单选题 Christopher Columbus was the son of a weaver. He was very interested in the discovery of new lands. His brother Bartholomew was a chart maker in Lisbon, Portugal. Columbus studied chart making with his brother. He believed that the world was round, and he wanted to travel the seas to prove it.
At that time, spice merchants were looking for a new route to Asia. Asia was a large trading area, but it was very difficult to reach by land. Columbus requested support from many people to help him travel the seas. Finally, Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain granted his request, and gave him three ships for his voyage.
On August 3, 1492, Columbus and ninety men set sail on the Santa Maria along with two other ships, the Nina and the Pinta. The voyage was hard and many men were sick and tired. On October 11, at ten o'clock at night, Columbus saw a light. The Pinta sailed ahead and reported that they had reached land. Since Columbus thought they had reached India, they expected to see people that were Indians. Even when they found out that they were not in Asia, they were happy to have found a new place that they could trade with. Columbus named the area where they landed "San Salvador", and claimed the area for Spain.
Today Columbus Day is celebrated in the United States on the second Monday in October. Banks and government offices are closed to honor the man who was the first European to have discovered the New World of the Americas.

单选题 Columbus decided to explore new areas because ______.
[A] he learnt charting and wanted to practise it
[B] he wanted to prove the earth was round
[C] he was encouraged by his Queen and King
[D] he hoped to be a famous sailor of his age

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】[名师精解] 题干是：哥伦布决定探索新大陆，因为……，答案在第一段的这句话中： He believed that the world was round，and he wanted to travel the seas to prove it.宣项A，C和D文中都没提及。
[解题秘籍] 这是道细节题，考生只须在文中寻找相应题眼即可作答。

单选题 About how long did it take Columbus to reach the new land?
[A] Two years.
[B] Two months.
[C] Three months.
[D] Three years.

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】[名师精解] 题干问：哥伦布大约用了多少时间到达新大陆的?答案在第三段，应注意这两个日期：August 3，1492；October 11。两个日子一比就可算出航行的时间了。
[解题秘籍] 作为时间题，应注意在文中寻找表达日期的题眼。

单选题 Who do you think most influenced Columbus' interest in exploring?
[A] The Queen and King of Spain.
[B] The Indians.
[C] His brother.
[D] His father.

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】[名师精解] 题干问：你认为谁对哥伦布的探索影响最大?答案在第一段。他的哥哥是海图的制图员，哥伦布跟他学习，因此受到他的影响。西班牙国王和王后只是给了他支持。
[解题秘籍] 此题还可用排除法把文中没有提及的选项排除掉。