专题 16 英美文化阅读理解专项：英国人性格特点 英国新年前夜 圣帕特里克节-2024年高考英语常考英美文化阅读专练 素材积累.docx

1、8. The character of English people英国人的性格特征The English have the reputation of being very different from all other nationalities. It is claimed that living on an island separated from the rest of Europe has much to do with it. Whatever the reasons, it may be fairly stated that the Englishman has devel

2、oped some attitudes and habits distinguishing him from other nationalities.Broadly speaking, the Englishman is a quiet, shy, reserved person among people he knows well. Before strangers he often seems inhibited, even embarrassed. You have only to witness a railway compartment any morning or evening

3、to see the truth. Serious-looking businessmen and women sit reading their newspapers or dozing in a corner; no one speaks. An English wit once suggested to overseas visitors, On entering a railway compartment shake hands with all the passengers.”Needless to say, he was not being serious. There is an

4、 unwritten but clearly understood code of behavior, which, if broken, makes the person immediately the object of suspicion. It is well known that the English seldom show openly extremes of enthusiasm, emotion etc. Of course, an Englishman feels no less than any other nationality. Imagine a man comme

5、nting on the great beauty of a young girl, A man of more emotional temperament might describe her as “a marvelous jewel, while the Englishman will flatly state “Um, shes all right. An Englishman may recommend a highly successful and enjoyable film to friends by commenting, Its not bad. The overseas

6、visitors must not be disappointed by this apparent lack of interest; he must realize that “all right, not bad are very often used with the sense of first class, excellent. This special use of language is particularly common in English. (277 words)Helper:reputation声誉 claim声称，断言 state说, 陈述 distinguish

7、ing有区别的 embarrassed 不安的 doze 打盹 wit风趣的人 suspicionsspin猜疑, 怀疑 temperament temprmnt 性格 flatly 平淡地 Brief Introduction:英国处在一个与欧洲大陆相隔离的群岛上。尽管在地理概念上，我们认为英国是欧洲的一部分，但事实上，孤立的地理位置使英国人与欧洲人的思维大相径庭。一般来说，英国人即使是在他们非常熟悉的人面前也显得安静、害羞和保守；陌生人面前他们会十分羞怯，甚至于局促不安，这一点可以在列车的车厢内得到完全的印证。外出旅行，一般人都喜欢带份报纸，拿本书，以慰闲余。“Silence is gol

8、d”是他们永恒的主题。在行为表现方面，有着一条不成文的但却不言自明的规则，谁一旦打破这一规则，即刻就会成为人们猜疑的对象。众所周知，英国人极少公开表露出极度的热情和情感。当然，这并不意味着他们感情的匮乏。当他们对某一人或事作出 “all right”或 “not bad”的评价时，那往往意味着他们内心的感觉是 “first class”或“excellent”。 Exercises:从所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳答案。1. One explanation for the different character of English People is that _.A. they a

9、re geographically separated from the European continentB. they have nothing to do with the other EuropeansC. they like living separatelyD. they like living on an island2. The underlined word inhibited” in Paragraph 2 probably means_.A. unable to have good manners B. unable to express or relax freely

10、C. able to act properly D. able to talk freely3. According to the passage, on entering a railway compartment, an overseas visitor is expected to_.A. first ask about behavior in the train B. shake hands with all passengersC. shake hands with the person he knows D. behave like an Englishman4. The Engl

11、ish way of commenting on something or somebody suggests that_.A. the English are modestB. the English feel no less than any other nationalityC. the English tend to display less emotion than they feelD. the English dont take a strong interest in anything5. What does the passage mainly discuss?A. The

12、differences between the English and the other Europeans.B. The character of English people. C. The shy Englishman. D. The code of behavior.Keys and Explanations: 1-5 ABDCB1. 选A。细节推断题。第一段前两句中即对造成英国人与欧洲其他国家的人个性不同的原因进行了推测：英国在地理位置上与欧洲大陆的隔离使然。2. 选B。词义猜测题。第二段第一句对英国在熟人面前的表现进行描述，第二句中又出现了“before strangers”、“

13、embarrassed”等词语，因而得出答案是B。3. 选D。细节理解题。根据第三段后三句可知外国游客到了英国，乘车的时候也要表现得和周围的英国人一样。4. 选C。推理判断题。由最后一段中对英国人在表达个人情感方面比较内敛这一特征的描述可以推断出此题答案。5. 选B。主旨大意题。全文主要谈英国人的性格特征。41. New Years Eve 新年前夜For lots of people in Britain, the 31st of December, or New Years Eve as we call it, is the biggest party of the year. Its a

14、 time to get together with friends or family and welcome in the coming year.New Years parties can take place at a number of different venues. Some people hold a house party; others attend street parties, while some just go to their local for a few drinks with their mates. Big cities, like London, ha

