The flag, the most common symbol(象征) of a nation in the modern world, is also one of the most ancient. With a clear symbolic meaning, the flag in the traditional form is still used today to mark buildings, ships and other vehicles related to a country.
The national flag as we know it today is in no way a primitive(原始的)artifact. It is, rather, the product of thousands of years' development. Historians believe that it had two major ancestors, of which the earlier served to show wind direction.
Early human beings used very fragile houses and boats. Often strong winds would tear roofs from houses or cause high waves that endangered travelers .People's food supplies were similarly vulnerable. Even after they had learned how to plant grains, they still needed help from nature to ensure good harvests. Therefore they feared and depended on the power of the wind, which could bring warmth from one direction and cold from another.
Using a simple piece of cloth tied to the top of a post to tell the direction of the wind was more dependable than earlier methods, such as watching the rising of smoke from a fire. The connection of the flag with heavenly power was therefore reasonable. Early human societies began to fix long pieces of cloth to the tops of totems(圖騰) before carrying them into battle. They believed that the power of the wind would be added to the good wishes of the gods and ancestors represented by the totems themselves.
These flags developed very slowly into modern flags. The first known flag of a nation or a ruler was unmarked: The king of China around 1000 B.C. was known to have a white flag carried ahead of him. This practice might have been learned from Egyptians even further in the past, but it was from China that it spread over trade routes through India, then across Arab lands, and finally to Europe ,where it met up with the other ancestor of the national flag.
小題1:The best title for the passage would be______.
A．Power of the National FlagB．Uses of Flag
C．Types of FlagsD．Development of the National Flag
小題2:The underlined word “vulnerable” in Paragraph 3 means_____
A．impossible to make sure ofB．difficult to find
C．likely to be protectedD．easy to damage
小題3: The earliest flags were connected with heavenly power because______
A．they were believed to stand for natural forces
B．they could bring good luck to fighters
C．they were handed down by the ancestors
D．they could tell wind direction
小題4:What does the author know of the first national flag?
A．He thinks it came fromB．He believes it was made in Egypt
C．He doubts where it started.D．He knows when it was sent to Europe
小題5: What was the author most probably talk about next?
A．The role of China in the spread of the national flag.
B．The second ancestor of the national flag.
C．The use of modern flags in Europe
D．The importance of modern flags

小題1:D
小題2:D
小題3:A
小題4:C
小題5:B

本文介紹了作為國家象征的國旗的發(fā)展史。
小題1:主旨?xì)w納題。第二段第二句及第五段首句等都說明本文是介紹國旗發(fā)展史的。
小題2:詞意猜測題。由第三段中的similarly一詞可知“人們的早期食物也具有和早期人類的房屋和船一樣易碎的特點(diǎn)”，所以選D項(xiàng)對。
小題3:推斷題。在第四段中談到系布于竿子頂端來辨別風(fēng)向比靠炊煙來辨別風(fēng)向更可靠。且從此段尾句可知“早期的人類認(rèn)為風(fēng)力被給予了由圖騰代表的神和祖先的美好祝愿”。故可推得風(fēng)代表自然的力量。
小題4:細(xì)節(jié)理解題。從第五段第二句可直接推知。
小題5:推斷題。由于本文只是詳細(xì)談?wù)摿藝斓囊环N原型，而依據(jù)第二段尾句可知下文將談?wù)搰斓牧硪环N原型。
練習(xí)冊系列答案
相關(guān)習(xí)題

