“Indeed,” George Washington wrote in his diary in 1985, “some kind of fly, or bug, had begun to eat the leaves before I left home.” But the father of America was not the father of bug. When Washington wrote that, Englishmen had been referring to insects as bugs for more than a century, and Americans had already created lighining-bug(螢火蟲)。But the English were soon to stop using the bugs in their language, leaving it to the Americans to call a bug a bug in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
The American bug could also be a person, referring to someone who was crazy about a particular activity. Althoug fan became the usual term. sports fans used to be called racing bugs, baseballbugs, and the like.
Or the bug could be a small machine or object, for example, a bug-shaped car. The bug could also be a burglar alarm, from which comes the expression to bug, that is, “to install (安裝) an alarm”. Now it means a small piece of equipment that people use for listening secretly to others’ conversation. Since the 1840s, to bug has long meant “to cheat”, and since the 1940s it has been annoying.
We also know the bug as a flaw in a computer program or other design. That meaning dates back to the time of Thomas Edison. In 1878 he explained bugs as “l(fā)ittle problems and difficulties” that required months of study and labor to overcome in developing a successful product. In 1889 it was recorded that Edison “had been up the two previous nights discovering ‘a(chǎn) bug’ in his invented record player.”
【小題1】We learn from Paragraph 1 that ___________.

A.Americans had difficulty in learning to use the word bug
B.George Washington was the first person to call an insect a bug
C.the word bug was still popularly used in English in the nineteenth century
D.both Englishmen and Americans used the word bug in the eighteenth century
【小題2】What does the word “flaw” in the last paragraph probably mean?
A.Explanation. B.Finding. C.Origin. D.Fault.
【小題3】The passage is mainly concerned with__________.
A.the misunderstanding of the word bug
B.the development of the word bug
C.the public views of the word bug
D.the special characteristics of the word bug


【小題1】D
【小題2】D
【小題3】B

解析試題分析:本文是一篇故事。文章講述了英語(yǔ)bug一詞的發(fā)展變化。
【小題1】D考查細(xì)節(jié)理解。根據(jù)文章第一段中的When Washington wrote that, Englishmen had been referring to insects as bugs for more than a century,和But the English were soon to stop using the bugs in their language, leaving it to the Americans to call a bug a bug in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.可知,在18世紀(jì)美國(guó)人和英國(guó)人都使用bug這個(gè)詞匯。故選D。
【小題2】D考查猜測(cè)詞義。根據(jù)文章第四段中的In 1878 he explained bugs as “l(fā)ittle problems and difficulties” that required months of study and labor to overcome in developing a successful product.可知,flaw意為:little problems and difficulties,缺點(diǎn)和不足。故選D。
【小題3】B考查文章的主旨要義。文章通過華盛頓使用bug一詞的故事,闡述了美語(yǔ)和英語(yǔ)詞匯發(fā)展的變化。
考點(diǎn):考查文學(xué)類的閱讀理解。

練習(xí)冊(cè)系列答案
相關(guān)習(xí)題

科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來源: 題型:閱讀理解

Tim Burton attempts to work his gothic magic over one of the best loved stories of all time—Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There.
Alice, now 19, attends a party at a Victorian estate, only to find she is about to be proposed to by a rich suitor(求婚者)in front of hundreds of snooty(傲慢的)society types. She runs off, following a white rabbit into a hole and ending up in Wonderland—a place she visited many years before, yet she doesn’t remember. The white rabbit claims to have come back for Alice because she is the only one who can slay(殺死)the Jabberwock, the beast who guards the Red Queen’s empire. Alice remains completely unaware of why she is in Wonderland, and is confused about the fact that she had once visited Wonderland years before.
Now, Wonderland has changed into a dark, scarier place than it used to be. Alice then embarks on an adventure of self discovery, and to save Wonderland from the Red Queen’s reign(統(tǒng)治)of terror with the help of her Wonderland friends.
【小題1】The story Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was written by____________.

