Do you ever wonder why the English have one word for some animals and a different one for their meat? Why do they use pig and pork, cow and beef, and sheep and mutton? To find it out, we have to go back to 1066, when the Norman French invaded England and put a French king on the English throne (王位), which not only changed the government but also changed the language. French became the language of the upper classes of society. And it remained that way for 300 years. Only these high society people could afford to eat meat. As a result, French words like porc (pork) and beouf (beef) came into the English language. However, poor English farmers raised the animals. So the English language retained the words pig and cow from the Native Anglo-Saxon.
The Norman French added about 10,000 French words to the English language. Seventy-five percent of them are still in use today.
In French grammar, nouns have either a male or female gender (性别), so adjectives (形容词) take different forms for each. English has only one adjective that does this, and it came from French. The word “blond” describes someone with light-colored hair. “Blond” is used for men, and “blonde” describes women. And they are also nouns.
Some French words that entered the English language have taken on completely different meanings. The French phrase “a la mode” means “in style”. In English, the phrase means “with the ice cream”. Someone must have decided something eaten with ice cream was in style!
Now, as you learn English, you’re on your way to learning French!
小题1:French was once popular among the upper classes of the UK because_____.| A．too many French moved to Britain | | B．French brought animals with them | | C．the king and his officials spoke French | | D．the king allowed French to be spoken |
小题2:Which word can replace the word “retained” in Paragraph 1?| A．Chose | B．Kept | C．Introduced | D．Give up |
小题3:Why does an English speaker find French easy to learn?| A．Because English and French share similar pronunciations. | | B．Because English grammar and French grammar are similar. | | C．Because a large number of English words have French origins. | | D．Because English has great influences on the French language. |
小题4:French grammar is very different from English grammar because ______. | A．no words have the same pronunciation | | B．all words have the same pronunciation | | C．English nouns have a male or female gender | | D．French nouns have different adjective forms |
小题5:What conclusion can we draw from the text?| A．Language is closely related to history and culture. | | B．French and English words have nothing in common. | | C．Language is controlled by the upper classes of society. | | D．English combines French and the Native Anglo-Saxon. |
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小题1:C
小题2:B
小题3:C
小题4:D
小题5:A |
试题分析：文章介绍英语受法语的影响很大，因为历史的原因，上等阶层的人说法语很多，现在还有很多法语在英语中使用，文章也介绍了法语和英语的不同之处。
小题1:细节题：从文章第一段的句子：when the Norman French invaded England and put a French king on the English throne (王位), which not only changed the government but also changed the language. French became the language of the upper classes of society.可知法语曾经在英国的上层很受欢迎，是因为国王和官员都说法语。选C
小题2:猜词题：从第一段的句子：However, poor English farmers raised the animals. So the English language retained the words pig and cow from the Native Anglo-Saxon.贫穷的农民饲养动物，所以英语保持了安格鲁撒克逊的猪和牛这样的单词。可知“retained”的意思是“保持”，选B
小题3:细节题：从文章第二段的句子：The Norman French added about 10,000 French words to the English language. Seventy-five percent of them are still in use today.可知说英语的人发现法语很容易学，是因为很多英语单词来源于法语，选C
小题4:细节题：从文章第三段的句子：In French grammar, nouns have either a male or female gender (性别), so adjectives (形容词) take different forms for each.可知法语的语法和英语不同，因为法语的名词有不同的形容词形式。选D
小题5:归纳题：从文章的内容:法语和英语的演变受当时历史和文化的影响很大，可以归纳出语言和历史文化密切相关，选A |
核心考点
试题【Do you ever wonder why the English have one word for some animals and a differen】；主要考察你对
题材分类等知识点的理解。
[详细]举一反三
Governments all over the world make public reports about the condition of their economies. Most countries, including the United States, have used a measure called the gross national product (国民生产总值)or GNP. It includes all goods and services produced by citizens of the country anywhere in the world.
Recently the American Commerce Department has started using a new method to measure production. It is known as the gross domestic product（国内生产总值）or GDP. It counts only goods and services that have been produced within the nation’s borders. Money earned by foreign companies operating in the United States is included in the GDP, but money earned by American companies operating in other countries is not.
Economic experts generally approve of the change. They say that the gross domestic product provides a truer measure of the economy. They also note that most other industrial countries use this method. Therefore it will be easier to study the economies of different countries. Some officials also hope the new system will help them make better economic policy decisions. It will provide them with a clearer understanding of economic activity in the U.S. . The new measure is less likely to be affected by sudden changes in foreign oil prices or in the value of the American dollar in other countries.
Economic experts believe that the change from GNP to GDP will immediately reduce the value of American production by at least 40,000 million dollars a year. But that is really a very small change in the American economy – less than 1% . The Commerce Department reports the unofficial gross domestic product once every three months. The government also continues to report GNP as it has four times a year since 1941.
