Question

The flag, the most common symbol 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 artifact. 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.
【小題1】The best title for the passage would be “________”.

A．Development of the National Flag	B．Power of the National Flag
C．Types of Flags	D．Uses of Flags

【小題2】The underlined word “vulnerable” in Paragraph 3 means ________.

A．impossible to make sure of	B．likely to be protected
C．easy to be damaged	D．difficult to find

【小題3】The earliest flags were connected with heavenly power because ________.

A．they could tell direction

B．they could bring good luck to ancient fighters

C．they were handed down by the ancestors

D．they were believed to stand for natural forces

【小題4】What does the author know of the first national flag?

A．He knows when it was sent to Europe.

B．He believes it was made in Egypt.

C．He thinks it came from China.

D．He doubts where it started.

【小題5】What will the author most probably talk about next?

A．The role of China in the spread of the national flag.

B．The second ancestor of the national flag.

C．The use of modern flags in Europe.

D．The importance of modern flags

Answer 1

【小題1】A
【小題2】C
【小題3】D
【小題4】D
【小題5】B

解析試題分析：本文講述了國旗的出現的原因分析，古代人認為旗幟是自然力量的象征，分析了人類旗幟的發展歷程。
【小題1】A 主旨大意題。根據文章第一段可知本文是關于國旗的由來的解釋，在下面的段落中詳細介紹了國旗的發展歷程。故A項正確。
【小題2】C 推理題。根據本句Often strong winds would tear roofs from houses or cause high waves that endangered travelers. People’s food supplies were similarly vulnerable.強烈的風可能會把房子的屋頂掀翻，導致海里的巨浪。給人們帶來傷害，人們的食物供應也有可能會強風破壞掉，故C項指容易破壞正確。
【小題3】D 推理題。根據第四段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.說明早期的旗幟與神力聯系在一起是因為人們認為風代表著自然的力量。故D項正確。
【小題4】D 細節題。根據最后一段第二句The first known flag of a nation or a ruler was unmarked.說明他也不知道第一面國旗的具體的情況，故D項正確。
【小題5】B 推理題。根據文章第二段Historians believe that it had two major ancestors, of which the earlier served to show wind direction.說明歷史學家認為國旗有兩個原因，本文只講述了一個原因，那么接下來最有可能講述的是另外一個原因，故B項正確。
考點：考查社會知識類短文閱讀
點評：本文講述了國旗的出現的原因分析，古代人認為旗幟是自然力量的象征，分析了人類旗幟的發展歷程。
以推理題的考查為主，要求考生能認真審題，并根據題目及選項內容結合文章的信息作出簡單的延伸和推理。