Many boys love reading about the legends of old pirates (海盗) and dreaming of their own wild adventures. But modern pirates are not a thing of the past. Last month Somali pirates did their boldest hijacking (劫持) to date. They seized the Saudi supertanker (超大型油轮) Sirius Star carrying crude oil worth about $100 million. They demanded $15 million to free the ship and its crew.
The pirates have kept hitting the headlines this year: 92 attacks have been attempted, with 36 successful hijackings and 268 crew members taken hostage (人质). The Chinese fishing ship Tianyu 8, with 17 Chinese and 8 foreigners on board, has been in their hands since November 14.
Of course piracy (海盗行为) is nothing new. Even since there has been water and ships there have been pirates. The earliest documented history of pirates dates back to the 13
th century in the Mediterranean Sea. Even the famous Roman emperor Julius Caesar was once kidnapped by pirates.
Piracy reached its peak in the mid-1700s. It was during this time in the Caribbean and off the coast of Africa that men like “Blackbeard the Pirate” made this profession attractive. But with the creation of stronger national Navies piracy became less popular around the world.
In the mid-20
th century, most pirates were petty (小规模的) thieves. They used hooks to sneak (偷偷摸摸) on board ships at anchor, and grabbed all that they could find.
These pirates were more likely to flee than fight if faced by the crew. However, nowadays piracy has become a multi-million-dollar business at tracting many in poor countries. Pirates are treated like heroes among local fishermen.
They use satellite phones and Global Positioning Systems (GPS). Once they spot their target, they swarm the ship with fast boats and shoot it by firing AK-47s or even rocket-propelled grenades (火箭榴弹炮). Then they hold the ship and its crews for money.
“The world should take forceful actions together to fight piracy,” said leaders at the Asian and Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Peru.
“However, putting in anti-piracy army can only be half of the solution. We have to protect the fair chance of Somali fishermen to get a good living and keep them from the lure of easy money,” said Peter Lehr, a lecturer in terrorism studies.
小题1: When did piracy reach its peak?
| A．In the 13th century. | B．In the mid-1700s. |
| C．In the mid-20th century. | D．November 14, 2008. |
小题2:What does the underlined sentence probably mean?
| A．Pirates were very bold at first. | B．Pirates were very popular then. |
| C．Pirates were very attractive then. | D．Pirates were not so bold at that time. |
小题3:According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．The pirates have committed 92 crimes successfully this year. |
| B．Piracy became more and more popular as the national Navies became powerful. |
| C．Nowadays, pirates are learning to use modern weapons to commit crimes at sea. |
| D．On November 18, a Chinese ship was attacked by a suspected pirate ship. |