Question

If we were asked exactly what we were doing a year ago，we should probably have to say that we could not remember. But if we had kept a book and had written in it an account of what we did each day，we should be able to give an answer to the question.

It is the same in history .Many things have been forgotten because we do not have any written account of them .Sometimes men did keep a record of the most important happenings in their country，but often it was destroyed by fire or in a war．Sometimes there was never any written record at all because the people of that time and place did not know how to write．For example，we know a good deal about the people who lived in China 4，000 years ago, because they could write and leave written records for those who lived after them．But we know almost nothing about the people who lived even 200 years ago in central Africa, because they had not learned to write．

Sometimes, of course，even if the people cannot write，they may know something of the past．They have heard about it from older people，and often songs and dances and stories have been made about the most important happenings，and these have been sung and acted  and told for many generations, for most people are proud to tell what their fathers did in the past．This we may call  “remembered history”．Some of it has now been written down. It is not so exact or so valuable to us as written history is，because words are much more easily changed when used again and again in speech than when copied in writing．But where there are no written records，such spoken stories are often very helpful．

1.Which of the following ideas is not suggested in the passage?

A．“Remembered history”，compared with written history，is less reliable

B．Written records of the past play the most important role in our learning of the human history．

C．A written account of our daily activities helps US to be able to answer many questions．

D．Where there are no written records．there is no history．

2.We know very little about the central Africa 200 years ago because ___

A．there was nothing worth being written down at that time

B．the people there ignored the importance of keeping a record

C．the written records were perhaps destroyed by a fire

D．the people there did not know how to write

3.“Remembered history” refers to ___．

A．history based on a person’s imagination

B．stories of important happenings passed down from mouth to mouth

C．songs and dances about the most important events

D．both B and C

4.“Remembered history”is regarded as valuable only when ____.

A．it is written down	B．no written account is available
C．it proves to be time	D．people are interested in it

5.The passage suggests that we could have learned much more about our past than we do now if the ancient people had _____

A．kept a written record of every past event

B．not burnt their written records in wars

C．told exact stories of the most important happenings

D．made more songs and dances

Answer

1.D

2.D

3.D

4.B

5.A

【解析】文章介绍了人类是如何记录历史的，有两种方法，书面记录和口空相传。

1.D 细节题。文章并没有说没有书面记录的地方就没有历史，根据文章第三段2,3行They have heard about it from older people，and often songs and dances and stories have been made about the most important happenings，可知口口相处也能传播历史。故选D。

2.D 细节题。根据第二段最后一句because they had not learned to write．故D正确。

3.D 指代题。根据上文的．They have heard about it from older people，and often songs and dances and stories have been made about the most important happenings可知这里的Remembered history就是指BC的内容，故D正确。

4.B 推理题。根据最后一段倒数2,3,4行It is not so exact or so valuable to us as written history is，because words are much more easily changed when used again and again in speech than when copied in writing．可知如果有书面记录，那么书面记录更有价值，因为口口相传容易有误差。故B正确。

5.Ａ推理题。通读文章可知如果古代人会记录下所发生的事情，那么我们会更清楚历史，故Ａ正确。