A.Tim BurtonB.Lewis CarrollC.AliceD.the passage doesn’t tell us
【小題2】 Alice runs off because maybe___________.
A.she doesn’t like that party
B.she is too snooty
C.she doesn’t like the suitor
D.she wants to get married
【小題3】In the last paragraph, the phrase “embarks on” means _________.
A.starts to do something
B.gets onto a ship
C.refuses to do something
D.finds something
【小題4】This passage would most likely to be found __________.
A.on a film poster
B.in a government document
C.in a novel
D.in an entertainment magazine

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來源: 題型:閱讀理解

Must-Read about Notting Hill Carnival(狂歡節(jié))
Route
The carnival procession itself begins at 9am on both Sunday and Monday. It starts on Great Western Road, winding its way along Chepstow Road, then on to Westbourne Grove, and then down Ladbroke Grove. See our Notting Hill Carnival map for the full route.
Bus 
While extra services will be in operation, no buses will enter the Carnival area from first thing Sunday morning until the first service on Tuesday morning. On both days bus services begin from Notting Hill Gate in the south and from Harrow Rd (close to Elgin Avenue) in the north.
Bike
Last year the nearest bike-parking stations – Chepstow Villas and Pembridge Road – were removed for Carnival, so don’t rely on being able to park your bike nearby this year.
Safety
Avoid carrying expensive items, such as jewellery and digital cameras. Take a bag with a secure zip to keep your more valuable possessions in and avoid putting your valuables in your back pocket. 
Do tell police if you see an incident. Officers will be stationed throughout the Carnival area. Don’t try to walk against the flow of the crowd, as you won’t get far. Drink plenty of water on the day too, especially if the sun makes an appearance.
Children
Children’s Day on Sunday is recommended for families as the smaller crowds and kid-friendly floats(游行花車) create a fun atmosphere. Arrange meeting points in case you become separated. The smaller the buggy(嬰兒車), the better. Ear defenders may be necessary for very young children.
【小題1】Visitors are warned not to bike to the Carnival because _________.

A.there are an increasing number of bike thefts there
B.there are no bike-parking stations nearby
C.roads to the Carnival area are closed to bikes
D.they will be charged with extra parking fees
【小題2】Visitors had better_________.
A.wear trousers without back pockets
B.bring plenty of beer with them
C.leave their valuables in the hotel
D.walk along the flow of the crowd
【小題3】People who go to the carnival with children are advised_________.
A.to be there on Sunday
B.to let their children go wherever they like
C.to arrange a meeting time
D.to bring ear defenders for each child.

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來源: 題型:閱讀理解

Most summer camps for teens center around sports, or music and arts, or just for having fun. But some girls in the Washington suburb of Arlington County, Virginia, went to camp to get a taste of what its like to be a firefighter.
This is not a typical summer camp. But Michelle Pawlaw is glad she signed up for it."Getting to experience the fires hands-on is really cool and something that most people don't get to do," she said.
Michelle and eight other teenage girls are participating in the three-day camp offered by the Arlington County Fire Department located just outside of Washington.
“The purpose is to try to get young women interested in considering the fire service as a career” said firefighter Clare Burley, who is in charge of the program.
The free of charge, overnight camp is designed to let the girls experience what firefighters do in the line of duty to protect the community.
They take classes and learn how to climb the ladder on a fire truck, operate emergency tools and rescue on injured person. They also do their share of cleaning the firehouse and the equipment Firefighting is still a male-dominated (男性主導(dǎo)) service. Clare joined the department seven years ago, saying "We do everything that the guys do to the same standarD.We are tested to the same standarD.We are expected to operate at the same standard."
Most of the girls say they had never thought about becoming a firefighter, but the camp was a great learning experience.
"I think it is definitely not a job that only men can do. Women can do it just as well as men can," said Michelle Pawlaw.
'I think I can help other people if they need help and know what to do in case I am at a fire myself," said Kayla Ehrlich.
"I think it's fantastic; I could consider taking it as a career some day." said Monica Bartorsh.
And, the girls say, by spending three days together, they also made new friends and had a lot of fun.
【小題1】____might become a firefighter in the future.

