Question

The flag, the most common symbol（象征）of a nation in the modern world, is also one of the most ancient. With a clear symbolic meaning. the flag in the traditional form is still used today to mark buildings, ships and other vehicles related to a country.

The national flag as we know it today is in no way a primitive（原始的）artifact. It is , rather, the product of thousands of years’ development. Historians believe that it had two major ancestors, of which the earlier served to show wind direction.

Early human beings used very fragile houses and boats. Often strong winds would tear roofs from houses or cause high waves that endangered travelers. People’s food supplies were similarly vulnerable. Even after they had learned how to plant grains, they still needed help from nature to ensure good harvests. Therefore they feared and depended on the power of the wind, which could bring warmth from one direction and cold from another.

Using a simple piece of cloth tied to the top of a post to tell the direction of the wind was more dependable than earlier methods, such as watching the rising of smoke from a fire. The connection

 

of the flag with heavenly power was  therefore reasonable. Early human societies began to fix long pieces of cloth to the tops of totems(图腾) before carrying them into battle. They believed that the power of the wind would be added to the good wishes of the gods and ancestors represented by the totems themselves.

These flags developed very slowly into modern flags. The first known flag of a nation or a ruler was unmarked: The king of China around 1000 B.C. was known to have a white flag carried ahead of him. This practice might have been learned from Egyptians even further in the past, but it was from China that it spread over trade routs through India, then across Arab lands, and finally to Europe, where it met up with the other ancestor of the national flag.

71．The best title for the passage would be             .

       A．Development of the National Flag.

       B．Power of the National Flag.

       C．Types of  Flags

       D．Uses of Flags

72．The underlined word “vulnerable” in Paragraph 3 means              .

       A．impossible to make sure of

       B．likely to be protected

       C．easy to damage

       D．difficult to find

73．The earliest flags were connected with heavenly power because              .

       A．they could tell wind direction

       B．they could bring good luck to fighters

       C．they were handed down by the ancestors

       D．they were believed to stand for natural forces

74．What does the author know of the first national flag?

       A．He knows when it was sent to Europe.

       B．He believes it was made in Egypt.

       C．He thinks it came from China.

       D．He doubts where it started.

75．What will the author most probably talk about next?

       A．The role of China in the spread of the national flag.

       B．The second ancestor of the national flag

       C．The use of modern flags in Europe.

       D．The importance of modern flags.

Answer 1

 

本文很明显是一篇节选文章，在这部分里面主要谈的是国旗的产生的历史，以及其在历史上的作用和古人为什么使用旗帜。本文说明性质较强，读起来稍微用电艰涩，需要我们有极好的耐心和细心。往往这样的文章其命题相对来说要简单些，更多的是表层理解。

71．A．

解析：主旨大意题。文中有几个线索：1,It is rather ,the product of thousands of years’ development.2,Early human beings used. 3,These flags developed very slowly into modern flags.

72.C.

解析：词义推测。注意同上下文联系和本句中的副词similarly.

73.D.

解析：细节推理题。文中第四段提到：Using a simple piece of cloth tied to the top of a post is tell the direction of the wind was more dependable 还有his connection of the flag with heavenly power was therefore reasonable.从这些句子可以看出根据旗帜能判断风向，这其实就是一种人类利用东西掌握大自然的现象，因此它就代表了“自然力量”。

74．D

解析：.细节题。从the first known flag of a nation or ruler was unmarked得知。

75．B．

解析：推理题。本文主要是谈到远古的旗帜的地位，作用和意义，那么从文章的主题：旗帜的发展是这个标题来看接着就会谈第二代祖先的旗帜。从第五段看到有以下提示：These flags…slowly into modern flags…The first known flag…met up with the other ancestor of national flag.