1、风土人情篇ANALYZE其它国家风情(三)其它国家风情【专题介绍】除了英国和美国两个主要英语国家外,有关其它国家(如俄罗斯、法国、澳大利亚、菲律宾等)风情的文章在高考阅读理解中也频频出现。主要涉及以下内容:1. 各地独特的历史传统和风俗习惯;2. 全球化背景下各地出现的一些新民俗;3. 全球化给各国人民生活带来的影响。近两年的高考英语阅读理解涉及以上内容的文章主要有: 2007陕西卷的E篇; 2007全国卷I的E篇; 2008江西卷的A篇; 2008辽宁卷的A篇。【应考策略】1. 应对西方国家的历史文化(如希腊文明、罗马文化和文艺复兴)、宗教信仰以及社会发展进程有一定的了解;2. 不仅要了解中
2、西方文化差异,还要了解不同西方国家之间的文化背景差异;3. 要关注国际社会动态、拓宽知识视野;4. 英语学习中要培养全球化视野和国际意识。【高考范例】Despite the fact that it has never been seen,almost everyone is familiar with the legendary unicorn (独角兽). Descriptions of unicorns have been found dating from ancient times. The great philosopher Aristotle theorized that the
3、re were two types of unicorn the so-called Indian Ass and the Oryx, a kind of antelope. Unicorns are often used in the logo of a noble family, town council or university as their special sign. Even Scotland is represented by a unicorn.According to the legend, anyone attempting to catch a unicorn had
4、 to be extremely cautious as it has a reputation for being very fierce. A clever trick suggested by unicorn-trappers, in order to catch this magnificent beast without being hurt by its horn, was for the hunter to stand in front of a tree and then to move quickly behind it as the unicorn charged. Hop
5、efully, the creature could then be captured when its horn was stuck in the tree.When hollowed out and used as a drinking-cup, the unicorns horn was said to have the power to offer protection against poison. It was believed that nobody could be harmed by drinking the contents of a unicorns horn. Righ
6、t up until the French Revolution in 1789, the French court was said to have used cups made of “unicorn” horn in order to protect the king. In addition, the horn was said to have medicinal value, so much so that it could be sold for more than ten times the price of the same weight of gold. What, then
7、, was “unicorn” horn? We know at times the rhino (犀牛) was confused with this legendary creature. A drinking-cup supposedly made of “unicorn” horn was discovered to be made of the horn of a rhino.1. Which of the following is TRUE of the unicorn?A. It was not historically recorded. B. Its horn was fir
8、st used in France.C. It was similar to the Indian Ass and the Oryx.D. It could be the symbol of a university.2. To catch a unicorn, the unicorn-trappers had to try all of the following EXCEPT _.A. tempting the unicorn to attack B. making use of the tree as a protectionC. hiding quickly behind the un
9、icorn D. having the unicorn horn stuck in the tree3. The last paragraph is mainly about _.A. the properties of the unicorn horn B. the users of the unicorn hornC. the price of the unicorn horn D. the comparison between the unicorn horn and the rhino horn4. In the last paragraph, the word “unicorn” i
10、s in quotation marks (引号) because _.A. the cup is designed only for a royal familyB. the unicorn does not exist in realityC. the unicorn is the rarest animal in the worldD. the medicinal value of the horn is appreciated(江西2008)【阅读赏析】本文介绍的是独角兽。在西方文化中,独角兽是一种与中华文化中的龙具有相似地位的东西,也就是说独角兽在西方文化中就是一种图腾。在西方,有关
11、独角兽的传说可谓源远流长。如果我们了解这一中西方文化差异的话,这篇文章就很好理解了。从结构上看,本文层次分明,脉络清楚。第一段是有关独角兽的总体介绍,主要谈及传说中独角兽的种类以及它的象征作用。第二段主要谈论降服独角兽的技巧。第三段主要介绍传说中独角兽的角的用途。【答案解析】1. D。第一段中提到独角兽经常被用在贵族家族、市议会和大学的形象标识中。故选D。2. C。由第二段中的. stand in front of a tree and then to move quickly behind it .可知it指代的是前面的tree,而不是unicorn。故选项C不符合文中事实。3. A。第三段
12、整段内容都在谈论独角兽的角,诸如传说中它的魔力以及药用价值等。故选A。4. B。第三段中的最后一个句子提到传说中的所谓用独角兽的角做成的酒杯其实是用犀牛的角做的,暗示独角兽在现实中根本不存在,因此,unicorn加引号表否定。故选B。PRACTICE阅读下列短文,从每题所给出的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出最佳选项。AIf your boss asks you to work in Moscow this year, hed better offer you more money to do so or even double that depending on where you liv
13、e now. Thats because Moscow has just been found to be the worlds most expensive city for the second year in a row by Mercer Human Resources Consulting.Using the cost of living in New York as a base, Mercer determined Moscow is 34.4 percent more expensive including the cost of housing, transportation
14、, food, clothing, household goods and entertainment (娱乐).A two-bedroom flat in Moscow now costs $4,000 a month; a CD $24.83, and an international newspaper $6.30, according to Mercer. By comparison, a fast food meal with a hamburger (汉堡包) is a steal at $4.80.London takes the No. 2 place, up from No.
