Question

    Wearing ties was originally the mark of Britain's most powerful classes, which made the tie itself a symbol of power and respect. And that led it to be adopted by a much larger tribe—the business tribe.

You cannot wear a tie if you work with machinery. So wearing a tie became a sign that you were a man who   used your brain to make a living, rather than your hands. It showed you were serious. It showed you were a      professional. It meant that everyone who wanted a job in business had to wear one. It was just impossible to take  seriously a man who didn't wear a piece of colored silk around his neck. This is how millions of people came to be wearing ties across the world. They are part of the uniform of business.

“Ties offer a point of indifference,” says John Milne, head of the British Guide of Tie Makers. “They give a chance to say something about their own personality.”

So if you happen to meet a man with a very brightly colored tie, there is a good chance that he is the office joker. There is also a good chance that he will be wearing brightly colored socks.

Is there a future for ties? The signs are not promising. Tie wearing seems to be rare among the new bread of  entrepreneurs(企业家) in the Internet and new technology industries. Many political leaders, including British Prime Minister Tony Blair, now go without ties. This shows they are men of the people—but not the people wearing ties.

Up until around 1960, it was common for men across the Western world to wear hats as part of their business  uniform. That changed with the election of John F. Kennedy to the presidency of the United States. Kennedy never wore a hat in fact his nickname was “hatless Jack”. Seeing that the most powerful man in the world did not have to wear a hat, millions of other men decided that they did not have to, either. Hats simply vanished across the Western world. Perhaps “tieless Tony” (UK Prime Minister Tony Blair) will have the same effect as “hatless Jack”．

1.In Britain, ties were first used as a sign to show a person’s ________.

A.Personality B.job

C.social position D.favorite hobby

2.In the business world, wearing a tie was necessary because________.

A.it showed you were a brain worker

B.it showed you got a good salary

C.it showed you were an employer

D.it showed you were well-trained

3.The writer may hold the opinion that________.

A.Blair is the best leader in the world

B.Kennedy is the best leader in the world

C.millions of people will go to work without a tie

D.people will wear hats instead of ties

4.The underlined word “vanished” in the last paragraph may mean________.

A.Sold B.washed

C.Disappeared D.appeared

Answer

1.C

2.A

3.C

4.C

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。文章主要介绍了领带的历史、意义和未来发展趋势。

1.

细节理解题。根据第一段Wearing ties was originally the mark of Britain's most powerful classes, which made the tie itself a symbol of power and respect.（领带最初是英国最有权势阶层的标志，这使得领带本身成为权力和尊重的象征。）由此可知，在英国，领带最初是用来表明一个人的社会地位的标志。故选C。

2.

细节理解题。根据第二段So wearing a tie became a sign that you were a man who used your brain to make a living, rather than your hands.（所以，打领带成了一个标志，表明你是一个用大脑谋生的人，而不是用体力。） 和It meant that everyone who wanted a job in business had to wear one.（这意味着，每个想要在商界工作的人都必须戴一条。）由此可知，在商界，打领带是必要的，因为这表明你是个脑力劳动者。故选A。

3.

推理判断题。根据最后一段That changed with the election of John F. Kennedy to the presidency of the United States. Kennedy never wore a hat in fact his nickname was “hatless Jack”. Seeing that the most powerful man in the world did not have to wear a hat, millions of other men decided that they did not have to, either. Hats simply vanished across the Western world. Perhaps “tieless Tony” (UK Prime Minister Tony Blair) will have the same effect as “hatless Jack”．（但随着肯尼迪当选美国总统，情况发生了变化。肯尼迪从不戴帽子，事实上，他的绰号是“无帽杰克”。看到世界上最有权势的人不必戴帽子，数以百万计的人决定他们也不必戴帽子。帽子在西方世界完全消失了。也许“不打领带的托尼”(英国首相托尼·布莱尔)能达到“不戴帽子的杰克”的效果。）由此推断出，作者可能认为，成千上万的人将不打领带去上班。故选C。

4.

词句猜测题。划线词的前一句Seeing that the most powerful man in the world did not have to wear a hat, millions of other men decided that they did not have to, either.意思是看到世界上最有权势的人不必戴帽子，数以百万计的人决定他们也不必戴帽子。由此可知，划线词所在的句子意思是帽子在西方世界完全消失了。“vanished”意思是消失。故选C。