Question

    Do you know the word kiasu? If not, then be kiasu and google it. You’ll get more than a million hits and learn that, usually associated(联系）with Singaporeans, it means “to be afraid of losing out”. You’ll come across words such as kiasu parents, kiasu companies and even kiasu apps.

Just 40 years ago, the word first spread among men in the Singapore army. But before long, it had entered everyday Singapore English.

The first formal use of kiasu happened in 1990 in a government document(公文). Since then it has often been seen in Singapore newspapers. It spread to some other countries in southeast Asia, too. In 1992 Malaysia’s New Straits Times wrote of “kiasu parents providing their children with much more materials than necessary”.

Ten years after its first use in print, the word was used worldwide. Since around 2000, kiasu has appeared in British newspapers. The Guardian, in 2001, reported how this pursuit of material wealth and the strong need to be No.1 has created the Singaporean we hear so much about-the kiasu Singaporean’, and again reported in 2004 that Singaporeans’ value shows how much they feel the need to stay ahead of everyone else and that they have a word for it: kiasu.

The word entered the Urban Dictionary in 2003 and the Oxford English Dictionary in 2007. In the same year, Singaporean restaurant Kiasu opened in London.

The turning point on kiasu’s road to the mainstream came with its being used in documents and newspapers. Who dared to use kiasu in a government document? Who first used it in a newspaper?

It was these people who pushed kiasu into the mainstream.

1.What is the passage mainly about?

A.How to use the word kiasu. B.What the word kiasu means.

C.The history of the word kiasu! D.The importance of the word kiasu.

2.What marked the wide use of the word kiasu around the world?

A.Its appearance in British papers. B.Its use as the name of a restaurant.

C.Its acceptance by a key document. D.Its description in Singapore newspapers.

3.What does the underlined word “pursuit” in Paragraph 4 mean?

A.the act of looking for B.the act of looking out

C.the act of giving up D.the act of giving out

4.Which of the following statements is true?

A.Kiasu was first used in British newspapers.

B.Kiasu entered dictionaries in Singapore and Malaysia.

C.Kiasu was never formally used in any government document.

D.Kiasu spread to countries in southeast Asia.

Answer

1.C

2.A

3.A

4.D

【解析】

本文主要想我们介绍“kiasu”这个词的历史。

1.主旨大意题。A项：如何使用怕输这个词；B项：怕输是什么意思；C项：怕输一词的历史；D项：怕输这个词的重要性。分析全文内容可知，本文主要是介绍了“怕输”这个词的历史。故选C。

2.细节理解题。根据“Ten years after its first use in print, the word was used worldwide. Since around 2000, kiasu has appeared in British newspapers.”可知，这个词首次出现在出版物上十年后，便在全世界范围内被广泛使用。大约从2000年开始，这个词就出现在英国的报纸上。故选A。

3.词句猜测题。A项：寻找的行为；B项：向外看的行为；C项：放弃的行为；D项：分发的行为。根据“Singaporeans’ value shows how much they feel the need to stay ahead of everyone else and that they have a word for it: kiasu.”可知，新加坡人的价值观表明，他们觉得有必要走在别人前面，他们有一个词来形容这种感觉：怕输。所以此处表示“追求，寻找”的含义。故选A。

4.推理判断题。A项：“怕输”一词最早出现在英国的报纸上。根据“Just 40 years ago, the word first spread among men in the Singapore army.”可知，该词最早出现在军队里，该项表述错误；B项：“怕输”一词进入了新加坡和马来西亚的字典。根据“The word entered the Urban Dictionary in 2003 and the Oxford English Dictionary in 2007.”可知，该词被收入《城市词典》和《牛津英语词典》，该项表述错误；C项：“怕输”一词从未在任何政府文件中正式使用。根据“The first formal use of kiasu happened in 1990 in a government document(公文).”可知，该词出现在正式文件中过，该项表述错误；D项：“怕输”一词传到东南亚各国。根据“It spread to some other countries in southeast Asia, too.”可知，该词被传到东南亚各国，该项表述正确。故选D。