题目内容
The Mandarin Chinese word for “cha” is pronounced “t'e” in certain Chinese dialects(方言). Also the Malay word for the leaf is“the”. This word “the” was used to describe both the drink and the leaf. The Japanese character for tea is written exactly the same as the Chinese, though pronounced with a slight difference; so these may be the origins of our word tea in the western world.
Tea may have been discovered in 2737 BC by Shen Nong, a Chinese Emperor of the San Huang Period(3,000 - 2,700 BC). He was a scholar, the father of agriculture and the inventor of Chinese herbal medicine. One summer day, while visiting a distant place, he and the court stopped to rest and his servants began to boil water for the court to drink. Dried leaves from the nearby bush fell into the boiling water, and made it a brown liquid. The Emperor was interested in the new liquid, drank some, and found it very refreshing. The tree was a wild tea tree, and so, tea was created.
The first samples(样品) of tea reached England between 1652 and 1654. Tea was referred to as the China drink, tcha, chaw, tay, tee, and tea and was at first regarded more as a medicine than a fashionable drink. The original English pronunciation of the word tea was “tay” and can be traced back to around 1655 when the Dutch introduced both word and beverage(饮料)to England. The pronunciation “tee” also originated in the 1600's but only gained predominance(主导地位)after the late 18th century.
By 1650 the Dutch were actively involved in trade throughout the Western world. During that year Peter Stuyvesant brought the first tea to America to the colonists(殖民地定居者)in the Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam (later re-named New York)
- 1.
The following information is true EXCEPT ________
- A.The Japanese write the character for tea the same way as we Chinese
- B.It was a Chinese Emperor who first found tea very refreshing
- C.The word “the” was used to describe only the leaf
- D.Tea was discovered quite by chance in history
- A.
- 2.
Paragraph 2 mainly tells us ________
- A.that Shen Nong, was a famous inventor of Chinese herbal medicine
- B.why the Emperor was brave and dared to run risks
- C.whether Shen Nong liked drinking boiled water outside the court
- D.the way in which tea was created outdoors
- A.
- 3.
Which of the following information is FALSE according to the text?
① Tea was at first regarded just as a fashionable drink in England.
② Tea had different names during the early days it reached England.
③ The pronunciation “tee”originated in 1600.
④ Peter Stuyvesant introduced both word “tay” and beverage(饮料)to England.
⑤ The pronunciation“tee”became popular after the late 18th century- A.①②
- B.②③
- C.④⑤
- D.①④
- A.
- 4.
From Paragraph 3 we know ________
- A.that the leaf tea should be put in hot water for drinking
- B.that tea was called the China drink, tcha, chaw, tay, tee, t'e and tea in England
- C.what the early situation of tea was like in the Western world
- D.that tea was first brought to America in the late 16th century
- A.
试题分析:本篇文章介绍了茶在中国的起源,以及最初传到国外的情况。有关中国饮茶起源最普遍的说法是认为茶是神农在野外以釜锅煮水时,刚好有几片叶子飘进锅中,煮好的水,其色微黄,喝入口中生津止渴、提神醒脑,从此才有了茶的发现。
1.C细节理解题。从文章首段This word “the” was used to describe both the drink and the leaf. 可知“the”既指叶也指茶饮料。所以C选项正确。
2.D主旨大意题。在文章第二段作者讲述了神农发现茶叶的故事,由此可知D选项正确。
3.D细节理解题。由文章倒数第二段was at first regarded more as a medicine than a fashionable drink.和 The original English pronunciation of the word tea was “tay” and can be traced back to around 1655 when the Dutch introduced both word and beverage(饮料)to England.可以判断D选项内容错误。
4.C主旨大意题。文章第三段讲述了茶首次运到England的情况,包括人们对茶的看法以及发音等,由此可知C为正确选项。
考点:考查社会知识类短文阅读。
Any foreigner who has tried to learn Chinese can tell how hard it is to master the tones required to speak and understand. And anyone who has tried to learn to play the violin or other instruments can report similar challenges.
Now researchers have found that people with musical training have an easier time learning Chinese. Writing in the online edition of Nature Neuroscience,researchers from Northwestern University say that both skills draw on the same parts of the brain that help people discover changes in pitch(音调).
One of the study’s authors,Nina Kraus,said the findings suggested that studying music “actually tunes our sensory system”.This means that schools that want children to do well in languages should hesitate before cutting music programs,Dr.Kraus said. She said music training might also help children with language problems.
Mandarin(普通话)speakers have been shown to have a more complex encoding(编码) of pitch patterns in their brains than English speakers do. This is because in Mandarin and other Asian languages,pitch plays a central role. A singlesyllable word can have several meanings depending on how it is intoned.
For this study,the researchers looked at 20 nonChinese speaking volunteers,half with no musical background and half who have studied an instrument for at least six years.
As they were shown a movie,the volunteers also heard an audio tape of the Mandarin word “mi” in three of its meanings:squint,bewilder and rice. The researchers recorded activities in their brain stems to see how well they were processing the sounds. Those with a music background showed much more brain activities in response to the Chinese sounds.
The lead author of the study,Patrick C.M.Wong,said it might work both ways. It appears that native speakers of tonal languages may do better at learning instruments.
【小题1】When learning Chinese,a foreigner will find ________.
A.he has a difficult time learning music at the same time |
B.he has an easier time learning music at the same time |
C.it is hard to master the tones required to speak and understand |
D.it is easy to use the brain to help him discover changes in pitch |
A.Because there is the same difficulty in learning Chinese and music. |
B.Because skills to learn the two make use of the same parts of the brain. |
C.Because music training might help people with language study. |
D.Because people who do well in Chinese study do well in music. |
A.created | B.spelled |
C.seemed | D.pronounced |
A.Mandarin Speakers Are Smarter than English Speakers |
B.Skilled Ear for Music May Help Language Study |
C.Pitch Plays a Central Role in Chinese Learning |
D.Schools Need to Develop Music Programs |