记叙文阅读（2）-专项训练卷 湖北技能高考《英语考纲百套卷》第72卷（原卷版+解析版）

编写说明：湖北省技能高考《英语考纲百套卷》，依据《2026年湖北省普通高等学校招收中等职业学校毕业生技能高考文化综合考试大纲》编写。本套试卷共100份：第一部分是按照考试大纲编写的35份知识点训练卷。第二部分是词汇、语法、情景交际、阅读等50份专项训练卷。第三部分是按照考试大纲编写的15份综合模拟卷。 本试卷是湖北省技能高考《英语考纲百套卷》的第72卷，是知识点训练卷。 湖北省技能高考《英语考纲百套卷》 第72卷 专项训练卷·阅读（2） 考试时间：40分钟 满分：40分 班级 姓名 学号 成绩 1、 阅读题（阅读下面的短文，短文后面有五个小题，从每小题所给的四个选项中，选出一个最佳选项。未选、错选或多选均不得分。共20小题，每小题2分，满分40分。） Passage 1 Like many high school graduates, Maggie Doyne didn’t go straight to college. She decided to travel and arrived in western Nepal in 2006. A war had just ended there and left many children living on the streets. They were often forced to work at hard physical jobs for little money. One day, while walking down a country road, Doyne saw a little girl breaking up rocks. She soon learned that 7-year-old Hima sold the rocks to support her family. With deep sadness, she decided to pay Hima’s tuition for school. Encouraged by the changes in the child, Doyne thought, "If we can help one child, why not ten?" Doyne felt that the street children’s greatest need was a home. She found a piece of land for sale and bought it with $5,000 she saved from years of babysitting(当临时保姆) . In 2008 the Kopila Valley Chilren’s Home was set up. With the help from the community, another goal was reached in 2010—the Kopila Valley School. Over 350 children now attend the school and over 50 live in the home. Today, Doyne lives in the home and is "mum" to the kids. 1．When did Maggie Doyne travel to western Nepal? A．In 2006. B．In 2007. C．In 2008. D．In 2010. 2．What does the underlined word "tuition" mean in Chinese? A．餐费 B．薪资 C．路费 D．学费 3．Why did Hima break up the rocks? A．To do physical exercise. B．To build a new school. C．To get money for her family. D．To repair the country road. 4．What can we learn from Paragraph 3? A．The street children once worked as babysitters. B．Doyne got some support from the community. C．Doyne borrowed much money from the government. D．Over 5,000 children attend the Kopila Valley School. 5．Which of the following might be the best title for the text? A．Maggie Doyne—A Lonely Traveller B．War in Western Nepal C．Maggie Doyne—Mum to More Than 50 kids D．A Girl Lived on Her Own 【答案】1．A 2．D 3．C 4．B 5．C 【导语】本文是记叙文。本文讲述了玛吉·多伊恩对尼泊尔西部流浪儿童的帮助，体现了她的爱心和奉献精神。 【解析】1．细节理解题。根据第一段“She decided to travel and arrived in western Nepal in 2006. (她决定去旅行，并于2006年抵达尼泊尔西部。)”可知，玛吉·多伊恩在2006年去尼泊尔西部。故选A。 2．词句猜测题。根据第二段“She soon learned that 7-year-old Hima sold the rocks to support her family. (她很快得知7岁的希玛卖石头是为了养家糊口。)”和后面的“pay ... for (支付)”可知，玛吉·多伊恩给希玛支付上学费用，故tuition是学费的意思。故选D。 3．细节理解题。根据第二段“She soon learned that 7-year-old Hima sold the rocks to support her family. (她很快得知7岁的希玛卖石头是为了养家糊口。)”可知，希玛卖石头是为了养家糊口。故选C。 4．推理判断题。根据第三段“With the help from the community, another goal was reached in 2010—the Kopila Valley School.(在社区的帮助下，2010年实现了另一个目标——科皮拉谷学校。)”可知，多伊恩得到了社区的一些支持。故选B。 5．主旨大意题。文章主要讲述了玛吉·多伊恩在尼泊尔西部帮助流浪儿童，建立儿童之家和学校，根据最后一段“Over 350 children now attend the school and over 50 live in the home. (现在有350多名儿童就读于这所学校，其中50多人住在家里。)”可知，文章最佳标题是“玛吉·多伊恩——50多个孩子的母亲”。故选C。 