15、ve large and spectacular fireworks displays.Theres one thing that all New Years Eve parties have in common: the countdown to midnight. When the clock strikes twelve, revellers give a loud cheer, pop champagne corks and give each other a kiss.They then link arms and sing a song called Auld Langs Syne

16、, by a Scottish poet called Robert Burns. Not many people can remember all the lyrics, but the tune is well known, so lots of people just hum along.The parties then continue into the early hours of the morning with lots of dancing and drinking. Because of this, a lot of people New Years Day starts w

17、ith a hangover. Other people might spend the day visiting relatives or friends they havent managed to catch up with for a while. Whatever happens, New Years Day tends to be very relaxed.In Britain, its popular to make a promise to yourself about something you are going to do, or want to stop doing,

18、in the New Year. This is called a New Years resolution. Typical resolutions include giving up smoking and joining a gym to get fit. However, the promise is often broken quite quickly and people are back into their bad habits within weeks or days.New Years Day is the last bank holiday of the festive

19、season, which means most people have to go to work the next day: bright and fresh and ready for the new year ahead! (324 words)Helper:fireworks display 烟花展 countdown 倒计时 revellers 欢庆聚会者 pop （香槟酒）瓶塞弹跳而出 get fit 健身Auld Langs Syne友谊地久天长 lyric lirik歌词 hum 哼哼（小调）hangover 喝醉酒后隔天早上醒来头痛New Years resolution

20、新年决心 bank holiday 公共假日 festive season 节日气氛浓厚的季节Brief Introduction:12月31日是大部分英国人跟家人和朋友团聚和迎接新年的日子。人们会在不同的地点举行新年晚会，像伦敦那样的大城市还有烟花展。到午夜时分人们倒计时迎接新年的到来，然后大家欢呼、打开香槟、接吻庆祝，接着手挽手唱“友谊地久天长”。然后跳舞喝酒，一直持续到新年的清晨，有的喝醉酒后隔天早上醒来头痛。还有的人趁此机会走亲访友。新年就是放松,就是休息。新年许愿在英国是十分普遍的，这叫做“新年决心”，当然这种许诺常常被打破，从而又回到了老样子。新年是一年中节日气氛浓厚的最后一个公共

21、假日。 Exercises:1. The underlined word “venues” in the second paragraph refers to _. A. time B. persons C. places D. events2. Which of the following is most likely to happen at all New Years Eve parties? A. the countdown to midnight B. fireworks displays C. visiting relatives or friends D. forgetting

22、to go to work3. Which of the following is probably a New Years resolution? A. The earth goes around the sun B. The disaster is shocking C. Ill stop being late for school D. Few people can remember all the lyrics4. From the sixth paragraph we can infer that _.A. All roads lead to Rome B. Its easier s

23、aid than doneC. Where there is a will there is a way D. He who laughs last laughs best5. Which of the following is wrong according to the text? A. Most of the British people would make a promise on New Years Day B. all the British people promise to give up smoking and join a gym to get fit C. New Ye

24、ars Day means most people have to go to work the next day D. There are few large and spectacular fireworks in small towns even on New Years Eve Keys and Explanations:1. 选C。词义理解题。先根据前面的take place“发生”和后面所列出的house, street, local, cities等都是有关地点的名词可以看出此选C。venue意思是“会场，大型集会的地点”，还有“犯罪地点, 审判地, 集合地点, 会议地点, 比赛

25、地点, 管辖地”等意思。2. 选A。细节理解题。根据第三段的第一句Theres one thing that all New Years Eve parties have in common: the countdown to midnight.“所有的新年前夜晚会的共同点就是倒计时到12点”，由此知道“倒计时”是晚会必不可少的一个部分。3. 选C。细节理解题。关键在对New Years resolution“新年决心”意义的理解上，决心就是某人作出的决定或打算，在文章倒数第二段的or want to stop doing以及后面的所列举戒烟的例子都说明C正确4. 选B。推理判断题。根据第六段

26、提出的人们往往在新年里下决心表示要做某事或者不做某事，比如戒烟或锻炼等等，但是往往时间不长就由恢复到原来的样子，这就说明“说着容易做着难”的道理。A“条条大陆通罗马”，B“说者容易做着难”，C “有志者事竟成”，D“谁笑在最后笑得最好”。5. 选B。根据第六段In Britain, its popular to make a promise to yourself about知道A符合文意，B说法太绝对，不应该是所有的人，就选该答案。C在最后一段，最后一个节假日，就意味着第二天还要上班；根据第二段的最后一句Big cities, like London, have large and spec

27、tacular fireworks displays.确定D也符合文意。42. Saint Patricks Day (3月17日) 圣帕特里克节Saturday, March seventeenth is Saint Patricks Day. In Ireland, it is a religious holiday that honors the man who brought Christianity to that country in the fifth century. In the United States, people celebrate with parades and

