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 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.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.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 initial 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.
63.The author mentions the words like"croissant"in Paragraph 2to indicateB.
A.what English-language etymologists are exploring now
B.English has absorbed many words from other foreign languages
C.words have changed a lot in the two languages
D.the English vocabulary is difficult to the non-English-speaking people
64.The underlined word"pursued"in Paragraph 4meansD.
A.looked upon
B.put in
C.set down
D.dug up
65.We can learn from the passage that etymologistsC.
A.explore the English language as well as the recent events
B.help detectives to solve mysterious murders
C.discover the possible origin of words
D.write interesting stories for some newspapers
66.What is the main purpose of the passage?A
A.To introduce the pleasure of the study of words and word roots.
B.To present the history of English words.
C.To explain the procedure of an etymologist's job.
D.To teach readers how to distinguish English and non-English words.
分析 本文是一篇議論文,詞源是詞與詞的根源的研究,聽起來像是在小圖書館里布滿灰塵的房間做的無聊的事情,但是現(xiàn)在詞源研究已經(jīng)越來越豐富和有趣,他們像考古學家一樣研究單詞的歷史和來源,詞源的運用也更加多樣.
解答 63.B.細節(jié)理解題.根據(jù)第二段,This is partly due to its ability to adapt foreign words so readily這部分是因為它擁有能很容易地適應外來詞的能力.croissant是法國外來詞,這里作者是想表明英語里吸收了很多外來詞,故選B.
64.D.推理判斷題.根據(jù)第四段,One of the biggest questions English language experts have pursuedis how English came to have the phrase OK英語專家們一直追求的最大問題之一就是英語怎么會有"OK"這個短語.這里dug up是"探索,深究"的意思,和pursued的意思最接近,故選D.
65.C.推理判斷題.根據(jù)第三段,What these word experts solve are mysterious origins of some of ourmost common words專家們解決我們最常見的詞的神秘起源的問題.所以專家們發(fā)現(xiàn)詞的可能的起源是正確的,故選C.
66.A.主旨要義題.本文是一篇議論文,詞源是詞與詞的根源的研究,聽起來像是在小圖書館里布滿灰塵的房間做的無聊的事情,但是現(xiàn)在詞源研究已經(jīng)越來越豐富和有趣,他們像考古學家一樣研究單詞的歷史和來源,詞源的運用也更加多樣,故選A.
點評 考察學生的細節(jié)理解和推理判斷能力,做細節(jié)理解題時一定要找到文章中的原句,和題干進行比較,再做出正確的選擇.在做推理判斷題不要以個人的主觀想象代替文章的事實,要根據(jù)文章事實進行合乎邏輯的推理判斷.