A
One of the boys who loved to read The Travels of Marco Polo was an Italian explorer named Christopher Columbus. He wanted to find a western route to the Far East and visit the rich lands described in the book. In one of his writings, he said he went to sea at 14. After that, Columbus made many voyages, but he never got to China and Japan, which he had read about in the book.
Many sea captains at that time were looking for a shorter way to India than the long and tiring land route that Marco Polo had taken. By then, many sailors believed the Earth was round. Columbus believed that if the Earth was truly round, one should be able to reach India by sailing westward. He thought it would be much easier and shorter.
Columbus wanted to try out his idea. However, being just a sailor without money for ships, he needed to find support to buy ships. First, Columbus went to Portugal. People there were known as great sailors. He thought they might be interested and give help. Also, the king of Portugal wanted to find new lands. But the king, like others, thought Columbus's idea was not smart.
Columbus then went to Spain. At that time, King Ferdinand Ⅱ and Queen Isabella Ⅰ were fighting against the Muslims. They were too busy to listen to Columbus. After they won the fight, Queen Isabella Ⅰ finally helped Columbus. With the support, Columbus was able to buy three small ships.
At last, everything was ready, and Columbus set sail with about ninety sailors. Directly towards the setting sun, Columbus sailed, on and on, day and night, always in the same direction.
() 1. What can we infer about Christopher Columbus's early life?
A. He had a rich family.
B. He liked to play in the water.
C. He was a curious and adventurous child.
D. He went to school to study geography.
() 2. Why were many sea captains searching for a new route to India?
A. They hoped to discover new lands.
B. They wanted to find new trading partners.
C. They were curious about the shape of the Earth.
D. They wanted to find a faster way than the land route.
() 3. Why did Columbus choose Portugal first?
A. Portugal had lots of ships.
B. Portuguese sailors were famous.
C. Portugal was a rich country.
D. The king of Portugal was helpful.
() 4. What was the situation in Spain when Columbus first arrived?
A. Spain was at war.
B. Spain was at peace.
C. Spain was building new ships.
D. Spain was having a celebration.
() 5. What might the story describe next?
A. The beauty of the sea.
B. Columbus's trade with the Japanese.
C. The celebration of reaching a new land.
D. The challenges Columbus faced on the voyage.

【解析】：
这是一道英语阅读理解题，主要考查学生对文章内容的理解和推理能力。文章主要讲述了意大利探险家克里斯托弗·哥伦布的故事，他读了《马可·波罗游记》后，想要找到一条通往远东的西部路线，并访问书中描述的富饶土地。文章还描述了哥伦布在寻求支持和实现他的航海计划过程中所经历的种种困难。接下来，我们需要根据文章内容，对每个问题进行详细的分析和推理。
1. 第一题问的是关于克里斯托弗·哥伦布早年的生活我们可以推断出什么。文章中提到哥伦布读了《马可·波罗游记》并想要找到一条通往远东的西部路线，这表明他具有好奇心和冒险精神，因此选项C“他是一个好奇且爱冒险的孩子”是符合文章内容的。
2. 第二题问的是为什么许多船长在寻找通往印度的新路线。文章中明确提到，许多船长在寻找一条比马可·波罗所走的漫长而累人的陆路更短的通往印度的路线，因此选项D“他们想找到一条比陆路更快的路线”是正确的。
3. 第三题问的是为什么哥伦布首先选择葡萄牙。文章中提到，哥伦布首先去了葡萄牙，因为那里的人以伟大的水手而闻名，他认为他们可能会感兴趣并提供帮助，因此选项B“葡萄牙水手很有名”是符合文章内容的。
4. 第四题问的是哥伦布第一次到达西班牙时的情况。文章中提到，当时费迪南德二世国王和伊莎贝拉一世王后正在与穆斯林作战，他们太忙了，没有时间听哥伦布的计划，因此选项A“西班牙在战争中”是正确的。
5. 第五题问的是故事接下来可能会描述什么。根据文章内容，哥伦布已经准备好了一切，带着大约九十名水手启航，因此接下来可能会描述他在航行中面临的挑战，所以选项D“哥伦布在航行中面临的挑战”是合理的推断。
【答案】：
1. C
2. D
3. B
4. A
5. D

翻译:
A
有一个男孩很喜欢读《马可·波罗游记》，他就是意大利探险家克里斯托弗·哥伦布。他想要找到一条通往远东的西方航线，去看看书中描述的那片富饶的土地。在他的一篇文章中，他说自己14岁就出海了。在那之后，哥伦布进行了多次航行，但他始终没有到达他在书中读到过的中国和日本。
当时，许多船长都在寻找一条比马可·波罗走过的那条漫长而疲惫的陆路更短的通往印度的路线。那时，许多水手都相信地球是圆的。哥伦布认为，如果地球真的是圆的，那么人们应该可以向西航行到达印度。他觉得这样会容易得多，也近得多。
哥伦布想要尝试他的这个想法。然而，他只是一个没有钱买船的水手，所以他需要找到支持来购买船只。首先，哥伦布去了葡萄牙。那里的人以伟大的水手而闻名。他认为他们可能会感兴趣并提供帮助。而且，葡萄牙国王也想要找到新的土地。但国王和其他人一样，认为哥伦布的想法并不明智。
然后哥伦布去了西班牙。当时，费迪南德二世国王和伊莎贝拉一世王后正在与穆斯林作战。他们太忙了，没有时间听哥伦布的想法。在他们赢得战争后，伊莎贝拉一世王后最终帮助了哥伦布。有了支持，哥伦布得以购买了三艘小船。
最后，一切都准备好了，哥伦布带着大约90名水手起航了。哥伦布朝着落日的方向，日夜不停地航行，始终朝着同一个方向。
（ ）1. 关于克里斯托弗·哥伦布的早年生活，我们可以推断出什么？
A. 他有一个富裕的家庭。
B. 他喜欢在水里玩耍。
C. 他是一个充满好奇心和冒险精神的孩子。
D. 他上学学习地理。
（ ）2. 为什么许多船长都在寻找通往印度的新航线？
A. 他们希望发现新的土地。
B. 他们想要找到新的贸易伙伴。
C. 他们对地球的形状很好奇。
D. 他们想要找到一条比陆路更快的路线。
（ ）3. 哥伦布为什么首先选择葡萄牙？
A. 葡萄牙有很多船。
B. 葡萄牙水手很有名。
C. 葡萄牙是一个富裕的国家。
D. 葡萄牙国王很乐于助人。
（ ）4. 哥伦布第一次到达西班牙时，西班牙的情况是怎样的？
A. 西班牙正在打仗。
B. 西班牙处于和平状态。
C. 西班牙正在建造新船。
D. 西班牙正在举行庆祝活动。
（ ）5. 这个故事接下来可能会描述什么？
A. 大海的美丽。
B. 哥伦布与日本人的贸易。
C. 到达新土地的庆祝活动。
D. 哥伦布在航行中面临的挑战。