《2025年作业本浙江教育出版社九年级英语上册外研版》

*Ⅲ. Read the passage and answer the questions.
An island with beautiful white beaches and clear blue water full of colourful fish... This is a land that time forgot — Socotra. It sounds nice, but it doesn't sound very unusual, does it? Well, there's a lot more to Socotra than that. You can see things there that cannot be found anywhere else in the world.
Socotra is in the Indian Ocean, 250 kilometres east of Africa and 340 kilometres south of Yemen. The island separated from Africa six million years ago, and over that time it has developed its own unique (独一无二的) plant life. If you travel away from the beautiful beaches and up into the rocky mountains in the middle of the land, you may feel like you're going back in time.
Perhaps you'll see the desert rose, with its pretty pink flowers. The desert rose is a "bottle" tree. It stores water in its fat trunk (树干). Like many of Socotra's plants, it has developed to survive (生存) in the island's hot, dry climate.
One of the most unusual plants on Socotra is the "dragon's blood" tree. It is shaped like an umbrella, with a lot of branches under a green top. The tree gets its name from the red sap (树液) that comes out when it is cut. This sap has been used for centuries as a medicine and to make red dye and paint.
Socotra isn't an easy place for tourists to visit. To get there, you need to fly from Yemen. There are only a few hotels in its largest town, Hadibo, and the island doesn't have many good roads. The people there live a very simple life. But more and more visitors are coming to Socotra to see its natural beauty.
1. When did the island separate from Africa?Six million years ago.
2. Why are more and more visitors travelling to Socotra?Because they want to see its unique natural beauty.
3. Why is Socotra called "a land that time forgot"?Because it isn't an easy place for tourists to visit.
4. What is the main purpose of the passage?One possible version: To describe how unusual the plant life is on Socotra.

答案： 1. Six million years ago.
2. Because they want to see its unique natural beauty.
3. Because it isn't an easy place for tourists to visit.
4. One possible version: To describe how unusual the plant life is on Socotra.