28、 parties. Saint Patricks Day has changed over the years. It is no longer a day to celebrate only Saint Patrick, but a day to celebrate all things Irish. In nineteen ninety-five, the United States Congress declared the month of March as Irish-American Heritage Month. The American president releases a

29、 statement about it every year. The statement praises Americans whose families came to the United States from Ireland. And it calls on all Americans to celebrate the month by learning about the influence of Irish-Americans. The Census Bureau reports that more than thirty-four million Americans say t

30、heir ancestors came from Ireland. That is twelve percent of the countrys population. It is the nations second most frequently reported ancestry. German ancestry is the highest. The state with the highest percentage of Irish-Americans is Massachusetts. Twenty-four percent of the people living there s

31、ay their ancestors came from Ireland.This year, 2007, history experts say people from Ireland first celebrated Saint Patricks Day in the city of Boston about two hundred fifty years ago. But the first Saint Patricks Day parade was held in New York City on March seventeenth, seventeen sixty-two. It i

32、ncluded Irish soldiers who were serving in the British army. Parades spread across the country as more and more Irish people came to America. But New York Citys parade is still the biggest one. The city of Chicago, Illinois also holds a large Saint Patricks Day parade. And it celebrates Saint Patric

33、ks Day by coloring its river green. Green is the traditional Irish color. You see lots of it on Saint Patricks Day. People wear green clothes. Some even color their hair or faces green. And some drinking places serve green beer. Many people eat the traditional Irish meal of corned beef and cabbage.

34、And many attend Saint Patricks Day parties.A majority of Americans have no real connection to Ireland. But they like to say that everyone is a little bit Irish on Saint Patricks Day. (363 words)Helper:Christianity kristiniti基督教 parade preid游行 Irish爱尔兰的 heritageheritid遗产，传统 releaserili:s发表 influence影

35、响 Census senss Bureaubjuru人口统计局 ancestornsst祖先 corned k:nd盐腌的 Saint Patricks Day圣帕特里克节（3月17日）Brief Introduction:3月17日是圣帕特里克节，在爱尔兰这个节日是为了纪念15世纪把基督教传入这个国家的人-帕特里克节，人们用游行和晚会的形式来庆祝这个节日。经过这些年，这个节日不在仅仅庆祝圣帕特里克，可以庆祝所有跟爱尔兰有关的事情。1995年美国国会宣布3月是爱尔兰裔美国人的遗产月，总统发表演讲，赞扬那些家人从爱尔兰来的美国人。统计表明在美国有34，000，000多万美国人说他们的祖先来自爱尔

36、兰，占总人口的12%。1762年3月17日在纽约举行了第一个圣帕特里克节游行，其中包括在英国军队服役是爱尔兰士兵，在纽约举行的游行也一直是最盛大的，当然其它城市也举行这样的庆祝活动。绿色是爱尔兰的传统色，在这一天人们穿绿色的衣服，有的甚至把头发或脸染成绿色。大多数的美国人跟爱尔兰并每真正的关系，但是他们喜欢在这一天说大家跟爱尔兰都有点关系。 Exercises:从所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳答案。1. According to the text we can conclude the whole population of America is about _. A. 170 mil

37、lion B. 408 million C. 283 million D. 34 million2. After the first celebration of Saint Patricks Day in America, how many years later did the United States Congress declared the month of March as Irish-American Heritage Month? A. 238 B. 233 C. 590 D. 2503. As a traditional day, what probably impress

38、es readers most is its _. A. parade B. party C. color D. meal4. From paragraph three we can conclude that the reason why the government think so much of the day is that _. A. there are not enough holidays in America to celebrate B. Irish-Americans insist that such a day should be celebrated all over

39、 the country C. it was Saint Patrick who brought Christianity to America D. Irish-Americans have made great contributions to AmericaKeys and Explanations:1-4 CACD1. 选C。数字推算题。根据第四段第一句“more than thirty-four million Americans say their ancestors came from Ireland”，第二句“That is twelve percent of the coun

40、trys population.”可以得出：12%x=34，解出x283。故选C。2. 选A。数字推算题。根据第三段的首句知道是1995年国会宣布的，再根据第五段首句知道是“about two hundred fifty years ago.”，从前面的“This year, 2007”知道是根据2007年算起的，所以可以推出是在1757年举行的第一次庆祝活动，1995-1757=238。故选A。3. 选C。推理判断题。作为一个盛大的节日，游行、晚会、大餐都是司空见惯的内容，而从六、七、八段是都把“green”作为重点描写可以看出是其特色。故选C。4. 选D。推理判断题。A项文中没有依据；B文中没有提到；C项根据第一段知道圣帕特里克把基督教带到Ireland，不是美国。D项根据第三段的叙述，国会、总统主动做出的行动，以及最后“to celebrate the month by learning about the influence of Irish-Americans.”可以得出D正确。