首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
In an article some Chinese scholars are described as being "tantalized by the mysterious dragon bone hieroglyphics." Tantalized
In an article some Chinese scholars are described as being "tantalized by the mysterious dragon bone hieroglyphics." Tantalized
admin
2010-01-16
49
问题
In an article some Chinese scholars are described as being "tantalized by the mysterious dragon bone hieroglyphics." Tantalized is one of many English words that have their origins in myths and legends of the past (in this case, Greek and Roman ones). The meaning of the verb tantalize is a very particular one : "to promise or show something desirable to a person and then take it away; to tease by arousing hope." Many (but not all) English dictionaries give you a brief indication of a word’s origins in brackets before or after the explanation of the meaning. For tantalize the following explanation is given: [>Tantalus]. This means that you should look up the name Tantalus to find out the word’s origins, and if you do, you will find out that in Greek mythology, Tantalus was a king who was punished in the lower world with eternal hunger and thirst; he was put up to his chin in water that always moved away when he tried to drink it and with fruit on branches above him placed just a little bit out of his reach. Can you see why his name was changed into a verb meaning "to tease or torment by arousing desire"?
Another example is the word siren, familiar to us as the mechanical device that makes such an alarming sound when police cars, ambulances, or fire engines approach. This word also has its origins in Greek mythology. The traveler Odysseus (Ulysses to the Romans) made his men plug their ears so that they wouldn’t hear the dangerous voices of the sirens, creatures who were half bird and half woman and who lured sailors to their deaths on sharp rocks. So the word came to be associated both with a loud sound and with danger!
When someone speaks of a "jovial mood" or a "herculean effort," he or she is using words with origins in mythology. Look these words up to find their meaning and relationship to myths.
Many common words, such as the names for the days of the week and the months of the year, also come from mythology. Wednesday derives from the ancient Norse king of the gods, Woden, and Thursday was originally Thor’s day, in honour of Thor, the god of thunder. As a matter of fact, all the planets, except the one we live on, bear names that come from Roman mythology, including the planet that is farthest away from the sun and for that reason was called after the Roman god of the dead. This god has also given his name to one of the chemical elements. Several other elements have names that come from mythology, too.
It seems that myths and legends live on in the English language.
选项
A、to describe the work of some Chinese scholars
B、to arouse readers’ interest in hieroglyphics
C、to lead readers onto the main theme
D、to link the preceding part to the present one
答案
C
解析
语篇结构题。第一段的首句和第二句中都出现了tantalize一词,第二句之后所有内容都围绕tantalize进行解释分析,可见首句是个引文。自然过渡到对tantalize的分析,引出词源这个话题,这是英文最常见的开篇方式之一,故[C]为正确答案。全文只有首句提到“中国学者”,本文主旨与中国学者无关,排除[A]。引文的目的之一就是引起读者的注意,但这里是要引起读者对词源的关注,而非象形文字,排除[B]。首句之前没有内容,因此谈不上承上,排除[D]。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/Y3nK777K
0
专业英语四级
相关试题推荐
SuggestopediaIntroduction•basis:how【T1】________worksandhowwelearnmosteffectively•ori
A、Shedoesnotunderstandmathpuns.B、Itisnotfunny.C、Shefeelsawkwardtotellherfeeling.D、Itishumorous.D
PASSAGETHREEWhatdoes"suchhistoricalliberties"refertoaccordingtothecontext(Para.1)?
TheCloningTechnologyI.Thedifferencebetweena【T1】________colonyandcloningamammalA.Clarifytheillusion:scientis
CommunicatingwithStrangersI.Theconceptofthestrangerandthedefinitionofstrangeness:A.Strangenessandfamiliarity
A、Sanskrit.B、Indian.C、Chinese.D、Japanese.A细节题。关于与欧洲语言相似的语言,受访者说道:TherearesignificantsimilaritiesamongmanyEuropeanlang
FiveVirtuesofStyleI.Correctness—Followcorrectusageofwords,grammarand【T1】______rules—Reasons
Themoon,beingmuchnearertotheEarththantheSun,isthe______causeofthetides.
ACross-culturalPhenomenonThereappearstobeagreatvariationastothetreatmentthatolderadultsreceive,rangingf
随机试题
以mRNA5’UGGUUCCC序列为模板指导能合成的二肽是(GGU甘氨酸,CCC脯氨酸,UCC丝氨酸,UGG色氨酸,GUU缬氨酸,UUC苯丙氨酸,UUG亮氨酸)
口唇检查时颜色发绀见于
在温度对荧光分析的影响中,说法正确的是
25岁,未婚,妇科检查发现右侧附件区4cm囊性包块,活动好。血清CAl2520U/ml,B型超声为单房囊性肿物,此例最可能的诊断是
成套开关设备应按下列()使用环境条件校验。
甲公司2010年8月份发生如下经济业务:8月31日,按月计提8月1日借人短期借款的利息。要求:编制相关会计分录。
甲欲出卖自家的房屋,但其房屋现已出租给张某,租赁期还剩余1年。甲将此事告知张某,张某明确表示,以目前的房价自己无力购买。甲的同事乙听说后,提出购买,并与甲一起到房屋登记机关验证房屋确实登记在甲的名下,且所有权人一栏中只有甲的名字,双方签订房屋买卖合同,约
()是指房地产投资中与时间和时机选择因素相关的风险。
张先生于2011年9月25日与济南A旅行社,签订了10月1日~7日国庆“黄金周’:期间“云南昆明大理双飞七日游”旅游合同。其中合同约定在石林、昆明、丽江、大理各进一个旅游纪念品购物店。合同签订后张先生当日向旅行社交付了全额团款。9月29日张先生给A旅行社打
我会见一些国家的领导人时,他们感慨地说,中国这么大的国家怎么治理呢?的确,中国有13亿人口,治理不易,光是把情况了解清楚就不易。【T1】我常说:了解中国是要花一番工夫的,只看一两个地方是不够的。中国有960万平方公里,56个民族,13亿人口,了解中国要切忌
最新回复
(
0
)