社会历史类 知识点题库

    Thousands of years ago, people only ate food that was grown near their homes. Some kinds of food were only grown in one place, so people from other places didn't know about them. When Europeans first traveled to Central and South America in the 1500s, they discov­ered strange kinds of food that they had never seen before. Today, these are grown in a lot of different countries and they're sold in supermarkets all over the world. They don't seem strange any more!
    Potatoes were first grown in the Andes in South America. In 1586, they were taken to Europe by explorers(探险家). In 1719, they were taken to North America. Before 1719, nobody in North America had ever seen or eaten a potato. Today each American eats more than 60 kilos of potatoes a year.
    Tomatoes were also first grown by native(本地的) Americans. When European explorers visited the south of America in 1500, they took tomato seeds(种子) back to Europe. Soon, tomatoes were grown in Europe, but people in England didn't eat them. At that time, a lot of English people thought that tomatoes were poisonous!
    Chilies(辣椒) have been eaten in Central and South America for more than 8, 000 years! In the 1500s, chilies were taken to Europe by explorers. Today, they are grown in hot coun­tries all over the world.

Did you ever wonder how some of your favorite foods, products or toys came about? Believe it or not, they may have been an accident, or a failure of some other intention. Below, we found three mistakes we're thankful for turned out to be what they are.

1. Most historians hold that the Chinese invented fireworks in the 9^th century when they discovered how to make gunpowder. Story has it that a Chinese cook accidentally mixed together what were then considered common kitchen items and noticed they burnt. When put tightly in a bamboo tube and lit, it blew up.

2. In May of 1886, a law led John Pemberton, a pharmacist(药剂师), to rewrite the formula(配方) for "Pemberton's French Wine Coca", his popular headache treatment. Containing sugar instead of wine as a sweetener, the outcome became something for Coke, which was later mixed with carbonated(碳酸) water. His bookkeeper suggested the name Coca-Cola because he thought the two C's would look good together, which is how what we call Coca-Cola, a world-wide drink came into being.

3. During World WarⅡ, scientists at the University of Birmingham invented the magnetron(磁控管)—an important heat-producing part of the microwave oven. While working for Raytheon Corporation after the war, the American engineer Percy Spencer was testing the magnetron when a chocolate bar in his pocket melted. He went on to test other foods including popcorn kernels(仁), and found it to be a much more efficient way to cook. In 1947 Raytheon came out with the first restaurant microwave oven, which was six feet tall and weighed 750 lbs.

    A lady in an old cotton dress and her husband, dressed in an old suit, stepped off the train in Boston, and walked into the president of Harvard's outer office. The secretary could tell in a moment that such country people had no business at Harvard. She frowned(皱眉). “We want to see the president,” the man said softly. “He'll be busy all day,” the secretary said coldly. “We'll wait,” the lady replied.
    For hours, the secretary didn't talk to them, hoping that the couple would finally become tired and go away. They didn't. And the secretary finally decided to disturb the president. “Maybe if they just see you for a few minutes, they'll leave,” she told him. He frowned too. Someone of his importance obviously didn't have the time to spend with them.
    The president walked toward them unwillingly. The lady told him, “We had a son that attended Harvard for one year. He loved Harvard, and was very happy here. But he was accidentally killed. And my husband and I would like to set up a memorial(纪念碑) to him somewhere on campus. ”The president was so surprised that he shouted sharply, “We can't put up a statue(塑像) for every person who attended Harvard and died. This place would look like a cemetery (墓地).
   “Oh, no” the lady explained, “We don't want to build a statue. We thought we would give a building to Harvard.” The president rolled his eyes. He glanced at their plain clothes, and said with surprise, “A building! Do you have any idea how much a building costs? We have over seven and a half million dollars in the physical buildings here at Harvard.”
    For a moment the lady was silent. The president was pleased. He could get rid of them now. The lady turned to her husband and said quietly. “Is that all it costs to start a university? Why don't we just start our own?” Her husband nodded. Mr. and Mrs. Leland Stanford walked away, traveling to Palo Alto, California where they set up the university with their name, Stanford University, a memorial to a son that Harvard no longer cared about.

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Since the beginning of the time, people have had illnesses and doctors have tried to cure them. In the days when people knew very little about medicine, some very strange and horrible cures were tried. Here are some of the worst.

Toothaches

Ancient Egyptians who had a toothache didn't use to go to the dentist, because there weren't any dentists in those days. So they used to find a dead mouse and put it in their mouth. They left there for a few hours. Did it take the toothache away? Who knows!? But aren't you happy that there's a dentist near you ?

