Question

Societies all over the world name places in similar ways. Quite often there is no official naming ceremony but places tend to be called names as points of reference by people. Then an organized body steps in and gives the place a name. Frequently it happens that a place has two names: One is named by the people and the other by the government. As in many areas, old habits died hard, and the place continues to be called by its unofficial name long after the meaning is lost.
Many roads and places in Singapore are named in order that the pioneers will be remembered by future generations. Thus we have names such as Stamford Road and Raffles Place. This is in keeping with traditions in many countries —in both the West and the East.
Another way of naming places is naming them after other places. Perhaps they were named to promote friendships between the two places or it could be that the people who used to live there were originally from the places that the roads were named after. The mystery is clearer when we see some of the roads named in former British bases. If you step into Selector Airbase you will see Piccadilly Circus —obviously named by some homesick Royal Air Force personnel.
Some places were named after the activities that used to go on at those places. Bras Basah Road is an interesting example, “Base Basah” means “wet rice” in Malay（马来语）. Now why would anyone want to name a road “Wet Rice Road”? The reason is simple. During the pioneering days, wet rice was laid out to dry along this road.
A few roads in Singapore are named by their shapes. There is “Circular Road” for one. Other roads may have part of their names to describe their shapes, like “Paya Lebar Crescent”. This road is called a crescent（月牙） because it begins on the main road, makes a crescent and comes back to join the main road again.
【小题1】What does the underlined phrase “die hard” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?

A．Change suddenly.

B．Change significantly.

C．Disappear mysteriously.

D．Disappear very slowly.

【小题2】Which of the following places is named after a person?

A．Raffles Place.	B．Selector Airbase.
C．Piccadilly Circus.	D．Paya Lebar Crescent.

【小题3】What can be inferred from the passage?

A．Some place names in Singapore are the same as in Britain.

B．Some places in Singapore are named for military purposes.

C．The way Singaporeans name their places is unique.

D．Young Singaporeans have forgotten the pioneers.

Answer 1

【小题1】D
【小题2】A
【小题3】A

解析试题分析：本文介绍了在东西方社会中人们起路名的不同的方式方法以及其它的一些具体的信息。
【小题1】D 推理题。根据本句. As in many areas, old habits died hard, and the place continues to be called by its unofficial name long after the meaning is lost.旧的习惯没有了，一些非官方的名字仍然继续保留。故该词是指慢慢消失。故D正确。
【小题2】A 细节题。根据第一段倒数2,3,4行Many roads and places in Singapore are named in order that the pioneers will be remembered by future generations. Thus we have names such as Stamford Road and Raffles Place.说明Stamford Road and Raffles Place这样的路名就是为了纪念一些先驱者的，故A正确。
【小题3】A 推断题。根据1,2段The mystery is clearer when we see some of the roads named in former British bases. 和Many roads and places in Singapore are named in order that the pioneers will be remembered by future generations. Thus we have names such as Stamford Road and Raffles Place. This is in keeping with traditions in many countries —in both the West and the East.说明新加坡和英国的一些地名是相似的。故A正确。
考点：考查社会现象类短文阅读
点评：本文介绍了在东西方社会中人们起路名的不同的方式方法以及其它的一些具体的信息。本文要求考生在阅读理解整体语篇的基础上，把握文章的真正内涵。要吃透文章的字面意思，从字里行间捕捉有用的提示和线索，这是推理的前提和基础;要对文字的表面信息进行挖掘加工，由表入里，由浅入深，从具体到抽象，从非凡到一般，通过分析、综合、判定等，进行深层处理，符合逻辑地推理。不能就是论事，断章取义，以偏概全。要忠实于原文，以文章提供的事实和线索为依据。