Question

The English language is the result of the invasion(入侵) of the island of Britain over many hundreds of years. The first invasions were by a people called Angles about 1, 500 years ago. The Angles were a German tribe who crossed the English Channel(英吉利海峡). Later two more groups crossed to Britain. They were the Saxons and the Jutes. Through many years, the Saxons, Angles and the Jutes mixed their different languages. The result is what is called Anglo-Saxon or old English.

The next great invasion of Britain was done by Vikings about 1, 100 years ago. Many English words used today come from these ancient Vikings.

The next invasion of Britain took place more than 900 years ago, in 1066. History experts call this invasion the Norman Conquest. The Normans were a French-speaking people from Normandy in the north of France. These new rulers(统治者) spoke only French for several hundred years. It was the most important language in the world at that time. It was the language of educated people. But the common people of Britain still spoke old English.

Old English took many words from the Norman French. Some of these include “damage”, “prison”, and “marriage”. The French language used by the Norman rulers greatly changed the way English was spoken 800 years ago. English became what language experts call Middle English. Middle English sounds like Modern English. But it is difficult to understand now. The history of the English language continues as Middle English becomes Modern English, which is spoken today.

1.Who was the first invaders(入侵者) of Britain?

A. The Angles.                B. The Saxons.

C. The Jutes.                 D. The Normans.

2.How many groups of invaders are mentioned in the passage?

A. Three.         B. Four.

C. Five.         D. Six.

3.Which of the following is TURE about Middle English?

A. It sounds like Old English.

B. It’s quite different from Modern English.

C. Few people understand it now.

D. It stopped developing.

4.During the rule of the Normans, the language people spoke showed their ______.

A. races (种族)                B. social positions

C. ability                     D. names

5.What is mainly discussed in this passage?

A. The historical invasions of Britain.

B. Other languages that have influenced English.

C. The origin (起源) and development of English.

D. Old English and Modern English.

Answer

1.A

2.C

3.C

4.B

5.C

【解析】

试题分析：文章主要介绍了英语的起源和发展历史。英语是几百年间不断有人入侵英国的结果。最先入侵英国的是德国的一个叫Angles的部落，接着是Saxons和Jutes。第四次入侵英国的是北欧海盗，第五次是法国的诺曼人。对英语影响最大的是法语，英语中的许多词汇都来自法语。

1.The first invasions were by a people called Angles about 1, 500 years ago.”可知，第一个入英国的是Angles部落，故选A。

2.The first invasions were by a people called Angles...Later two more groups crossed to Britain. They were the Saxons and the Jutes.”和第二段“The next great invasion of Britain was done by Vikings”及第三段“The next invasion of Britain took place more than 900 years ago, in 1066. History experts call this invasion the Norman Conquest.”可知，文章提到了五个入侵者，故选C。

3.Middle English sounds like Modern English. But it is difficult to understand now.”可知，Middle English虽然听起来跟现代的英语很像，但是现在的人们却很难理解Middle English，故选C。

4.It was the language of educated people. But the common people of Britain still spoke old English.”可知，诺曼人侵占英国之后使用的语言是法语，法语是受教育的人使用的语言，而平民百姓仍然使用古英语。说明从人们使用的语言能够判断出他们的社会地位，故选B。

5.The English language is the result of the invasion(入侵) of the island of Britain over many hundreds of years. ...The result is what is called Anglo-Saxon or old English.”和第二段“Many English words used today come from these ancient Vikings.”及最后一段“Old English took many words from the Norman French. ...The history of the English language continues as Middle English becomes Modern English”可知，文章主要介绍了英语这种语言的起源和发展史，故选C。

考点：历史类短文阅读