Although English is not as old as Chinese, it is spoken by many people around the world every day. English speakers are always creating new words, and we should be able to know where most words come from.
Sometimes, however, no one may know really where a word comes from. Did you ever think about why hamburgers are called hamburgers, especially when they are not made with ham( 火腿 )? About a hundred years ago, some men went to America from Europe. They came from a big city in Germany called Hamburger. They didn’t speak good English, but they ate good food. When some Americans saw them eating round pieces of beef, they asked the Germans what it was. The Germans did not understand the question and answered. “We came from Hamburger.” One of these Americans owned a restaurant, and had an idea. He cooked some round pieces of beef like what the men from Hamburger ate. Then he put them between two pieces of bread and started selling them. Today “ hamburgers” are sold in many countries around the world.
Whether this story is true or not, it certainly is interesting. Knowing why any word has a certain meaning is interesting, too. The reason may be found in any large English dictionary.
小题1:According to the writer, English ______.
| A．is as old as Chinese | B．is not so old as Chinese |
| C．is older than German | D．is very difficult to learn |
小题2:According to the story,_______.
| A．few Americans like hamburgers |
| B．hamburgers are made with beef |
| C．hamburgers are made with ham |
| D．hamburgers were sold all over the world about a century ago |
小题3:According to the writer, which of the following can be found in any large English dictionary?
| A．Where all the new words come from |
| B．Where those Germans came from |
| C．The reason why any word has a certain meaning. |
| D．The reason why English is spoken around the world |
小题4:According to the story, the word “hamburger” comes from ________.
| A．China because it has a long history |
| B．England because Germans don’t speak good English |
| C．the round pieces of beef those people from Hamburger brought to America |
| D．English speakers because they always create new words |
