Question

    Genealogy, or researching your family tree, is a hobby that can rapidly develop into an obsession. Before you start looking for your own ancestors, read this advice from genealogist Maria McLeod.

The first question to ask yourself is why you want to research your family tree. Genealogy is not about discovering that you are the lost prince or princess of an unknown kingdom. It’s about finding more about yourself. For most people the important question is “Why am I like I am?” You might not look like other members of your immediate family and you want to know where your green eyes or curly hair come from. You may be curious about why you have such a quick temper. You may even be suffering from a medical condition and want to know if something in your genetic makeup has caused it.

Another common motivation for researching your family tree is that you plan to visit the place that your ancestors came from and you secretly hope that you will find some long lost cousins with whom you can share your memories. There can be few more exciting things than meeting a distant cousin who is living on the other side of the globe and finding that she looks just like your younger sister. But you should also bear in mind that they may not necessarily want to have anything to do with you. Sometimes there are skeletons in the cupboard that you and your branch of the family are unaware of, but which are still fresh in the minds of your more distant relatives.

Once you are clear about your motivations, you need to take a moment to think about just how many ancestors you might have and how far back you intend to go. You have, no doubt, thought about your parents’ parents and your parents’ parents’ parents. But go back ten generations and the picture becomes much more complicated. You can work it out for yourself. You may be descended(遗传) from no fewer than 1,024 people through ten generations. This can mean that you spend hours going through official records, either in person at the records office or on the Internet. Are you prepared for such a huge task?

1.What might be Maria Mcleod’s first piece of advice be?

A.Be prepared to accept your bad temper.

B.Don’t expect to find lovely relatives.

C.Be prepared to find out your hidden health problems.

D.Don’t expect to find out you are a member of a royal family.

2.Why are some relatives unwilling to meet you?

A.You may bring back bad memories.

B.They find it disturbing to entertain you.

C.They suspect you of having wrong motives.

D.You could remind them of their lost loved ones.

3.What does the underlined word “it” in the last paragraph refer to?

A.Who your great grandparents are.

B.When you can finish your huge task.

C.Why researching a family tree is complex.

D.How many people you are descended from.

4.What is the best title for the text?

A.Uncovering family secrets: do you dare?

B.The science of genealogy: new developments

C.Expert opinions on researching your family past

D.A step-by-step guide to researching your family tree

Answer

1.D

2.A

3.D

4.C

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。短文介绍了系谱学家玛丽亚·麦克劳德对于研究家谱的一些建议。

1.细节理解题。根据第二段“Genealogy is not about discovering that you are the lost prince or princess of an unknown kingdom. It’s about finding more about yourself. ”可知，家谱并不是要发现你是一个未知王国失落的王子或公主。而是为了找到更多关于你自己的东西。所以玛丽亚·麦克劳德的第一条建议是D选项“别指望发现你是皇室成员。故选D项。

2.细节理解题。根据倒数第二段“But you should also bear in mind that they may not necessarily want to have anything to do with you. Sometimes there are skeletons in the cupboard that you and your branch of the family are unaware of, but which are still fresh in the minds of your more distant relatives.”可知，但你也应该记住，他们不一定想和你有任何关系。有时候，你和你的家族中有一些不为人知的不可告人的秘密，但这些秘密在你的远房亲戚们的头脑中仍然是新鲜的。所以为什么有些亲戚不愿意见你是因为你可能会带来不好的回忆。故选A项。

3.词句猜测题。根据最后一段“But go back ten generations and the picture becomes much more complicated. ”但回溯十代人，情况就复杂得多了。再根据“You may be descended(遗传) from no fewer than 1,024 people through ten generations. ”你可能是不少于1024人的后裔，历经十代。所以根据上下文的语境可以判断出，it指代的是“你是多少人的后裔”。故选D项。

4.主旨大意题。根据第一段“Genealogy, or researching your family tree, is a hobby that can rapidly develop into an obsession. Before you start looking for your own ancestors, read this advice from genealogist Maria McLeod.”可知，研究族谱，或者研究你的家谱，是一种爱好，可以迅速发展成为一种痴迷的爱好。在你开始寻找你自己的祖先之前，看看系谱学家玛丽亚·麦克劳德的建议以及下文对建议的具体说明。可知，短文的最佳标题为“专家关于研究家族过去的建议”。故选C项。