Why does most of the world travel on the right side today? Theories differ, but there’s no doubt Napoleon was a major influence. The French have used the right since at least the late 18th century. Some say that before the French Revolution, noblemen drove their carriages on the left, forcing the peasants to the right. Regardless of the origin, Napoleon brought right-hand traffic to the nations he conquered, including Russia, Switzerland and Germany. Hitler, in turn, ordered right-hand traffic in Czechoslovakia and Austria in the 1930s. Nations that escaped right-hand control, like Great Britain, followed their left-hand tradition.
The U.S. has not always been a nation of right-hand drivers; earlier in its history, carriage and horse traffic travelled on the left, as it did in England. But by the late 1700s, people driving large wagons pulled by several pairs of horses began promoting a shift（改变）to the right. A driver would sit on the rear（后面的）left horse in order to wave his whip（鞭子）with his right hand; to see opposite traffic clearly, they travelled on the right.
One of the final moves to firmly standardize traffic directions in the U.S. occurred in the 20th century, when Henry Ford decided to mass-produce his cars with controls on the left (one reason, stated in 1908: the convenience for passengers exiting directly onto the edge, especially… if there is a lady to be considered). Once these rules were set, many countries eventually adjusted to the right-hand standard, including Canada in the 1920s, Sweden in 1967 and Burma in 1970. The U.K. and former colonies such as Australia and India are among the Western world’s few remaining holdouts(坚持不变者). Several Asian nations, including Japan, use the left as well--- though many places use both right-hand-drive and left-hand-drive cars.
小题1:Why did people in Switzerland travel on the right?| A．They had used the right-hand traffic since the 18th century. | | B．Rich people enjoyed driving their carriages on the right. | | C．Napoleon introduced the right-hand traffic to this country. | | D．Hitler ordered them to go against their left-hand tradition. |
小题2:Of all the countries below, the one that travels on the right is_________. | A．Austria | | B．England | | C．Japan | | D．Australia |
小题3:Henry Ford produced cars with controls on the left __________.| A．in order to change traffic directions in the U.S. | | B．so that passengers could get off conveniently | | C．because rules at that time weren’t perfect | | D．though many countries were strongly against that |
小题4:According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?| A．Before the French Revolution, all the French people used the right. | | B．People in Britain and the U.S. travel on the same side nowadays. | | C．The Burmese began to travel on the right in 1970. | | D．All the Asian nations use the left at present. |
小题5:What would be the best title for this passage?| A．Who made the great contribution to the shift of traffic directions? | | B．How cars have become a popular means of transportation? | | C．How Henry Ford produced his cars with controls on the left? | | D．Why don’t people all drive on the same side of road? |
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小题1:C
小题2:A
小题3:B
小题4:C
小题5:D |
试题分析：为什么世界上绝大多数国家的交通方向都是右行？文章陈述了拿破仑在改变交通方向中主要贡献，同时陈述了世界各国过去到现在的交通方向。
小题1:从第一段第四行Napoleon brought right-hand traffic to the nations he conquered, including Russia, Switzerland and Germany可得知正确答案为C。
小题2:从最后一段倒数第二句The U.K. and former colonies such as Australia and India are among the Western world’s few remaining holdouts及倒数第一句 Several Asian nations, including Japan, use the left as well可知England，Japan及Australia都是车辆右行，只有Austria是车辆左行，故选A。
小题3:从最后一段第二行括号里面的内容one reason, stated in 1908: the convenience for passengers exiting directly onto the edge, especially… if there is a lady to be considered可知正确答案为B。
小题4:从第一段第三行 before the French Revolution, noblemen drove their carriages on the left, forcing the peasants to the right可知A项错误。第二段首句得知美国车辆右行，最后一段提到英国车辆左行，故B项从最后一段Several Asian nations, including Japan, use the left as well可知D表达错误。从最后一段 倒数第三行... adjusted to the right-hand standard, ...Burma in 1970可知C项正确。
小题5:从文章第一段开头句总起句Why does most of the world travel on the right side today? Theories differ, but there’s no doubt Napoleon was a major influence可知正确答案为B。 |
核心考点
试题【Why does most of the world travel on the right side today? Theories differ, but 】；主要考察你对
题材分类等知识点的理解。
[详细]举一反三
“I like your smile, but unlike you put your shoes on my face”. A charming way of saying “Keep off the grass”. But could you figure it out? Or this: “Wash Clothing Store” for laundry.
They are both typical Chinglish, a combination of English vocabulary and Chinese grammar. Expressions such as “people mountain people sea”, means extremely crowded, and “give you some color to see”, meaning a punishment, are widely known and recognized.
