Question

【題目】 You may be surprised to learn that English gets 30 to 45 percent of its words from French. The reason goes back to the year 1066, when Norman forces invaded (入侵) what is now Britain. The Normans were from northern France and spoke French. During the Norman occupation, French became the language of England’s rulers and wealthy class. This lasted for more than 300 years. Other people in England continued to speak English during this period.

Over time, the two languages combined and shared words. Some researchers believe that about 10,000 French words eventually entered the English language. However, although English took many French words, their meanings have not always stayed the same. Sometimes the differences in meanings can be very important, and lead to funny or strange situations if the words are used in the wrong way.

Take, for example, the French word college. In English, college can often be used in place of the word university, or sometimes as a school within a university. However, in French, college actually means “middle school”, or the level of schooling for students in grades five or six through eight.

There are many other similar words in the two languages with completely different meanings. In English, the word chat is a verb which means “to talk casually”; but in French, the word chat is the word for an animal: a cat.

If an English speaker says someone is jolly, that means they are cheerful or friendly. But in French, jolie means someone is goodlooking or pleasant to look at. In any case, both are nice things to say to someone.

【1】What language did the upper class speak in Britain of Norman times ?

A. English.

B. French.

C. Both English and French.

D. Some unknown language.

【2】What does college mean in French?

A. The teenager time.

B. University in French.

C. Middle school in English.

D. University in common sense.

【3】What is the text mainly about?

A. Comparison between two languages.

B. Difficulty in grasping English.

C. French words in English.

D. Development of English.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】B

【2】C

【3】C

【解析】

這是一篇說明文。文章講述的是英語中的法語單詞。

【1】細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第一段中During the Norman occupation, French became the language of England’s rulers and wealthy class.可知，諾曼時代英國的上層階級說法語。故選B。

【2】細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第三段中However, in French, college actually means “middle school”,可知，“大學(xué)”在法語里的意思是英語中的“中學(xué)”。故選C。

【3】主旨大意題。根據(jù)第一段中You may be surprised to learn that English gets 30 to 45 percent of its words from French. The reason goes back to the year 1066, when Norman forces invaded (入侵) what is now Britain.“你可能會驚訝地發(fā)現(xiàn)，英語中30%到45%的單詞來自法語。原因可以追溯到1066年，當(dāng)時諾曼人入侵了現(xiàn)在的英國。”可知，本文講述的是英語中的法語單詞。故選C。

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要注意不是所有的段落都有主題句，有時主題句暗含在句中。閱讀這樣的文章，就需要自己根據(jù)文章的細(xì)節(jié)來分析，概括出段落的主題，從而推導(dǎo)出文章的主旨。分析的方法是：先弄清該段落主要講了哪幾方面的內(nèi)容，這些內(nèi)容在邏輯上有什么聯(lián)系，然后加以歸納形成主題。根據(jù)第一段中You may be surprised to learn that English gets 30 to 45 percent of its words from French. The reason goes back to the year 1066, when Norman forces invaded (入侵) what is now Britain.“你可能會驚訝地發(fā)現(xiàn)，英語中30%到45%的單詞來自法語。原因可以追溯到1066年，當(dāng)時諾曼人入侵了現(xiàn)在的英國。”可知，本文講述的是英語中的法語單詞。故選C。