小题1:To report the American GNP, the government should not consider goods and services produced _______.| A．by American companies at home | | B．by American companies in China | | C．by American companies in Singapore | | D．by Japanese companies in the United States |
小题2:To report the American GDP, the Commerce Department should count money earned ________.| A．by both American and foreign companies in America | | B．by American companies within its own borders | | C．by foreign companies in the United States | | D．by American companies in its foreign markets |
小题3:GDP is considered better than GNP by some economists because ________.| A．it is something new | | B．it is used by most countries | | C．it is easier to calculate | | D．it is less likely to be affected by the foreign market |
小题4:What will happen to the value of American economy if GDP is used to replace GNP?| A．It will be seriously affected. | B．It will not be affected. | | C．It will come down a little. | D．It will slightly go up. |
小题5:How often are the reports of GDP issued by the American Commerce Department?| A．once every four months | B．once every three months | | C．once every six months | D．once a year |
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You heard about the sign posted on a farmer"s fence? On the other side of the resides the biggest, meanest looking you can imagine．The sign is intended to strike into the hearts of would-be trespassers．It reads, "Don"t attempt to this field unless you can do it in 9．9 seconds．The bull can do it in 10 flat!"
Don"t try to cross that field unless you are !And isn"t that the way it is in life? We have to be ready when the arises or else we will have little chance of ．
Sixth-grade schoolteacher Ms Shelton believed in ．Students remember how she in on the first day of class and began writing of an eighth-grade caliber on the chalkboard．They protested that the words were not on their and they couldn"t learn them．
Their teacher that the students could and would learn these words．She said that she would teach down to them．Ms Shelton ended by saying that one of the students in that classroom could go on to ．maybe even be president some day, and she wanted to prepare them for that day．
Ms Shelton spoke those words many years ago． did she know that someday one of her students - Jesse Jackson - would take them ．She believed that if they were well prepared, they could achieve goals．
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "People only see what they are prepared to see．" that"s true, then it is also true that they only become what they are prepared to become． And a lot of is just about getting ready．
| 小题1: | | A．fence | B．river | C．village | D．hill |
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| 小题2: | | A．tiger | B．farmer | C．bull | D．goat |
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| 小题3: | | A．curiosity | B．fear | C．desire | D．courage |
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| 小题4: | | A．cut | B．cover | C．enter | D．cross |
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| 小题5: | | A．accompanied | B．armed | C．prepared | D．guarded |
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| 小题6: | | A．opportunity | B．challenge | C．hope | D．problem |
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| 小题7: | | A．luck | B．victory | C．wealth | D．success |
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| 小题8: | | A．determination | B．readiness | C．honesty | D．diligence |
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| 小题9: | | A．hurried | B．moved | C．walked | D．broke |
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| 小题10: | | A．words | B．poems | C．proverbs | D．questions |
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| 小题11: | | A．strangely | B．quietly | C．rudely | D．quickly |
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| 小题12: | | A．range | B．level | C．interest | D．requirement |
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| 小题13: | | A．admitted | B．announced | C．insisted | D．complained |
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| 小题14: | | A．never | B．instead | C．still | D．always |
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| 小题15: | | A．position | B．career | C．service | D．greatness |
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| 小题16: | | A．Little | B．Seldom | C．Much | D．Once |
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| 小题17: | | A．easy | B．seriously | C．completely | D．back |
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| 小题18: | | A．final | B．proper | C．high | D．straight |
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| 小题19: | | A．Although | B．If | C．Whether | D．Unless |
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During the 1800s, African Americans worked long days in the fields of the American South．To ease their labor, they sang "field hollers" that they had brought from Africa．One person sang a line．Then a group of workers repeated it．The songs" words told of the hardships that people suffered．African Americans sang "shout spirituals", or joyous religious songs．They clapped their hands and stomped their feet to the music．
After the Civil War, the music changed dramatically．African American music, from ballads to church music, took new forms．It also adapted dance music, called "jump-ups"．which had great rhythm． Banjos became popular．A blues singer usually played a call and response with the banjo．By the early 1900s, the guitar had replaced the banjo as the main blues instrument．
Northern Mississippi - called the Delta - was the center of the blues tradition．By the 1920s, the Delta had many clubs, so-called juke joints．African Americans listened and danced to music in these clubs．Some of the greatest blues men and women performed there．
Blues have a soulful sound that is easy to recognize．The musical notes are often "bent"．That is, they are changed slightly to give a song more strength．Whatever their origin, these bent notes most often define the blues．
Lyrics are the words of a song．Blues lyrics describe everyday life．The lyrics, often about relationships between men and women, are often very intense and personal．They tell about sorrow and overwork．They tell about finding or losing love, having money or being broke, being happy or sad and lonely．The lyrics may use humor to describe life"s trials and joys．They almost always use the rhythms of everyday speech．A typical blues stanza, or group of lyrics, has three lines．The second line repeats the first line．The third line has different words．
By the 1940s, large numbers of African Americans had left the Delta and moved north to work． Many settled in Chicago．There, a new kind of "electric", or "Chicago" blues began．Many of its themes were the same, but these blues had "wailing" electric guitars and harmonicas．The music had a steady, strong drumbeat．The loud, driving Chicago blues was excellent dance music．Chicago blues led to the birth of a new music style-rock and roll．
小题1:The "field holler" is a kind of music that came from ___．| A．the American South． | B．Africa． | | C．Chicago． | D．Asia． |
小题2:"Shout spirituals" and "field hollers" are similar in that both_____．| A．used banjos． | B．were sung in church． | | C．included call and response singing． | D．expressed sadness． |
小题3:A typical blues Stanza is made up of____．| A．three lines． | B．a harmonica． | | C．a driving beat． | D．four lines． |
小题4:One can conclude from the passage that the blues ___．| A．would have widespread without the juke joints of the Mississippi． | | B．served as a form of communication and self-expression． | | C．was successful only in the American South． | | D．there were only greatest blues man performed in these clubs． |
小题5:African Americans probably moved to Chicago because ____．| A．the South was too hot in summer． | | B．they liked the Chicago blues． | | C．there were more jobs there． | | D．they wanted to create a new music style． |
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Inland waters may be grouped into two general classes: standing waters and flowing waters. As is often the case, the boundary between these two classes is not sharp and clear. A pond is an example of standing water. But most ponds are fed by springs or brooks and most have an outlet. Thus some current of changing water flows through them. On the other hand, a river is an example of flowing water. In some places, however, a river may have such a slow current that it is very difficult to detect.