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解


C
Why are so many coin banks shaped like pigs? Why not dogs or cats or elephants?
Coin banks weren't always made to look like pigs. In fact, the name "piggy bank" may have come from a kind of clay and not from the animal at all.
The history of the piggy bank goes back to the Middle ages. At that time in Western Europe, metals were expensive, so a cheap orange clay known as pygg was used for everyday items such as dishes and jars. In fact something made from pygg clay was often just called a pygg. The first piggy bank may well have been a pygg in which a person put a few extra pennies to buy a treat on market day.
People have always had a hobby of saving pennies, and using a pygg as a coin bank became common practice. Potters (陶工) began making jars specially for saving coins, and eventually these jars took a pig-like shape. Modeling a bank to look like a pig may have been influenced by the name of the clay. The earliest Roman coin bank ever found was decorated with a pig. Because it was considered as a valuable farm animal in many countries, the pig was an appropriate symbol of wealth and prosperity.
These early clay banks were fragile and easily broken. As time passed, mining became less expensive. Iron, copper, and silver gradually replaced pygg clay in the production of household items. Although pygg clay lost its popularity, the habit of saving pennies did not. Today piggy 'banks are made of every material imaginable.
The familiar saying "A penny saved is a penny earned" is as old as the clearly piggy banks. Marry a child received his or her first coin bank accompanied by this wise advice. The modern-day piggy bank may have changed in sine, shape, and spelling, but it saves our pennies just as well as the first pygg did countries ago.
64. In the Middle ages, people used pygg to make dishes because ________.
A. it was precious                             B. it stood for wealth
C. it had a beautiful color                           D. it was cheaper than other materials
65. What do we know about the pygg bank?
A. Its name might come from an animal.                   B. The first pygg bank looked like a pig.
C. It was designed for children at the beginning.         D. The early piggy banks were easily damaged.
66. Why did pygg day lose its popularity?
A. Other cheap and solid materials appeared.    B. It was inconvenient to carry it to the market.
C. It couldn't be made into other shapes.          D. People had run out of this kind of material.
67. In the last paragraph, the author intends to tell us ________.
A. piggy banks nowadays are not practical          B. piggy banks still play a part in our daily lives
C. piggy banks today are mainly made of iron
D. most children don' t have the habit of saving money

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

The cash machine is 47 years old, but where was the birthplace of this world-beating invention? New York? Tokyo? No. The first ever cash machine was born in Enfield Town, north London. It was a Scottish inventor, John shepherd Barron, who realized the concept of a self-service machine that could be used 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to withdraw cash from one’s own bank account. It struck the inventor while he was in the bath. He hit upon the idea of a chocolate bar dispenser, replacing chocolate with cash.
On September 2 in 1969, America’s first automatic teller machine (ATM) appeared in public, giving out cash to customers at Chemical Bank, New York. It was only able to give out cash, but in 1971, an ATM that could handle many functions, including depositing(存款) money, was introduced. Today there are over one million ATMs around the world, with a new one added every five minutes. It is reported that Americans over the age of 18 use their ATM card six to eight times a mouth. Not surprisingly, ATMs get their busiest workouts on Fridays. In the 1990s, banks began charging fees to use ATMs, a profitable move for them and an annoying one for consumers.
Consumers were also faced with an increase in ATM crimes. Robbers preyed(搶奪) on people using money machines in poorly lit or otherwise unsafe locations, and criminals also thought up ways to steal customers’ PINs (personal identification numbers), even setting up fake money machines to capture the information. In response, city and state governments passed laws such as New York’s ATM Safety Act in 1996, which required banks to install such things as surveillance cameras (監(jiān)控?cái)z像頭), reflective mirrors and locked entryways for their ATMs. 
小題1:What does the underlined word, “It”, in the first paragraph, probably refer to?
A．The opening time of the bank.
B．The concept of an ATM.
C．Ordinary banking service.
D．The act of withdrawing cash.
小題2: Which of the following is true about ATM?
A．It appeared earlier than the chocolate bar dispenser.
B．It was invented by a Scottish man in 1971.
C．It was at first free of charge for its consumers.
D．It was originally designed to deposit money.
小題3: What can we learn from the text? "
A． Americans under the age of 18 are not allowed to have an ATM card.
B． People are more likely to turn to ATMs for banking service on Fridays.
C． Criminals usually choose unsafe locations to steal customers' PINs.
D． The ATM crime rate in New York is much lower than that in other state
小題4: Which of the following might be the best title for the text?
A． How to Operate on an ATM
B． What is Waiting for ATMs in the Future?
C． The First ATM Opened for Business
D．The Unknown Truth about ATM