Passage 2 A friend of mine named Paul received an expensive car from his brother as a Christmas present. On Christmas Eve, when Paul came out of his office, a street urchin (顽童) was walking around the shining car. “Is this your car, sir? ”he asked. Paul answered, “Yes, my brother gave it to me for Christmas.” The boy was surprised. “You mean your brother gave it to you and it did cost you nothing? Sir, I wish ...” He hesitated (犹豫). Paul thought of course he knew what the boy wanted, but what the boy said surprised him greatly. “I wish,” the boy went on, “that I could be a brother like that.” Paul looked at the boy in surprise, and then he said again, “Would you like to take a ride in my car?” “Oh yes, I’d love to.” the boy answered. After a short ride, the boy turned and with his eyes shining, said, “Sir, would you mind driving in front of my house?” Paul smiled a little. He thought he knew what the boy wanted. He wanted to show his neighbors that he could ride home in a big car. But Paul was wrong again. “Will you stop where those two steps are?” the boy asked. He ran up to the steps. Then in a short while Paul heard him coming back, but he was not coming fast. He was carrying his little crippled (残疾的) brother. He sat down on the step and pointed to the car. “There he is, Buddy, just like I told you upstairs. His brother gave it to him for Christmas and it didn’t cost him a cent. And some day I’m going to give you one just like it, then you can see for yourself all the nice things in the Christmas windows that I’ve been trying to tell you about.” Paul got out and lifted the boy to the front seat of his car. The shining-eyed elder brother climbed in beside him and the three began an unforgettable holiday ride. 6．The street urchin was very surprised when ________. A．he met Paul B．Paul told him about the car C．Paul received an expensive car D．he was walking around the car 7．From the story we can see the urchin ________. A．wished to give his brother a car B．wanted Paul’s brother to give him a car C．wished he could have a brother like Paul’s D．wished Paul could be a brother like that 8．The urchin asked Paul to stop his car in front of his house ________. A．to show he had a rich friend B．to show his neighbors the big car C．to let his brother ride in the car D．to tell his brother about his wish 9．We can find from the story that ________. A．the urchin wished Paul to give his car to Buddy B．the urchin wished to have a rich brother C．the urchin had a deep love for his brother D．the urchin’s wish came true in the end 10．The best title for the story is “________”. A．Christmas Present B．Paul, a Kind-hearted Person C．A Brother like That D．An Unforgettable Holiday Ride 【答案】6．B 7．A 8．D 9．C 10．C 【导语】本文是一篇记叙文。文章讲述了保罗从哥哥那里收到了一辆汽车作为生日礼物，街上一位顽童看了之后，要求保罗把车开到他家门前，然后，顽童把他残疾的弟弟抱出来，并告诉弟弟以后要给他一辆这样的车作为礼物。 【解析】6．细节理解题。根据第二段中“Paul answered, ‘Yes, my brother gave it to me for Christmas.’ The boy was surprised. (保罗回答说：‘是的，是我哥哥送给我的圣诞礼物。’男孩很惊讶。)”可知，当保罗告诉那个街头顽童这辆车是他的哥哥送给他的圣诞礼物时，顽童感到很惊讶。故选B。 7．细节理解题。根据第二段中“my brother gave it to me for Christmas (这是我哥哥送给我的圣诞礼物)”和“‘I wish,’ the boy went on, ‘that I could be a brother like that.’ (‘我希望，’男孩继续说，‘我也能成为那样的哥哥。’)”及倒数第二段中“And some day I’m going to give you one just like it (总有一天我会给你一辆这样的车)”可知，顽童希望自己能像保罗的哥哥一样，将来有一天可以给自己的弟弟一辆这样的车。故选A。 8．细节理解题。根据倒数第二段中“There he is, Buddy, just like I told you upstairs. His brother gave it to him for Christmas and it didn’t cost him a cent. And some day I’m going to give you one just like it (他在这儿，巴迪，就像我在楼上跟你说的那样。这是他哥哥送给他的圣诞礼物，他一分钱也没花。总有一天我会给你一辆这样的车)”可知，这个顽童让保罗把车开到他家前面，是为了让他残疾的弟弟看看，并告诉他的弟弟有一天他也会给他的弟弟一辆这样的车，这是顽童的愿望。故选D。 9．推理判断题。根据倒数第二段中“And some day I’m going to give you one just like it, then you can see for yourself all the nice things in the Christmas windows that I’ve been trying to tell you about. (总有一天我会给你一辆这样的车，那时你就能亲眼看到我告诉过你的那些圣诞橱窗里的好东西了。)”及文章叙述的整个故事可知，这个顽童对他的弟弟有着深深的爱，他希望有一天能给他的弟弟一辆汽车，好让他能看到圣诞节时橱窗里美丽的东西。