Unit 2测试.阅读理解AThe British live on a small island. They are surrounded by the sea, so it is not surprising that the sea has always played an important role in their lives. After the development of large, oceangoing sailing ships in the fifteenth century,the sea became even more important to the countrys development. Ships setting sail from England determined to extend Britains territories, its wealth and its knowledge of the world. Ships returned to England bringing goods, people and new ideas from foreign places. By the nineteenth century, Britain had the largest, most powerful navy in the world.The great sailing ships were so much a part of British life that they even affected the language. Many English expressions we use today were originally nautical (航海的)terms,although most people no longer realize this. For example, people commonly describe an honest and fair business deal as being “above board”.This expression was originally used in sailing ship times when secretive, dishonest ships business would be carried out below decks ( i. e. below the boards) out of public view. On the other hand, honest business was always conducted on deck (above the boards), in the open where everyone could see what was going on.“Pipe down！”， meaning “Be quiet！”， is another common expression that has nautical origins. The ships boatswain (水手长)would blow a whistle,or pipe, at the end of the day to indicate (表明 )to the sailors it was time to quieten down and go to sleep.Most native English speakers have heard the expression “not enough room to swing a cat”， but few know that the “cat” does not refer to a small furry animal with four legs and a tail.The “cat”is actually a short form of “cat of nine tails”a whip with nine, knotted(打结的) tails.A boatswain needed a lot of space in order to swing the whip properly when lashing (鞭打)a poor sailorunder hiscontrol!篇章导读：本文是一篇说明文。英国作为一个岛国，四周被海洋环绕，因此海洋在英国人的生活中发挥着重要作用。英国曾有着很强大的海军，一直以来，水手们经常使用的一些航海术语丰富并影响着英语语言。1The British have been strongly influenced by the sea because _ .Athey occupied more land around the worldBthey got more wealth from the seaCthey live on an island surrounded by the seaDthey had the largest navy ever答案：C细节理解题。根据第一段第二句“They are surrounded by the sea, so it is not surprising that the sea has always played an important role in their lives.”可知，英国被海洋包围，所以海洋对英国人的生活影响很大。2If someone is open and above board, it means he is_ .AsecretiveBhonestCcheerfulDdishonest答案：B细节理解题。结合第二段的“people commonly describe an honest and fair business deal as being above board”可知，选B项。3Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?ASailors need to go to sleep when they hear a whistle.BSailors will be whipped if they do business below decks.CA poor sailor may be whipped nine times a day. DThere is no spare room to raise cats on ships. 答案：A细节理解题。根据第三段第二句“The ships boatswain (水手长) would blow a whistle, or pipe, at the end of the day to indicate (表明) to the sailors it was time to quieten down and go to sleep.”可知，当听到哨声，水手们要去睡觉。所以选A项。4The passage is mainly about _ .Athe business on British sailing shipsBthe influence of British sailors language on EnglishCthe sailing history of EnglandDthe sailing story of British sailors答案：B主旨大意题。本文主要通过介绍英国是一个受到海洋影响的国家引入主题，即水手们在航行的时候使用的一些航海术语对英语这门语言产生了深远的影响。因此B项符合题意。BA threemilelong fishhookshaped piece of land in the middle of Chesapeake Bay, Tangier Island has always been a community set apart from the mainland.These days, the islands 500plus residents, who mostly use golf cars as transportation on the villages narrow roads and who dont allow the public consumption of alcohol, have managed to preserve their traditional culture. Probably the most striking example of their heritage is the islanders unique way of speaking.David L. Shores, a linguist (语言学家) who was born on Tangier Island, has found out the reason why the speech of Tangier Island strikes outsiders as strange. According to Shores, the islanders pronounce their vowels louder and longer, which causes common words to sound different when spoken by Tangier natives.Some scholars have said the natives of Tangier speak an old form of English that goes back to the time of Queen F. Elizabeth I.Shores doesnt buy into that theory. “Its not Elizabethan English by any means，” he says. “I doubt if anyone could trace it to that, because the variety of English at that time was great.”Bruce Gordy, a Tangier native and a former teacher at the islands only school, has made a list of 350 strange expressions and words that he says are used and undertook only by the islanders. But Gordy doesnt think its the strange vocabulary that puzzles outsiders most when hearing Tangier residents speak.“I think what confuses them is the fact that we are talking backwards a lot，” he says. He offers an example. “If somebodys stupid, you know what I say？” Gordy says. “Im saying hes s