Question

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 B   C.

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 honour 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 and 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 colours.

() 36. Ancient people first used umbrellas as.

   A. a symbol of honour   B. protection against the sun

   C. a symbol of power   D. protection against the rain

() 37. According to the passage,the umbrella was probably first used in ancient.

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

() 38. The underlined word “royal” might mean “” in Chinese.

   A. 皇室的   B. 富裕的   C. 中产的   D. 平民的

() 39. 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 colourful in ancient times.

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

() 40. 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 

“I'm so sorry. It was all my fault,with no excuse and no reason ,” said the 23-year-old actor,Kai Ko (柯震东) ，bowing to the public at the press conference (新闻发布会) .Ko apologized publicly for taking drugs (吸毒) with friends in Beijing.“It was my personal behaviour,selfish and stupid. I cannot go back in time to undo what I did,but there is willingness to correct a mistake. I want to correct my mistake,because I don't want to see the sad faces of those who love me and those who I love. I am really sorry to them,” Ko said.

Ko became very famous and popular after starring in the film called You Are the Apple of My Eye in 2011. His clean and youthful image won him many fans. For those fans,they are willing to trust Ko. By the end of the 30-minute press conference,more than three thousand users of Sina Weibo supported Ko and hoped he would be a better person in the future.

However,there were other voices. Wang Zhuo,a user of Sina Weibo said ,“It doesn’t matter whether he apologizes or not,because nobody cares. Showbiz and the arts industry (娱乐圈) will not use anyone like him from now on anyway. ” Another user said ,“After 14 days of detention (监禁) ，Ko,s acting skills have improved a lot!”

When asked what his plans were after he regained freedom,Ko said he would continue to cooperate with the police on further investigations (调查) after returning to Taiwan.

() 41. Kai Ko apologized publicly because he.

   A. took drugs   B. hit his fans

   C. did badly in his film   D. said something bad

() 42. What made Ko become famous?

   A. The song called You Are the Apple of My Eye.

   B. The film called You Are the Apple of My Eye.

   C. His good looking.

   D. His background.

() 43. How long did the press conference last?

   A. We don't know. B. One hour.

   C. Half an hour. D. Ten minutes.

() 44. What does the user mean by saying “After 14 days of detention,Ko’s acting skills have improved a lot”？

   A. He thinks Ko is still a good actor.

   B. He supports Ko no matter what happened.

   C. He doesn't trust what Ko said.

   D. He thinks Ko has trained hard and improved his acting skills.

() 45. The best title for the passage is “”

   A. Drugs are dangerous   B. A famous actor

   C. Apologizing for taking drugs   D. At the press conference

Answer 1

40. BDAC

36 〜40. BDACD