Question

    History tells us that footwear was one of the first things ancient people learned to make. Footwear helped them across rocky paths or hot sands without injuring themselves. The earliest footwear we know of was simply a piece of plaited (编织的) grass or leather tied to the feet.

The ancient Egyptians seem to have invented the first footwear with a firm sole (鞋底) — sandals. Egyptian royalty usually wore sandals that had a different style from those with lower status (身份), while slaves were not allowed to wear anything on their feet. The sandal is still the basic form of footwear in many countries, particularly those with a hot climate, whereas in cold climates, an entirely different type of shoe appeared — the moccasin — a slipper-shaped shoe made of soft but strong leather.

The Greeks were the first to develop shoes with heels (鞋跟). Then, in the Middle Ages, shoes with long points at the toe became very chic for the nobility. These shoes were often very difficult to wear. Other trends followed, with square-toed shoes, wide shoes, and even shoes that could make a woman stand two feet taller. Not surprisingly, these sometimes led to accidents. Even today, fashion rather than comfort often leads to the kind of shoes women wear.

Mechanical shoemaking appeared in the 1800s in North America. Until then, shoes had been made with the same kinds of hand tools used by the ancient Egyptians. And in 1858, a machine was invented that could stitch (缝合) the sole of a shoe to the upper part. Now it was possible to make shoes that were shaped to fit either the left or right foot. Toward the end of the 1800s came a new type of shoe that was specifically designed for sports — the sneaker — and it soon become an all-time favorite.

1.What did shoes often show in ancient times?

A.The rich resources. B.People's different beliefs.

C.People's status in society. D.The changeable climates.

2.What does the underlined word  “chic” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?

A.Valuable. B.Convenient.

C.Fashionable. D.Comfortable.

3.Before mechanical shoemaking appeared, _____.

A.shoes were often very difficult for people to wear.

B.all the shoe patterns made by the Greeks were the same.

C.the only function of footwear was to protect people's feet.

D.people wore the same-shaped shoes on their two feet

4.How does the text mainly develop?

A.By providing examples. B.By making comparisons.

C.By following the order of time. D.By following the order of importance.

Answer

1.C

2.C

3.D

4.C

【解析】

本文是一篇说明文。主要讲述鞋的起源及鞋的发展历史。

1.推理判断题。根据文章The ancient Egyptians seem to have invented the first footwear with a firm sole (鞋底) — sandals. Egyptian royalty usually wore sandals that had a different style from those with lower status (身份), while slaves were not allowed to wear anything on their feet. 古埃及人似乎已经发明了第一种鞋，有一个坚固的鞋底-凉鞋。埃及皇室通常穿着与那些较低身份的人不同风格的凉鞋，而奴隶则不允许穿任何东西。由此可知，在古代，鞋表明不同的社会身份，故选C。

2.词义猜测题。根据文章These shoes were often very difficult to wear. Other trends followed, with square-toed shoes, wide shoes, and even shoes that could make a woman stand two feet taller. Not surprisingly, these sometimes led to accidents. 这些鞋通常很难穿。其他的流行趋势紧随其后，有方头鞋、宽头鞋，甚至还有能让女人站起来高两英尺的鞋。由此可以推断，在中世纪，脚趾上有长尖的鞋子对贵族来说是一种流行趋势，是时髦的，因此推断“chic”为时髦的，时尚的，和fashionable意思相近。故选C。

3.细节理解题。根据文章Mechanical shoemaking appeared in the 1800s in North America. Until then, shoes had been made with the same kinds of hand tools used by the ancient Egyptians. 机械制鞋业出现在19世纪的北美。在此之前，鞋子是用古埃及人使用的相同种类的手工工具制作的。由此可知，在机械制鞋业出现之前，人们穿着同样形状的鞋子。故选D。

4.推理判断题。根据文章写作顺序，先是古埃及发明第一种鞋，到中世纪尖头鞋开始流行再到19世纪北美出现机械制鞋业，可以推断出文章是按照时间顺序来发展的。故选C。