故选C。 10．主旨大意题。通读全文可知，这个故事告诉我们那个顽童并不羡慕保罗有那样的一辆汽车，他想做一个能给自己的弟弟一辆汽车的哥哥，就像保罗的哥哥一样，故C选项“A Brother like That (像那样的哥哥)”的意思更能贴合这个故事的主题，作为文章标题最合适。故选C。 Passage 3 Martina’s Grandpa Peter lived with the family after Grandma’s death. One day, Mom Susan decided to do the spring cleaning. They cleaned the house until everything was clean. Then Mom pointed to Grandpa’s sofa and said, “That old sofa has got to go. We’ll buy Grandpa a new one. ” But as they moved the sofa, Grandpa stopped them and shouted, “You can’t take my sofa! I don’t want a new one. ” Mom had to say, “We will talk about it tonight when John gets home. ” John, Martina’s dad, was still at work. “Grandpa, why don’t you let us take away the sofa? ” Martina asked at supper. Grandpa shook his head, “I sat in this sofa, with your grandma, when I asked her to marry me. It was so long ago, but when I sit in this sofa and close my eyes, she seems to be near. ” “It’s surprising! ” Martina thought, “How Grandpa can remember things from the past. These days he forgets almost everything. ” Grandpa smiled to Martina, “The night your father was born, I sat in this sofa. I was nervous when they placed the little baby into my arms. ” “Many years later, ” Grandpa continued, “I sat in this sofa when the doctor told me your grandma was ill. I was lost without her, but the sofa gave me the comfort. ” “I do see now. ” Martina looked at Grandpa. “This is not just an old sofa. It is more like a friend. ” “Yes. ” Grandpa added, “We’ve got through a lot together. ” The whole family agreed that the house would be boring without the old sofa. 11．What was Grandpa like these days? A．Forgetful. B．Impatient. C．Angry. D．Careless. 12．Who does the underlined phrase “the little baby” in Paragraph 6 refer to (指的是) ? A．Martina. B．John. C．Susan. D．Peter. 13．According to the passage, what important things did Grandpa experience sitting in the old sofa? ①Grandma’s death     ②holding the little baby for the first time ③asking Grandma to marry him     ④hearing the news that Grandma was ill A．①②③ B．①②④ C．②③④ D．①③④ 14．We can infer (推断) that the family were probably _________ at the end of the story. A．surprised B．bored C．moved D．nervous 15．What’s the best title for this passage? A．Martina’s Wish B．A Spring Cleaning C．A Happy Family D．Grandpa’s Old Sofa 【答案】11．A 12．B 13．C 14．C 15．D 【导语】这是一篇记叙文。文章讲述了玛蒂娜的爷爷彼得因为不同意家人扔掉旧沙发，他讲述与旧沙发的往事，从而感动家人的故事。 【解析】11．细节理解题。根据第五段“These days he forgets almost everything. (这些天他几乎什么都忘了。)”可知，这些天祖父是健忘的。故选A。 12．词句猜测题。根据第六段“The night your father was born (你父亲出生的那天晚上)”及第三段“John, Martina’s dad, was still at work. (玛蒂娜的爸爸约翰还在上班。)”可知，划线单词 the little baby指代的是玛蒂娜的爸爸约翰。故选B。 13．细节理解题。根据第四段“I sat in this sofa, with your grandma, when I asked her to marry me. (当我向你奶奶求婚的时候，我和她坐在这张沙发上。)”、第六段“The night your father was born, I sat in this sofa. (你父亲出生的那天晚上，我坐在这张沙发上。)”及第七段“I sat in this sofa when the doctor told me your grandma was ill. (当医生告诉我你奶奶病了的时候，我坐在这张沙发上。)”可知，爷爷坐在旧沙发上经历的重要的事情是第一次抱着小婴儿、向奶奶求婚及听到奶奶生病的消息这三件事。故选C。 14．推理判断题。根据第九段“The whole family agreed that the house would be boring without the old sofa. (全家人都认为家里没有旧沙发会很无聊。)”推断出，家人们都被关于旧沙发的故事感动了。故选C。 15．主旨大意题。根据第一段“Then Mom pointed to Grandpa’s sofa and said, “That old sofa has got to go. We’ll buy Grandpa a new one. ” (然后妈妈指着爷爷的沙发说：“那个旧沙发必须扔掉。我们会给爷爷买一个新的。”)”及最后一段“The whole family agreed that the house would be boring without the old sofa. (全家人都认为家里没有旧沙发会很无聊。)”可知，全文是围绕家人们在商量如何处理爷爷的旧沙发时，爷爷讲述与旧沙发的往事从而感动家人的故事，D项“爷爷的旧沙发”符合题意。故选D。 