Ⅲ.阅读理解

　　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 on 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.Then 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 ten­year 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 is 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 strip­mines，it removes the top layer of soil.Then it takes away the material it wants.Strip mining totally destroys the land.Gradually，the lovely island of Nauru started to look like the moon.

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