Question

【題目】On March 17, people around the world celebrate the Irish holiday of Saint Patrick’s Day. It is a major holiday in Ireland, but the rest of the world has influenced its celebration as much as the Irish themselves.

Most Americans think of Saint Patrick’s Day as a big party centered around drinking alcohol. But its beginnings in Ireland were religious, says Mike Cronin, a professor of Irish history with Boston College of Massachusetts.

Ireland is a mostly Roman Catholic country. Saint Patrick lived in Ireland more than 2,000 years ago. He is widely considered to have established Christianity in the country. The Church honored him with a holy day in the 17th century. March 17 marks the date of his death. The average Irish person honored March 17 quietly. Attending church services was the main activity. In fact, most businesses that served alcohol would close in honor of the day.

In the early 1900s, Ireland’s government made St. Patrick’s Day an official holiday. By the 1960s, towns across Ireland started celebrating the holiday with parades and music. In Ireland today, St. Patrick’s Day is a four-day public celebration that includes parades, music, food, and games.

For Irish people living outside Ireland, Saint Patrick’s Day became a chance to celebrate their Irish identity and culture. Now, countries and cities around the world celebrate March 17 in creative ways. Many countries hold Saint Patrick’s Day parades. Famous monuments, including the Great Wall of China, the Niagara Falls, and the Gateway of India in Mumbai will all be colored by green light for the day.

Cronin says that the worldwide popularity of Saint Patrick’s Day has helped the Irish government, which uses the holiday as a form of diplomacy. And for a small island of 4.5 to 5 million people it’s quite remarkable that they have that kind of soft power.

【1】How did average Irish people celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day in the 17th century?

A. Drinking alcohol. B. Parading in the streets.

C. Attending church services peacefully. D. Coloring well-known monuments green.

【2】What can we learn from the passage?

A. Saint Patrick’s Day is the most significant day in the US.

B. Saint Patrick’s Day plays a role in foreign affairs in Ireland today.

C. Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated worldwide today as in the 17th century.

D. On Saint Patrick’s Day, parades and parties are held throughout America.

【3】What is the passage mainly about?

A. The origin of Saint Patrick’s Day.

B. The celebration of Saint Patrick’s Day.

C. The influence of Saint Patrick’s Day on the world.

D. The role of Saint Patrick’s Day in Irish diplomacy.

【4】What is Cronin’s attitude towards the popularity of Saint Patrick’s Day?

A. Unclear. B. Neutral. C. Negative. D. Positive.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】 C

【2】 B

【3】 B

【4】 D

【解析】

本文是一篇文化類短文閱讀。文章主要介紹了愛爾蘭的節(jié)日——圣帕特里克節(jié)。

【1】細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)文章第三段The average Irish person honored March 17 quietly. Attending church services was the main activity.可知，普通愛爾蘭群眾都默默慶祝圣帕特里克節(jié)。故選C。

【2】細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)文章最后第一段Cronin says that the worldwide popularity of Saint Patrick’s Day has helped the Irish government, which uses the holiday as a form of diplomacy.可知，圣帕特里克節(jié)在愛爾蘭的外交事務(wù)中扮演著重要角色。故選B。

【3】主旨大意題。根據(jù)文章大意：文章主要介紹了愛爾蘭的節(jié)日——圣帕特里克節(jié)。故選B。

【4】推理判斷題。根據(jù)文章最后一段Cronin says that the worldwide popularity of Saint Patrick’s Day has helped the Irish government, which uses the holiday as a form of diplomacy. And for a small island of 4.5 to 5 million people it’s quite remarkable that they have that kind of soft power.可知Cronin認(rèn)為圣帕特里克節(jié)在全世界流行開來對(duì)愛爾蘭政府有利，可以推斷出，他的態(tài)度是積極的。故選D。

做細(xì)節(jié)理解題一般采用尋讀法，即先讀題，然后帶著問題快速閱讀文章，找出與問題有關(guān)的詞語或句子，再對(duì)相關(guān)部分進(jìn)行分析對(duì)比，找出答案。另外，在題干中尋找線索詞，注意線索詞在文章中的位置，為快速、準(zhǔn)確地選擇答案打下基礎(chǔ)。例如第1題中，我們抓住題干中的關(guān)鍵詞average Irish people，然后迅速到文章中定位The average Irish person honored March 17 quietly.中找到線索詞quietly，與答案C選項(xiàng)中的peacefully表達(dá)的意思一致，從而迅速鎖定答案。