A.Monica B.Kayla
C.Michelle D.Clare
【小題2】What can be inferred from the text?
A.The camp offers classes on curing the injured
B.Teenage girls will become volunteer firefighters
C.Women can perform as well as men in firefighting
D.Firefighting will soon be a female-dominated service
【小題3】What do we know about Clare Burley from the passage?
A.She has served the department for 7 years
B.She doesn't like her career as a firefighter
C.She is the designer of the camp program
D.She does better in firefighting than men
【小題4】The purpose of the text is____.
A.to attract more campers
B.to introduce a new type of camp
C.to praise women firefighters
D.to gain support from government

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來源: 題型:閱讀理解

Since we are social beings, the quality of our lives depends in large measure on our interpersonal(人與人之間的) relationships. One strength of the human condition is our possibility to give and receive support from one another under stressful conditions. Social support makes up of the exchange of resources among people based on their interpersonal ties. Those of us with strong support systems appear better able to deal with major life changes and daily problems. People with strong social ties live longer and have better health than those without such ties. Studies over types of illnesses, from depression to heart disease, show that the presence of social support helps people defend themselves against illness, and the absence of such support makes poor health more likely.
  Social support cushions(緩和) stress in a number of ways. First, friends, relatives and co-workers may let us know that they value us. Our self-respect is strengthened when we feel accepted by others in spite of our faults and difficulties. Second, other people often provide us with informational support. They help us to define and understand our problems and find solutions to them. Third, we typically find social companionship supportive. Taking part in free-time activities with others helps us to meet our social needs while at the same time distracting (轉(zhuǎn)移注意力) us from our worries and troubles. Finally, other people may give us instrumental support money aid, material resources, and needed services - that reduces stress by helping us resolve and deal with our problems.
【小題1】Interpersonal relationships are important because they can ________

A.make people live more easily B.smooth away daily problems
C.deal with life changes D.cure types of illnesses
【小題2】The researches show that people's physical and mental health _______
A.lies in the social medical care systems which support them
B.has much to do with the amount of support they get from others
C.depends on their ability to deal with daily worries and troubles
D.is related to their courage for dealing with major life changes
【小題3】Helping a sick neighbor with some repair work in spare time is an example of ________
A.instrumental support B.informational support
C.social companionship D.the strengthening of self-respect
【小題4】What is the subject discussed in the text?
A.Effects of stressful condition. B.Kinds of social support.
C.Ways to deal with stress. D.Interpersonal relationships.

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來源: 題型:閱讀理解

People have been painting pictures for at least 30,000 years. The earliest pictures were painted by people who hun­ted animals. They used to paint pictures of the animals they wanted to catch and kill. Pictures of this kind have been found on the walls of caves in France and Spain. No one knows why they were painted there. Perhaps the painters thought that their pictures would help them to catch these animals. Or per­haps human beings have always wanted to tell stories accord­ing to pictures.
About 5,000 years ago, the Egyptians and other people in the Near East began to use pictures as kind of writing. They drew simple pictures or signs to represent things and ideas, and also to represent the sounds of their language. The signs these people used became a kind of alphabet.
  The Egyptians used to record information and to tell stories by putting picture writing and pictures together. When an important person died, scenes and stories from his life were painted and carved on the walls of the place where he was buried. Some of these pictures are like modern comic strip stories. It has been said that Egypt is the home of the comic strip. But, for the Egyptians, pictures still had magic power. So they did not try to make their way of writing simple. The ordinary people could not understand it.
  By the year 1,000 BC, people who lived in the area around the Mediterranean Sea had developed a simpler system of writing. The signs they used were very easy to write, and there were fewer of them than in the Egyptian system. This was because each sign, or letter, represented only one sound in their language. The Greeks developed this system and formed the letters of the Greek alphabet. The Romans copied the idea, and the Roman alphabet is now used all over the world.
  These days, we can write down a story, or record information, without using pictures. But we still need pictures of all kinds: drawing, photographs, signs and diagrams. We find them everywhere: in books and newspapers, in the street, and on the walls of the places where we live and work. Pictures help us to understand and remember things more easily, and they can make a story much more interesting.
【小題1】Pictures of animals were painted on the walls of caves in France and Spain because______.

A.the hunters wanted to see the pictures
B.the painters were animal lovers
C.the painters wanted to show imagination
D.the pictures were thought to be helpful
【小題2】The Greek alphabet was simpler than the Egyptian system for all the following reasons EXCEPT that______.
A.the former was easy to write
B.there were fewer signs in the former
C.the former was easy to pronounce
D.each sign stood for only one sound
【小題3】Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A.The Egyptian signs later became a particular alphabet.
B.The Egyptians liked to write comic strip stories.
C.The Roman alphabet was developed from the Egyptian one.
D.The Greeks copied their writing system from the Egyptians.
【小題4】 In the last paragraph, the author thinks that pictures ______.
A.should be made comprehensible
B.should be made interesting
C.a(chǎn)re of much use in our life
D.have disappeared from our life

