Although English is not as old as Chinese, it is spoken by many people around th

Although English is not as old as Chinese, it isspoken by many people around the world every day. English speakers are alwayscreating new words, and we should be able to know where most words come from.

Sometimes, however, no one may know really where aword comes from. Did you ever think about why hamburgers are called hamburgers,especially when they are not made with ham( 火腿 )? About ahundred years ago, some men went to America from Europe. They came from a bigcity in Germany called Hamburger. They didn’t speak good English, but they ategood food. When some Americans saw them eating round pieces of beef, they askedthe Germans what it was. The Germans did not understand the question andanswered. “We came from Hamburger.” One of these Americans owned a restaurant,and had an idea. He cooked some round pieces of beef like what the men fromHamburger ate. Then he put them between two pieces of bread and started sellingthem. Today “ hamburgers” are sold in many countries around the world.

Whether this story is true or not, it certainly isinteresting. Knowing why any word has a certain meaning is interesting, too.The reason may be found in any large English dictionary.

1.According to the writer, English ______.

A．is as old asChinese                      B．is not so oldas Chinese

C．is older thanGerman                     D．is verydifficult to learn

2.According to the story,_______.

A．few Americanslike hamburgers

B．hamburgersare made with beef

C．hamburgersare made with ham

D．hamburgerswere sold all over the world about a century ago

3.According to the writer, which of the following canbe found in any large English dictionary?

A．Where all thenew words come from

B．Where thoseGermans came from

C．The reasonwhy any word has a certain meaning.

D．The reasonwhy English is spoken around the world

4.According to the story, the word “hamburger” comesfrom ________.

A．China becauseit has a long history

B．Englandbecause Germans don’t speak good English

C．the roundpieces of beef those people from Hamburger brought to America

D．English speakersbecause they always create new words

试题答案

【答案】

1.B

2.B

3.C

4.C

【解析】

试题