Question

【题目】 Writing is a much newer invention than talking. Nobody knows when people first began to talk, but so far as we know, they did not begin to write until seven or eight thousand years ago.

In Egypt, Mesopotamia, and China, and later in Palestine and Greece, people began to make marks and pictures with sticks and sharp stones from which others, or they themselves later could see what they had thought.

These early records were the beginning of writing. The first writing was picture writing. Here are some early Chinese picture words. Can you see what they represent （代表）?

Later Chinese writing is less like pictures than the earlier writing was, but we can see the pictures in some of its words. For example：

In picture writing, each picture represents a word; you need a different picture or mark for each word. In present﹣day Chinese writing most of the marks are not pictures of anything, and a reader has to learn how the Chinese write about two thousand of these words before being able to read a newspaper.

With some of these marks you may be able to see what the idea is. For example：

The sun and the moon明Its meanings are："bright" and "open".

A man and two marks仁One of the meanings is "humanity".

【1】When did people begin to write?　 　

A. Seven or eight hundred years ago．

B. Before people first began to talk．

C. Seven or eight thousand years ago．

【2】Which of the following is the earliest Chinese picture word?　 　

A. B. C. 雨

【3】What does the明in the passage mean?　 　

A. Day and night．

B. Bright and open．

C. Humanity．

【4】What's the passage mainly about?　 　

A. The history of Chinese writing．

B. When Chinese people began to write．

C. How the Chinese began to talk．

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】C

【2】A

【3】B

【4】A

【解析】

这篇短文给我们介绍了中国书写的历史。书写比说话出现得更晚，直到七、八千年前人们才开始写字。一开始人们用木棍和石头做记号、画图画，表达他们自己的想法。后来中国的书写不像早期文字那样那么像图画了，现在的中国字更加不像图画。

【1】细节理解题。根据第一段中but so far as we know, they did not begin to write until seven or eight thousand years ago．可知，人们直到七八千年前才开始写作，由此可知文字写作开始于七八千年前，故选C。

【2】细节理解题。根据短文第三段中 The first writing was picture writing第一个是象形文字，结合选项，可知A选项是象形文字，所以它是中国最早的文字，故选A。

【3】细节理解题。根据短文倒数第二段中The sun and the moon明Its meanings are "bright"and"open"，太阳和月亮．说明它的意思是：明亮和开放，因此“明”的意思是"光明和开放"。故选C。

【4】主旨大意题。根据短文开头Writing is a much newer invention than talking，写作是一项比谈话新得多的发明，中国的文字开始于七八千年前，经历的一些变化最后形成了现在的汉字。由此可以推测，本文主要介绍的是中国文字的历史，故选A。

这是一篇说明文，短文中给我们介绍了中国文字发展的历史。短文主题明确，内容比较容易理解。题型是阅读理解，考查了细节理解题和主旨大意题。细节题以考查对文章具体细节信息的理解，答案常可以直接在原文找到。做题时，可以根据题目所问，或利用关键词，先准确定位，再根据原文信息作答。例如第1小题，根据第一段中but so far as we know, they did not begin to write until seven or eight thousand years ago．可知，人们直到七八千年前才开始写作，由此可知文字写作开始于七八千年前，故选C。主旨大意题考查学生们准确概括文章大意的能力，考查题型包括：选择适当的标题、主旨大意等，如第4小题，题目问的是主旨大意，根据短文开头Writing is a much newer invention than talking可知，文章的关键词是Writing“书写”；再由短文第四段Later Chinese writing is less like pictures than the earlier writing was、第五段In present﹣day Chinese writing most of the marks are not pictures of anything等可知，短文主要介绍了中国文字的发展过程，故A选项最符合文意。