Passage 4 “Colour” and “color”, “favourite” and “favorite”, “honour” and “honor”… Have you ever wondered why Americans spell those words without a “u”? Is it because they are lazy? Of course not. In fact, the difference in spelling was started by Noah Webster (1758-1843). He was a teacher who reformed (改革) English to make American identity (特征) stronger. Linguists (语言学家) celebrate his birthday on October 16 every year.   After the Revolutionary War (1775-1783), Webster believed that Americans should have their own dictionary, rather than rely on British dictionaries. He dropped the British “u” in some words. And he changed “centre” into “center” for children to learn English by spelling words more like what they sounded. He used “subway” instead of British word “underground”. Some other examples are “soccer” and “football”, “fall” and “autumn”.   Webster wasn’t shy about expressing his opinions. In defining (定义) preposterous (unreasonable), he wrote: “A republican government in the hands of female is preposterous.”   Webster spent 28 years on the project before completing the 70, 000-word dictionary with his American-style spelling in 1828. He also added local words.   His dictionary was widely used in schools. Linguists believed it helped a new country achieve unity (统一) and cultural independence at a time when most people cared about political freedom.   “He was the creator of our language and the creator of American identity,” said Joshua Kendall, who is working on a book about Webster. “He at last brought us together through our language.” 16．Why do Americans spell some words without a “u”? A．Because the Americans are very lazy. B．Because the American English developed when people used it. C．Because the American government reformed the spelling of words. D．Because a linguist named Noah Webster started the reform in spelling. 17．Which is NOT true about Webster’s dictionary? A．It has local words in it. B．It is a 70,000-word dictionary. C．All the words are spelled without “u”. D．Its words are in American-style spelling. 18．What does the underlined phrase “rely on” in Paragraph 2 mean? A．依赖 B．信任 C．容忍 D．放弃 19．What do people think of Webster’s dictionary? A．It is the only dictionary that Americans still use today. B．It helped to bring Americans together besides its cultural influence. C．It has no influence on the development of American English. D．It helped to make American English more useful than British English. 20．What’s the main idea of the passage? A．The development of the British English. B．American English is better than British English. C．Noah Webster added local words to the dictionary. D．Noah Webster wrote an American English dictionary and reformed English. 【答案】16．D 17．C 18．A 19．B 20．D 【导语】这篇文章的是记叙文。 内容主要讲述了诺亚・韦伯斯特发起英语拼写改革，他认为美国人应有自己的字典，于是在单词拼写和用词上做出改变，比如去掉一些单词中的u，用美式表达替换英式表达 。他花28年完成了包含7万个单词的美式拼写字典，还加入了本土词汇。语言学家认为该字典在当时有助于美国实现国家统一和文化独立，增强了美国的身份特征。 【解析】16．细节理解题。根据第一段“In fact, the difference in spelling was started by Noah Webster (1758-1843). He was a teacher who reformed (改革) English to make American identity (特征) stronger. (事实上，拼写上的差异是由诺亚·韦伯斯特（1758-1843）开始的。他是一位教师，对英语进行了改革，以增强美国身份的特征。)”可知，是因为一位名叫诺亚·韦伯斯特的语言学家开始了拼写改革。故选D。 17．推理判断题。根据第二段“He dropped the British “u” in some words. (他在一些单词中省略了英国英语中的u。)”可知，是有些单词中没有u，而不是所有的单词中都没有u。故选C 。 18．词句猜测题。根据第二段“Webster believed that Americans should have their own dictionary, rather than rely on British dictionaries. (韦伯斯特认为美国人应该有自己的词典，而不是依赖英国词典。)”可知，韦伯斯特认为美国人应该有自己的字典，而不是依赖于英国的字典。