题目内容
Brazil is a federation that consists of twenty-six states and one federal district. The biggest majority of Brazil’s population belongs to the Christian religion and almost all of them are Catholics. This is something Brazil inherited(继承) being Portugal’s colony(殖民地).
Historically, the country was a colony claimed by people from Portugal and this made Portuguese the official language. The Portuguese reached Brazil in 1500 and until that moment it was inhabited by semi-nomadic(半游牧的) people. The Portuguese changed Brazil into a country of slaves until 1800, when Maria I of Portugal came to live in Brazil. The Queen did not stay long in Brazil, but during the 20 years of royal presence a lot of changes occurred: commercial ports to United Kingdom were opened; Brazil stopped being isolated(孤立) from other countries. So at the moment of getting the independence on the 7th of September, 1822, Brazil already had the potential to develop. The Brazilian Empire, Pedro I, abolished slavery in 1888 in the face of Princess Isabel. A lot of European people started coming to Brazil and the industry of the country started working. In the 19th and the 20th century as it has been said above foreign people immigrated(移民) to Brazil and basically 5 million European and Japanese people became the residents of Brazil. The beginning of the 20th century was especially marked by the immigration of a lot of Asian people: Japanese, Korean and Chinese immigrants. As a matter of fact Japanese people do not immigrate a lot, and the fact that the Brazilian-Japanese people are the largest Japanese minority in the world does astonish greatly.
The majority of the cultural inherits of Brazil are actually Portuguese, due to the fact that Brazil was Portugal’s colony for a very long time. The southern states mainly consist of European population and the north and the northeast consist of a mixed population including Africans, Amerindians and Europeans. Most of this population is Roman Catholic. No other country in the world has the same amount of Catholics. The modern tendency of Brazil is the growing number of people calling themselves Protestants. Around 7.4% of the population don’t believe any god. Some Brazilians, especially in the northern states are mixed Africans who prefer following the traditional African religions. Only 1.8% of the population chose Buddhism, Islam or Judaism.
Though Brazil always tried to maintain democracy, it was failed several times by the dictatorship(独裁) of Getulo Vargas. This fact could not affect the political situation in the country.
【小题1】Brazil was ruled by Portuguese about ______.
A.22 years | B.300 years | C.322 years | D.328 years |
A.Maria I | B.Pedro I | C.immigrants | D.Getulo Vargas |
A.religion | B.history | C.culture | D.political situation |
A.Brazil was isolated from other countries when Maria I stayed there. |
B.The industry of the country started working in 1888. |
C.Brazil has the largest population of Catholics in the world. |
D.Some people in Brazil don’t believe any god. |
A.western culture | B.modern culture |
C.traditional culture | D.mixed culture |
【小题1】C
【小题2】D
【小题3】B
【小题4】A
【小题5】D
解析
The Carnival of Brazil is an annual festival held 46 days before Easter, especially famous for the Carnival in Rio de Janeiro. Carnival celebrations are believed to have roots in the festival of Saturnalia, which, adapted to Christianity, became a farewell to bad things in a season of religious discipline to regret and prepare for Christ’s death and coming back to life.
Modern Brazilian Carnival dates back to Rio de Janeiro in 1641. It originally copied the European form of the festival, later taking in elements of Native American and African cultures.
In the late 19th century, the strings (弦乐器) were introduced in Rio de Janeiro. These were pageant (游行) groups that paraded through city avenues performing on instruments and dancing. Today they are known as blocks, consisting of a group of people who dress in costumes or special T-shirts with themes or logos. Blocks are generally connected with particular neighborhoods; they include both a music group and a lot of revelers.
Block parades have become an expressive feature of Rio’s Carnival. Today, they number more than 100 and the groups increase each year. Blocks can be formed by small or large groups of revelers with a clear title. Before the show, they gather in a square, then parade in sections of the city, often near the beach.
Carnival time in Rio is very interesting, but is also the most expensive time to visit Rio. Hotel rooms and other lodgings (住宿) can be up to four times more expensive than the regular rates. There are big crowds at some locations and life is far from ordinary in many parts of town.
【小题1】What can we infer from the first paragraph?
A.The Carnival of Brazil is often held after Easter. |
B.The Carnival of Brazil comes from Easter and Saturnalia. |
C.The Carnival of Brazil is a festival to regret and begin a new life. |
D.The Carnival of Brazil is mainly to celebrate the birth of Christ. |
A.About 100 years. | B.Less than two centuries. |
C.About 370 years. | D.Over five centuries. |
A.They are always wearing costumes or special T-shirts with themes or logos. |
B.They always parade through countryside villages singing and dancing. |
C.There are no more than 50 blocks today. |
D.They don’t parade before the show. |
A.The famous carnivals in the world. |
B.How the carnival was introduced in Brazil. |
C.The carnival in Rio de Janeiro. |
D.The happy life of the people in Rio de Janeiro. |