Backaches

A backache is no fun at all. People who suffer from one have a lot of pain. Sometimes it's because a bone in the back is out of position. In ancient Greece, doctors used to cure a backache like this: They tied the patient to a ladder, pulled the ladder up high and then let it fall to the ground. Bang! The Bone went back into the place. Well, that was the idea, but this “cure” probably just made the backache worse!

Baldness

OK, it's not really a disease at all. But men whose hair is falling out are never happy about it ,are they? The ancient Egyptians had the solution. What did they use to do ?They took the fat of a lion, a hippo, a cat and a snake, mixed them together, and then rubbed the mixture into the man's head. Maybe it stopped baldness, maybe not, but the man's head certainly didn't smell too good afterward.

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    Introduction：Speaking English is not only about using proper grammar．To use English correctly，you need to understand the culture in which it is spoken．Here are a number of important tips(告诫) to remember when speaking English in the USA．

    General Points to Remember：

    Most Americans only speak English：While it is true that more and more Americans speak Spanish，most Americans only speak English．

Americans have difficulties understanding foreign accents(口音)：Many Americans are not used to foreign accents． 

Conversation Tips：

Speak about location．

Talk about work：Americans commonly ask “what do you do? “It's not thought impolite(as in some countries) and is a popular topic to discuss between strangers．

Talk about sports．

Addressing People:

    Use last names with people you do not  know．Always use“Ms”when addressing women．Many Americans prefer first names．

Americans prefer informal：In general，Americans prefer informal greetings and using first names or nicknames when speaking with workmates and friends． 

Public Behavior：

Always shake hands．

    Look your partner in the eyes．

    Don't hold hands：Same sex friends do not usually hold hands or put their arms around each other in public in the USA．

Smoking is out! Smoking，even in public places，is strongly disagreed by most modern Americans．

根据短文内容，选择最佳答案。

    In Britain．Boxing Day is usually celebrated on December 26^th ， which is the following day after Christmas Day．However，strictly speaking．Boxing Day is the first weekday after Christmas．Like Christmas Day．Boxing Day sing a public holiday．This means it's a non﹣working day in the whole of Britain．When Boxing Day falls on a Saturday or Sunday，the following Monday is the public holiday．

    The exact origin（起源）of the holiday is unclear．One of the thoughts is that during the Middle Ages，when great sailing ships were setting off to discover new land，a Christmas Box was placed by a priest （神父）on each ship．Those sailors who wanted to ensure a safe return would drop money into the box．It wassealed upand kept on board until the ship came home safely．Then the box was handed over to the priest in the exchange for the saying of a Mass of thanks for the success of the sailing．The priest wouldn't open it to share the contents with the poor until Christmas．

    One more thought is about the“Alms Box”placed in every church on Christmas Day．Worshippers （做礼拜的人）put gifts for the poor into it．These boxes were always opened the day after Christmas，that is why that day became know as Boxing Day．

    Today，many businesses， organizations and families try to keep the traditional spirit of Boxing Day alive by donating（捐赠）their time， services and money to aid Food Banks， providing gifts for the poor， or helping families in need． Besides， spending time with family and shopping are popular Boxing Day activities now．

通读下面短文,掌握其大意,然后在各小题所给的四个选项中,选出一个最佳答案。

    Cheongsam (also known as Qipao ), is a kind of traditional Chinese dress for women. It1from Manchu people of the Qing Dynasty(清朝) in the early 17th century.

    Once there was a young fisherwoman living near a place called Jingbo Lake. She made a living by fishing,2only problem was that when fishing she often felt bad because of her long wide clothes. Then an idea came into her3 — why not make a more comfortable dress to wear. Then she invented Qipao that helped herself fish 4.

    The5emperor(皇帝)who was in control of China at that time had a dream one night. In the dream, his dead father told him a lovely fisherwoman wearing a long dress, who lived by Jingbo lake, would 6 his wife. After that, the emperor sent some people to7that woman. At last, they found her8the place which his father told him. Then she became the emperor's wife,9her beautiful Qipao with her. Manchu women all liked Qipao and soon it became popular across China. Now it's also well-known all over the world. Not only Chinese women, but also women from foreign10such as Indonesia, are interested in wearing it.

This kind of traditional dress is made of either silk or cotton. And anyway, it becomes one of the symbols(象征) of China.