Chinglish has been attracting global attention in recent years as China grows rapidly in status on the world stage, attracting both fans and detractors(批评者).
The Beijing Speaks Foreign Languages Programme and English First China Company, a language trainer known as EF Education, jointly launched a campaign to root out poor grammar and misused vocabulary in downtown Beijing. They argue Chinglish is an embarrassment that we should let it die out at all costs.
“It is meaningful to allow the capital to show its most beautiful historical and cultural heritage to the world." Michael Lu, vice-president of EF Education said, “since the launching of the campaign, foreign teachers and students had been very keen to volunteer participation.”He believed signs were very important in public services. "The signs in some old buildings confused foreign visitors.
Chinglish, although the target of much criticism, has also won supporters who regard it as an interesting way for foreigners to learn how Chinese people think and express themselves.
“Many Chinglish logos carry Chinese elements and they will enrich the English language,” 32-year-old Oliver Radtke said. He had even published a book “Chinglish: Found in Translation,” on the subject. About 50,000 copies of the book have been sold since it was published in 2007.
Some Chinese university experts also side with Chinglish. "English has absorbed elements from other languages such as French and Spanish in its growth, and the emergence of Chinglish again testifies(说明) to the language’s vitality and inclusiveness," said Shi Anbin, an associate professor of Tsinghua University.
小题1:How did Chinglish come into being?| A．Chinese people misunderstood the meaning of the new words. | | B．Chinese people combined English vocabulary with Chinese grammar. | | C．Chinese people based their English on the native English speakers. | | D．Chinese people make wide use of English vocabulary with bad spelling. |
小题2:What Shi Anbin said means .| A．there are many French and Spanish words in English | | B．English is the language with vitality and inclusiveness | | C．Chinglish enriches English and shouldn’t be got rid of | | D．Chinglish has greater effect on English than French and Spanish |
小题3:According to Oliver Radtke, Chinglish .| A．shows how Chinese people think | | B．does damage to the English language | | C．shows the great humor of Chinese people | | D．should be sold to all over the world |
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阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Language is the most astonishing behavior in the animal kingdom. It is the species-typical behavior that sets humans completely 36 from all other animals. Language is a means of 37 , but it is much more than that. Many animals can 38 . The dance of the honeybee communicates the location of flowers 39 other members of the hive (蜂群). But human language permits communication about anything, 40 things like unicorns (独角兽) that have never existed. The key 41 in the fact that different words can be 42 together in different ways, according to 43 to communicate different meanings.
Language is the most important learning we do. Nothing can 44 humans so much as our ability to communicate abstract 45 , whether about the university, the mind, love, dreams, or ordering a drink. It is an extremely complex 46 that we take for granted. Indeed, we are not aware of most 47 of our speech and understanding. Consider what happens when one person is speaking to 48 . The speaker has to translate thoughts into 49 language. Brain imaging studies suggest that the time from thoughts to the 50 of speech is extremely fast. Only 0.04 seconds! The listener must hear the sounds to 51 what the speaker means. He must use the sounds of speech to 52 the spoken words, understand the pattern of 53 of the words (sentences), and finally 54 the meaning. This takes somewhat longer, a minimum of about 0.5 seconds. But once started, it is of course a(n) 55 process.
| 小题2: | | A．advertisement | B．communication | C．discovery | D．invention |
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| 小题3: | | A．transfer | B．move | C．convey | D．communicate |
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| 小题5: | | A．only | B．almost | C．even | D．just |
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| 小题6: | | A．stays | B．situates | C．hides | D．lies |
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| 小题7: | | A．stuck | B．joined | C．rung | D．controlled |
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| 小题8: | | A．rules | B．scales | C．laws | D．standards |
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| 小题9: | | A．combine | B．contain | C．define | D．declare |
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| 小题10: | | A．activities | B．thoughts | C．effects | D．chances |
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| 小题11: | | A．expectation | B．progress | C．process | D．produce |
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| 小题12: | | A．aspects | B．abstracts | C．angles | D．assumptions |
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| 小题13: | | A．anybody | B．another | C．other | D．everybody |
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| 小题14: | | A．body | B．gesture | C．written | D．spoken |
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| 小题15: | | A．growing | B．fixing | C．beginning | D．building |
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| 小题16: | | A．put out | B．take down | C．draw up | D．figure out |
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| 小题17: | | A．identify | B．locate | C．reveal | D．discover |
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| 小题18: | | A．performance | B．organization | C．design | D．show |
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| 小题19: | | A．regulate | B．justify | C．release | D．interpret |
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| 小题20: | | A．slow | B．interesting | C．continuous | D．serious |
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In 1947 a group of famous people from the art world headed by an Austrian conductor decided to hold an interactional festival of music, dance and theatre in Edinburgh. The idea was to reunite Europe after the Second World War.