Standing inland waters differ in size, in age, and in many abiotic environmental characteristics. They range in size from roadside puddles to the Caspian Sea. Puddles may last for only a few days or weeks; ponds, for a few hundred to a thousand years. In general, lakes are older, though the waters of some tropical “lakes” disappear completely during each dry season. Standing waters vary from very shallow to very deep, from clear to muddy, from fresh to salty.
In flowing waters we roughly distinguish between brooks, creeks, and rivers. The size and age of flowing waters are unimportant. Speed of flow, clearness, oxygen content, and other chemical characteristics are used by scientists in studying flowing-water ecosystems.
小题1:According to the passage, which of the following characteristics of flowing waters is unimportant? | A．Clarity. | B．Size. | C．Speed of flow. | D．Oxygen content. |
小题2:The word “abiotic” in paragraph 2 can best be replaced by ______.| A．nonliving | B．living | C．coastal | D．inland |
小题3:Which of the following statements is true?| A．Usually the water in a river flows into a pond. | | B．Scientists only study flowing-water ecosystems. | | C．Usually ponds last much longer than puddles. | | D．The Caspian Sea is considered as an example of flowing water. |
小题4:From this passage we may know that the distinction between standing waters and flowing waters ______.| A．depends on how people name the waters | | B．is clear | | C．depends on the seasons | | D．is hard to make |
小题5:This passage mainly tells us that ______.| A．there are two major classes of inland waters | | B．lakes and rivers are flowing waters | | C．age and size of flowing waters are important | | D．ponds and brooks are standing waters |
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When, after a year of being alone on his island, Robinson Crusoe sees a footprint in the sand, the reader of Robinson Crusoe trembles. Will Crusoe find another human being to end his loneliness? Is the footprint the sign of an enemy? Since 1719, when Daniel Defoe wrote Robinson Crusoe, thousands of people who enjoy English novels have thrilled to this great adventure story. But few know how the story came to be written. Robinson Crusoe was the first English novel. Its birth brought together the misadventures of a Scotch “failure” and the untapped imagination of an aging English scribbler.
Near the end of the Seventeenth Century, the hot-tempered Alexander Selkirk was charged with bad conduct while in church. Rather than face this charge, he ran away to sea. Several years later, Selkirk found himself on the ship of an English privateer. The privateer was preying on Spanish shipping. But Selkirk quarreled bitterly with the Captain. So, when the ship came to the island of Juan Femandez in the South Seas, Selkirk asked to be put ashore. When he saw that there were no people on the island, he begged to be taken back on board. But the Captain refused—Selkirk had gone too far. Over four years later, Selkirk was rescued by another ship.
When Selkirk got back to England, the story of his life on the island fired the imagination of Daniel Defoe. Defoe had been earning a living by his pen since he was thirty. He was amazingly hard-working. He wrote a whole newspaper three times a week. He also made part of his living from politics. He supported both political parties. He told each party that it had his sole support.
小题1:Alexander Selkirk spent four years on a desert island because .| A．he sought adventure | | B．he was hot-tempered | | C．he was afraid to face charges | | D．his ship was wrecked |
小题2:Daniel Defoe .| A．made his living as a writer | | B．got his start as a writer with the writing of Robinson Crusoe | | C．was very “straight”-he was hardworking and honest | | D．had little power of imagination, but succeeded with his novel because he worked hard |
小题3:This passage is mainly about .| A．how Alexander Selkirk was able to survive on the island. | | B．why people enjoy English novels | | C．what the footprint in the sand meant | | D．how Robinson Crusoe came to be written |
小题4:According to this passage , which of the following statements is not true?| A．Robinson Crusoe was a successful novel. | | B．Even if Alexander Selkirk had not lived on the island of Juan Femande, Robinson Crusoe would still have been written. | | C．Daniel Defoe lived partly by hard work and partly by his “ wits ”. | | D．With the writing of Robinson Crusoe , the English novel was born. |
小题5:The author’s attitude towards Daniel Defoe is .| A．critical | B．supporting | C．both A and B | D．opposing |
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