题文
In Europe, people hold the fork in the left hand and the knife in the right throughout the meal, a system that is generally agreed to be more efficient than the American zigzag（曲折的）method. Americans hold both the fork and the knife in their right hands throughout the meal, so they continually change their forks to the left hand when they have to cut their meat. It seems to be funny for the Europeans to see Americans busy changing their dinner sets, making a lot of noises.A few explanations for this American style are as follows:
(1) Americans are practical and efficient. Since most of us are right-handed, it is reasonable to keep our working tools at all times in the right hand that can use them most efficiently.
(2) Americans, the master of the New World are rebels（叛逆者）.They use the zigzag method to break the rules in the Old World and in this way they are thumbing their nose at Mother England. Americans are a restless kind. They do not like to sit in one spot for very long when dining.
(3) Forced to do so, they respond by “playing” with the silver.
Whatever the reason for the practice, it is now certainly as American as apple pie. Europeans recognize this and are quick to attack it as evidence of American innocence（无知）of form. Arguments against the zigzag method rest not only on grounds of efficiency but also on those of tradition. In Old World dining, the knife is held in the right hand continually because it can serve as an instant defense against the uninvited intruders（入侵者）.However, such alertness（警觉） is out of place in the New World, as every American believes that this is the home of the brave. Americans juggle their silverware, perhaps, to show that they are not afraid and that one of them holding a fork is worth any number of them holding blades（刀）.
小题1:Americans use _______ to hold their fork to pick up the salad.A．the right handB．the left hand C．both handsD．either of the two hands小题2:As the masters of the New World, Americans use a different cutting method from that in the Old World to _________________.A．show their independence of Mother EnglandB．show their disrespect to Mother EnglandC．add a new tradition to those in Mother EnglandD．show off their creativeness to Mother England小题3:In the last sentence, the word “juggle” probably means ____________.A．hold B．play withC．pick upD．lay down小题4:Also in the last sentence, the two “them” refer to ____________.A．AmericansB．Europeans and Americans separatelyC．Americans and Europeans separatelyD．Europeans小题5:Which of the following statements is NOT true? A．European people hold the fork in the left hand and the knife in the right hand.B．The zigzag eating method is related to American characteristics.C．The zigzag eating method has become an American feature.D．European people will use the American method because of its efficiency. 题型：未知 难度：其他题型
答案
小题1:A
小题2:B
小题3:B
小题4:C
小题5:D
解析
本文叙述了美国人和英国人都使用刀叉，他们各自使用方式不同。美国人是把刀叉都放在右手使用的,因此他们不得不不断地把叉换到左手使用；右手只拿刀的是英国人，这些又能说明什么问题呢？
小题1:推理判断题。根据第一自然段“Americans hold both the fork and the knife in their right hands throughout the meal”可知。故选A.
小题2:细节理解题。根据文章中的三个解释中的第二条“They use the zigzag method to break the rules in the Old World and in this way they are thumbing their nose at Mother England.”可知。thumb one's nose at是“嘲笑、轻视某人”的意思。故选B。
小题3:词意猜测题。根据上文可知,美国人是把刀叉都放在右手使用的,因此他们不得不不断地把叉换到左手使用,这样像耍把戏一样,由此可推断出正确的词义。故选B。
小题4:推理判断题。根据上文可知,用右手拿叉的是美国人,而右手只拿刀的是英国人,因而这两个them前一个是美国人,而后一个是英国人。这句话的意思是:他们像耍把戏一样玩着银质的刀叉是为了表示他们勇敢,而且他们一个持叉的人就可以敌得过任何一个拿刀的人。故选C。
小题5:推理判断题。根据最后一段“Europeans recognize this and are quick to attack it as evidence of American innocence（无知）of form.”可知英国人是极力反对美国人的这个做法的,并把它作为一个证据来证明美国人的无知,所以它们是不会使用美国的这个做法的。故选D。
点评：做这种类型的题，要根据词、词组、句子所在的语境上下文来判断其意义。因此熟练掌握一些猜词技巧是做好这类题的关键。命题者在出这类题时惯用常规词义来麻痹考生，我们要特别注意熟词生义，切不可脱离语境主观臆断。
考点
据考高分专家说，试题“In Europe, people ho.....”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。