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Shundagarh is a village on India's east-facing coast.It is a village of simple mud and grass houses built on the beach just above the waterline.The Khadra Hills rise immediately behind the village,to a height of one hundred and fifty meters.A simple,good-hearted old man,whose name was Jalpur,farmed two small fields on the very edge of these hills.From his fields he could see the fishing boats that travelled up and down the coast.He could see the children playing on the sands;their mothers washing clothes on the flat stones where the Shiva River flowed into the sea;and their fathers landing the latest catch or repairing nets and telling stories that had no end.
All Jalpur owned in the world were the clothes he wore day in and day out,the miserable hut(小屋) that he slept in at night,a few tools and cooking pots—and his fields.The corn that he grew was all that made life possible.If the weather was kind and the harvest was good,Jalpur could live happily enough—not well,but happily.When the sun was fierce,and there was little or no rain,then he came close to the line between life and death.
Last year the weather had been so kind,and the harvest promised to be so good,that Jalpur had been wondering whether he could sell all that he had and live with his son farther up the coast.He had been thinking about doing this for some years.It was his dearest wish to spend his last days with his son and his wife.But he would go only if he could give;he would not go if it meant taking food out of the mouths of his grandchildren.He would rather die hungry than do this.
On the day when Jalpur decided that he would harvest his corn,sell it,and move up the coast,he looked out to sea and saw a huge wave,several kilometers out,advancing on the coast and on the village of Shundagarh.Within ten minutes everyone in Shundagarh would be drowned.Jalpur would have shouted,but the people were too far away to hear.He would have run down the hill,but he was too old to run.He was prepared to do anything to save the people of Shundagarh,so he did the only thing that he could do: he set fire to his corn.In a matter of seconds the flames were rising high and smoke was rising higher.Within a minute the people of Shundagarh were racing up the hill to see what had happened.There,in the middle of his blackened cornfield,they found Jalpur;and there they buried him.
On his grave,they wrote the words: Here lies Jalpur,a man who gave,living: a man who died,giving.
小題1:Which of the following could Jalpur NOT see from his Fields?
A．Mothers washing clothes.
B．Fathers taking their corn to market.
C．Fishing boats traveling on the sea.
D．Children playing on the sands.
小題2:Why didn't Jalpur live well?
A．He didn't work hard.
B．He had too many children to feed.
C．He only depended on good weather and harvest for survival.
D．The villagers kept taking his corn.
小題3:Jalpur's dearest wish was to _________.
A．move away from his son
B．take a vacation up the coast
C．make a great deal of money in order to live an easy life
D．spend his last days with his son and his wife
小題4:What did Jalpur do when he saw the huge wave?
A．He set his corn on fire so the people of Shundagarh would leave the beach.
B．He screamed loudly to get the villagers' attention.
C．He ran down the hill to tell the people.
D．He stood still,not knowing what to do.

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

For many years, no one could communicate with people who had been born without learning. These deaf people were not able to use a spoken language.
But, beginning in the 1700s, the deaf were taught a special language. Using this language, they could share thoughts and ideas with others. The language they used was a language without sound. It was a sign language.
How did this sign language work?  The deaf were taught to make certain movements with their hands, faces and bodies. These movements stood for things and ideas. A man might move his finger across his lips. This meant, “You are not telling the truth.” He might tap his chin (下巴, 下顎)with three fingers. This meant “my uncle”.
The deaf were also taught to use a finger alphabet（字母表）. They used their fingers to make letters of the alphabet. In this way, they spelled out words. Some deaf people could spell out words at a speed of 130 words per minute.
Sign language and finger spelling are not used as much as they once could. Today, the deaf are taught to understand others by watching their lips. They are also taught how to speak.
小題1:The passage is mainly about ___ .
A．how the deaf communicate with others
B．teaching the deaf to speak with their mouths
C．learning how to spell words with one’s hands
D．how sign languages came into being
小題2:From the passage we can infer that ___.
A．there is still no way to communicate with the deaf
B．the deaf must have special teachers to teach them
C．in order to make a living, deaf people must make signs
D．it is not very difficult for the deaf to learn sign language
小題3:How did sign languages help the deaf?
A．It helped them learn to read
B．The deaf could understand sign languages even if they had not learned them
C．It helped them to communicate with other people
D．It helped them speak with their mouths
小題4:Which of the following sentences do you think is right according to the passage?
A．Deaf people draw signsB．Deaf people read with their fingers
C．Many deaf people now can speakD．Deaf people can hear what others say now

