Unit 4 History and Traditions——Listening and Talking 一、单句语法填空 1. Despite many years ’ learning of English, I still feel _____(puzzle) in some aspects. 2. It ______(announce) that only when the fire was under control would the residents be permitted to return to their homes. 3. Seeing the lines of trees, we all had a sense of _________(achieve). 4. There _____(be) large amounts of homework and a great many examinations for us students every day. 5. I have enough evidence _______ hard work pays off. 二、阅读理解 Before the print was brought to England in 1476, everything was written by hand. The few people who knew how to write were trained in schools set up by the church. Those who made a living by writing for other people were called scribes. The work of scribes was not easy. Much of it had to be done fast in order to meet the needs of the King, the church and traders. Most of the writing was in Latin, but some of it was in English of the day. No one was quite sure how some English words should be spelled. One problem was that several letters were written with short vertical stroke that all looked like each other. Among them were the letters “i”“u”“v”“m” and “n”. Thus, five straight lines in a row might stand for “uni” “nui” “uvi” or “mii”. As a result, reading was sometimes difficult, especially when the writing was done in a hurry. The scribes solved the problem in part, by changing the letter “u” to “o” when it came before “m” “n” or “v”. This is how sum and cum became to be written as some and come. At some point too, the scribes seemed to have decided that no English word should be ended by “u” or “v”. Thus, in time an “e” was added to such words as “live” “have” “due” and “true”. It was added, but not pronounced. 1. Which of the following is true according to the passage? A. Everything has been written by hand in English since 1476. B. More than 500 years ago no one made a living by writing for other people. C. The church set up schools to train scribes before 1476. D. Scribes in England worked only for kings and traders. 2. Sometimes people couldn’t read easily _______. A. because there were too many “u” and “v” in some English words B. because most of the writing was in Latin C. when the writing was in English D. when the writing was done hurriedly 3. The scribes changed “u” before “m” to “o” because _______. A. the change helped them write faster B. the change made reading easier C. um and om had the same pronunciation D. om was the right order 4. It is believed that some scribes thought _______. A. it important to add an “e” to every English word B. the letter “e” at the end of any word shouldn’t be pronounced C. it natural to change the spelling of some Latin words D. an English word should be ended neither by “u” nor by “v” 三、阅读填句 Thanks to world-famous Colombian writer Garcia Marquez, many people think of Latin America as a land of magic. In his books, impossible things happen. 1 It may come from the mix of different cultures and ethnicities in Latin America. Although some of these differences have caused conflicts, they have also been a source of beauty, as well as encouraged people in Latin America to be more open-minded. Latin America includes more than 30 countries and areas located south of the United States in the American continent. From north to south, it starts from Mexico in North America, goes through the Caribbean and ends at the southernmost tip of South America. 2 People can enjoy sunshine in the Caribbean islands, ride horses on the green grasslands of the Pampas, and explore volcanoes and snow-capped mountains in the Andes. It even has the world ’s biggest rainforest—the Amazon. Many of the world ’s most unique plants and animals live there. There is also diverse mix of people in Latin America. 3 In countries like Mexico and Columbia, over half of the population is of mixed ethnicity. However, most of them speak the same languages—Spanish or Portuguese. 4 Latin American people have created the samba, rumba, cha cha and tango. These dance styles require dancers to hold each other closely and move passionately. 5 Latin America is an open and romantic place. Its impressive natural environment, historical contributions and cultural traditions have made it unique and influential. A. It has natives, Africans and Europeans. B. Latin America ’s environment is quite diverse. C. Where does the magic in his books come from? D. They are cheerful and can bring strangers together. E. Many people in Latin America have open and romantic hearts. F. The music and dance of Latin America are quite well-known. G. To most people, Latin America is a land of happiness and passion. 答案和解析 一、单句语法填空 1.puzzled 2.is announced 3.achievement 4.are 5.that 二、阅读理解 1.C。细节理解题。根据第一段第二句“The few people who knew how to write were trained in schools set up by the church. ”(少数知道怎么书写的人在由教堂建立的学校里接受训练。)得知正确答案为C。
2.D。细节理解题。根据第三段最后一句“As a result, reading was sometimes difficult, especially when the writing was done in a hurry. ”(结果, 阅读有时很难, 尤其是当人们匆忙地写下东西时。)得知正确答案为D。in a hurry=hurriedly 急匆匆地, 匆忙地。
3.B。推理判断题。根据第三段最后一句中的“reading was sometimes difficult” 以及第四段第一句“The scribes solved the problem in part, by changing the letter ‘u’ to ‘o’ when it came before ‘m’‘n’ or ‘v’”可以得出一个结论, 抄写员做出的这种改变解决了阅读困难的问题, 即让阅读变得更容易, 因此答案为B。
4.D。细节理解题。根据最后一段第一句中的the scribes seemed to have decided that no English word should be ended by “u” or“v”(抄写员似乎决定了这样一个事情:英语单词不应该以字母u或字母v结尾)得出答案为D。
三、阅读填句 1. C。根据空后一句可知, 它可能来自拉丁美洲不同文化和种族的混合。由此可推知, 本句是在提问他书中的魔法是从哪里来的。C选项“他书中的魔法是从哪里来的? ”符合上下文语境, 故选C。
2. B。根据空后一句可知, 人们可以在加勒比群岛享受阳光, 在潘帕斯草原上骑马, 在安第斯山脉探索火山和积雪覆盖的山脉。由此可知拉丁美洲的地理环境是非常多样化的。B选项“拉丁美洲的环境非常多样化”符合上下文语境, 故选B。
3. A。结合上一句可知, 拉丁美洲也有各种各样的人。由此可推知, 本句应当承接上文列举拉丁美洲有哪些人种。A选项“有当地人, 非洲人和欧洲人”符合上下文语境, 故选A。
4. F。根据后两句可知, 拉丁美洲人创造了桑巴、伦巴、恰恰和探戈。这些舞蹈风格要求舞者紧紧地抱在一起, 并充满激情地舞动。由此可知, 本句是在说明拉丁美洲的音乐和舞蹈非常有名。后文中dance可对应到F选项中的 dance。F选项“拉丁美洲的音乐和舞蹈非常有名”符合上下文语境, 故选F。
5. D。结合空前一句可知, 这种舞蹈风格要求舞者紧紧地抱在一起, 并充满激情地舞动。由此可知, 拉丁美洲的舞蹈都非常欢快, 能将人们聚在一起, 充满激情地舞动。D选项“它们非常欢快, 能把陌生人拉到一起”符合上下文语境, 故选D。