题目内容
7.Etymology,the study of words and word roots,may sound like the kind of thing done by boring librarians in small,dusty rooms.Yet etymologists actually have a uniquely interesting job.They are in many ways just like archaeologists digging up the physical history of people and events.The special aspect of etymology is that it digs up history,so to speak,through the words and phrases that are left behind.The English language,in particular,is a great field to explore history through words.As a language,English has an extraordinary number of words.This is partly due to its ability to adapt foreign words so readily.For example,"English"words such as kindergarten (from German),croissant (from French),and cheetah (from Hindi) have become part of the language with little or no change from their original sounds and spellings.So English-language etymologists have a vast world of words to explore.
Another enjoyable thing about etymology for most word experts is solving word mysteries.No,etymologists do not go around solving murders,like the great detective Sherlock Holmes.What these word experts solve are mysterious origins of some of our most common words
One of the biggest questions English language experts have pursued is how English came to have the phrase OK.Though it is one of the most commonly used expressions,its exact beginning is a puzzle even to this day.Even its spelling is not entirely consistent-unless you spell it Okay,it is hard even to call it a word.
Etymologists have been able to narrow OK's origin down to a likely,although not certain,source.It became widely used around the time of Martin Van Buren's run for president in 1840.His nickname was Old Kinderhook.What troubles word experts about this explanation is that the phrase appeared in some newspapers before Van Buren became well known.It is likely that Van Buren could be called its primary source Etymologists will doubtlessly keep searching for the initial source.However,it is clear that OK's popularity and reputation have topped those of the American president to whom it has been most clearly linked.
63.The author mentions the words like"croissant"in Paragraph 2to indicateB.
A.what English-language etymologists are exploring now
B.English has absorbed many words from other foreign languages
C.words have changed a lot in the two languages
D.the English vocabulary is difficult to the non-English-speaking people
64.The underlined word"pursued"in Paragraph 4meansD.
A.looked upon
B.put in
C.set down
D.dug up
65.We can learn from the passage that etymologistsC.
A.explore the English language as well as the recent events
B.help detectives to solve mysterious murders
C.discover the possible origin of words
D.write interesting stories for some newspapers
66.What is the main purpose of the passage?A
A.To introduce the pleasure of the study of words and word roots.
B.To present the history of English words.
C.To explain the procedure of an etymologist's job.
D.To teach readers how to distinguish English and non-English words.
分析 本文是一篇议论文,词源是词与词的根源的研究,听起来像是在小图书馆里布满灰尘的房间做的无聊的事情,但是现在词源研究已经越来越丰富和有趣,他们像考古学家一样研究单词的历史和来源,词源的运用也更加多样.
解答 63.B.细节理解题.根据第二段,This is partly due to its ability to adapt foreign words so readily这部分是因为它拥有能很容易地适应外来词的能力.croissant是法国外来词,这里作者是想表明英语里吸收了很多外来词,故选B.
64.D.推理判断题.根据第四段,One of the biggest questions English language experts have pursuedis how English came to have the phrase OK英语专家们一直追求的最大问题之一就是英语怎么会有"OK"这个短语.这里dug up是"探索,深究"的意思,和pursued的意思最接近,故选D.
65.C.推理判断题.根据第三段,What these word experts solve are mysterious origins of some of ourmost common words专家们解决我们最常见的词的神秘起源的问题.所以专家们发现词的可能的起源是正确的,故选C.
66.A.主旨要义题.本文是一篇议论文,词源是词与词的根源的研究,听起来像是在小图书馆里布满灰尘的房间做的无聊的事情,但是现在词源研究已经越来越丰富和有趣,他们像考古学家一样研究单词的历史和来源,词源的运用也更加多样,故选A.
点评 考察学生的细节理解和推理判断能力,做细节理解题时一定要找到文章中的原句,和题干进行比较,再做出正确的选择.在做推理判断题不要以个人的主观想象代替文章的事实,要根据文章事实进行合乎逻辑的推理判断.