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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 there 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 aunicom.
According to the legend, anyone attempting to catch a unicorn had 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. Hopefully, the creature could then be captured when its
horn was stuck in the tree.
When hollowed out and used as a drinking-cup, the unicorn's 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 unicom's horn. Right 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 medicina
l value,so much so that it could be sold for more than ten times the price of the same weight of gold.
What, then, 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 first 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 protection
C. hiding quickly behind the unicorn
D. having quickly behind the unicorn
3. The last paragraph is mainly about __________.
A. the properties of the unicorn horn
B. the users of the unicorn horn
C. the price of the unicorn horn
D. the comparison between the unicom horn and the thino horn
4. In the last paragraph, the word " unicom" is in quotation marks(引号) because________.
A. the cup is designed only for a royal family
B. the unicorn does not exist in reality
C. the unicorn is the rarest animal in the world
D. the medicinal value of the horn is appreciated
