Question

    In the reign of Queen Elizabeth, two plants were brought to England, for the first time, by Sir Walter Raleigh, both of which are now very much used—the tobacco-plant and the potato. Sir Walter had sailed across the seas to America, in search of new lands; and he brought back both these plants with him.

When he was in America, he had seen the Indians smoke, and before long he acquired the habit himself. He became extremely fond of smoking, and frequently indulged in the practice.

When he returned to England, he was sitting by the fire one day, and began to smoke. In the middle of his smoking, the door opened, and in came his man-servant. Now this man had never in his life seen any one smoke, and did not know that where was such a plant as tobacco. So, when he saw the smoke coming from his master’s mouth, he thought that he was on fire!

But very soon the old servant got used to seeing people with smoke coming out of their mouths; and all the young nobles of the court began to smoke because Sir Walter did so.

At first, people did not like the potato at all: nobody would eat it. Yet Sir Walter told them how useful it would be. The potato, he said, could be made to grow in England. He told them that, when the corn-harvest failed—which it often used to do—people need not starve if they had plenty of potatoes.

Queen Elizabeth, who was a very clever woman, listened to what Sir Walter said, and had potatoes served up at her own table. There the grand people who dined with her majesty were obliged to eat them. But they spread a report that the potato was poisonous, because it belongs to the same order as the deadly nightshade(龙葵属植物) and many other poisonous plants. So, in spite of all that the Queen could do, no one would eat potatoes, and they were left for the pigs.

The people did not find out their mistake till many years afterwards when the French king Louis XVI asked his people to eat them. And people began to find out how good and wholesome they were. The potato was more and more liked; and now there is hardly any vegetable that is more highly esteemed.

1.What do we know about Sir Walter?

A.He introduced the tobacco-plant and the potato to England.

B.He went to America in order to do research on plants and animals.

C.He was forced to smoke by the Indians in America during his stay there.

D.He taught Queen Elizabeth how to smoke in court with the young nobles.

2.People were afraid of the potatoes at first because ___________.

A.the Queen refused to eat them herself

B.they were used as poison by the Indians

C.they were long used as food for the pigs

D.they belong to the poisonous nightshade

3.What can we learn from the text?

A.Both the tobacco plant and the potato were native to France.

B.Young nobles in England refused to smoke for the terrible smell.

C.It was not easy to grow corn back in the age of Queen Elizabeth.

D.The English people were the first to accept potatoes as tasty food.

4.What conclusion can we draw from the two stories?

A.Only those who are willing to take risks can succeed in the end.

B.They are lots of new plants on the earth that can be used as food.

C.All people are afraid to try things that are new and strange to them.

D.The upper class had huge influence on the way people lived in the past.

Answer

1.A

2.D

3.C

4.D

【解析】

这是一篇记叙文。文章主要讲述了英国在伊丽莎白女王时期 Sir Walter Raleigh从美洲引烟草和土豆的故事。

1.细节理解题。根据文章第一段的In the reign of Queen Elizabeth, two plants were brought to England, for the first time, by Sir Walter Raleigh, both of which are now very much used—the tobacco-plant and the potato.可知，在伊丽莎白女王统治时期，沃尔特.罗莉爵士把烟草和土豆带到了英国。A. He introduced the tobacco-plant and the potato to England. (他把烟草和土豆引进了英国)符合以上说法，故选A项。

2.细节理解题。根据文章倒数第二段的But they spread a report that the potato was poisonous, because it belongs to the same order as the deadly nightshade(龙葵属植物) and many other poisonous plants.可知人们认为土豆有毒，因为它很像另外一种有毒的龙葵属植物和其他有毒的植物，故人们不敢吃土豆是因为他们认为土豆属于龙葵属这种有毒的植物。D. they belong to the poisonous nightshade (他们属于有毒的龙葵属植物)符合以上说法，故选D项。

3.细节理解题。根据文章第五段的He told them that, when the corn-harvest failed—which it often used to do — people need not starve if they had plenty of potatoes (他说，当玉米收成不好时（这种事情经常发生）如果有足够的土豆人们就不会挨饿了)可知在伊丽莎白女王统治时期玉米在英国不好种植。C. It was not easy to grow corn back in the age of Queen Elizabeth. (在伊丽莎白女王时期种植玉米不那么容易)符合以上说法，故选C项。

4.推理判断题。根据文章第四段的But very soon the old servant got used to seeing people with smoke coming out of their mouths; and all the young nobles of the court began to smoke because Sir Walter did so. (但很快，老仆人就习惯了看到人们嘴里冒着烟，宫廷所有的年轻人都这样做，因为沃尔特爵士这样做)和最后一段的The people did not find out their mistake till many years afterwards when the French king Louis XVI asked his people to eat them. And people began to find out how good and wholesome they were. The potato was more and more liked; (直到很多年后法国国王路易15让他的国民吃土豆时，人们才发现他们犯了一个很大的错误。人们渐渐发现土豆很好、很美味，后来土豆越来越受欢迎)可知上层阶级的人做什么，其他人机会照着做，故推测历史上社会上层阶级的生活方式对整个社会具有很大的影响，他们的生活方式会被模仿，或者他们的喜好可以推动新生事物的发展。D. The upper class had huge influence on the way people lived in the past. (过去上层阶级对人们的生活方式有很大影响)符合以上推测，故选D项。