Question

第Ⅱ卷（共45分）

第四部分  寫作（共兩節(jié)，滿分45分）

閱讀表達(dá)  閱讀下面的短文并回答問題。（每題3分，共15分）

The flag, the most common symbol(象征)of a nation in the modern world, is also one of the most ancient. With a clear symbolic meaning, the flag in the traditional form is still used today to mark buildings, ships and other vehicles related to a country.

The national flag as we know it today is in no way a primitive(原始的)artifact(人工制品). It is, rather the product of thousands of years’development. Historians believe that it had two major ancestors, of which the earlier served to show wind direction.

Early human beings used very fragile houses and boats. Often strong winds would tear roofs from houses or cause high waves that endangered travelers. People’s food supplies were similarly vulnerable. Even after they had learned how to plant grains, they still needed help from nature to ensure good harvests. Therefore they feared and depended on the power of the wind, which could bring warmth from one direction and cold from another.

Using a simple piece of cloth tied to the top of a post to tell the direction of the wind was more dependable than earlier methods, such as watching the rising of smoke from a fire. The connection of the flag with heavenly power was therefore reasonable. Early human societies began to fix long pieces of cloth to the tops of totems(圖騰)before carrying them into battle. They believed that the power of the wind would be added to the good wishes of the gods and ancestors represented by the totems themselves.

These flags developed very slowly into modern flags. The first known flag of a nation or a ruler was unmarked: The king of China around 1000 B.C. was known to have a white flag carried ahead of him. This practice might have been learned from Egyptians even further in the past, but it was from China that it spread over trade routes through India, then across Arab lands, and finally to Europe, where it met up with the other ancestor of the national flag.

1.Translate the underlined sentence in the fifth paragraph into Chinese.

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2.What is the best title of the passage?(Please answer within 8 words).

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3. In your opinion why were the earliest flag connected with heavenly power? (Please answer within 10 words.)

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4. Which sentence in the passage can be replaced by the following one?

   The national flag is not a primitive artifact but the product of thousands of years’development.

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5. What will the author most probably talk about next? (Please answer within 10 words.)

Answer 1

1. 布條系到柱子頂上以此來判斷風(fēng)的方向，這種方法比早期的諸如通過煙霧的升騰判斷方向更可靠。

2. Development of the national flag.

3. Because they were believed to stand for natural flag.

4. The national flag as we know it today is in no way a primitive artifact. lt is, rather the product of thousands of years’development.”

5. The second ancestor of the national flag.