题文
Many years ago，a French naturalist，the Count de Buffon，wrote some books about natural history．The books were a great success even though some critics did not like them．Some critics said，“Count Buffon is more of a poet than a scientist．”Thomas Jefferson did not like what the Count had said about the natural wonders of the New World．It seemed to Jefferson that the Count had spoken of natural wonders in America as if they were unimportant．
This troubled Thomas Jefferson．He too was a naturalist，as well as a farmer，inventor，historian，writer and politician．He had seen the natural wonders of Europe．To him，they were no more important than those of the New World．
In 1788，Thomas Jefferson wrote about his home state，Virginia．While writing，he thought of its natural beauty and then of the words of the Count de Buffon．At that moment．Jefferson created a new word—belittle．He said．“The Count de Buffon believes that nature belittles her productions on this side of the Atlantic．”
Noah Webster，the American word expert，liked this word．He put it in this English language dictionary in 1806，“Belittle—to make small，unimportant．”
Americans had already accepted Jefferson’s word and started to use it．In 1797，the Independent Chronicle newspaper used the word to describe a politician the paper supported．“He is an honorable man，”the paper wrote，“so let the opposition try to belittle him as much as they please．”
In 1872，a famous American word expert decided that the time had come to kill this word．He said，“Belittle has no chance of becoming English．And as more critical writers of America，like those of Britain，feel no need of it，the sooner it is forgotten，the better．”
This expert failed to kill the word．Today．belittle is used where the English language is spoken．
小题1:Why did Thomas Jefferson disagree with the Count de Buffon?A．The Count said something silly about the Atlantic．B．The Count wasn’t a true scientist in natural history．C．The Count was a poet from a different country．D．The Count belittled the natural wonders in America．小题2:We can infer that Jefferson created the word“belittle”out of his ．A．angerB．excitementC．kindnessD．responsibility小题3:From the text we can know that ．A．all critics thought little of the Count de BuffonB．Europe has better wonders than the New WorldC．the word“belittle”survived from disagreementsD．word experts can change the future of a new word小题4:Which of the following is true of the word“belittle”?A．It is gradually accepted by people．B．It was invented by the Count de Buffon．C．It was used to describe nature．D．The Independent Chronicle made it popular．小题5:What is the main idea of the text?A．How the word“belittle”came into being． B．The argument about natural wonders．C．Every word has a long history behind．D．Noah Webster supported Jefferson’s idea． 题型：未知 难度：其他题型
答案
小题1:D
小题2:A
小题3:C
小题4:A
小题5:A
解析
今天的单词是"belittle"，它是由美国第三任总统托马斯·杰斐逊首次提出并使用。
小题1:D 细节理解题。根据第二段提到Thomas Jefferson did not like what the Count had said about the natural wonders of the New World．It seemed to Jefferson that the Count had spoken of natural wonders in America as if they were unimportant．杰斐逊不喜欢the Count(伯爵)对新大陆自然奇观的说法。在他看来，伯爵对美洲自然奇观的描述脱离了他一贯的方式，似乎它们无足轻重，故选D项。
小题2:A 细节理解题。根据第四段提到In 1788，Thomas Jefferson wrote about his home state，Virginia．While writing，he thought of its natural beauty and then of the words of the Count de Buffon．At that moment．Jefferson created a new word—belittle．He said．“The Count de Buffon believes that nature belittles her productions on this side of the Atlantic．可知出于愤怒，故选A项。
小题3:C 细节推断题。根据最后一段提到This expert failed to kill the word. Today, belittle is used not only in the United States and England, but in other countries where the English language is spoken. It seems that efforts to belittle the word did not stop people from using it. 这位专家失败了。今天不仅美国和英国，说英语的其他国家也一直在使用belittle这个词。看来想要人们忽视这个词所做的努力都白费了故选C项。
小题4:A 细节理解题。根据倒数第三段提到Americans had already accepted Jefferson’s word and started to use it．可知人们接受这个单词，故选A项。
小题5:A 主旨大意。本文讲述belittle是由美国总统托马斯·杰斐逊首次提出并使用，故选A项。
考点
据考高分专家说，试题“Many years ago，a Fre.....”主要考查你对 [政治经济类阅读 ]考点的理解。政治经济类阅读
政治经济类文章的概念：
要做好这类阅读，平时就要注意了解国内外发生的政治经济大事，掌握一定背景知识，对这类文章的叙述特点及内容安排有一定了解，还要扩展这方面的词汇。阅读这类文章，要抓住文章的核心，即文章整体和各段主要在说什么，也要注意段落之间的逻辑关系。
如何备考政治经济类阅读理解题：
【题型说明】政治经济类阅读文章是高考常选材料之一。该类文章时代气息浓郁，语言鲜活，但熟字新义词、超纲词及专业词语多，长句、难句多。政治类文章大多数是同学们感性趣的内容，读起来倒有似曾相识的感觉，经济类文章读起来就像是雾里看花，文章看完，一头雾水。再加之这类文章的命题侧重于词义猜测、推理判断和文章主旨，同学们对这类题材是望而生畏。
【备考策略】建立心理优势。针对不同体裁的文章，我们要采取相应的阅读方法和技巧。政治类文章多采用记叙文形式，我们可采取“顺读法”，以便抓关键语句，领会文章主旨；而经济类文章则多采用说明文形式，我们则可以采取“逆读法”，先读试题，再从文章中查找有用信息。若遇到的确难读的材料。千万不用着急，因为你觉得难，其他人也一定是同感。在高考前，我们就要有这种心理准备，高考试卷肯定有一、两篇难以阅读的材料。不过，我们平时可以有意识地从报刊杂志上找一些较难的阅读材料来阅读，以培养自己迎难而上的心理素质。
【答题方法】
1、寻找主干：
根据英语中五种基本句型结构，把句子中的主语、谓语、宾语、表语等主要成分找出来，其他成分如定语、状语、补语等则易于理解。找到了句子主干，句子的意思至少明白了一半。
2、剔除从句：
在一个长句中可能会出现若干个从句，在理解时，如果把各个从句剔除出来单独理解，然后把大意拼凑起来，整个长句的意思就会明白六、七分。
3、辨别分句：
一个长句如果是由几个并列、转折、递进、对比关系的分句组成，句中往往有表示这些分句关系的连接词，只要能弄清楚分句和分句之间的逻辑关系，再把各层分句的意思加以连贯，整个长句的句意基本上能跃然脑中。
4、寻找关键词：
如果一个句子看完，一点句意的感觉也没有，下下策就是抓住句中的关键词，通过关键词大体弄懂这个长句的意思。
