I was fascinated (着迷的) by the images of the eruption of the volcano in Iceland. Legend has it that the early settlers called the place “Iceland” to make it sound forbidding to their enemies. But for me it's the fire that makes Iceland such a kick.
When I first traveled to Iceland, the first thing that caught my eye was a cloud of steam in the distance. It was a geothermal (地热的) lake. I couldn't resist taking a dip in the mineralrich waters that had been heated by the primal (原始的) fire.
Later I attended a horse show. Although it was June, it was cold. As horses walked in green fields, I grew increasingly uncomfortable. Finally, I lay down and curled up in the grass. Within minutes I could feel it — warmth. But it was not coming from me. It was flowing up from below.
On a day trip with an Icelandic friend, as we drove, he pointed out a rise of steam in the distance. “That's Hveragerdi，” he said. “An important farming town.” Farming town? In Iceland? Well, there were no waves of grain, but there were greenhouses that grew tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers, etc. These were built over steam vents (蒸气裂口), using the free energy.
We saw a burning pile of bananas outside one of these greenhouses. “Have you ever seen such a thing？” asked my friend. “No，” I said, “but in America there's a famous book that describes the burning of grapes during the Great Depression, because the price had fallen so low that it was cheaper to destroy them.” “Yes，” said my friend, “That's the way it is here.”
My friend's home in Reykjavik was heated by geothermal energy. We enjoyed hot tea and sweet bread. “This is delicious，” I remarked. “Did you bake it yourself？” “No，” he said. “It comes from Hveragerdi. They put the dough (生面团) on the ground and the fires of the earth bake it overnight.”
语篇解读 本文介绍了冰岛当地居民使用地热的情况。
1．The author first experienced the fires of the earth in Iceland when ________.
A. he swam in a geothermal lake
B. he ate bread baked by the fires of the earth
C. he tasted bananas grown in the greenhouses
D. he lived in a hotel heated by geothermal energy
答案与解析 A 细节判断题。由第二段中的“I couldn't resist taking a dip in the mineralrich waters that had been heated by the primal (原始的) fire”可知，作者第一次体验那里的地热是在一个湖里游泳。
2．How did the author keep warm when watching a horse show?
A. By riding a horse in green fields.
B. By lying down on the ground.
C. By hiding in the heavy grass.
D. By running after horses quickly.
答案与解析 B 细节理解题。由第三段中的“Within minutes I could feel it — warmth. But it was not coming from me. It was flowing up from below”可知，作者躺在了地上，从而获取了地热。
3．Why did farmers burn bananas?
A. They couldn't eat up them at all.
B. The greenhouses needed heat.
C. The price of bananas was too low.
D. People preferred grapes to bananas.
答案与解析 C 推理判断题。由倒数第二段中的“because the price had fallen so low that it was cheaper to destroy them”可知，农民们烧掉香蕉是因为价格太低了。
4．The purpose of this passage is to ________.
A. recall the unforgettable visit to Iceland
B. introduce the origin of the name “Iceland”
C. attract more people to travel in Iceland
D. show how Icelanders use the fires of the earth
答案与解析 D 写作意图题。本文主要介绍了作者在冰岛体验当地居民对地热的各种利用，所以D项符合作者意图。
