Many years ago，a French naturalist，the Count de Buffon，wrote some books about natural history．The books were a great success even though some critics did not like them．Some critics said，“Count Buffon is more of a poet than a scientist．”
Thomas Jefferson did not like what the Count had said about the natural wonders of the New World．It seemed to Jefferson that the Count had spoken of natural wonders in America as if they were unimportant．
This troubled Thomas Jefferson．He too was a naturalist，as well as a farmer，inventor，historian，writer and politician．He had seen the natural wonders of Europe．To him，they were no more important than those of the New World．
In 1788，Thomas Jefferson wrote about his home state，Virginia．While writing，he thought of its natural beauty and then of the words of the Count de Buffon．At that moment．Jefferson created a new word—belittle．He said．“The Count de Buffon believes that nature belittles her productions on this side of the Atlantic．”
Noah Webster，the American word expert，liked this word．He put it in this English language dictionary in 1806，“Belittle—to make small，unimportant．”
Americans had already accepted Jefferson’s word and started to use it．In 1797，the Independent Chronicle newspaper used the word to describe a politician the paper supported．“He is an honorable man，”the paper wrote，“so let the opposition try to belittle him as much as they please．”
In 1872，a famous American word expert decided that the time had come to kill this word．He said，“Belittle has no chance of becoming English．And as more critical writers of America，like those of Britain，feel no need of it，the sooner it is forgotten，the better．”
This expert failed to kill the word．Today．belittle is used where the English language is spoken．
小題1:Why did Thomas Jefferson disagree with the Count de Buffon?
A．The Count said something silly about the Atlantic．
B．The Count wasn’t a true scientist in natural history．
C．The Count was a poet from a different country．
D．The Count belittled the natural wonders in America．
小題2:We can infer that Jefferson created the word“belittle”out of his ．
A．a(chǎn)ngerB．excitementC．kindnessD．responsibility
小題3:From the text we can know that ．
A．a(chǎn)ll critics thought little of the Count de Buffon
B．Europe has better wonders than the New World
C．the word“belittle”survived from disagreements
D．word experts can change the future of a new word
小題4:Which of the following is true of the word“belittle”?
A．It is gradually accepted by people．
B．It was invented by the Count de Buffon．
C．It was used to describe nature．
D．The Independent Chronicle made it popular．
小題5:What is the main idea of the text?
A．How the word“belittle”came into being．
B．The argument about natural wonders．
C．Every word has a long history behind．
D．Noah Webster supported Jefferson’s idea．

小題1:D
小題2:A
小題3:C
小題4:A
小題5:A

試題分析：今天的單詞是"belittle"，它是由美國第三任總統(tǒng)托馬斯·杰斐遜首次提出并使用。
小題1:D 細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第二段提到Thomas Jefferson did not like what the Count had said about the natural wonders of the New World．It seemed to Jefferson that the Count had spoken of natural wonders in America as if they were unimportant．杰斐遜不喜歡the Count(伯爵)對新大陸自然奇觀的說法。在他看來，伯爵對美洲自然奇觀的描述脫離了他一貫的方式，似乎它們無足輕重，故選D項(xiàng)。
小題2:A 細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第四段提到In 1788，Thomas Jefferson wrote about his home state，Virginia．While writing，he thought of its natural beauty and then of the words of the Count de Buffon．At that moment．Jefferson created a new word—belittle．He said．“The Count de Buffon believes that nature belittles her productions on this side of the Atlantic．可知出于憤怒，故選A項(xiàng)。
小題3:C 細(xì)節(jié)推斷題。根據(jù)最后一段提到This expert failed to kill the word. Today, belittle is used not only in the United States and England, but in other countries where the English language is spoken. It seems that efforts to belittle the word did not stop people from using it. 這位專家失敗了。今天不僅美國和英國，說英語的其他國家也一直在使用belittle這個詞�？磥硐胍藗兒鲆曔@個詞所做的努力都白費(fèi)了故選C項(xiàng)。
小題4:A 細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)倒數(shù)第三段提到Americans had already accepted Jefferson’s word and started to use it．可知人們接受這個單詞，故選A項(xiàng)。
小題5:A 主旨大意。本文講述belittle是由美國總統(tǒng)托馬斯·杰斐遜首次提出并使用，故選A項(xiàng)。
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A World of Color
No matter where you go, colors are everywhere! And while the colors may be the same, their meanings change depending on the country.
Colors
Different Meanings
 
Green
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Purple
Purple is worn by kings and queens in Europe, while in Thailand, it’s worn by women whose husbands have died.
 
 
Black
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White
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Red
Red means “beautiful” in Russia, but in South Africa, it’s the color of mourning. In the United States, a bride would be criticized(批評) for wearing a red gown. In India or China, though, brides often wear red as a symbol of good fortune.
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A．greenB．purpleC．blackD．white
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A．Five.B．Four.C．Three.D．Two.
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Many people make the mistake of confusing information with knowledge. They are not the same thing. Knowledge involves the interpretation of information. Knowledge involves listening.
Many words will be written on the wind and the sand, or end up in store. But the storytelling will go on until the last human being stops listening. Then we can send the great record of human out into the endless universe.
Who knows? Maybe someone is out there, willing to listen…
小題1:From the very beginning of the passage, we can know Europeans ________.
A．a(chǎn)ctually lose the ability to listen
B．seldom chat constantly with each other
C．feel frightened when they are alone and silent
D．tend to talk more and listen less
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A．suffer hot weather and lack of water
B．be certainly helped when in trouble
C．often hear the stories told by strangers
D．have no choice but to listen during a talk
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A．no one knows exactly why Africans are willing to listen
B．information is hard to understand without interpretation
C．listening makes the difference between information and knowledge
D．the existence of humans’ recordings totally depends on the way of storytelling
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B．the art of listening in Africa
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