2020年(北京)中考英语高分策略-专题3-阅读短文回答问题304 亲情+风俗+历史

亲情+风俗+历史A [2020·门头沟期末]Every year on my birthday, from the time I turned 12, a white gardenia(栀子花) was sent tomy house. No card came with it. Calls to the flower shops were not helpful at all. After a while I stopped trying to discover the sender’s name and was just very pleased with the beautiful white flower in soft pink paper.But I never stopped imagining who the giver might be. Some of my happiest moments were spent daydreaming about the sender. My mother encouraged this imagining. She’d ask me if there was someone for whom I had done a special kindness. Perhaps it was the old man whom I looked after when he was ill. As a girl, I had more fun imagining that it might be a boy.One month before my graduation, my father died. I felt very sad and didn’t want to go to the coming graduation dance at all. And I didn’t care whether I had a new dress or not. But my mother, in her own sadness, would not let me miss any of those things. She wanted her children to feel loved and lovable. In truth, my mother wanted her children to see themselves much like the gardenia—lovely, strong and perfect with perhaps a bit of mystery.My mother died ten days after I got married. I was 22. That was the year the gardenia stopped coming.1. What color was the flowers the writer received?2. How did the writer feel when she daydreamed about the giver?3. Why didn’t the writer want to go to the graduation dance?4. How old was the writer when she got married?5. Who sent the flowers to the writer every year on her birthday?Superstition about SneezingIt’s a Western custom to say “bless you” after someone sneezes.“Achoo!”“Bless you.”This is a common exchange in English-speaking countries. When you hear someone else sneeze, it is polite to say “bless you”, to which they should reply with “thank you”. But where does this odd custom come from?In fact, it dates back to medieval(中世纪的) Europe, specifically, the time of the bubonic plague(黑死病). The plague killed nearly one-third of Europe’s population within three years(1347—1350). The first symptom of the bubonic plague was sneezing. At that time, people believed that if you sneezed, your soul might leave your body.People didn’t know how to cure the bubonic plague. They were simply encouraged to say“God bless you” and do other superstitious(迷信的) things, hoping the soul would go back into thebody. And over time, “God bless you” was shortened to “bless you”.Of course, in modern times, we know that sneezing has nothing to do with the soul or any other superstitious thing. But just like so many other customs from the past, saying “bless you” has stayed with us for hundreds of years.But you may be wondering—what if someone sneezes more than once? Well, you don’t have to keep saying “bless you”. In fact, if someone sneezes more than twice, or sneezes especiallyloudly, you may want to ask them if they’re OK, or if they would like a tissue(纸巾).Then again, you don’t really need to say anything at all. People won’t think you’re rude if you forget to say “bless you”. But they will also appreciate it if you do.1.Where does the odd custom “bless you” come from?2.What was the first symptom of the bubonic plague?3.Did people know how to cure the bubonic plague in the past?4.How long has “bless you” stayed with us?5.What should you do if someone sneezes more than twice?English dictionaries which were written before 18th century had only words which were not common, or words which were difficult to spell. Then, in 1755, Dr. Samuel Johnson, a great English writer, wrote a famous dictionary. This dictionary contained common words as well as unusual ones. It also showed how words should be used in sentences.In 1858, a group of people who study language started to write The Oxford English Dictionary (OED). They wanted to list all the words of the English language. They even included words which were not used any more. They also wrote sentences that show the meanings of words. They also described the history of words, saying when words were first used in English, and which languages they came from. The OED tells us, for example, that “algebra” comes from Arabic and was first used in English in the 16th century. The dictionary took hundreds of people over seventy years to complete. It has been improved many times, as the number of words used in English has increased. The more recent dictionary gives the meanings of over one million words. It is put into twenty-one books: each one is over one thousand pages long.Although Americans speak English, they use some words that are not used in British English, for example, the season an English person calls “autumn”, is called “fall” by an American. The first dictionary of American English was published by Noah Webster in 1828. He also decided to spell some words in a simpler way. For example, he wrote “colour” as “color”, “centre” as “center”, and “plough” as “plow”. These spellings are still used in America today. Since 1828, Webster’s Dictionary of American English has been improved and made bigger many times.A good dictionary is a very important tool for every reader. Many modern English dictionaries are now available. They give different kinds of information. It is very important to choose the best dictionary for your needs and to use it often.1.Who was Dr. Samuel Johnson?2.When did people begin to write the OED?3.How long did the OED take to complete?4.Which word is American English, “plough” or “plow”?5.How is American English different from British English?【参考答案】A1. White.2. She was happy.3. Because her father died.4. 22.5. Her mother.B1.(Medieval) Europe./The time of the bubonic plague.2.Sneezing.3.No./No, they didn’t.4.For hundreds of years.5.We can ask them if they’re OK, or if they would like a tissue.C1.A great English writer.2.In 1858.3.Over seventy years.4.Plow.5.Americans use some words that are not used in British English and spell some words in a simpler way.。