Question

To us, it seems so natural to put up an umbrella to keep the water off when it rains. But in fact the umbrella was not invented as protection against the rain. Its first use was as a shade (遮蔽) against the sun.

Nobody knows who first invented it, but the umbrella was used in very ancient times. Probably the first to use it were the Chinese, back in the eleventh century BC.

We know that the umbrella was used in ancient Egypt and Babylon as a sunshade. And there was a strange thing connected with its use : it became a symbol of honor and power(权力). In the Far East in ancient times, the umbrella was allowed to be used only by those in high office or by royal people such as the kings or queens.

In Europe, the Greeks were the first to use the umbrella as a sunshade. The umbrella was in common use in ancient Greece, but it is believed that the first people in Europe to use the umbrella as protection against the rain were the ancient Romans. During the middle ages in Europe, the use of the umbrella almost disappeared. Then it appeared again in Italy in the late sixteenth century. And again it became a symbol of power.

Umbrellas have not changed much in style during all this time, though they have become much lighter in weight. It wasn't until the twentieth century that the umbrellas for women began to be made in all kinds of colors.

1. Ancient people first used umbrellas as _________.

A. a symbol of honor         B. protection against the sun

C. a symbol of power         D. protection against the rain

2. According to the passage, the umbrella was probably first used in ancient ______.

A. Egypt .          B. Babylon           C. Rome           D. China

3. The underlined word royal might mean _         in Chinese.

A.皇室的            B.富裕的             C.中产的          D.平民的

4. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?

A. The ancient Greeks used the umbrella in their daily life.

B. Europeans hardly used the umbrella during the middle ages.

C. The umbrellas for women were made colorful in ancient times.

D. The style of the umbrella hasn't changed a lot since it was invented

5.  This passage is mainly about ___________.

A. the sales of the umbrella

B. the differences among umbrellas

C. the invention of the umbrella

D. the history and the use of the umbrella

Answer

1.B

2.D

3.A

4.C

5.D

【解析】

试题分析：文章主要介绍了雨伞的用途和历史。雨伞最初是用来遮阳而不是挡雨的。没有人知道是谁发明了雨伞，最先使用雨伞的可能是公元前11世纪的中国人。

1.B细节理解题。根据第一段 But in fact the umbrella was not invented as protection against the rain. Its first use was as a shade (遮蔽) against the sun.可知伞最初是用来遮阳的，故选B。

2.D细节理解题。根据第一段最后“Probably the first to use it were the Chinese in the eleventh century BC.”可知，雨伞很可能是公元前11世纪的中国人发明的，故选D。

3.A细节理解题。根据文中信息In the Far East in ancient times, the umbrella was allowed to be used only by those in high office or by royal people such as the kings or queens.可知royal一词是指像国王和王后这样的皇室的人，故选A。

4.C细节理解题。根据最后一句话It wasn't until the twentieth century that the umbrellas for women began to be made in all kinds of colors.可知直到20世纪为女人使用的伞才用各种颜色，所以C的描述是错误的，故选C。

5.D主旨大意题。根据第一段“Nobody knows who first invented it, but the umbrella was used in very ancient times. Probably the first to use it were the Chinese in the eleventh century BC.”和接下来几段的内容可知，文章主要介绍了雨伞的用途和历史，故选D。

考点：历史类短文阅读