When many people in the west think of China, the animal that they think of is the dragon. For them, the dragon is an aggressive monster that breathes fire. Many popular legends tell how dragons have killed brave knights and eaten beautiful young girls.
For Chinese people, however, the dragon is not an evil monster. It’s a cultural and spiritual symbol for prosperity and good luck. The dragon’s main task is to create harmony and bring rain. Dragons are celebrated in art and architecture, and of course the dragon dance is a very popular ritual (仪式).
China isn’t the only country to have the dragon as its symbol. Wales in the UK, has a red dragon proudly displayed on its flag. Another country in the world with a dragon on its flag is Bhutan, a tiny country between China and India.
Almost all countries in the world have an animal symbol representing their countries. This is particularly obvious during sports. The English think lions to be brave and proud animal and the English football teams have three lions on their football shirts.
Australia is famous for kangaroos, of course. The national rugby team is more commonly known as the Wallabies, a type of small kangaroo.The South African team is known as the Springboks, a type of African antelope. Likewise the New Zealanders, whether playing sports or not, are commonly known as kiwis. A kiwi is a native New Zealand bird that can’t fly.
All countries are proud of their symbols, which they feel reflect national characteristics or the beauty and variety of their natural environments. Recently, a Shang hai professor claimed that using the dragon as a national symbol could make western countries have a negative view of China. But in an Internet survey 90% of Chinese people wanted to keep the dragon.
小题1:In the opinion of the west, the dragon is ______.
A．a terrible animal that is not popular
B．a cultural and spiritual symbol of good luck
C．a reflection of China’s national characteristics
D．an animal that can create harmony and bring rain小题2:Which of the following does NOT use the dragon as its national symbol?
A．China.
B．Wales.
C．Bhutan.
D．India.小题3:According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?
A．The national rugby team from the South Africa is well known as the Wallabies.
B．The Australian team is known as Springboks, a type of kangaroo.
C．The New Zealanders are commonly known as kiwis only when playing sports.
D．The dragon is mentioned to have been used on the flag in two countries.
小题1:A
小题2:D
小题3:D
题目分析：本文从介绍龙做为中国的象征，联想到其他以龙做为象征的国家，及其他国家的动物象征。
小题1:细节题：从第一段的句子：For them, the dragon is an aggressive monster that breathes fire. Many popular legends tell how dragons have killed brave knights and eaten beautiful young girls.可知对西方人来说，龙是不受欢迎的。选A。
小题2:细节题：从第三段的内容可知中国，威尔士，不丹都把龙做为国家的象征，印度不是。选D
小题3:细节题：从文章第三段可知有两个国家的旗子上有龙做为象征。选D
点评：集中考查细节题，考生可以先审题，再看文章，这样就可以提高阅读的速度和效率。解答这类问题时要求学生抓住题干文字信息，采用针对性方法进行阅读，因为这类题的答案在文章中可以直接找到。