Question

    Ireland has had a very difficult history. The problems started in the 16th century when English rulers tried to conquer (征服) Ireland. For hundreds of years, the Irish people fought against the English. Finally,in 1921, the British government was forced to give independence to the south of Ireland. The result is that today there are two "Irelands". Northern Ireland, in the north, is part of the United Kingdom. The republic of Ireland, in the south, is an independent country.

In the 1840s the main crop, potatoes was affected by disease and about 750,000 people died of hunger. This, and a lack of work, forced many people to leave Ireland and live in the USA, the UK, Australia and Canada. As a result of these problems, the population fell from 8.2 million in 1841 to 6.6 million in 1851.

For many years, the majority of Irish people earned their living as farmers. Today, many people still work on the land but more and more people are moving to the cities to work in factories and offices. Life in the  cities is very different from life in the countryside, where things move at a quieter and slower pace.

The Irish are famous for being warm-hearted and friendly, Oscar Wilde, a famous Irish writer, once said that the Irish were "the greatest talkers since the Greeks". Since independence, Ireland has revived (复兴) its own culture of music, language, literature and singing. Different areas have different styles of old Irish song which are sung without instruments. Other kinds of Irish music use many different instruments such as the violin, whistles, etc.

1.We learn from the text that in Ireland _____.

A.food shortages in the 1840s led to a decrease in population

B.people are moving to the cities for lack of work in the countryside

C.it is harder to make a living as a farmer than as a factory worker

D.different kinds of old Irish songs are all sung with instruments

2.The last paragraph is mainly about _____

A.the Irish character B.Irish culture

C.Irish musical instruments D.a famous Irish writer

3.What can be the best title for the text?

A.life in Ireland B.A very difficult history

C.Ireland, past and present D.the independence of Ireland

Answer

1.A

2.B

3.C

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。文章主要从独立，人口，人文等方面讲述了爱尔兰的历史和现在。

1.推理判断题。根据文章第二段1，2，3句“In the 1840s the main crop, potatoes was affected by disease and about 750,000 people died of hunger. This, and a lack of work, forced many people to leave Ireland and live in the USA, the UK, Australia and Canada. As a result of these problems, the population fell from 8.2 million in 1841 to 6.6 million in 1851.（在19世纪40年代，马铃薯作为主要作物受到疾病的影响，约有75万人死于饥饿。这种情况，加上缺乏工作，迫使许多人离开爱尔兰，住在美国、英国、澳大利亚和加拿大。由于这些问题，人口从1841年的820万下降到1851年的660万。）”可知，作物收成受到了影响导致很多人死于饥饿或被迫离开家园去往他处，从而导致人口数量下降。选项A food shortages in the 1840s led to a decrease in population属于合理推断。故选A项。

2.主旨大意题。根据文章末段内容：The Irish are famous for being warm-hearted and friendly, Oscar Wilde, a famous Irish writer, once said that the Irish were "the greatest talkers since the Greeks". Since independence, Ireland has revived (复兴) its own culture of music, language, literature and singing. Different areas have different styles of old Irish song which are sung without instruments. Other kinds of Irish music use many different instruments such as the violin, whistles, etc.（爱尔兰人以热心肠和友好著称，著名的爱尔兰作家奥斯卡·王尔德曾说，爱尔兰人是“自希腊人以来最伟大的说空话的人”。独立后，爱尔兰恢复了自己的音乐、语言、文学和歌唱文化。不同地区有不同风格的古爱尔兰歌曲，这些歌曲是不用乐器唱的。其他种类的爱尔兰音乐使用许多不同的乐器，如小提琴、口哨等。）可知，末段涉及了爱尔兰的人文特色：品性，文化；音乐等。选项B. Irish culture概括了该段主旨要义。故选B项。

3.主旨大意题。根据文章结构为分分结构，结合各段中心主旨，第一段：爱尔兰独立于英国统治。第二段：爱尔兰在19世纪40年代经历了人口下降风波以及现代爱尔兰人的生计。第三段：爱尔兰的人文文化。因此可知，C项 Ireland, past and present（爱尔兰，过去和现在）适合本文标题。故选C项。