阅读下列短文，从下面每小题的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳选项。

    Kite surfing (风筝滑浪) is a kind of water sport. It began in the 1980s, but didn't get popular until the end of last century. It is also known as kite boarding, and in some European countries as fly surfing. Kite surfing works through wind power by using a large kite to pull a rider on the water at a high speed.

    At first, kite surfing was a difficult and dangerous sport. Now it is becoming easier and safer because of the safer kite design. For an able and strong person, kite surfing can be a very fun and extremely exciting sport, just like skating on the water with a feeling of flying. It has become more and more popular.

    Compared with other water sports, kite surfing is easier to learn. A beginner can understand how to operate the kite with 5-10 hours of training. And anybody aged from 13 to 65 can learn. It is not expensive to get me equipment for kite surfing, which costs $1,000 to $2,500. The fee for training lessons is from $200 to $500 for two or three hours. With the development of its equipment, kite surfing is becoming even safer. After some training, you can enjoy its excitement and challenging feeling.

    With the rising popularity of kite surfing, most major seaside cities have kite surfing clubs. In China, Xiamen is the only place that has the kite surfing club, which provides professional (专业的) kite surfing training and equipment.

阅读理解，根据短文内容，选择最佳选项。

    No one knows when the first kite was made. The first record of a kite was more than 2,000 years ago in China. Hart Xin, the leader of an army, wanted to bring down a king. He decided to dig a tunnel(隧道) into the king's palace. He flew a kite over the wall of the palace to make sure the length (长度) of its string (线). In this way, he could determine how long the tunnel should be. His men in the tunnel took the kite string with them. When they reached the end of the string, they knew to dig up.

    Kites have been flown in Japan for hundreds of years. In the 1700s, kites were flown in autumn to give thanks for a good harvest. They were also flown to send good wishes to couples who had their first son. Today in Japan, kites are often flown as part of a celebration, such as the beginning of a new year. And kite festivals are held each year in many parts of the country.

    Kites have been used for scientific purposes in the Western world. In 1752, Benjamin Franklin tied a key to a kite and flew it in a storm to find out that lightning was a form of electricity. In the 1890s, Lawrence Hargrave invented the box kite to test ideas about flight. From 1898 until 1933, the United States Weather Bureau (气象局) used box kites to collect weather data. The Wright brothers also experimented (试验) with kites. What they learnt helped them make the first airplane flight in 1903.

阅读短文，从A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳答案。

    Different countries have different customs in giving presents.

    In China, you must never give a clock to a Chinese person, because the sound of the word for "clock" is similar to the sound of "death". Also, don't wrap (用……包裹) a present in white, black or blue paper, because they are the colors for funerals (葬礼). Don't give a knife, because something sharp can cut a friendship.

    In Russia, if you give flowers as presents, you have to give an odd number of them (one, three, five, etc.) because even numbers of flowers are for funerals.

    In Germany, if you are invited to dinner, flowers are good presents to take to your dinner hostess (女主人), but don't take her red roses because it means you are in love with her. Don't take thirteen of anything because it's an unlucky number. Don't take an even number of anything, either. Don't wrap your presents in white, brown, or black paper.

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    Australia is one of the largest island countries in the world It is a little smaller than China. It is in the south of the earth Australia is big, but its population is small. The population of Australia is nearly as large as that of Shanghai.

    Enough laws have been made to fight against pollution. The cities in Australia have got little air or water pollution. The sky is blue and the water is clean. You can clearly see fish swimming in the rivers. Plants grow very well too.

    Last month we visited Perth, the biggest city in Western Australia, and went to a wild flower exhibition. There we saw a large number of wild flowers we had never seen before we had a wonderful time, Perth is famous for its beautiful wild flowers. In spring, Perth has the wild flower exhibition. After visiting Perth, we spent a day in the countryside. We sat down and had a rest near a path at the foot of a hill. It was quiet and we enjoyed ourselves. Suddenly we heard bells ringing at the top of the hill. What we saw made us pick up all our things and run back to the car as quickly as we could. There were about three hundred sheep coming towards us down the path.

    Australia is famous for its sheep and kangaroos. After a short drive from any town, you will find yourself in the middle of the white sheep. Sheep, sheep, everywhere are sheep.

中国有许多传统节日，你最喜欢哪个节日呢？阅读对话，选择正确答案。

A: Where are you going today, Miss Li?

B: I'm going to buy some moon-cakes(月饼). Tomorrow is Mid-Autumn Day. This day is a special holiday for Chinese. We will invite our families and friends to eat moon-cakes.

A: What's the moon-cake?

