Sure. you know their names, possibly better than you know the name of the street you live on.

When the need comes, these names roll off our tongues like they were our own brothers. I am writing about the famous Webster s Dictionary and Roget s Thesaurus.

Webster s Dictionary. Many people can respond immediately: Noah Webster. We are aware that he is the father of the dictionary. But who was he? What did he do for a living? When did he live?

Noah was born in 1758, graduated from Yale University in 1778. and later graduated from law school He produced the first American dictionary in 1806 and published his influential work An American Dictionary of the English Language in l828. His interests led him to be a lexicographer  (词典编纂者). textbook editor, author, Bible translator and spelling reformer. He also produced a large number of writings in medicine, mythology  (神话),  and the relationship of European and Asian languages. In addition, he .founded the first New York daily newspaper in 1793. He died in 1843.

Roget's Thesaurus. And it gives us The chance to learn about Roget, the man-Peter Mark Roget, And who? What? When?

Englishman Peter Roget, MD, was born in 1779. He studied medicine and mathematics at the University of Edinburgh. He is considered as the creator of the first-ever thesaurus (同义词典). It has been called one of the three most important books ever printed. along with the Bible and Webster s Dictionary. He began his work Thesaurus of English  Words and Phrases in I 805 but did not publish it until 1852-47 years later. In his lifetime. he became a noted lecturer and writer on anatomy(解剖学 ). geology(地质学).bees，and more . When Roget died in 1869 at age 90. his son, John . took over the Thesaurus arid he gradually expanded it.

So now you know the two famous books. Not enough information? As well-known humourist James Thurber suggested in the title of his 1941 magazine short story about baseball, You Could Look It Up!

小题1:The author states that "these names roll off our tongues" in order to show that people______.

A．will learn from the two writers

B．have ignored the two writers

C．are familiar with the names

D．know a lot about the two小题2:According to the text. Noah Webster and Peter Roget are alike because they both______.

A．had many interests

B．studied medicine

C．were professors

D．liked baseball小题3:The purpose of the last paragraph is to_______.

A．attract more readers

B．come to a conclusion

C．encourage further research

D．provide background information小题4:Which of the following shows the structure of the whole text?