When Christopher Columbus landed on the then unnamed Costa Rica 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.

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.

2. The Costa Ricans may NOT paint their houses ______.A. pink and red        B. grey and blackC. blue and green    D. yellow and orange3. In Costa Rica, boys and girls between seven and fourteen ______.A. must go to schoolB. study in the same schoolC. do not have to go to school at allD. can choose to stop schooling at any time

4. From December to February, school children in Costa Rica ______.A. have lessons every dayB. have their examinationsC. help their parents pick coffee beansD. help their parents decorate their houses

5. This passage is mainly about ______.A. Christopher Columbus     B. Costa Rica C. some products from Costa Rica      D. the education of Costa Rica

Background Information:

    哥斯达黎加是拉丁美洲的一个共和国，北邻尼加拉瓜，南与巴拿马接壤，是世界上第一个不设军队的国家，首都在圣何塞。哥斯达黎加尽管仍是一个农业国家，但已经取得相对较高的生活水平，土地所有权普遍扩张，而且旅游业蓬勃发展，同时由于是中美洲和南美洲的文化交汇处而拥有多样的文化。

国旗

    哥斯达黎加国旗启用于1906年11月27日，国旗呈长方形，长与宽之比约为5：3。旗面自上而下由蓝、白、红、白、蓝五条平行宽条相连组成。红色宽条比蓝白色宽一倍。蓝、白两色来自原中美洲联邦国旗的颜色，红色部分是1848年建立共和国时增加的。蓝色代表天空、机会、理想主义和坚忍；红色代表热忱和为独立所流的血；白色代表和平、智慧和快乐。红色部分左侧处绘有国徽图案是政府用国旗，且政府用国旗比例为2:3。

顶端飘扬着一条写着“中美洲”的蓝带，表达出哥斯达黎加人对原有联邦的缅怀；下方是镶有绿色枝叶的写有共和国国名的白色饰带。国徽两侧的玉米粒，圆润而金黄，说明这个高原国家的农业以玉米种植为主。3座红褐色的火山峰表示太 平洋和加勒比海之间的巴尔巴、伊拉苏和波阿斯山,山坡下繁花似锦的绿色高原上，居住着哥斯达黎加以生产咖啡为主的四分之三的人口。蓝天上7颗白色五角星代表哥斯达黎加现有的7个省。近景的加勒比海和山后的太平洋海面各有一艘古老的白色帆船，航行的动感将哥斯达黎加繁荣的海上贸易跃然托出。一轮朝阳在海面冉冉升起，新世纪的曙光照耀着这个国家的光明前程。

国徽

国花

    假鳞茎呈棍棒状或圆柱状，顶部生有叶1枚～3枚；叶厚而硬，中脉下凹；花单朵或数朵，着生于假鳞茎顶端，花大而美丽，色泽鲜艳而丰富。原产美洲热带，为巴西、阿根廷、哥伦比亚等国国花。品种在数千个以上。颜色有白、黄、绿、红紫等。繁殖用分株、组织培养或无菌播种。性喜温暖、潮湿和充足的光照。通常用蕨根、苔藓、树皮块等盆栽。生长时期需要较高的空气湿度，适当施肥和通风。

Vocabulary:

earring   n. 耳环

export   vt. 出口

crop     n. 庄稼

must     n. 必须要做的事

Key to exercise:

1. B. 第一段：Columbia thought the land must be rich in gold. He named the place Costa Rica, which means “rich coast” in Spanish.2.  B 第三段：Costa Ricans love colors and their houses are painted in bright colors.

3.  A 第四段：Education is a must for children between seven and fourteen years of age

4.  C 第四段：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.

5.  B 整篇文章都在介绍哥斯达黎加的方方面面