B: It's a kind of cake. Because it's round and looks like a full moon, people call it moon-cake. There are many different kinds of moon-cakes.

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    Do you enjoy wearing Levi's blue jeans? Blue jeans have become popular all over the world, but do you know how they got started?

    Levi Strauss & Co. started in 1853. At that time, Levi Strauss went to San Francisco from Germany. He went there to help with his brothers' dry goods business.

    The company began producing clothes in the 1870s, but it did not start making jeans until the 1920s.

    Levi Strauss and his partner Jacob Davis patented (取得专利) the copper rivet to make their clothing strong and hard in 1873. It was to become a key part of their jeans design.

    During World War II, their jeans sold very well. Before the war, they only had 15 salesmen (推销员). After the war, they had 22, 000 salesmen in 35 countries.

    Levi's jeans became popular with young people in the 1950s and 1960s. Levi's 501 jeans were then, and are today , their biggest-selling products (产品). The company is still leading the fashion industry in different countries.

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    Fifty-three years ago, Barbie Millicent Roberts first appeared in the world of toys. Since then, Barbie doll, as everyone called her, has become the most successful toy doll in history. Her parent, the Mattel Company, said that 90% of all American girls between 3 and 10 have at least one Barbie at home.

    However, Barbie is facing some trouble at present. There are many simple dolls on the market in competition with her. Another doll named Bratz, for example, came to life thirteen years ago. She looks more like today's pop stars with heavy makeup(浓妆) and miniskirts. And her company offers more kinds of clothes too.

    It seems that Barbie has lost her magic among older girls. "For younger girls, playing with a Barbie is much fun. But when you get older, you want something smarter and more modern." says Vera Stepherd, a shop assistant in a New York toy store.

    It is good news that on the international market, Barbie is still No.1. Although Mattel is selling fewer Barbies in the United States these years, sales in other countries are still going up. In March, 2009, Mattel opened its first Barbie store in Shanghai, where girls can shop, eat or drink.

    Mattel is planning big celebrations for Barbie's 55th birthday. Fashion designers from all over the world have been called to make new dresses for Barbies. How long will Barbie stay popular in the world of toy dolls? It is hard to say, but 55 is surely not the age to retire(退休).

根据短文内容选择最佳答案

    Whether it's soccer, basketball or tennis there are lots of fun sports to play when you're not busy with school. Some sports, like basketball, are universal. Kids all over the world play them. But other sports are most unique (独有的).

    In the US, playing baseball is a common after-school activity for many kids. In fact, it is known as the "nation pastime" of the US. But few people outside of the US play this sport. It is popular in some Central American countries, such as Mexico, and some East Asian countries, such as Japan and South Korea. But it is almost unknown in other parts of the world.

    There is also American football, a sport that is unique to the US and Canada. The sport is similar to rugby (英式橄榄球), which is more popular in Europe. Players have to carry, throw or kick the ball to a receiving player in the "end zone" in order to score points. But they have to get the ball past n wall of defending (防守的) players first.

    US students who play these sports usually take them quite seriously. Some high school players can go on to play on college teams, receiving scholarships (奖学金) in return for their performance on the field. Talented college players can be picked by national teams and become professional players. So for some young players, playing sports after school can lead to a full-time career.

阅读短文，完成以下小题。

    More than 2,000 years ago, a favorite wife of Emperor (皇帝)Wu of the Han Dynasty died of illness. The emperor missed her so much that he didn't want to do anything. One day, a minister (大臣）saw children playing with dolls. The shadows on the floor were interesting. The smart minister had an idea. He made a puppet of the favorite wife and painted it. As night fell, he asked the emperor to watch a puppet show behind a curtain. The emperor was very happy and became interested in it. In this way, puppet shows began.

    Shadow puppets were first made of paper, later from the hides of donkeys (驴皮). That's why their Chinese name is pi ying. Shadow puppet plays were very popular during the Tang and Song Dynasties in many parts of China.

    Today, shadow puppet plays face extinction like other traditional art forms such as Nuo Drama. We should do something to protect them. Shadow puppet plays in Shaanxi are the most famous. The Academy Gate Cultural Street in Xi'an is a wonderful place for you to choose shadow puppets. Here you can choose from hundreds of figures (人物）in different sizes and poses (姿势).

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     Sports are important in English life. The people of England are sports lovers. Some of the world's famous sports began here such as football and cricket.