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來源: 題型:閱讀理解

The United States is one of the few countries in the world that has an official day on which fathers are honored by their children.On the third Sunday in June, fathers all across the United States are given presents, treated to dinner or otherwise made to feel special.
However, the idea for creating a day for children to honor their fathers began in Spokane, Washington.A woman by the name of Sonora Smart Dodd thought of the idea for Father’s Day while listening to a Mother’s Day sermon in 1909.Having been raised by her father, Henry Jackson Smart, after her mother died, Sonora wanted her father to know how special he was to her.It was her father that made all the parental sacrifices(犧牲) and was, in the eyes of his daughter, a selfless and loving man.Sonora’s father was born in June, so she chose to hold the first Father’s Day celebration in Spikane, Washington on the 19th of June, 1910.
In 1924 President Calvin Coolidge declared the third Sunday in June as Father’s Day.Roses are the Father’s Day flowers: red to be worn for a living father and white if the father has died.
When children can’t visit their fathers or take them out to dinner, they send a greeting card.Traditionally, fathers prefer greeting cards that are not too sentimental(傷感的).Most greeting cards are too special so fathers laugh when they open them.Some give heartfelt thanks for being there whenever the child need Dad.
【小題1】The United States is special in Father’s Day because ______.

A.many people celebrate the day B.only America celebrates the day
C.America makes it an official day D.a(chǎn)ll men are honored in America
【小題2】At first, Father’s Day was fixed on June 19th because ______.
A.Sonora honored her father on her father’s birthday
B.Sonora’s birthday was June 19
C.it was decided by the president at that time
D.her mother died on June 19
【小題3】How many years has passed before Father’s Day became an official day since the father’s day was celebrated?
A.4 B.10 C.14 D.24
【小題4】According to the passage, we can infer that Henry Jackson Smart ______.
A.was very kind to anyone
B.was the first father honored in 1924
C.did a lot for his daughter
D.a(chǎn)lways help others by giving money

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來源: 題型:閱讀理解

I finished my last evening shift of the week and could hardly wait to get home. I took off my nursing shoes, relaxed and then said goodnight to the rest of the girls and headed out of the door.
It was so cold and I could see the ice crystals in the air. As I approached my car, I saw one of my coworkers standing by the bus stop. I thought it would only take a couple of extra minutes to give her a ride home, and besides, it was too cold to be standing outside on the coldest night in January.
We chatted as I drove and before we knew it, we arrived at her house. As she headed up the steps to her door she turned around. “Do you know how to get to your house from here?” “How hard can it be? I’ll just backtrack the way I came.”
I started driving. Nothing looked familiar, but at first that didn’t bother me since I’d never been to this neighborhood before. I kept driving, and soon I sensed that something was wrong. I recognized nothing, not the neighborhoods, not even the street names. My husband would be worried about me. I looked down at my watch. It was now 2:30. I’d left work at 11:30 pm.
I stopped my car. I thought I’d better take stock of my situation. My gas gauge (汽油表) was slowly going down. In total defeat I put my head down on the steering wheel and asked for help. I lifted my head. I saw a shadow down the road in front of me. It was a car. What was a car doing in the middle of nowhere at 2:30 in the morning?
Hesitantly, I got out of my car and knocked on the window of the other car. An elderly man slowly rolled his window down.
I said, “I’m lost and don’t know how to get back into town.”
In silence, he started driving. I drove behind him.
Finally I recognized a familiar street. As I turned to head home, I lost sight of my guiding angel. When I pulled into my driveway the warning light for my gas tank turned on.
【小題1】Why did the writer stop her car?        

A.To consider and judge the situation.
B.To check whether there was gas.
C.To prevent the car breaking down.
D.To turn to somebody for help.
【小題2】When the writer got home, _______.
A.she thanked the old man very much
B.her husband was waiting for her anxiously
C.the oil in her car was just going to run out
D.she was totally frozen on the cold night
【小題3】What might be the suitable title for the passage?
A.Keep up and you will succeed at last.
B.Meeting a friendly old man in trouble.
C.Giving a ride to my coworker at night.
D.Losing my way on a cold winter night.

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來源: 題型:閱讀理解

查看答案和解析>>

同步練習(xí)冊(cè)答案