Although English is not as old as Chinese, it is spoken by many people around the world every day. English speakers are always creating new words, and we should be able to know where most words come from.
Sometimes, however, no one may know really where a word comes from. Did you ever think about why hamburgers are called hamburgers, especially when they are not made with ham( 火腿 )? About a hundred years ago, some men went to America from Europe. They came from a big city in Germany called Hamburger. They didn’t speak good English, but they ate good food. When some Americans saw them eating round pieces of beef, they asked the Germans what it was. The Germans did not understand the question and answered. “We came from Hamburger.” One of these Americans owned a restaurant, and had an idea. He cooked some round pieces of beef like what the men from Hamburger ate. Then he put them between two pieces of bread and started selling them. Today “ hamburgers” are sold in many countries around the world.
Whether this story is true or not, it certainly is interesting. Knowing why any word has a certain meaning is interesting, too. The reason may be found in any large English dictionary.
小题1:According to the writer, English ______.
A．is as old as Chinese
B．is not so old as Chinese
C．is older than German
D．is very difficult to learn小题2:According to the story,_______.
A．few Americans like hamburgers
B．hamburgers are made with beef
C．hamburgers are made with ham
D．hamburgers were sold all over the world about a century ago小题3:According to the writer, which of the following can be found in any large English dictionary?
A．Where all the new words come from
B．Where those Germans came from
C．The reason why any word has a certain meaning.
D．The reason why English is spoken around the world小题4:According to the story, the word “hamburger” comes from ________.
A．China because it has a long history
B．England because Germans don’t speak good English
C．the round pieces of beef those people from Hamburger brought to America
D．English speakers because they always create new words
小题1:B
小题2:B
小题3:C
小题4:C
题目分析：本文介绍英语中的词汇的来历，举了汉堡包的例子，说明我们可以了解一些单词的来历是很有趣的事情。
小题1:细节题：从第一段的句子：Although English is not as old as Chinese,可知英语没有汉语那么古老。选B
小题2:细节题：从第二段的：One of these Americans owned a restaurant, and had an idea. He cooked some round pieces of beef like what the men from Hamburger ate.可知汉堡包原来是牛肉做的。选B
小题3:细节题：从最后一段的句子：The reason may be found in any large English dictionary.可知选 C
小题4:细节题：从第二段举的例子可知汉堡包来自于从Hamburger 来的人带到美国的牛肉。选C
点评：这篇文章结构 清晰，提出话题—举例—总结，对于细节题的考查很细致，考生要注意迅速抓住关键句子。