Question

阅读下面短文，从每题所给的四个选项中选出最佳答案.

Calendars

　　Many people take for granted the fact that January 1,2000 marks the beginning of a new century for all mankind. However, this day does not have the same meaning everywhere in the world. Where did the date 2000 come from? Around 500 A.D., a leading religious man suggested that all Christians should start counting the date from the birth of Christ. After careful calculations, the year 1 A.D.（Christ's birth）was said to be the 28th year after Augustus became the emperor of Rome. Today, this calculation seems to be incorrect. Historians believe that Christ was actually born four years before this date, but changing the calendar now would only cause confusion around the world because most people are used to the current calendar.

　　There are several other major calendars used for calculating the date The Jewish calendar calculates the date from the day the earth was created. In 1000 B.C., Jewish scholars set the date the earth began, and according to this calendar, the year2000 A.D. would actually be 5760. The Buddhist calendar begins from the death of Buddha, so the year 2000 A.D. for Christians will be 2544 for Buddhists. Muslims start their calendar from the time when the Prophet Muhammad escaped from Mecca and went to Medina. The Muslim calendar also follows the moon instead of the sun, so the Muslim year is 10 or 11 days shorter than the Christian year. The year 2000 A.D. is really 1420 for Muslims. The official Hindu calendar, which was put into use in the 1950s, begins from the first year that King Kaniska took power in India. When Christians celebrate the year 2000 A.D., it will only be the year 1922 for Hindus.

　　Not all calendars set the date by historical or religious events. One other system used for calculating the date was created by the astronomer Joseph Scaliger in the1500s. For astronomers, one year is a very short time when looking at the movement of planets and stars. Therefore, Mr. Scaliger suggested using a time period for his calendar that would equal 7,980 years. The dates of the calendar are calculated by dividing one 7,980-year cycle of this calendar into smaller periods. These periods are more convenient for following the movements of the sun and the moon. Mr. Scaliger picked out the starting point of one of these cycles as January 14,713 B.C. In 2000 A.D. this calendar will set the date as 2,451,545.

（1）Historians now believe that Christ was born ________.

[　　]

A. before Augustus became emperor

B. 24 years after Augustus became emperor

C. in 1 A.D.

D. in the year 2000 A.D.

（2）What marks the beginning of the Jewish calendar?

[　　]

A. the birth of Muhammad

B. the death of Buddha

C. the beginning of the earth

D. the lunar cycle

（3）Why did Mr. Scaliger need to create a new calendar for keeping track of the movement of planets?

[　　]

A. History is very short.

B. Planets are too big.

C. Light travels too fast

D. Years are too short.

（4）The second paragraph is mainly about ________.

[　　]

A. how to measure time

B. many different calendars

C. major religions of the world

D. King Kaniska

Answer 1

答案：B;C;D;B
解析：

(1) 这是一道考查是否理解并掌握了文章提供信息的题目.根据短文第一段中叙述的在经过详细计算之后，公元元年即耶稣诞生之年为罗马皇帝即位的第28年.而历史学家们认为，耶稣的真正诞生年份比该年份早4年，由此可推算出B是最佳选项. (2) 这是一道细节题.短文第二段第二句The Jewish calendar calculates the date from the day the earth was created.清楚地说明，世界的开始标志着犹太日历的开始，答案为C. (3) 这是一道事实询问题. 从短文最后一段中For astronomers，one year is a very short time when looking at the movement of planets and stars. Therefore，Mr. Scaliger suggested using a time period for his calendar that would equal 7,980 years.得知，Mr. Scaliger之所以创造一个新的日历来记录行星的运动轨迹，是因为对于天文学家来说，观察行星和恒星的运动，用年的时问太短了，故D是最佳选项. (4) 这是一道归纳段落中心思想的题目.短文第二段首句There are several other major calendars used for calculating the date. 是该段的主题句.综观全段，就可以归纳概括出该段主要叙述的是不同的日历，故答案选B.