Question

    We all have a first name and a last name, or family name. But for many of us, it doesn't stop there. 1. They mostly come from our real names.

Some of them are obvious (明显的): Tom is short for Thomas; Sam is short for Samuel. 2. Take the name William as an example. It can be shortened to Will, and also Bill. 3. During the Middle Ages, people liked to change letters to make names easier to pronounce. For example, a hard consonant (辅音) like Bis clearer than soft ones like W. Bill sounds much clearer than Will. Interestingly, the people of England even called King Wiliam III, who ruled in the 17th century, "King Billy".

Richard has also been a popular name in England for centuries. It was commonly shortened to Richand Rick to save time. 4. So Rick became Dick. This nickname became so popular that it included in an idiom. "Every Tom, Dick and Harry" means everybody!

5. England has had eight king Henrys. Yet most of them preferred to be called Harry. It is a tradition that continues today. The British Prince Harry's real name is Henry. I wonder if Harry Potter's real name is Henry.

A.We also have nicknames.

B.But how does Bill come from William?

C.The most popular name for English kings has been Henry.

D.Also, like the name William, people liked to make rhyming names.

E.Yet there are some nicknames whose origins are more mysterious.

Answer

1.A

2.E

3.B

4.D

5.C

【解析】

本文主要谈论绰号的起源及人们最喜欢的绰号。

1.

句意：我们也有绰号。

根据下文“它们大多来自我们的真名。”及下文（汤姆是托马斯的缩写；萨姆是塞缪尔的缩写。）可知此句是“我们也有绰号。”故选A。

2.

句意：然而，有些绰号的起源更为神秘。

根据下文“Some of them are obvious (明显的): Tom is short for Thomas; Sam is short for Samuel.（其中有些是显而易见的：汤姆是托马斯的缩写；萨姆是塞缪尔的缩写。）”和下文“Take the name William as an example. It can be shortened to Will, and also Bill.（以威廉这个名字为例。它可以简称为Will，也可以简称为Bill。）”可知此句是“然而，有些绰号的起源更为神秘。”故选E。

3.

句意：但是比尔是怎么从威廉那里来的呢？

根据上文“Take the name William as an example. It can be shortened to Will, and also Bill.（以威廉这个名字为例。它可以简称为Will，也可以简称为Bill。）”可知此句是“但是比尔是怎么从威廉那里来的呢？”故选B。

4.

句意：而且，和威廉这个名字一样，人们喜欢用押韵的名字。

根据下文“So Rick became Dick.（所以Rick变成了Dick。）”可知此句是“而且，和威廉这个名字一样，人们喜欢用押韵的名字。”故选D。

5.

句意：英国国王最流行的名字是亨利。

根据下文“England has had eight king Henrys.（英格兰有八个亨利国王。）”可知此句是“英国国王最流行的名字是亨利。”故选C。