When Christopher Columbus landed on a land without name in 1502, he saw many Indians wearing gold earrings. So he thought the land must be rich in gold. He named the place Costa Rica, which means “rich coast” in Spanish.
Though little gold was found, Costa Rica today is indeed rich with coffee and bananas. Coffee is the most important product in Costa Rica and most of it is exported to other countries like America and West Germany. Bananas are the country’s second most important export.
Costa Ricans also grow many other crops such as fruits, corn and beans for their own use. Costa Ricans love colors and their houses are painted in bright colors.
Education is very important to the Costa Ricans. Almost every village has a school and education is a must for children between seven and fourteen years of age. Boys and girls go to separate schools. Classes begin in March and end in November. The other three months of the year are harvest time and the children have to help their parents to pick coffee beans.
小题1:What’s the main idea of the first paragraph?
A．How Columbus found Costa Rica.
B．How Costa Rica got its name.
C．What the Costa Ricans wore.
D．What language the Costa Ricans spoke.小题2:The Costa Ricans may NOT paint their houses ______.
A．pink and red
B．grey and black
C．blue and green
D．yellow and orange小题3:In Costa Rica, boys and girls between seven and fourteen ______.
A．must go to school
B．study in the same school
C．do not have to go to school at all
D．can choose to stop schooling at any time小题4:From December to February, school children in Costa Rica ______.
A．have lessons every day
B．have their examinations
C．help their parents pick coffee beans
D．help their parents decorate their houses小题5:This passage is mainly about ______.
A．Christopher Columbus
B．Costa Rica
C．some products from Costa Rica
D．the education of Costa Rica
小题1:B
小题2:B
小题3:A
小题4:C
小题5:B
题目分析：文章介绍Costa Rica名字的由来，和当地的特产以及对教育的重视。
小题1:段落大意题：从第一段的句子：He named the place Costa Rica, which means “rich coast” in Spanish.可知这段讲的是Costa Rica名字的由来，选B
小题2:细节题：从第三段的句子：Costa Ricans love colors and their houses are painted in bright colors. 可知Costa Rica人喜欢明亮的颜色，不会用灰色或黑色装饰房子。选B
小题3:细节题：从第四段的句子：Almost every village has a school and education is a must for children between seven and fourteen years of age. 可知7岁到14岁的儿童必须上学。选A
小题4:细节题：从第四段的句子：Classes begin in March and end in November. The other three months of the year are harvest time and the children have to help their parents to pick coffee beans.可知在不上学的三个月，孩子帮父母采摘咖啡豆。选C
小题5:主旨题：文章主要介绍Costa Rica城市名字的由来，和一些相关的信息。选B
点评：本文考查细节题为主，细节题可以在文章中直接找到与答案有关的信息或是其变体。搜查信息在阅读中非常重要它包括理解作者在叙述某事时使用的具体事实、数据、图表等细节信息。在一篇短文里大部分篇幅都属于这类围绕主体展开的细节。做这类题一般采用寻读法即先读题，然后带着问题快速阅读短文，找出与问题有关的词语或句子，再对相关部分进行分析对比，找出答案。