Question

根据短文内容和首字母提示，填写所缺单词。
The development of the English language took a giant step in 1607. Three small British ships c【小题1】 the Atlantic Ocean. They began to call areas of their new land by words borrowed from the native people. For example, many of the great r【小题2】 in the United States are taken from American Indian words. The Mississippi, the Tennessee, the Missouri are examples. This borrowing or adding of foreign words to English was a w【小题3】of expanding（扩大）the language. The names of three days of the week are good examples of this. The people from Northern Europe honored three gods with a special day each week. The gods were Odin, Thor and Freya. Odin’s-day became Wednesday in English, Thor’s-day became T【小题4】 and Freya’s-day became Friday.
Experts cannot explain many English words. For h【小题5】 of years, a dog was called a “hound.” The word is still u【小题6】 but not as commonly as the word “dog.” English speakers just started using it. Other words whose origins are unknown i【小题7】“fun,” “bad,” and “big.”
English speakers also continue to invent n【小题8】 words by linking old words together. A good example is the words “motor” and “hotel.” Many years ago
s【小题9】 linked them together into the word “motel.” A motel is a small hotel near a road where people travelling in cars can stay for the night.
Other words come from the f【小题10】 letters of names of groups or devices. For example, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is usually called NATO.

Answer 1

小题1:crossed
小题2:rivers
小题3:way
小题4:Thursday
小题5:hundreds
小题6:used
小题7:include
小题8:new
小题9:someone/somebody
小题10:first

试题分析：这篇短文主要以一些具体单词为例，说明了英语词汇的发展变化方式及过程。
小题1:联系上下文，可知此处指的是，这艘英国小船横渡了太平洋。结合语境可知本句描述的是过去发生的动作，故用一般过去时态。根据首字母可知填过去式动词crossed，横穿。
小题2:联系下文The Mississippi, the Tennessee, the Missouri的描述，可知此处指的是美国的大部分河流。根据首字母可知填复数名词rivers，河流。
小题3:结合语境可知此处指的是扩大英语词汇的一种方式。根据首字母可知填单数名词way，道路，方法。
小题4:联系上下文，可知此处指的是Thor’s-day 成为了星期四。根据首字母可知填专有名词Thursday，星期四。
小题5:结合语境可知此处指的是许多年以来。英语中数词表示概数时，后面加s，和介词of搭配使用。根据首字母可知填复数数词hundreds，几百。
小题6:联系上下文可知此处指的是这个单词仍在使用。结合语境可知本句主语是动作对象，故用被动语态。根据首字母可知填过去分词used，使用。
小题7:联系下文“fun,” “bad,” and “big.”可知此处指的是包括这几个单词，根据首字母可知填介词include，包括。
小题8:联系下文，可知此处指的是说英语的人也在继续发明新单词，根据首字母可知填形容词new，新的，作定语。
小题9:结合语境可知此处指的是某人把它们连接在一起，根据首字母可知填someone/somebody，有人，某人。
小题10:联系下文the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is usually called NATO.可知此处指的是有些单词来自一组单词或者装备的首字母。根据首字母可知填序数词first，第一个，首先的。做定语。
点评：首字母一直是英语考试中的难点，得分率比较低。解答此类题型的方法一般就是根据文章前后句子之间意思推断出词义，并结合首字母推断出所缺单词，然后根据该单词在句子中的句子成分，所起作用，确定单词词形，进行适当词形变化。注意动词，名词等一般要有词形变化，注意主谓语数的一致问题。而介词则没有词形变化。在叙事性短文中，谓语动词多为一般过去时态及现在完成时态，说明性短文中谓语动词多为一般现在时态。