7．Etymology，the study of words and word roots，may sound like the kind of thing done by boring librarians in small，dusty rooms．Yet etymologists actually have a uniquely interesting job．They are in many ways just like archaeologists （考古學家） digging up the physical history of people and events．The special aspect of etymology is that it digs up history，so to speak，through the words and phrases that are left behind．
The English language，in particular，is a great field to explore history through words．As a language，English has an extraordinary number of words．This is partly due to its ability to adapt foreign words so readily．For example，"English"words such as kindergarten （from German），croissant （from French），and cheetah （from Hindi） have become part of the language with little or no change from their original sounds and spellings．So English-language etymologists have a vast world of words to explore．
Another enjoyable thing about etymology for most word experts is solving word mysteries （謎）．No，etymologists do not go around solving murders，like the great detective Sherlock Holmes．What these word experts solve are mysterious origins of some of our most common words．
One of the biggest questions English language experts have pursued is how English came to have the phrase OK．Though it is one of the most commonly used expressions，its exact beginning is a puzzle even to this day．Even its spelling is not entirely consistent--unless you spell it Okay，it is hard even to call it a word．
Etymologists have been able to narrow OK's origin down to a likely，although not certain，source （來源）．It became widely used around the time of Martin Van Buren's run for president in 1840．His nickname was Old Kinderhook．What troubles word experts about this explanation is that the phrase appeared in some newspapers before Van Buren became well known．It is likely that Van Buren could be called its primary source．Etymologists will doubtlessly keep searching for the original source．However，it is clear that OK's popularity and reputation have topped those of the American president to whom it has been most clearly linked．
8．The author mentions the words like"croissant"in Paragraph 2to showC．
A．words have changed a lot in the two languages
B．what English-language etymologists are exploring now
C．English has absorbed many words from other foreign languages
D．the English vocabulary is difficult to the non-English-speaking people
9．The underlined word"pursued"in Paragraph 4meansB．
A．looked upon
B．dug up
C．put in
D．set down
10．We can learn from the passage that etymologistsA．
A．discover the possible origin of words
B．help detectives to solve mysterious murders
C．write interesting stories for some newspapers
D．explore the English language as well as the recent events．
分析 詞源學就是研究詞和詞根，可能聽起來像無聊的圖書館員在布滿灰塵的房間里做的小事情．但是詞源學家有一個獨特有趣的工作，在許多方面就像考古學家挖掘人類的歷史和事件．詞源的特殊方面是它挖出了歷史，也就是說，通過留下的單詞和短語．
尤其是英語，在探索單詞歷史方面是一個偉大的領(lǐng)域．作為一門語言，英語在一定程度上有適應(yīng)外來詞的能力．舉例英語單詞kindergarden（德國）、croissant （法國），和cheetah（印度語）已經(jīng)成為語言的一部分，且很少或沒有變化，無論是從原來的聲音還是拼寫上．．所以英語詞源學家有一個巨大的世界去探索．
另一個大多數(shù)專家喜歡的事情就是挖掘單詞謎團．詞源學家不像偉大的偵探福爾摩斯去解決謀殺．這些單詞專家解決的是一些常見單詞的神秘起源．
英語專家追求最大的一個問題就是英語是如何出現(xiàn)詞組OK．盡管它是最常用的表達之一，它完全是一個謎，甚至它的拼寫和最開始是不完全一致的--除非你拼寫為Okay，甚至很難稱之為一個字．
詞源學家已經(jīng)能夠縮小OK的起源，雖然不能肯定，但被廣泛使用．范布倫的競選總統(tǒng)于1840年，他的昵稱是Old Kinderhook．問題專家對這個詞的解釋是，這句話出現(xiàn)在一些報紙上，然后被熟知．這是可能被稱為其主要來源．次元學家們無疑將繼續(xù)尋找來源．然而，很明顯，OK的聲望和名譽已經(jīng)超過與此有關(guān)的美國總統(tǒng)．
解答 C B A
8題答案是C．細節(jié)理解題．A在兩種語言中話語已經(jīng)改變了很多；B現(xiàn)在英文詞源學者正在開發(fā)的東西；C英語已經(jīng)引進了許多的外來語言的單詞；D對于不說英語的人們英語詞匯很難．根據(jù)文章的第二段的have become part of the language with little or no change from their original sounds and spellings可知英語已經(jīng)引進了太多的外來詞．故選C．
9題答案是B．考查詞義推測題．A． looked upon看作；B． dug up挖掘；C． put in插進；D． set down放下．根據(jù)One of the biggest questions English language experts have pursued is how English came to have the phrase OK．語言專家挖掘的最大問題之一，是OK一詞，故選B．
10題答案是A．推理判斷題．根據(jù)文章最后一段的第一句話Etymologists have been able to narrow OK's origin down to a likely，although not certain，source和文章的第一句話Etymology，the study of words and word roots，may sound like the kind of thing done by boring librarians in small，dusty rooms 可知語言學家就是發(fā)現(xiàn)詞匯的來源．故選A．
點評 本文是語言知識文章閱讀．本文主要告訴我們英語單詞或詞根給人們帶來學習語言的快樂．題目涉及多道細節(jié)理解題，做題時需要結(jié)合原文和題目有針對性的找出相關(guān)語句進行仔細分析，結(jié)合選項選出正確答案；考查文章大意的題需要對文章大意有清晰的理解才能得出正確答案，切記胡亂猜測，一定要做到有理有據(jù)．