At the same time, the “Fringe” appeared as a challenge to the official festival. Eight theatre groups turned up uninvited in 1947, in the belief that everyone should have the right to perform, and they did so in a public house disused for years.
Soon, groups of students firstly from Edinburgh University, and later from the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, Durham and Birmingham were making the journey to the Scottish capital each summer to perform theatre by little-known writers of plays in small church halls to the people of Edinburgh.
Today the “Fringe”, once less recognized, has far outgrown the festival with around 1,500 performances of theatre, music and dance on every one of the 21 days it lasts. And yet as early as 1959, with only 19 theatre groups performing, some said it was getting too big.
A paid administrator was first employed only in 1971, and today there are eight administrators working all year round and the number rises to 150 during August itself. In 2004 there were 200 places housing 1,695 shows by over 600 different groups from 50 different countries. More than 1.25 million tickets were sold.
小题1:What was the purpose of Edinburgh Festival at the beginning?| A．To bring Europe together again. | | B．To honor heroes of World War 11. | | C．To introduce young theatre groups. | | D．To attract great artists from Europe. |
小题2:Why did some uninvited theatre groups come to Edinburgh in 1947?| A．They owned a public house there. | | B．They came to take up a challenge. | | C．They thought they were also famous. | | D．They wanted to take part in the festival. |
小题3:Who joined the "Fringe" after it appeared?| A．they owned a public house there | | B．University students. | | C．Artists from around the world. | | D．Performers of music and dance. |
小题4:We may learn from the text that Edinburgh Festival __________.| A．has become a non-official event | | B．has gone beyond an art festival | | C．gives shows all year round | | D．keeps growing rapidly |
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On New Year’s Eve, people in Italy throw out all the old things. So there are chairs, beds, clothes and plates in the trees. In Spain, the New Year comes in more quietly. In the evening people come together to the streets. Each holds a bag of grapes. When twelve o’clock comes, people start eating the grapes. In Japan, people eat noodles on New Year’s Eve. This food is said to bring long life. Early the next morning, some families climb Mount Fuji(富士山). There they watch the first sunrise(日出) of the New Year.
小题1:This story is about New Year’s Eve in_______| A．Italy | B．Spain | | C．Japan | D．All of the above |
小题2:People in Spain welcome New Year by _______after twelve.| A．eating grapes | B．eating noodles | | C．throwing the old things | D．watching the sunrise |
小题3:People in both Spain and Japan _______ to bring in the New Year.| A．throw things away | B．get together | | C．eat some food | D．climb a mountain |
小题4:Japanese climb Mount Fuji to _______ | A．look at the stars | B．look for New Year’s wishes | | C．see the sun coming up | D．have a rest |
小题5:The people in _______ hope to get long life from their New Year’s food| A．Japan | B．China | C．Spain | D．Italy |
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A student is learning to speak British English. He wonders (想知道): Can I communicate(交流) with Americans? Can they understand me? Learners of English often ask: What are the differences between British and American English? How important are these differences?
Certainly! there are some differences between British and American English. ‘There are a few differences in grammar. For example, speakers of British English say “in hospital” and “Have you a pen?” Americans say “in the hospital!” and “Do you have a pen?”. Pronunciation is sometimes different. Americans usually sound theirs in words like “bird” and “hurt”. Speakers of British English do not sound theirs in these words. There are differences between British and American English in spelling and vocabulary. For example, “colour” and “honour” are British, “color” and honor” are American.
These differences in grammar, pronunciation, spelling and vocabulary are not important, however. For the most part, British and American English are the same language.
小题1:According to this passage, a student who is learning to speak American English might be afraid that_______.| A． British people cannot understand him | | B． American people cannot understand him | | C． the grammar is too hard for him | | D． the spelling is too hard for him |
小题2:American English and British English are different in ________.| A．spelling | B．pronunciation | C．grammar | D．all of the above |
小题3:What is not mentioned (提及) in the passage?| A．Whether there are differences between British English and American English. | | B．Whether British English and American English are one language or two. | | C．How the differences between British English and American English came about. | | D．How important the differences are. |
小题4:Most ________ say “Do you have a watch?”| A．British people | B．Americans | C．children | D．teachers |
小题5:According to this passage, British people and Americans have _________ difficulty in understanding each other.| A．little | B．much | C．some | D．great |
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