Have you ever wondered about people’s names? Where do
they come from? What do they mean?
Some people give their children names that mean good
things. Clara means “bright”; Beatrice means “one who gives
happiness”; Donald means “world ruler”; Leonard means “as brave
as a lion”.
The earliest last names, or surnames, were taken from
place names. A family with the name Brook or Brooks probably lived near
brook(小溪);Someone who
was called Longstreet probably lived on a long, paved road. The
Greenwood family lived in or near a leafy forest.
Other early surnames came from people’s occupations.
The most common occupational name is Smith, which means a person who makes
things with iron or other metals. In the past, smiths were very important
workers in every town and village. Some other occupational names are: Carter
— a person who owned or drove a cart; Potter —a person who made pots and
pans.
The ancestors(祖先) of the
Baker family probably baked bread for their neighbors in their native village.
The Carpenter’s great-great-great-grandfather probably built houses and
furniture.
Sometimes people were known for the color of their
hair or skin, or their size, or their special abilities. When there were two
men who were named John in the same village, the John with the gray hair
probably became John Gray. Or the John was very tall could call himself John
Tallman. John Fish was probably an excellent swimmer and John Lightfoot was
probably a fast runner or a good dancer.
Some family names were made by adding something to the
father’s name. English-speaking people added –s or –son. The
Johnsons are descendants of John; the Roberts family’s ancestor was
Robert. Irish and Scottish people added Mac or Mc or O. Perhaps all of the
MacDonnells and the McDonnells and the O’Donnells are descendants of the same
Donnell.
1.Which of the following aspects do the surnames in
the passage NOT cover?
A.Places where
people lived.
B.People’s occupations.
C.Talents that
people possessed.
D.People’s characters.
2.According to the passage, the ancestors of the
Potter family most probably _______.
A.owned or
drove a cart
B.made things
with metals
C.built houses
and furniture
D.made kitchen
tools or contains
3.Suppose an English couple whose ancestors lived near
a leafy forest wanted their new-born son to become a world leader, the baby
might be named _______.
A.Donald
Greenwood B.Leonard
Carter
C.George
Longstreet D.Beatrice
Smith
4.The underlined word “descendants” in the last
paragraph means a person’s _______.
A.later
sponsors B.later
generations
C.friends and
relatives D.colleagues
and partners