所以短语“rely on”指的是“依靠，依赖”。故选A。 19．细节理解题。根据第五段“His dictionary was widely used in schools. Linguists believed it helped a new country achieve unity (统一) and cultural independence at a time when most people cared about political freedom. (他的词典在学校被广泛使用。语言学家认为，在大多数人关心政治自由的时候，它帮助一个新国家实现了统一和文化独立。)”可知，语言学家认为，字典帮助一个新国家实现了统一和文化独立，有助于将美国人团结在一起。故选B。 20．主旨大意题。根据第一段“In fact, the difference in spelling was started by Noah Webster (1758-1843). He was a teacher who reformed (改革) English to make American identity (特征) stronger. (事实上，拼写上的差异是由诺亚·韦伯斯特（1758-1843）开始的。他是一位教师，对英语进行了改革，以增强美国身份的特征。)”以及整个文章的理解可知，文章主要讲述了诺亚・韦伯斯特编写美国英语字典并对英语进行改革的事情。故选D。 原创精品资源学科网独家享有版权，侵权必究！ 学科网（北京）股份有限公司 学科网（北京）股份有限公司 $$ 编写说明：湖北省技能高考《英语考纲百套卷》，依据《2026年湖北省普通高等学校招收中等职业学校毕业生技能高考文化综合考试大纲》编写。本套试卷共100份：第一部分是按照考试大纲编写的35份知识点训练卷。第二部分是词汇、语法、情景交际、阅读等50份专项训练卷。第三部分是按照考试大纲编写的15份综合模拟卷。 本试卷是湖北省技能高考《英语考纲百套卷》的第72卷，是知识点训练卷。 湖北省技能高考《英语考纲百套卷》 第72卷 专项训练卷·阅读（2） 考试时间：40分钟 满分：40分 班级 姓名 学号 成绩 1、 阅读题（阅读下面的短文，短文后面有五个小题，从每小题所给的四个选项中，选出一个最佳选项。未选、错选或多选均不得分。共20小题，每小题2分，满分40分。） Passage 1 Like many high school graduates, Maggie Doyne didn’t go straight to college. She decided to travel and arrived in western Nepal in 2006. A war had just ended there and left many children living on the streets. They were often forced to work at hard physical jobs for little money. One day, while walking down a country road, Doyne saw a little girl breaking up rocks. She soon learned that 7-year-old Hima sold the rocks to support her family. With deep sadness, she decided to pay Hima’s tuition for school. Encouraged by the changes in the child, Doyne thought, "If we can help one child, why not ten?" Doyne felt that the street children’s greatest need was a home. She found a piece of land for sale and bought it with $5,000 she saved from years of babysitting(当临时保姆) . In 2008 the Kopila Valley Chilren’s Home was set up. With the help from the community, another goal was reached in 2010—the Kopila Valley School. Over 350 children now attend the school and over 50 live in the home. Today, Doyne lives in the home and is "mum" to the kids. 1．When did Maggie Doyne travel to western Nepal? A．In 2006. B．In 2007. C．In 2008. D．In 2010. 2．What does the underlined word "tuition" mean in Chinese? A．餐费 B．薪资 C．路费 D．学费 3．Why did Hima break up the rocks? A．To do physical exercise. B．To build a new school. C．To get money for her family. D．To repair the country road. 4．What can we learn from Paragraph 3? A．The street children once worked as babysitters. B．Doyne got some support from the community. C．Doyne borrowed much money from the government. D．Over 5,000 children attend the Kopila Valley School. 5．Which of the following might be the best title for the text? A．Maggie Doyne—A Lonely Traveller B．War in Western Nepal C．Maggie Doyne—Mum to More Than 50 kids D．A Girl Lived on Her Own Passage 2 A friend of mine named Paul received an expensive car from his brother as a Christmas present. On Christmas Eve, when Paul came out of his office, a street urchin (顽童) was walking around the shining car. “Is this your car, sir? ”he asked. Paul answered, “Yes, my brother gave it to me for Christmas.” The boy was surprised. “You mean your brother gave it to you and it did cost you nothing? Sir, I wish ...” He hesitated (犹豫). Paul thought of course he knew what the boy wanted, but what the boy said surprised him greatly. “I wish,” the boy went on, “that I could be a brother like that.” Paul looked at the boy in surprise, and then he said again, “Would you like