阅读理解。
The first English dictionary was published in 1604. The dictionary was actually nothing more than a list
of about 3, 000 difficult words, each followed by a one-word definition.
The author, Robert Cawdrey, made no attempt to include everyday words in his dictionary. No one, he
reasoned, would ever have to look up a word in a dictionary if he already knew the meaning of the word.
During the 1600's more dictionaries were published. Each followed Cawdrey's lead and presented a few
thousand hard words. Around 1700 one dictionary maker, John Kersey, did define easy words as well as hard
words. But until the 1750's all the dictionaries were rather crude and not very valuable.
A man named Dr Samuel Johnson changed all this. In 1755 Dr Johnson produced the first modern
dictionary. He included in his dictionary all important words, both easy and hard, and he gave good meanings.
He also gave good sentences to show how each word was actually used in speech and in writing. By the end
of the 1700's most dictionary makers had followed Johnson's example. Dictionaries were getting better and
better.
The 1800's saw the greatest improvement in the quality of dictionaries. In England scholars planned and
prepared the Oxford English Dictionary, a twenty-volume (卷；册；部) work. One of the most interesting
features of the Oxford Dictionary is its word histories. It traces (追溯；探索) the history of each word from
its earliest recorded use up to the time of the printing of the dictionary.
1. The first English dictionary _______.
A. defined easy words as well as hard ones
B. was just a list of difficult words with one-word definitions
C. included a number of everyday words
D. was considered to be a very valuable one
2. According to the passage, before 1755 all English dictionaries _______.
A. were of no value
B. only defined hard words
C. defined both easy words as well as hard words
D. were far from being perfect
3. Which of the following statements is not true about Dr Johnson's dictionary?
A. It was not very valuable.
B. It was the first modern English dictionary.
C. It included easy words as well as hard ones.
D. It gave sentences to show the usage of words.
4. The most interesting feature of the Oxford Dictionary was that ______.
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A. it had a complete list of difficult words
B. it gave sentences showing how each word was actually used
C. it was a 20-volume work
D. it showed the history of each word
5. This passage is mainly about _____.
A. the difference of English dictionaries
B. the origin of English dictionaries
C. the development of English dictionaries
D. the features of English dictionaries
