题目内容
How did Indiana get its nickname as “The Hoosier State”? 36 There are many different theories about how the word Hoosier came to be and how it came to have such a connection with the state of Indiana.
One of the earliest known uses of the term is found in an 1827 letter that states, “There is a trick for you — done up by a Hoosier." 37 Around this time,John Finley of Richmond wrote a poem called The Hoosier's which was widely read.
He wrote the word as “hoosher” and did not explain its meaning,which leads historians to believe that Finley felt his readers would already know and understand the word. Finley wrote, “With men of every hue and fashion,Flock to this rising ‘Hoosher’nation."
38 In 1848,Bartlett* s Dictionary of Americanisms defined “Hoosier” as “A nickname given at the west,to natives of Indiana." In John Finley's poem,the word “Hoosher” seems to refer less to the pioneers of Indiana and more to the qualities he thought they possessed,like self-reliance and bravery.
39 Some people think it was created to laugh at Indian訌 as a rough and backward (落后的) place.
Others think that early settlers used the term with pride to describe themselves as a courageous group. One historian,. Jacob Piatt Dunn,even suggested that the word “Hoosier” originally referred to boatmen who lived on the Indiana shore. We may never know for sure. 40
A. So,what does the word mean?
B. The word “Hoosier” was widely used by the 1830s.
C. No one seems to know how the word “Hoosier” came to be.
D. And how did people from Indiana come to be called “Hoosiers”？
E. Other early uses provide some ideas about the meaning of the word.
F. However,research and debate are likely to continue about this mysterious word.
G. Some theories and stories about the origin of the word “Hoosier” are known to be false.
话题：历史
本文是说明文.文章介绍了印第安纳州绰号的由来.
36. D.D项的And表示承接文章开头提出的问 题。文章围绕这两个问题展开。
37. B.根据空后的Around this time可知，空格处所 填内容应该包含一个表示时间的词或短语，故 选B项。
38. A.下文讲的是Hoosier的意思，所以A项符合 此处语境。
39. C.下文谈论的是Hoosier这个词的由来，所以 选C项。
40. F。上文就Hoosier的由来给出了几种观点，接 着又说“对此，我们也许永远无法得知”。F项 (然而，关于这个词的研宂和辩论很可能会继 续) 符合语境。
