To us it seems so natural to put up an umbrella to keep the water off when it rains. But actually the umbrella was not invented

admin2011-04-26  30

问题     To us 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, as early as the eleventh century B. C.
    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 honour 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 Ages, the use of the umbrella practically disappeared. Then it appeared a gain 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 in weight. It wasn’ t until the twentieth century that women’ s umbrellas began to be made, in a whole variety of colours.
A strange feature of the umbrella’ s use is that it was used as ______.

选项 A、protection against rain
B、a shade against the sun
C、a symbol of honour and power
D、a way of women’ s decoration

答案C

解析 文章第三段和第五段分别指出,雨伞曾经是荣耀、权威和权势的象征,这在今天看来是很奇怪的。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/IAqC777K
本试题收录于: 英语题库成考专升本分类
0

最新回复(0)