What
would you see if you took a cruise to the Caribbean Islands? Palm trees and
coconuts (椰子)? White beaches and clear, blue ocean? Colorful corals (珊瑚) and
even more colorful fishes and birds? You bet. There are
thousands of islands in the Caribbean Sea. They are famous for their warm,
tropical climate and great natural beauty. The Caribbean
Islands form a chain that separates the Caribbean Sea from the rest of the
Atlantic Ocean. Some of the islands were formed by the eruption (爆发) of ancient
volcanoes (火山). {{U}} {{U}} 1 {{/U}} {{/U}} The
Caribbean Islands are known by several names. {{U}} {{U}} 2
{{/U}} {{/U}}The explorer Christopher Columbus called the islands the Indies
in 1492 because he thought he was near the coast of India. Later, Spain and
France called the islands the Antilles. There are four large islands in the
Caribbean Sea. {{U}} {{U}} 3 {{/U}} {{/U}}These four islands are
often called the Greater Antilles. Together, they account for about 90% of the
land area of the Caribbean Islands. The rest of the Caribbean
Islands are much smaller. Some of these islands are no more than tiny slivers
(小片) of exposed coral. You can see why pirates (海盗) such as the famous
Blackbeard sailed these waters. {{U}} {{U}} 4 {{/U}}
{{/U}} The weather of the Caribbean Sea is almost always warm and
sunny sandy beaches line the coasts of many islands. This is why millions of
tourists visit the islands each year. {{U}} {{U}} 5 {{/U}}
{{/U}} A. But life oil the Caribbean Islands is not always
painful. B. The earliest name used by Europeans is the Indies,
later changed to the West Indies. C. Others are low-lying coral
islands that gradually rose from the ocean. D. They are Cuba,
Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and Hispaniola. E. Many tourists arrive
on cruise ships. F. There are countless small islands to bury
treasure or hide on.