Question

17．One of the first things you will notice about Britain is that they drive on the left，and the steering wheel is on the right．This causes a strange feeling，but driving on the left is not as unusual as you might think； about a quarter of the countries in the world drive on the left．Most of them are former British colonies like Australia，Sou th Africa，and Ireland，but Thailand，Japan and Indonesia also do so．This driving habit is strange to us，but there is a perfectly good reason for it：up till the late eighteenth century，everybody traveled on the left-hand side of the road because it was the best way for mostly right-handed people to protect themselves in violent societies．So when strangers passed the road，they walk on the left to make sure that their sword arm was between them．
After the French revolution in 1789，however，the French government changed sides as part of a great social reorganization．Later，Napoleon，the ruler of France，spread the change to the rest of the continental Europe．He did this because he was left-handed himself，and he wanted his armies to march on the right so that he could keep his left arm between himself and any enemy．From then on，any part of the world which became part of the British Empire marched on the left，and any part controlled by the French marched on the right．
After the American Revolutionary War （1775-1783），the US became independent and decided to make traffic drive on the right in order to cut its ties with Britain．Once America became the center of the car industry，if you wanted a good car，you bought an American-made right-hand drive vehicles．From then on many countries changed out of necessity．
Today，the EU would like Britain to be the same as the rest of Europe，but this is no longer possible．It would cost billions of pounds to change everything round．The last European country to convert to driving on the right was Sweden in 1967，but there were far fewer cars there，and the population was much smaller．
21．Why did people travel on the left before the late 18th century？A
A．They could be safer from attacks．
B．The government required them to do so．
C．There were more left-handed people back then．
D．They could prevent strangers passing by their left side．
22．What was Napoleon's attitude to walking on the left？C
A．Negative．B．Indifferent．
C．Supportive．D．Uncertain．
23．For Americans，driving on the right was a way to showD．
A．the connection with France was broken
B．the American Revolutionary War had ended
C．America was the center of the car industry
D．the US was no longer controlled by the UK
24．The underlined phrase"convert to"in the last paragraph meansC．
A．insist on                              B．give up
C．change into                            D．disagree with．

Answer 1

分析 本文属于说明文阅读，作者通过这篇文章向我们介绍了英国是靠左行驶，而方向盘在右边这一奇怪的现象，由此引发了下文的阐述．

解答 21．A  细节理解题．根据第一段中的up until the late eighteenth century，everybody travelled on the left-hand side of the road because it was the best way for mostly right-handed people to protect themselves in violent societies可知18世纪晚期之前习惯于靠左走是因为他们走路时可以用持剑的右手保护自己，这样更安全，故选A．
22．C   细节理解题，根据第二段．Later，Napoleon，the ruler of France，spread the change to the rest of the continental Europe．He did this because he was left-handed himself，and he wanted his armies to march on the right so that he could keep his left arm between himself and any enemy．可知Napoleon是一个左撇子，因此他会支持靠左侧行走，故选C．
23．D  细节理解题．根据倒数第二段中 的 After the American Revolutionary War （1775-1783），the US became independent and decided to make traffic drive on the right in order to cut its ties with Britain可知，美国人选择靠右行驶是为了表明他们已经完全脱离了英国，故选D．
24．C  词义猜测题．根据最后一段中的 It would cost billions of pounds to change everything round 和 there were far fewer cars there，and the population was much smaller可知，由于瑞典当时 车辆和人口较少，因此改成靠右行车，故选C．

点评 考查学生的细节理解和推理判断能力．做细节理解题时一定要找到文章中的原句，和题干进行比较，再做出正确选择．在做推理判断题时不要以个人的主观想象代替文章的事实，要根据文章事实进行合乎逻辑的推理判断．