Question

Do you know how Uncle Sam became the popular symbol of the United States?

Some historians believe that he is based on a real person，Samuel Wilson．During the War of 1812，Wilson sold meat to American troops. Wilson labeled

the meat barrels（桶）US．This meant that it was for the army．At that time，US was not used to mean“United States”．An officer asked what the US on the barrels meant．A soldier replied，“United States”，meaning Samuel Wilson．

The Uncle Sam image（形象）today shows a man with a beard，a stars and stripes（星條旗）top hat，and a suit．Thomas Nast created this image in about 1838．It represented the government in Nast's political cartoons．Some people believe that Nast based his image on Dan Rice，a popular entertainer．Rice performed while wearing a top hat and suit．

Others think it was James M．Flagg that drew the most famous image of Uncle Sam in 1917， during World War I．It shows a serious man pointing a finger at the viewer and says“United States”．Flagg drew this enduring image to encourage Americans to join the U.S．Army．It has been used for this purpose ever since．

Today, Uncle Sam is a symbol of the United States that is recognized around the world．

1.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Uncle Sam was a character created by the government of the United States．

B．Samuel Wilson，a businessman，sold meat to American troops during the War of 1812．

C．Uncle Sam was based on an entertainer to show Americans were popular people．

D．The image of Uncle Sam has been used to urge Americans to join the army since 1838．

2.The underlined word“enduring”in the fourth paragraph is closest in meaning to“________”.

A．long-lasting B．short-lived

C．painful D．scary

3.It can be inferred from the passage that___________.

A．Uncle Sam is an officer from the American army

B．Uncle Sam’s top hat and suit reflect the American flag

C．Tile Uncle Sam symbol is the best of all American symbols

D．Opinions differ about how Uncle Sam became a national symbol

4.Which of the following can best sum up the passage?

A．The name Uncle Sam was invented during the War of 1821．

B．There are many symbols of the United States，including Uncle Sam．

C．Over time，the image of Uncle Sam came to represent the United States．

D．Uncle Sam is a national symbol that is recognized around the United States．

Answer 1

1.B

2.A

3.D

4.C

【解析】本文是一篇說明文，講述了為什么美國的形象是山姆大叔的由來，以及目前關于山姆大叔形象的爭議。

1. 根據(jù)第二段第二句During the War of 1812，Wilson sold meat to American troops. 在1812年的戰(zhàn)爭期間，威爾遜賣給美國軍隊肉制品。故選B

2. 痛苦的；D．Scary膽小的。根據(jù)這一段最后一句It has been used for this purpose ever since．這個（形象）從這時其就開始用作這種意圖�？梢酝茢喑�，這個形象使用的時間很長，所以，劃線的單詞的意思應該是長期的，故選A。

3. think it was James M．Flagg that drew the most famous image of Uncle Sam in 1917.其他人認為James M．Flagg在1917年畫下了最有名的山姆大叔形象。從這里可知，還有別人有不同的觀點，故選D

4. Today, Uncle Sam is a symbol of the United States that is recognized around the world．如今，山姆大叔是美國的象征已經(jīng)被世界范圍內承認�？梢酝茢喑�，現(xiàn)在時間久了，山姆大叔的形象代表美國。故選C

考點：考察說明文閱讀。