Question

【题目】Ireland has had a very difficult history. The problems started in the 16th century when English rulers tried to conquer (征服) Ireland. For hundreds of years, the Irish people fought against the English. Finally, in 1921, the British government was forced to give independence to the south of Ireland. The result is that today there are two "Irelands". Northern Ireland, in the north, is part of the United Kingdom. The Republic of Ireland, in the south, is an independent country.

In the 1840s, the main crop, potatoes, was affected by disease and about 750,000 people died of hunger. This, and a shortage (短缺) of work, forced many people to leave Ireland and live in the USA, the UK, Australia and Canada. As a result of these problems, the population fell from 8.2 million in 1841 to 6.6 million in 1851.

For many years, the majority of Irish people earned their living as farmers. Today, many people still work on the land but more and more people are moving to the cities to work in factories and offices. Life in the cities is very different from life in the countryside, where things move at a quieter and slower pace.

The Irish are famous for being warm-hearted and friendly. Oscar Wilde, a famous Irish writer, once said that the Irish were “the greatest talkers since the Greeks”. Since independence, Ireland has revived (复兴) its own culture of music, language, literature and singing. Different areas have different styles of old Irish songs which are sung without instruments. Other kinds of Irish music use many different instruments such as the violin, whistles, etc.

【1】What does the author tell us in paragraph 1?

A. how the Irish fought against the English.

B. how Ireland gained independence.

C. how English rulers tried to conquer Ireland.

D. how two "Irelands" came into being.

【2】We learn from the text that in Ireland __________.

A. food shortages in the 1840s led to a decline in population

B. people are moving to the cities for lack of work in the countryside

C. it is harder to make a living as a farmer than as a factory worker

D. different kinds of old Irish songs are all sung with instruments

【3】The last paragraph is mainly about __________.

A. the Irish character

B. Irish culture

C. Irish musical instruments

D. a famous Irish writer

【4】What can be the best title for the text?

A. life in Ireland

B. A Very difficult history

C. Ireland, past and present

D. the independence of Ireland

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】D

【2】A

【3】B

【4】C

【解析】

试题分析：本文属于说明文，在前两段中介绍了爱尔兰的历史，提及了爱尔兰的分裂，爱尔兰历史上的土豆危机。后两段介绍了爱尔兰现在的情况，如文化，音乐等等。

【1】D 段落大意题。本段在介绍爱尔兰的历史，在1921年之前爱尔兰被英国统治，1921年独立以后分成两个部分。ABC三项都只是细节内容，D项为段落大意。

【2】A 细节理解题。根据第二段第一句In the 1840s, the main crop, potatoes, was affected by disease and about 750,000 people died of hunger. 可知在19世纪40年代，在爱尔兰爆发的土豆疾病导致75万人死亡。让爱尔兰的人口大幅下降。故A正确。

【3】B 段落大意题。在最后一段中左杰介绍了爱尔兰人们的性格特征，爱尔兰的文化、音乐、语言等等方面的发展情况。该段主要在介绍爱尔兰的文化信息。故B项正确。

【4】C 标题概括题。本文属于说明文，在前两段中介绍了爱尔兰的历史，提及了爱尔兰的分裂，爱尔兰历史上的土豆危机。后两段介绍了爱尔兰现在的情况，如文化，音乐等等。所以本文主要讲述的是爱尔兰的前世今生。故C项正确。