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

The Neutrality of American in the Early World War II
The establishment of the Third Reich influenced events in American history by starting a chain of events which culminated in war between Germany and the United States. The compete destruction of democracy, the persecution of Jews, the war on religion, the cruelty and barbarism of the Nazis, and especially the plans of Germany and her allies, Italy and Japan, for world conquest caused great indignation in this country and brought on fear of another world war. While speaking out against Hitler’s atrocities, the American people generally favored isolationist policies and neutrality. The Neutrality Acts of 1935 and 1936 prohibited trade with any belligerents or loans to them. In 1937 the President was empowered to declare an arms embargo in wars between nations at his discretion.
American opinion began to change somewhat after President Roosevelt’s “quarantine the aggressor” speech at Chicago (1937) in which he severely criticized Hitler’s policies. Germany’s seizure of Austria and the Munich Pact for the partition of Czechoslovakia (1938) also aroused the American people. The conquest of Czechoslovakia in March, 1939 was another rude awakening to the menace of the Third Reich. In August, 1939 came the shock of the Nazi-soviet Pact and in September the attack on Poland and the outbreak of European war. The United States attempted to maintain neutrality in spite of sympathy for the democracies arrayed against the Third Reich. The Neutrality Act of 1939 repealed the arms embargo and permitted “cash and carry” exports of arms to belligerent nations. A strong national defense program was begun. A draft act was passed (1940) to strengthen the military services. A Lend Act (1941) authorized the President to sell, exchange, or lend materials to any country deemed necessary by him for the defense of the United States. Help was given to Britain by exchanging certain overage destroyers for the right to establish American bases in British territory in the Western Hemisphere. In August, 1940 President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill met and issued the Atlantic Charter which proclaimed the kind of a world which should be established after the war. In December, 1941, Japan launched the unprovoked attack on the United States at Pearl Harbor. Immediately thereafter, Germany declared war on the United States.
小題1:One item occurring before 1937 that the author does not mention in his list of actions that alienated the American public was
A the burning of the Reichstag.   B German plans for conquest.
C Nazi barbarism.             D the persecution of religious groups.
小題2:The Lend-Lease Act was designed to
A help the British.
B strengthen the national defense of the United States.
C promote the Atlantic Charter.
D avenge Pearl Harbor.
小題3:American Policy during the years 1935-1936 may be described as being
A watchful.  B isolationist.  C peaceful.   D indifferent.
小題4:The Neutrality Act of 1939
A permitted the selling of arms to belligerent nations.
B antagonized Japan.
C permitted the British to trade only with the Allies.
D led to Lend-Lease Act.
小題5:We entered the war against Germany
A because Germany declared war.
B because Japan was an ally of Germany.
C after Germany had signed the Nazi-soviet Pact.
D after peaceful efforts had failed.

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Narcissus was a beautiful looking boy. He had long, flowing, blond hair, beautiful, bright, blue eyes and even, white teeth. Many young ladies fell in love with him including the nymph（女神）: Echo.
Nymphs were lively spirits who lived near streams and lakes and protected trees in the forest. Echo had upset the Queen of the Gods; Hera. As a punishment Hera made Echo unable to speak except to repeat the last three words of the person she was talking to.
Poor Echo fell in love with Narcissus but could never tell him how she felt. Narcissus teased her and she ran away with tears pouring down her face. Aphrodite, the goddess of love saw what happened and decided to punish Narcissus. As he came to a pool of water Narcissus saw his reflection (影子)and fell in love with the vision he saw. It was of course his own reflection.
Poor Narcissus watched his own reflection, every time he tried to touch the face of the vision he loved it broke up on the shimmering surface of the water. Narcissus stopped eating, lost his beautiful looks and desired to get his love. In the end he anguished gradually and died.
Aphrodite took pity on him and made a flower grow in his place on the bank of the lake. Narcissus flowers (水仙花) can be found to this day growing wherever you can find water and trees.  
小題1:Echo fell in love with Narcissus because_________.
A．Narcissus was good-looking.
B．Echo was a lively spirit
C．Narcissus loved her, too.
D．Echo took pity on Narcissus
小題2: Why did Aphrodite, the goddess of love, punish Narcissus?
A．Aphrodite envied Echo because she loved Narcissus
B．She thought Narcissus didn’t respect and made Echo sad.
C．Narcissus fell in love with the vision, not Echo.
D．Echo was trapped in love and didn’t protect trees in the forest any longer.
小題3:What does the underlined word “anguished” in the fourth paragraph mean?
A．become increasingly thin and weak
B．become very hungry
C．become very fat
D．become out of mind
小題4:What is the main purpose of writing the passage?
A．To tell people a sad love story
B．To tell people how Narcissus flowers came
C．To tell the true meaning of beauty and ugliness
D．To tell people not affect others’ love