     Football is a game played in winter and early spring. Lots of people play football in parks or playgrounds just for fun. With hundreds of years' history, it is one of the most important sports in England. The English love football very much and they turned most of their main players into famous persons. David Beckham and Bobby Charlton became heroes for many children. The most interesting part of the English football year is the FA (Football Association) Cup Final each May.

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    In 1994, a Japanese Masahiro Hara invented the Quick Response code (QR 二维码) as a way to increase the amount of information that could be stored on a paper label. Before this, one-dimensional(1D) barcodes had already been used since 1974 when the first barcode (条形码)  was scanned in a supermarket in USA. The first barcodes consisted of two parts: the barcode and the 12-digit number. But the two-dimensional (2D) code made by Mr Hara can hold as much as 7,000 digits or 4,000 characters of text, including all Japanese characters. Many books have QR codes on their back cover which provide information such as the price, the author and the publisher.

    Around 2006, Wang Yue and his team developed the Hanxin Code which can also encode Chinese characters. Short Hanxin Code, instead of long Chinese names, are now widely printed on the large quantity of shoes on trucks and ships. In 2014, Wang Yue's company produced its first self-service QR code reader -- the Smart Box. Now it has become the most popular offline payment in China.

    QR codes can be easily read with any mobile phone that has a camera. So they are now widely used in factories and supermarkets, on various tickets and restaurant cashier tables. On 14 February, 2020, a QR code called 'Health Code' is used in Hangzhou for people to quickly report their health status. Firstly, find an app named Alipay and scan the QR code included. Secondly, provide your name, phone number and ID number. Thirdly, answer some questions about your health status and whereabouts. Then you will get the 'Health Code' with different colour, green for "being healthy". Only with an updated green code, you may be allowed to enter or leave Hangzhou. On 21 February, 2020, a QR code is also used by Ms. Tang to inform her students about the course arrangement.

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Just forget smartphones and smart glasses. One day, we might have smart tattoos. The company Newdealdesign came up with an idea for a product called UnderSkin. This device would look like a pair of tattoos on your hand, but it would in fact be a very thin computer implanted just below your skin. It would draw power from the energy of your body, and you could use it to open doors, monitor your health, exchange and store information, or even express your personality. UnderSkin is just an idea, but the technology will make it work. "We expect it is about five years from being real," says designer Gadi Amit.

Amal Gratlstra, a writer and businessman, already has a chip called a radio-frequency identifcation (RFID) tag, which is implanted in his left hand"I use it to connect with my computer. I also use it to get in touch with people and carry out my daily work," he says." The chip is about the size of a grain of rice. It is so light that I can even not feel it." he adds.

If a computerized tattoo or implanted tag isn't crazy enough for you, what about a brain chip?

The company Intel is working on technology that would let you control your devices like computers and TVs with your brain. Dean Pomerleau, one of the researchers, explains, "We're trying to show that you can do interesting things with brain waves. Imagine being able to surf the Internet with the power of your thoughts."

Do you think implanted chips sound terrible or cool? Some doctors are afraid that people may hurt themselves with devices implanted. They argue that medical operations are meant to save sick people and not to give healthy people special powers. Others worry about hacking and privacy. Could someone hack in and steal your personal information, or even control your mind? On a more philosophical level, if you have a computer inside your body, are you still human? Or are you a robot?

根据短文内容，将下面方框内的句子还原到文中空白处，使短文内容完整，通顺(每个选项只能用一次)。

The Earth is about 4.6 billion years old, but the humans have lived on it for just 200, 000years. However, during the short time, humans have achieved a lot of amazing things.

The achievement list is almost endless. The invention of the airplane has changed our lives. The discovery of antibiotics (抗生素) has saved the lives of millions of people. Can you imagine living without electricity? What about the printing press (印刷术) ? Without the printing press, you wouldn't be reading this. In the last 50 years, there have been great achievements in communication, such as radio, TV, computers, the Internet and smartphones(智能手机).

What about the arts? 'The arts have brought pleasure to many people, but are the Beatles and Bach more important than antibiotics? It's hard to answer, right?

Finally, we must not forget humans’ early achievements. Now we can't imagine modern life without cooked food and cars.

What are humans' greatest achievements? To answer the question, we need to decide what we mean by "great". Or is it just something that makes us say "Wow", like the Great Wall? What do you think?

A. Is it something that makes us rich or happy or saves lives? B. In the past, humans used fire for cooking or heating and invented the wheel. C. Many of humans' great achievements are in science and technology. D. And is Mickey Mouse as important as an achievement going to space? E. We could probably live without them, but life wouldn't be so interesting.