阅读理解。
Usually, when your teacher asks a question, there is only one correct answer. But there is one question that
has millions of current answers. That question is"What's your name?" Everyone gives a different answer, but
everyone is correct.
Have you ever wondered about people's names? Where do they come from? What do they mean?
People's first names, or given names, are chosen by their parents. Sometimes the name of a grandparent or
other member of the family is used.
Some parents choose the name of a well-known person. A boy could be named George Washington Smith;
a girl could be named Helen Keller Jones. Some people give their children names that mean good things. Clara
means "bright"; Beatrice means"one who gives happiness"; Donald means"world ruler"; Leonard means"as
brave as a lion".
The earliest last names, or surnames, were taken from place names. A family with the name Brook or
Brooks probably lived near brook (小溪); someone who was called Longstreet probably lived on a long, paved
road. The Greenwood family lived in or near a leafy forest.
Other early surnames came from people's occupations (职业). The most common occupational name is
Smith, which means a person who makes things with iron or other metals. In the past, smiths were very
important workers in every town and village. Some other occupational names are: Carter-a person who owned
or drove a cart; Potter -a person who made pots and pans (罐和锅).
The ancestors (祖先) of the Baker family probably baked bread for their neighbors in their native village.
The Carpenter's great-great-great-grandfather probably built houses and furniture (家具).
Sometimes people were known for the color of their hair or skin, or their size, or their special abilities.
When there were two men who were named John in the same village, the John with the gray hair probably
became John Gray. Or the John was very tall could call himself John Tallman. John Fish was probably an
excellent swimmer and John Lightfoot was probably a fast runner or a good dancer.
Some family names were made by adding something to the father's name. English-speaking people
added -s or -son. The Johnsons are descendants of John; the Roberts family's ancestor was Robert. Irish and
Scottish
people added Mac or Mc or O. Perhaps all of the MacDonnells and the McDonnells and the O'Donnells are
descendants of the same Donnell.
1. Which of the following aspects do the surnames in the passage NOT include?
A. Places where people lived.
B. People's characters.
C. Talents that people owned.
D. People's occupations.
2. According to the passage, the ancestors of the Potter family most probably _______.
A. owned or drove a cart
B. made things with metals
C. made kitchen tools
D. built houses and furniture
3. Suppose an English couple whose ancestors lived near a leafy forest wanted their new-born son to
become a world leader, the baby might be named _______.
A. Beatrice Smith
B. Leonard Carter
C. George Longstreet
D. Donald Greenwood
4. The underlined word "descendants" in the last paragraph means a person's _____.
A. 后代
B. 亲朋好友
C. 同事同伴
D. 祖先
