题文
DTo 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 Chinese were the earliest to use it in the eleventh century BC．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 honor and authority．In the Far East in ancient times, the umbrella was allowed to be used only by royalty or by those in high offices．
In Europe, the Greeks were the earliest to use the umbrella as a sunshade．And the umbrella was allowed in common use in ancient Greece．But it is believed that the earliest persons in Europe to use the umbrella as protection against rain were the ancient Romans．
During the Middle Ages, the use of the umbrella practically disappeared．Then it appeared again in Italy in the late sixteenth century．And again, it was considered a symbol of power and authority．In around 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 colors．
小题1:The first use of umbrella was as ______________．A．protection against rainB．shade against the sunC．a symbol of power and authorityD．a symbol of honor and authority小题2:In Europe, the umbrella was first used against rain ___________．A．in GreeceB．in RomeC．in EnglandD．in France小题3:From the text, we can infer that _________．A．the umbrella changed much in style in the eighteenth century．B．no one knows why the umbrella was used in very ancient times．C．once ordinary people had no right to use umbrellas．D．during the Middle Ages the umbrella was common in Europe．小题4:This passage talks mainly about ____________．A．when and how the umbrella was invented．B．why the umbrella was so popular in Europe．C．the development of the umbrella．D．the history and use of the umbrella． 题型：未知 难度：其他题型
答案
小题1:B
小题2:B
小题3:C
小题4:D
解析
本文叙述了人们常用的伞的历史及它的用途。伞最初是用来遮阳的并不是用来挡雨的，在欧洲希腊人用伞来遮阳，后来古罗马人开始用伞来挡雨。到了十八世纪整个欧洲都用伞来挡雨，到了二十世纪出现了女士的伞被制成了多种颜色。
小题1:细节理解题。根据Its first use was as a shade against the sun．最初的伞是用来遮阳的，故选B。
小题2:细节理解题。根据But it is believed that the earliest persons in Europe to use the umbrella as protection against rain were the ancient Romans．古罗马人用伞来挡雨，故选B。
小题3:推理判断题。根据In the Far East in ancient times, the umbrella was allowed to be used only by royalty or by those in high offices．可推知普通老百姓不能用伞，故选C。
小题4:主旨大意题。根据综观全文讲的是伞的历史及用途，故选D。
点评：所谓主旨大意题，就是指那些针对文章的主要内容、主题、标题或写作目的所设置的问题。这类题主要考查同学们在理解全文的基础上运用概括、判断、归纳、推理等逻辑思维方法对文章进行高度概括或总结的能力。
考点
据考高分专家说，试题“DTo us it seems so n.....”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。
