第一部分：閱讀理解（共20小題,每小題2分,滿分40分）

閱讀下列材料,從每小題所給的四個(gè)選項(xiàng)（A、B、C 和 D)中,選出最佳選項(xiàng)。

一

Karen Christiansen in Madison, Wisconsin, is licking stamps and addressing envelopes. Soon she and her fiance will be sending out invitations to their wedding. Meanwhile, Wei Yashung is at the hairdresser’s in Shanghai, China. She knows she will have a long wait. It’s May 18,the most popular day to get married in China. The room is filled with brides preparing for their special day.

“Everyone feels very emotional at this time. There are a lot of rituals and superstitions（迷信）at the wedding, ”says Maxine Rowe, an anthropologist.

Karen’s aunt and sisters help her check off the things she needs according to old customs. They recite the traditional verse, “Something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue.”Friends and relatives gather around and contribute grandmother’s locket（紀(jì)念品盒）,a cousin’s wedding veil, or a blue garter to prepare for the ceremony.

Many wedding traditions in western cultures began long ago and were designed to protect the couple from ad luck.“The wedding veil is a Greek custom intended to hide the bride from evil spirits,” says Maxine.“The Romans contributed the custom of bridesmaids to confuse the spirits. Wedding bouquets had strong-smelling herbs to scare witches and devils.”

In China, thousands of couples choose May 18 for heir wedding day.“In the past, people consulted an almanac（歷書）to find lucky days,” explains Maxine.“But in modern times a new tradition is being formed.”May 18 sounds very close in Chinese to “wo yao fa,” or “I will get rich.”It is considered a good omen to get married on this day.

Some people don’t think it’s a good idea for everyone to get married on the same day.“It’s silly and superstitious,” one reporter wrote. But hairdressers, florist, and owners of restaurants say it’s the best day. They can raise their prices and their services are fully booked. Maybe they are the ones who should be saying, “I will get rich.”

1. The overall structure of this passage can be called  .

[A] comparison and contrast

[B] description of events in order of time

[C] details leading to conclusion

[D] generalization followed by details

2. An anthropologist in Paragraph 2 probably studies  .

[A] hairstyles [B] Jewels [C] Almanac [D]customs

3. Why do Karen’s friends and relatives contribute a cousin’s wedding veil？

[A] Because it is something old.

[B] Because it is something new.

[C] Because it is something borrowed.

[D] Because it is something blue.

4. The word “omen” in Paragraph 5 probably means  .

[A]  a sign of star [B] a sign of present [C] a sign of past [D] a sign of future 

5.What’s the writer’s tone in the last sentence “Maybe they are the ones who should be saying, ‘I will get rich.’”?

[A] Humorous. [B] Tolerant. [C] Matter-of-fact. [D] Furious.

[答案及解析]

1.A 【解析】本題問全文通篇行文結(jié)構(gòu)，選項(xiàng) A：比較與對(duì)比。contrast 表不同處的比較，comparison 表相同處的比較，全文通過中西方婚禮比較，不同人對(duì)婚禮習(xí)俗觀點(diǎn)的比較，可以得知選項(xiàng) A 正確。選項(xiàng) B： 按時(shí)間順序描述；選項(xiàng) C：細(xì)節(jié)形成結(jié)論；選項(xiàng) D：細(xì)節(jié)概括。

2.D 【解析】在 Pra.2 有 rituals（儀式） and superstitions（迷信）at the wedding，故人類學(xué)家可能會(huì)研究婚禮習(xí)俗，選項(xiàng) D 正確。選項(xiàng) A：發(fā)型；選項(xiàng) B：珠寶；選項(xiàng) C：年鑒，本文都未從說明。

3.C 【解析】在 Pra.3 中 Karen 的朋友和親戚贈(zèng)送表親的婚紗是婚禮舊習(xí)俗中屬于必需品中的 something borrowed（借來的東西）。選項(xiàng) A 指祖母的紀(jì)念品盒；選項(xiàng) D 指藍(lán)色吊襪帶。

4.D 【解析】“omen”原義為預(yù)兆、先兆。在 Pra.5 中指 5 月 18 號(hào)這天結(jié)婚預(yù)示我要發(fā)財(cái)之意。與選項(xiàng) D

對(duì)應(yīng)。選項(xiàng) A 指標(biāo)記；選項(xiàng) B 指現(xiàn)在的標(biāo)示；選項(xiàng) C 指過去的標(biāo)示，均與本文不符。

5.A【解析】最后一段中，花店和餐飲業(yè)由于 5 月 18 號(hào)這天盛行婚禮促進(jìn)他們的生意，讓他們賺更多的錢。所以作者說“或許他們才應(yīng)該說‘I will get rich.’”作者此時(shí)的語氣幽默詼諧的，具有調(diào)侃之意。選項(xiàng) B： 容忍的；選項(xiàng) C：實(shí)際的，現(xiàn)實(shí)的；選項(xiàng) D：憤怒的，都不正確。