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Some people in Manchester, Britain, will soon be paying for goods and services with so-called “smart” credit cards. These cards are more secure than the traditional magnetic-strip version and can be used to travel on buses, check bank accounts and do shopping.
The Manchester project is one of the biggest smart card schemes in the world. Every time people use the cards on a bus or train, the fare is deducted (reduced) from the value of the card. When they have no credit left, the cards can be recharged at a local shop.
A smart card looks just like a normal plastic card but it has a silicon chip in it. It is possible for the same silicon chip to perform a number of different functions, so one plastic card in your pocket could do a large number of different jobs. The card has much more memory space than a magnetic-strip card, so many more things can be recorded on it.There are two types of smart cards. One is the contact card which is used in the same way as a magnetic-strip card.
Information is transferred by running the card through a narrow opening in an electronic reader. In the slot, electronic probes make contact with the magnetic-strip or silicon ship and read the information. The other type is the contactless smart card where the electronic reader communicates with the card by short-range radio waves. This makes the card quicker and more convenient to use because it does not have to leave your wallet.  It is also more reliable as it is not easily influenced by scratches or dirt. However, the biggest advantage that smart cards have over magnetic-strip cards is that they are more secure. They are much more difficult to make than conventional cards and they have to be made by specially trained manufacturers. In addition, they have a large number of extra security features on them and if a smart card gets lost or stolen a quick phone-call to the distributor ensures that its individual number is made invalid and unreadable. This can be done more quickly than with a magnetic-strip card.
小題1:A smart credit card can do many kinds of jobs because ____ .
A．it is smartB．it is a plastic card
C．it has a silicon chip in itD．it can be recharged
小題2:“ The cards can be recharged” means that ____ .
A．the card can be put into a new charge of electricity
B．the cards can be changed into new ones
C．the cards can be put to use again
D．the cards can be recycled
小題3:What are the advantages of smart credit cards over traditional ones?
A．they can store more informationB．they are more secure
C．they are more convenient to useD．a(chǎn)ll of the above
小題4:Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A．Contactless cards are more convenient to use than contact ones
B．Smart cards are more expensive to manufacturer
C．By means of long-range radio waves contactless cards can communicate with the electronic reader
D．A smart credit card and a normal plastic card are the same thing

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

CANYOUIMAGINEHOWHARDITWOULDBETOREADSENTENCESLIKETHIS? The ancient Greeks wrote this way. The lack of punctuation marks(標(biāo)點(diǎn)符號) probably didn’t bother good readers, though. As they read, they just put pauses where they fit best. Also at this time, sentences switched directions. A sentence read from left to right. The next one read right to left, and then left to right again, etc.
The ancient Romans sometimes punctuated like this: They·put·a·point·between·each·word·in·a·sentence. The word punctuation actually comes from this idea and the Latin word punctum, which means a prick(刺).
When the 5th century arrived, there were just two punctuation marks: spaces and points. The space separated words and while the points showed pauses in reading. Then in the 13th century, a printer named Aldus Manutius tried to standardize punctuation. He always used a period for a complete stop at the end of a sentence. He used a slash (/) to indicate a short pause. Over time, that slash was shortened and curled, and it became the modern comma.
Since that time, other marks have enlarged the punctuation family. The exclamation mark comes form the Latin word xt. It was originally formed by putting an upper-case(大寫字母) I on the lower-case xt. The Latin word xt means “exclamation of joy.” The question mark originally started out as the Latin word question, meaning question. Eventually, scholars put it at the end of a sentence to show a question. Over time, it became a symbol formed by putting a lower-case q on an o.
Punctuation is still changing today. New marks are coming into existence, and old punctuation marks are used in new ways. Take for example, the “interrobang.” This 1962 invention combines the question mark and exclamation mark for times when writers want both. For example, “She did what?” or “How much did you pay for that dress?” Obviously, the interrobang is not widely used or recognized – yet. But its invention shows that English is not yet finished with its punctuation.
小題1:Which of the following is a comma?
A．, B．:C． ;D．!
小題2:What’s the first paragraph mainly about?
A．The history of punctuation.
B．The introduction of punctuation.
C．The very beginning of punctuation.
D．The ancient Greek way of writing without punctuation.
小題3:Please put the following events in the order they happened.
a. The exclamation mark and question mark came into the punctuation family.
b. Comma came into existence.
c. Romans put a dot between words to separate words.
d. A period was used to end a sentence.
e. The “interrobang” was invented.
A．cbdaeB．dcbaeC．dbceaD．cdbae
小題4:What is the most possible situation for “She did what?”?
A．You are told she gave her baby boy a good beat.
B．You are wondering what she did to save the poor boy.
C．You want to know what she did for a living after fleeing to a foreign country.
D．You demand someone else tell you what in the world happened to her.
小題5: According to the article, we learn ________.
A．punctuation didn’t come into being until the 5th century.
B．no one can really tell what new marks we may have in the future.
C．the invention of “interrobang” is a failure since it is not widely used.
D．both the exclamation mark and the question mark come from Greek words.

查看答案和解析>>

同步練習(xí)冊答案