The question this week comes from our listener Herve Acard, who asks about the American word “OK”, which means “all right” or “acceptable”. It expresses agreement or approval. The word is used more often than any other word in the world.
Language expert Allen Walker Read said the word began as a short way of writing a different spelling of the words “all correct”. Old stories say some foreign-born people would write “all correct” as o-l-l k-o-r-r-e-c-t and spoke it as “OK”. Some people say it came from the Native American Indian tribe known as the Choctaws. The Choctaw word “okeh” means the same as the American word “OK”. Experts say early explorers in the Western America spoke the Choctaw language in the nineteenth century. The language spread across the country.
According to some people, “OK” was a way to shorten Greek words that mean everything is fine. It is also said that a railroad worker named Obadiah Kelly invented the word. He is said to have put the first letters of his names — O and K — on each object people gave him to place on the train.
Another explanation is that “OK” was invented by a political organization that supported Martin Van Buren for president in the 1800s. They called their organization the OK Club. The letters O and K were taken from the name of the town where Martin Van Buren was born — Old Kinderhook, New York.
Not everyone agrees with these explanations, but experts do agree that the word is purely American and has spread to almost every country on Earth. Yet in the United States, it is used mostly in speech. Serious writers prefer using words, such as “agree”, “approve” or “confirm” instead.
1.Where does the passage probably come from?
A. A newspaper. B. A textbook.
C. A radio program. D. A language magazine.
2.Of the following origins, which one has the same meaning as the American word “OK”?
A. The OK Club
B. The Choctaw word “okeh”
C. The word invented by Martin Van Buren
D. The short form of “all correct”
3.According to the passage, which statement is NOT true?
A. People disagree about the origin of “OK”.
B. “OK” is often used in formal writing in the USA.
C. The word “OK” is widely used all over the world.
D. Native American language once influenced American English.
1.C
2.B
3.B
【解析】
试题分析:本文叙述了“OK”这个词的历史,对于它的来历不同的人有不同的观点,最后短文指出专家认为它是真正的美国人的语言,然后传到了地球上的各个地方。
1.文章出处题。根据短文开头The question this week comes from our listener Herve Acard,这个问题来自听众,所以应是收音机广播电台的节目,故选C。
2.细节理解题。根据The Choctaw word “okeh” means the same as the American word “OK”它们的意思是一样的,故选B。
3.细节理解题。根据Not everyone agrees with these explanations,一些人不同意这个解释,故选项A符合原文;has spread to almost every country on Earth.它已经被传到了世界各地,故选项C符合原文;the word began as a short way of writing a different spelling of the words “all correct”它是“all correct”的缩写,故选项D符合原文,故选B。
考点:文化类短文阅读。
点评:文章出处题应从文章的内容或结构来判断其出处:报纸:前面会出现日期、地点或通讯社名称。广告:因其格式特殊,容易辨认。产品说明:器皿、设备的使用说明会有产品名称或操作方式,而药品的服用说明会告知服用时间、次数、药量等。本篇短文主要看的是开头的第一句。
科目:高中英语 来源:2014届四川成都外国语学校高二(下)期末考试英语卷(解析版) 题型:单项填空
Brian was about to_______________ when he suddenly found an answer to the question.
A. make up B. look up C. turn up D. give up
查看答案和解析>>
科目:高中英语 来源:2012届度甘肃省高三9月月考英语题 题型:单项填空
The question came up at the meeting_____ we had enough money for our research.
A.that B.which C.whether D.if
查看答案和解析>>
科目:高中英语 来源:2010届广东省高三上学期期中考试 题型:阅读理解
Uncertainty spreads through our lives so thoroughly that it dominates our language,Our everyday speech is made up in large part of words like probably, many, soon,great,little.What do these words mean?
Such verbal imprecision is not necessarily to be criticized. Indeed, it has a value Just because it allows uw to express judgments when a precise quantitative statement is out of the question.
