sports

United States  1375

Australia      1160

South Africa    575

France        352

New Zealand   338

60. According to the passage , surfing originated in________.

　A. Britain         B. Europe      C. America          D. France

61. Which of the following is TRUE?

　A. Captain Cook was interested in surfing.

 B. There are no surf spots in Asia.

　C. In Hawaii, everyone was equal in sports.

　D. Surfing is the third theme of geography.

62. The underlined word in the fourth paragraph probably means________.

　A. excited Europeans               B. gradually lost its strength

　C. died out                       D. became more and more popular

63 What would be the best title for the text?

　A. The spread of surf culture.         B. The history of surf culture.

　C. The rebirth of surf culture.         D. The advantages of surf culture.