To us, it seems so natural to put up an umbrella to keep the water off when it rains. But in fact the umbrella was not invented as protection against the rain. Its first use was as a shade (遮蔽) against the sun.

Nobody knows who first invented it, but the umbrella was used in very ancient times. Probably the first to use it were the Chinese, back in the eleventh century BC.

We know that the umbrella was used in ancient Egypt and Babylon as a sunshade. And there was a strange thing connected with its use : it became a symbol of honor and power(权力). In the Far East in ancient times, the umbrella was allowed to be used only by those in high office or by royal people such as the kings or queens.

In Europe, the Greeks were the first to use the umbrella as a sunshade. The umbrella was in common use in ancient Greece, but it is believed that the first people in Europe to use the umbrella as protection against the rain were the ancient Romans. During the middle ages in Europe, the use of the umbrella almost disappeared. Then it appeared again in Italy in the late sixteenth century. And again it became a symbol of power.

Umbrellas have not changed much in style during all this time, though they have become much lighter in weight. It wasn't until the twentieth century that the umbrellas for women began to be made in all kinds of colors.

1.Ancient people first used umbrellas as ____.

A. a symbol of honor

B. protection against the sun

C. a symbol of power

D. protection against the rain

2.According to the passage, the umbrella was probably first used in ancient ______.

A. Egypt . B. Babylon C. Rome D. China

3.The underlined word royal might mean _ in Chinese.

A. 王室的 B. 富有的

C. 中产阶级的 D. 贫穷的

4. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?

A. The ancient Greeks used the umbrella in their daily life.

B. Europeans hardly used the umbrella during the middle ages.

C. The umbrellas for women were made colorful in ancient times.

D. The style of the umbrella hasn't changed a lot since it was invented

5.This passage is mainly about ___________.

A. the sales of the umbrella

B. the differences among umbrellas

C. the invention of the umbrella

D. the history and the use of the umbrella

完型填空

A wise man was walking from one town to another with a few of his followers, and they happened to pass a lake.So they stopped there to for a while, and the wise man said to one of his followers, “I am very .Could you please me some water from the lake?”

The follower walked to the lake the wise man requested.Some people were washing clothes in the water, and right at that moment, several carts (手推车) started crossing the lake. , the water became very muddy.Then he went back and told the wise man that the water was very muddy and not to drink.After they had rested for about half an hour, the wise man again asked the follower to go back to the lake and get him some water to drink.As requested, the follower went to the lake.This time he found that all the mud had to the bottom.The water was very and looked fit to drink.So he his water bottle and took it to the wise man.

The wise man took the water bottle and drank, then looked up at the follower.“See what you did the water clean?” he said.“You let it be for a while and the mud settled down on its own, you could get some clear drinking water.Your mind can also be like that lake when it is by something.If you just let it be and give it a little time, it will most likely settle down on its own putting in any effort at all to it.”

1.A.rest B.look C.watch D.see

2.A.hungry B.thirsty C.happy D.sad

3.A.get B.give C.take D.bring

4.A.while B.before C.as D.until

5.A.However B.Instead C.In addition D.As a result

6.A.fit B.able C.important D.interesting

7.A.different B.same C.other D.left

8.A.gone B.been C.settled D.lived

9.A.dirty B.clear C.fresh D.sweet

10.A.got B.finished C.reached D.filled

11.A.making B.to make C.made D.had made

12.A.so that B.in order to C.because D.when

13.A.woken B.left C.disturbed D.given

14.A.without B.with C.after D.like

15.A.prevent B.calm C.protect D.fix

缺词填空

根据短文内容和首字母提示,在下文空格处填入适当的词使短文完整。(每空一词)

I will never forget the tenth summer of my childhood with my grandfather in western Norway at the mountain farm where my mother was born.

One day my grandfather said, “Come. I have something for you.” I f 1. him to a workroom. “You should have a toy boat. You can sail it at Storvassdal,” he said. Great, I thought, looking around for the boat. But there was n 2. . Grandfather pointed to a block of wood. “The boat is in there,” he said. Then he handed me some tools and showed me h 3. to use them properly. “It’ll be a fine boat, and you’ll make it with your own hands,” he said. “No one can give you what you do for yourself.” The w 4. rang in my head as I worked. Finally I finished the boat. It wasn’t much to look at, but I was p 5. . Then I sailed it at Storvassdal.

We had to return to America. “You cannot bring that boat home with you,” my mother said. We already had too much baggage. Feeling sad, I h 6. my boat under a big rock at Storvassdal.

I said good-bye to Grandfather, not knowing I would n 7. see him again.

In 1964, I went to Storvassdal with my parents and my wife and children. To my surprise, for 34 years my treasure s 8. here, waiting for my return. I felt we three were together again

a 9. my grandfather had died 22 years before.

After that, I returned to the lake five times. Each time I held the boat and carved the year, my g 10. seemed near.

My last trip to Storvassdal was in 1991. I brought my granddaughters: Catherine, 13; Claire, 12. At Storvassdal, Claire said softly, “Grandpa, someday I’ll come back.” She added, “And I’ll bring my children.”

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