If you ask people to name one person who had the greatest effect on the English language, you will get answers like “Shakespeare,” “Samuel Johnson,” and “Webster,” but none of these men had any effect at all compared to a man who didn’t even speak English—William the Conqueror.

Before 1066, in the land we now call Great Britain lived peoples belonging to two major language groups. In the west-central region lived the Welsh, who spoke a Celtic language, and in the north lived the Scots, whose language, though not the same as Welsh, was also Celtic. In the rest of the country lived the Saxons, actually a mixture of Anglos, Saxons, and other Germanic and Nordic peoples, who spoke what we now call Anglo-Saxon (or Old English), a Germanic language. If this state of affairs had lasted, English today would be close to German.

But this state of affairs did not last. In 1066 the Normans led by William defeated the Saxons and began their rule over England. For about a century, French became the official language of England while Old English became the language of peasants. As a result, English words of politics and the law come from French rather than German. In some cases, modern English even shows a distinction (区别) between upper-class French and lower-class Anglo-Saxon in its words. We even have different words for some foods, meat in particular, depending on whether it is still out in the fields or at home ready to be cooked, which shows the fact that the Saxon peasants were doing the farming, while the upper-class Normans were doing most of the eating.

When Americans visit Europe for the first time, they usually find Germany more “foreign” than France because the German they see on signs and advertisements seems much more different from English than French does. Few realize that the English language is actually Germanic in its beginning and that the French influences are all the result of one man’s ambition.

The two major languages spoken in what is now called Great Britain before 1066 were

 ________.

A. Welsh and Scottish              B. Nordic and Germanic

C. Celtic and Old English            D. Anglo-Saxon and Germanic

Which of the following groups of words are, by inference, rooted in French?

A. president, lawyer, beef            B. president, bread, water

C. bread, field, sheep            D. folk, field, cow

Why does France appear less foreign than Germany to Americans on their first visit to

 Europe?

A. Most advertisements in France appear in English.

B. They know little of the history of the English language.

C. Many French words are similar to English ones.

D. They know French better than German.

What is the subject discussed in the text?

A. The history of Great Britain.   

B. The similarity between English and French.

C. The rule of England by William the Conqueror.     

D. The French influences on the English language.

One dark stormy night, an elderly couple hurried into a hotel and asked whether they could be  36  for the night, “I’m very sorry,” the clerk on night shift said politely, “we are all  37 tonight.  38 ,you could stay in my room if you don’t mind. I’m 39 ,so I’ll be here.” The young man gave the sincere advice.
The elderly couple accepted his  40  with gratitude. They apologized for the  41  they had caused him. The next day, the rain stopped and it  42 . When the old gentleman went to pay his bill, the same clerk said, “The room you and your wife stayed in is not a proper   43  room in this hotel, so you don’t need to pay.”
The old gentleman nodded in  44  : “You are an employee that every boss in the hotel business would dream of . Perhaps someday I’ll build a hotel for you.” The clerk was  45  but, deciding that the guest must have been 46  , he gave the remark  47 thought.
Two years later, the young man received a letter from the old gentleman, in which he  48 the experience of that dark stormy night. The letter also  49 a formal invitation, asking that young man to pay a visit.
At a street corner in Manhattan, the young man met his  50  guest. The old gentleman, pointing to a magnificent new building  51  over the crossroads, “Look, that is the hotel I 52 to build for you. I hope you will  53  it for me .Remember what I said then? Well, I was  54  about it.”
The young man stammered, “But…will there be any   55 , sir? Why do you choose me? And who are you?”
“My name is William Aster.” This building was none other than the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, a symbol of supreme status and honor in New York.

【小题1】
A.put upB.put away C.stay upD.set up
【小题2】
A.preservedB.conservedC.bookedD.occupied
【小题3】
A.MeanwhileB.MoreoverC.OtherwiseD.However
【小题4】
A.on dutyB.on displayC.on stageD.on hand
【小题5】
A.serviceB.viewC.offerD.invitation
【小题6】
A.InstructionB.considerationC.InconvenienceD.interruption
【小题7】
A.cleared awayB.picked outC.cleaned upD.cleared up
【小题8】
A.livingB.doubleC.admirableD.luxury
【小题9】
A.appreciationB.admirationC.surpriseD.excitement
【小题10】
A.exciteB.skepticalC.annoyedD.respectful
【小题11】
A.lackingB.coveringC.jokingD.cheating
【小题12】
A.not moreB.no moreC.someD.another
【小题13】
A.describedB.statedC.recitedD.recalled
【小题14】
A.swappedB.includedC.attachedD.added
【小题15】
A.formerB.originalC.formalD.primitive
【小题16】
A.displayingB.toweringC.flyingD.hovering
【小题17】
A.determinedB.promisedC.tendedD.intended
【小题18】
A.getB.keepC.manageD.make
【小题19】
A.sensitiveB.concernedC.curiousD.serious
【小题20】
A.SceneB.situationC.conditionD.occasion

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