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阅读理解     Everything has its root. “Holiday”, is no exception. The origin of “holiday” is easy to see, coming from “holy day”, a day of particular religious significance, often celebrating the life of a saint (圣徒), during which no work was to be done. As far back as the 11th century, “holidays”, especially the major feast days, were times of “celebration and amusement”, as the Oxford English Dictionary puts it.     The number of holidays steadily increased during the Middle Ages, until a medieval Englishman would have had the luxury of 40 to 50 days a year off work, depending on where he lived, in addition to a free day on Sundays.     During the Reformation, Henry VIII abolished most of the holidays partly because of the Protestant (新教徒的) suspicion of saints, but more practically, because, according to historian Eamon Duffy, “A large number of holidays were making the people poor by limiting agriculture.” The people took a different view and organized a protest march—the Pilgrimage of Grace—partly to protect their days off.     Though at first the religious and festive senses of holiday were combined, the word gradually came to be used for any kind of relaxing break from work. As the word was drawing away from a religious society, the number of authorized holidays was reduced, until by 1834 most workers had only four official days off a year, in addition to Sundays. Many factory workers amplified this time by staying home on “Saint Monday” to recover from what they had gotten up to the day before.     By the late 19th century, employers were compromising and offering half-day Saturdays, the beginning of the “weekend”, a term first used in 1879. In 1908, an innovative mill in New England gave its employees all of Saturday off, and the practice of their getting the whole Saturday off spread widely during the Great Depression as a way to keep employment up. It took 400 years, but finally workers could enjoy as many holidays as they had in the 15th century. （1） What was the word “holiday” originally intended for? A . Economy. B . Entertainment. C . Religion. D . Politics. （2） What's the main reason for Henry VIII's ending most holidays according to Eamon Duffy? A . His people required a thorough reformation. B . He didn't believe in God and saints. C . People took no interest in the agriculture due to them. D . Large numbers of holidays stood in the way of the agriculture. （3） Which can best replace the underlined word “amplified” in paragraph 4? A . lengthened B . wasted C . shortened D . guaranteed （4） When did most employees get the whole Saturday off? A . In 1879. B . During the Great Depression. C . In 1908. D . In the 15th century. 答案： C D A B

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