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 arm, 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 percent 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 warn and sunny. Sandy beaches line
the coasts of many islands. {{U}} {{U}} 5 {{/U}} {{/U}}This is
why millions of tourists visit the islands each year. A. But
life on 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.