15、 5 a year ago, thanks to higher cost of housing and a stronger British pound relative to the dollar. Mercer estimates (估算) London is 26 percent more expensive than New York these days. Following London closely are Seoul and Tokyo, both of which are 22 percent more expensive than New York, while No.
16、5 Hong Kong is 19 percent more costly.Among North American cities, New York and Los Angeles are the most expensive and are the only two listed in the top 50 of the worlds most expensive cities. But both have fallen since last years study New York came in 15th, down from 10th place, while Los Angeles
17、 fell to 42nd from 29th place a year ago. San Francisco came in a distant third at No. 54, down 20 places from a year earlier.Toronto, meanwhile, is Canadas most expensive city but fell 35 places to take 82nd place worldwide. In Australia, Sydney is the priciest place to live in and No. 21 worldwide
18、.1. What do the underlined words “a steal” in Paragraph 3 mean?A. an act of stealingB. something deliciousC. something very cheapD. an act of buying2. London has become the second most expensive city because of _.A. the high cost of clothingB. the stronger pound against the dollarC. its expensive tr
19、ansportationD. the high prices of fast food meals3. Which city is the third most expensive on the list?A. Tokyo. B. Hong Kong.C. Moscow. D. Sydney.4. Which city has dropped most on the list in North America?A. New York. B. Los Angeles.C. San Francisco. D. Toronto.(辽宁2008)BMore people are working tha
20、n ever before in France. In the cities the traditional leisurely (休闲的) midday meal is disappearing. Offices, shops, and factories are discovering the great efficiency (效率) of a short lunch hour in company lunch rooms. In almost all lines of work emphasis now falls on ever-increasing output. Thus the
21、 “typical” Frenchman gains in creature comforts and ease of life. What he loses to some extent is his sense of personal uniqueness, or individuality.Some say that France has been Americanized. The so-called Americanization of France has its critics. They fear that “assembly-line (流水线) life” will lea
22、d to the disappearance of the pleasures of the more leisurely (but less productive) old French style. What will happen, they ask, to the cultivation (培养) of the good things in life to enjoy in the smell of freshly picked apple, a stroll by the river, or just happy hours of conversation in a local ca
23、f?Since the late 1950s,life in France has indeed taken on qualities of rush, tension, and the pursuit of material gain. Some of the strongest critics of the new way of life are the young, especially university students. They are concerned with the future, and they fear that France is threatened by t
24、he success of this competitive, goods-oriented culture. Occasionally, they have reacted against the trend with great violence.In spite of the critics, however, countlessFrenchmen are committed to keeping France in the forefront of the modern economic world. They find that the present life brings mor
25、e benefits, conveniences, and pleasures than that of the past. They believe that a modern, industrial France is better than the old.5. Which of the following is NOT a feature of the new French way of life?A. Shorter lunch hour.B. Greater output.C. Creature comforts.D. Leisurely caf talk.6. The passa
26、ge suggests that _.A. in pursuing material gain the French are suffering losses elsewhereB. its now unlikely to see a Frenchman enjoying a stroll by the riverC. the French are fed up with the smell of freshly picked applesD. great changes have occurred in the life style of all Frenchmen7. Which of t
27、he following is TRUE about the critics?A. Critics are greater in number than people enjoying the new way of life.B. Student critics are greater in number than critics in other fields.C. Student critics have, sometimes, resorted to violent means against the trend.D. Critics are concerned only with the present and not the future.8. Which of the following best expresses the main idea of the passage?A. Changes in the French way of life.B. Criticism of the new life style.C. The Americanization of France.D. Features of the new way of life.Key:1-4 CBAD 5-8 DDCA