1 The house style that dominated American housing during the 1880s and 1890s was known as Queen Anne, a curious name for an American style. The name was, in fact, a historical accident, originating with fashionable architects in Victorian England who coined it with apparently no reason other than its pleasing sound. The Queen Anne style was loosely based on medieval structures built long before 1702, the beginning year of Queen Anne's reign. 2 A distinctive characteristic found in most Queen Anne houses is the unusual roof shape-- a steeply pitched, hipped central portion with protruding lower front and side extensions that end in gables. It is often possible to spot these distinctive roof forms from several blocks away. Another feature of this style is the detailing, shown in the wood shingle siding cut into fanciful decorative patterns of scallops, curves, diamonds, or triangles. Queen Anne houses are almost always asymmetrical. If you draw an imaginary line down the middle of one, you will see how drastically different the right and left sides are, all the way from ground level to roof peak. A final characteristic is the inviting wraparound porch that includes the front door area and then extends around to either the right or left side of the house. 3 Queen Anne houses faded from fashion early in the twentieth century as the public's taste shifted toward the more modern Prairie and Craftsman style houses. Today, however, Queen Anne houses are favorite symbols of the past, painstakingly and lovingly restored by old-house buffs and reproduced by builders who give faithful attention to the distinctive shapes and detailing that were first popularized more than one hundred years ago.
单选题
Why does the author use the word curious in describing the name of an American style?
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】The name is curious because it did not originate in America. Clues: The name was, in fact, a historical accident, originating with fashionable architects in Victorian England who coined it
单选题
The word asymmetrical in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】Asymmetrical means unbalanced in this context. Clues: ... how drastically different the right and left sides are
单选题
Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a characteristic feature of Queen Anne houses?
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】The passage does not mention decorative windows as a characteristic of Queen Anne houses. All the other answers are mentioned: ... the wood shingle siding...; ... the inviting wraparound porch...; ... the unusual roof shape--a steeply pitched....
单选题
Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 2?
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】You can infer that the Queen Anne style was elaborate and ornate. Clues: ... unusual roof shape...; ... the detailing, shown in the wood shingle siding cut into fanciful decorative patterns of scallops, curves, diamonds, or triangles.
单选题
According to the passage, why did Queen Anne houses go out of style?
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】Clues: Queen Anne houses faded from fashion early in the twentieth century as the public 's taste shifted toward the more modern Prairie and Craftsman style houses.
单选题
The word buffs in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】Buffs means experts in this context. Clues: ...painstakingly and lovingly restored...; ... reproduced by builders who give faithful attention to the distinctive shapes and detailing