We have been trying to pin down by experiments what people meari by these expressions in specific contexts, and how the meanings change with age. For instance,a subject is told "There are many trees in the park" and is asked to say what number the word may mean to him. Or a child is invited to take "some" sweets from a bowl and we then count how many he has taken. We compare the number he takes when he is alone with the number when one or more other children are present and are to take some sweets after him, or with the number he takes when told to give
“some" sweets to another child.
First, we find that the number depends, of course, on the items involved. To most people some friends means about five, while some trees means about twenty. However, unrelated areas sometimes show parallel values. For instance, the language of probability seems to mean about the same thing in predictions about the weather and about politics: the expression is certain to( rain,or be elected)signifies to the average person about a 70 percent chance; is likely to, about a 60 percent chance; probably will, about 55 percent.
Secondly, the size of the population of items influences the value assigned to an expression.Thus, if we tell a subject to take "a few" or“a lot of" glass balls from a box, he will take me if the box contains a large number of glass balls than if it has a small number, But not proportionately more: if we increase the number of glass balls eight times, the subject takes only half as large a percentage of the total.
Thirdly, there is a marked change with age. Among children between six and fourteen years old, the older the child, the fewer glass balls, he will take. But the difference between a lot and a few widens with age. This age effect is so consistent that it might be used as a test of intelligence.
51. What's the right attitude towards the words like probably, any and soon ?
A. They are inaccurate and we should avoid them.
B. They are necessary since we cannot be always precise.
C. They should be criticized because there are too many of them.
D. Their value is not yet clear since we don't know their meaning.
52. Why do we do experiments with the words many and some?
A. To prove that people are insensitive to these words.
B. To prove that the words dominate our everyday speech.
C. To find out how the meanings vary with age and contexts.
D. To find out whether the words can mean a precise quantity.
53. Which of the following expressions means a larger chance in weather broadcast?
A. Possible. B. Probable. C. Be likely to. D. Be certain to.
54. Which of the following is similar to the underlined word signifies in its meaning?
A. makes B. means C. predicts D. indicates
55. Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
A. Uncertainty in the Language Use.
B. How to Use Language in an Uncertain Way
C.Uncertain Words and their Use in Specific Contexts
D. Experiments on Relationship between Uncertainty and Language Use
查看答案和解析>>
科目:高中英语 来源:2010届云南省高三下学期第五次模拟考试 题型:短文改错
此题要求改正所给短文中的错误。对标有题号的每一行做出判断:如果无错误,在该行右边横线上画一个勾(∨);如果有错误(每行只有一个错误),则按下列情况改正:
此行多一个词:把多余的词用斜线(\)划掉,在该行右边横线上写出该词,并也用斜线划掉。
此行缺一个词:在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧),在该行右边横线上写出该加的词。
此行错一个词:在错的词下划一横线,在该行右边横线上写出改正后的词。
注意:原行没有错的不要改。
A married couple were in a car while the wife turned to 76.__________
her husband and asked, “Would you like to stop for coffee?” “No, 77.__________
thanks.” he answered truthfully.But they didn’t stop.However, 78.__________
the wife, who has indeed wanted to stop, became angry, because 79._________
she felt her preference had not considered.The husband, seeing that 80._________
his wife was angry, became frustrated.Why didn’t she just say that 81._________
she wanted? Unfortunately, he failed in to see that his wife was 82._________
asking the question, in order not to get an immediately decision, 83._________
but rather to begin discussion.And the women didn’t realize that 84._________
when her husband said no, he was just express his preference, not 85._________
giving an order.
查看答案和解析>>
科目:高中英语 来源:20102011学年山西忻州市高三第一次联考英语卷 题型:单项填空
____ the main idea of the text, and you will be able to answer the question.
A. Grasp B. To grasp C. Grasping D. Grasped
查看答案和解析>>
湖北省互联网违法和不良信息举报平台 | 网上有害信息举报专区 | 电信诈骗举报专区 | 涉历史虚无主义有害信息举报专区 | 涉企侵权举报专区
违法和不良信息举报电话:027-86699610 举报邮箱:58377363@163.com