Somali pirates(海盗) robbed three Thai fishing ships with 77 sailors on board nearly l, 200 Miles off the Somali coast, the farthest-off-shore attack to date, an officer said Tuesday.
Pirates have gone farther south and east in answer to increased patrols(巡逻)by warships off the Somali shore. The robbing of the three ships Sunday was about 600 miles outside the normal operation area for the international force, said a spokesman.
The spokesman said the attack so far out at sea was a clear sign that the international patrols against pirates were having a “marked effect on pirate activity in the area”.
“Once they start attacking that far out, you’re not even really talking about the Somali basin or areas of water that have any connection with Somalia,” said an officer, Roger Middleton. “Once you’re that far out, it's just the Indian Ocean, and it means you’re looking at trade going from the Gulf to Asia, from Asia to South Africa. ”
“This is the farthest robbing to date. They are now operating near the Maldives and India,” said another officer.
The three ships--the MV Prantalay 11, 12, and l 4—had 77 members on board in total. All of them are Thai, the spokesman said. Before the Sunday robbing, pirates held l l ships and 228 sailors.
Pirates have increased attacks over the past year in hopes. of catching more dollar payments. Because of increased patrols and defenses on board ships, the success rate(率)has gone down, though the number of successful attacks has stayed the same year over year.
【小题1】The pirate attack reported in the text happened .A．far out in the Indian OceanB．in the normal patrol areaC．near the Somali, coastD．in the south of Africa【小题2】According to the text, which can best describe the situation of the pirate problems?A．More goods on board are lost.B．Pirate attacks happen in a larger area now.C．The number of attacks has stayed the same these years.D．Pirate attacks are as serious as before along the Somali coast.【小题3】Which is true about the warship patrols according to the text?A．The patrols are of little effect.B．The patrols are more difficult. C．More patrols are quite necessary even in Asia.D．The patrols only drive the pirates to other areas.【小题4】How many sailors were held by the pirates up to the time of the report?A．228.B．77.C．383.D．305.A
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(答案→)A
解析：
【小题1】A 推理题。根据第四段2,3行Once you’re that far out, it's just the Indian Ocean,说明这次海盗劫持大约发生在印度洋里，故A正确。
【小题2】B 细节题。根据第二段1,2句Pirates have gone farther south and east in answer to increased patrols(巡逻)by warships off the Somali shore. The robbing of the three ships Sunday was about 600 miles outside the normal operation area说明现在的海盗抢劫案件发生的地点更远。故B正确。
【小题3】B 推理题。根据文章第二段说明海盗抢劫事件发生的地点越来越远。甚至到了印度洋里，这给巡逻护航带来了更大的困难。故B正确。
【小题4】D 计算题。根据第一段说明本次抢劫海盗劫持了77人，根据第六段最后一行pirates held l l ships and 228 sailors.说明原来就劫持了228人，那么一共是305人。故D正确。