to take a ride in my car?” “Oh yes, I’d love to.” the boy answered. After a short ride, the boy turned and with his eyes shining, said, “Sir, would you mind driving in front of my house?” Paul smiled a little. He thought he knew what the boy wanted. He wanted to show his neighbors that he could ride home in a big car. But Paul was wrong again. “Will you stop where those two steps are?” the boy asked. He ran up to the steps. Then in a short while Paul heard him coming back, but he was not coming fast. He was carrying his little crippled (残疾的) brother. He sat down on the step and pointed to the car. “There he is, Buddy, just like I told you upstairs. His brother gave it to him for Christmas and it didn’t cost him a cent. And some day I’m going to give you one just like it, then you can see for yourself all the nice things in the Christmas windows that I’ve been trying to tell you about.” Paul got out and lifted the boy to the front seat of his car. The shining-eyed elder brother climbed in beside him and the three began an unforgettable holiday ride. 6．The street urchin was very surprised when ________. A．he met Paul B．Paul told him about the car C．Paul received an expensive car D．he was walking around the car 7．From the story we can see the urchin ________. A．wished to give his brother a car B．wanted Paul’s brother to give him a car C．wished he could have a brother like Paul’s D．wished Paul could be a brother like that 8．The urchin asked Paul to stop his car in front of his house ________. A．to show he had a rich friend B．to show his neighbors the big car C．to let his brother ride in the car D．to tell his brother about his wish 9．We can find from the story that ________. A．the urchin wished Paul to give his car to Buddy B．the urchin wished to have a rich brother C．the urchin had a deep love for his brother D．the urchin’s wish came true in the end 10．The best title for the story is “________”. A．Christmas Present B．Paul, a Kind-hearted Person C．A Brother like That D．An Unforgettable Holiday Ride Passage 3 Martina’s Grandpa Peter lived with the family after Grandma’s death. One day, Mom Susan decided to do the spring cleaning. They cleaned the house until everything was clean. Then Mom pointed to Grandpa’s sofa and said, “That old sofa has got to go. We’ll buy Grandpa a new one. ” But as they moved the sofa, Grandpa stopped them and shouted, “You can’t take my sofa! I don’t want a new one. ” Mom had to say, “We will talk about it tonight when John gets home. ” John, Martina’s dad, was still at work. “Grandpa, why don’t you let us take away the sofa? ” Martina asked at supper. Grandpa shook his head, “I sat in this sofa, with your grandma, when I asked her to marry me. It was so long ago, but when I sit in this sofa and close my eyes, she seems to be near. ” “It’s surprising! ” Martina thought, “How Grandpa can remember things from the past. These days he forgets almost everything. ” Grandpa smiled to Martina, “The night your father was born, I sat in this sofa. I was nervous when they placed the little baby into my arms. ” “Many years later, ” Grandpa continued, “I sat in this sofa when the doctor told me your grandma was ill. I was lost without her, but the sofa gave me the comfort. ” “I do see now. ” Martina looked at Grandpa. “This is not just an old sofa. It is more like a friend. ” “Yes. ” Grandpa added, “We’ve got through a lot together. ” The whole family agreed that the house would be boring without the old sofa. 11．