Question

Usually, when your teacher asks a question, there is only one correct answer. But there is one question that has millions of current answers. That question is "What's your name?" Everyone gives a different answer, but everyone is correct.

Have you ever wondered about people's names? Where do they come from? What do they

mean?

People's first names, or given names, are chosen by their parents. Sometimes the name of a grandparent or other member of the family is used. Some parents choose the name of a well-known person. A boy could be named George Washington Smith; a girl could be named Helen Keller Jones.

Some people give their children names that mean good things. Clara means "bright"; Beatrice means "one who gives happiness"; Donald means "world ruler"; Leonard means "as brave as a lion".

The earliest last names, or surnames, were taken from place names. A family with the name Brook or Brooks probably lived near brook (С?); someone who was called Longstreet probably lived on a long, paved road. The Greenwood family lived in or near a leafy forest.

Other early surnames came from people's occupations. The most common occupational name is Smith, which means a person who makes things with iron or other metals. In the past, smiths were very important workers in every town and village. Some other occupational names are: Carter - a person who owned or drove a cart（手推车）； Potter -a person who made pots and pans.

The ancestors (祖先) of the Baker family probably baked bread for their neighbors in their native village. The Carpenter's great-great-great-grandfather probably built houses and furniture.

Sometimes people were known for the color of their hair or skin, or their size, or their special abilities. When there were two men who were named John in the same village, the John with the gray hair probably became John Gray. Or the John was very tall could call himself John

Tallman. John Fish was probably an excellent swimmer and John Lightfoot was probably a fast

runner or a good dancer.

Some family names were made by adding something to the father's name. English-speaking people added -s or -son. The Johnsons are descendants of John; the Roberts family's ancestor was Robert. Irish and Scottish people added Mac or Mc or O. Perhaps all of the MacDonnells and the McDonnells and the O'Donnells are descendants of the same Donnell.

1.Which of the following aspects（方面）do the surnames in the passage NOT cover?

A. Places where people lived.

B. People's characters.

C. Talents that people had.

D. People's occupations.

2. According to the passage, the ancestors of the Potter family most probably _______.

A. owned or drove a cart

B. made things with metals

C. made kitchen tools or contains

D. built houses and furniture

3.If an English couple whose ancestors lived near a leafy forest wanted their new-born son to become a world leader, the baby might be named _______.

A. Beatrice Smith

B. Leonard Carter

C. George Longstreet

D. Donald Greenwood

4. The underlined word "descendants" in the last paragraph means a person's _______.

A.后代 B.朋友 C.同事 D.同伴

 

Answer 1

1.B

2.C

3.D

4.A

【解析】

试题分析：这篇短文中作者告诉了我们人们的名字是从哪里来的。通过阅读这篇短文我们可以知道，一些人的名字来源于一些名人，有的人的名字跟他们住的地方有关，还有的跟他们祖先从事的职业有关。甚至我们还能从人们的名字上知道这个人头发、皮肤的颜色、特点等。还有些人的名字是在父亲名字的后面加上一些东西变来的。

1.

2.

3.

4.

考点：文化类短文阅读。