单选题
To use it seems so natural to put up an umbrella to keep
the water off when it rains. But actually the umbrella was not invented as
protection against rain. Its first use was as a shade against the sun!
Nobody knows who first invented it, but the umbrella was used in very
ancient times. Probably the first to use it were the Chinese, way back in the
eleventh century. We know that the umbrella was used in ancient
Egypt and Babylon as a sunshade. And there was a strange thing connected with
its use: it became a symbol of honor and authority. In the Far East in ancient
times, the umbrella was allowed to be used only by royalty or by those in high
office. In Europe, the Greeks were the first to use the
umbrella as a sunshade. And the umbrella was in common use in ancient Greece.
But it is believed that the first persons in Europe to use the umbrella as
protection against the rain were the ancient Romans. During the
Middle Age, the use of the umbrella practically disappeared. Then it appeared
again in Italy in the late sixteenth century. And again it was considered a
symbol of power and authority. By 1680, the umbrella appeared in France, and
later on in England. By the eighteenth century, the umbrella
was used against rain throughout most of Europe. Umbrellas have not changed much
in style during all this time, though they have become much lighter. It wasn't
until the twentieth century that women's umbrellas began to be made, in a whole
variety of colors.
单选题
According to this passage, the umbrella was probably first invented
______.
A. in ancient China
B. in ancient Egypt
C. in ancient Greece
D. in ancient Rome
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】
单选题
Which of the following statements is not true about the umbrella?
A. No one exactly knows who the inventor of the umbrella was.
B. The umbrella was first invented to be used as protection against the
sun.
C. The umbrella changed much in the eighteenth century.
D. In Europe, the Greeks were the first to use the umbrella.
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】
单选题
A strange feature of the umbrella's use is that it was used as ______.
A. protection against rain
B. a shade against the sun
C. a symbol of honor and power
D. women's decoration
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】
单选题
In Europe, the umbrella was first used against the rain ______.