阅读理解
The name England comes from the words "Angle land". The Angles were people who came from
northern Germany in the 5th and 6th centuries, after the Romans had left.The French name for England
is Angleterre, which also means "Angle land". There were also invasions (侵略) of southern England by
Saxons and Jutes (people from another part of northern Germany). English people are sometimes called
AngloSaxons. The Celts who used to live in this area were forced to move back into Scotland, Ireland,
Cornwall and into Western France (the area known as Brittany).
England at first became a series of kingdoms, the strongest of which was Wessex (the name comes
from WestSaxon). The names of many of the areas in England come from this period-for example, the
name Sussex comes from SouthSaxon, Essex from EastSaxon, and East Anglia from EastAngle.The
Vikings then came from Denmark, and later the Normans invaded from France.Eventually England,
Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland were united, forming the United Kingdom.
The English language is the main language spoken throughout England, although there are many
different accents.It can be difficult to know how to spell or to pronounce some English words, because
the language has been influenced by Latin and Greek (languages used at the time of the Romans, and
used in religion and education until recent times), German (the language of the Angles, Saxons and Jutes), French(the language of the Normans), Gaelic/Scots (Celtic languages) and Danish (the language of the
Vikings).
There are now many people throughout the United Kingdom who speak a foreign language either as
their first or second language; mainly due to immigration (移民) from Europe or the Commonwealth
(countries which used to be part of the British Empire).
1. According to the first paragraph, which of the following statements is NOT true?
A. The Romans were forced to leave England when the Jutes attacked there.
B. The Celts used to live in England but left for some reason.
C. Southern England once was attacked by Saxons and Jutes.
D. Angles and Saxons came from different parts of northern Germany.
2. In the history of England, ________once was the strongest kingdom.
A. Sussex
B. Wessex
C. Essex
D. East Anglia
3. Why do many people in the UK speak a foreign language nowadays?
A. Because they are required to learn a foreign language at school.
B. Because they plan to live outside the UK in the future.
C. Because they have moved from other countries.
D. Because they have worked in other countries.
4. The author writes this passage to________.
A. tell the history of England
B. tell how the United Kingdom was formed
C. introduce the main spoken language throughout England
D. tell the origin of the name of England