What was Grandpa like these days? A．Forgetful. B．Impatient. C．Angry. D．Careless. 12．Who does the underlined phrase “the little baby” in Paragraph 6 refer to (指的是) ? A．Martina. B．John. C．Susan. D．Peter. 13．According to the passage, what important things did Grandpa experience sitting in the old sofa? ①Grandma’s death     ②holding the little baby for the first time ③asking Grandma to marry him     ④hearing the news that Grandma was ill A．①②③ B．①②④ C．②③④ D．①③④ 14．We can infer (推断) that the family were probably _________ at the end of the story. A．surprised B．bored C．moved D．nervous 15．What’s the best title for this passage? A．Martina’s Wish B．A Spring Cleaning C．A Happy Family D．Grandpa’s Old Sofa Passage 4 “Colour” and “color”, “favourite” and “favorite”, “honour” and “honor”… Have you ever wondered why Americans spell those words without a “u”? Is it because they are lazy? Of course not. In fact, the difference in spelling was started by Noah Webster (1758-1843). He was a teacher who reformed (改革) English to make American identity (特征) stronger. Linguists (语言学家) celebrate his birthday on October 16 every year.   After the Revolutionary War (1775-1783), Webster believed that Americans should have their own dictionary, rather than rely on British dictionaries. He dropped the British “u” in some words. And he changed “centre” into “center” for children to learn English by spelling words more like what they sounded. He used “subway” instead of British word “underground”. Some other examples are “soccer” and “football”, “fall” and “autumn”.   Webster wasn’t shy about expressing his opinions. In defining (定义) preposterous (unreasonable), he wrote: “A republican government in the hands of female is preposterous.”   Webster spent 28 years on the project before completing the 70, 000-word dictionary with his American-style spelling in 1828. He also added local words.   His dictionary was widely used in schools. Linguists believed it helped a new country achieve unity (统一) and cultural independence at a time when most people cared about political freedom.   “He was the creator of our language and the creator of American identity,” said Joshua Kendall, who is working on a book about Webster. “He at last brought us together through our language.” 16．Why do Americans spell some words without a “u”? A．Because the Americans are very lazy. B．Because the American English developed when people used it. C．Because the American government reformed the spelling of words. D．Because a linguist named Noah Webster started the reform in spelling. 17．Which is NOT true about Webster’s dictionary? A．It has local words in it. B．It is a 70,000-word dictionary. C．All the words are spelled without “u”. D．Its words are in American-style spelling. 18．What does the underlined phrase “rely on” in Paragraph 2 mean? A．依赖 B．信任 C．容忍 D．放弃 19．What do people think of Webster’s dictionary? A．It is the only dictionary that Americans still use today. B．It helped to bring Americans together besides its cultural influence. C．It has no influence on the development of American English. D．It helped to make American English more useful than British English. 20．What’s the main idea of the passage? A．The development of the British English. B．American English is better than British English. C．Noah Webster added local words to the dictionary. D．Noah Webster wrote an American English dictionary and reformed English. 原创精品资源学科网独家享有版权，侵权必究！ 学科网（北京）股份有限公司 学科网（北京）股份有限公司 $$