The flag, the most common symbol of a nation in the modern world, is also one of the most

The flag, the most common symbol of a nation in the modern world, is also one of the most ancient. With a clear symbolic meaning, the flag in the traditional form is still used today to mark buildings, ships and other vehicles related to a country.
The national flag as we know it today is in no way a primitive artifact. It is, rather, the product of thousands of years’ development. Historians believe that it had two major ancestors, of which the earlier served to show wind direction.
Early human beings used very fragile houses and boats. Often strong winds would tear roofs from houses or cause high waves that endangered travelers. People’s food supplies were similarly vulnerable. Even after they had learned how to plant grains, they still needed help from nature to ensure good harvests. Therefore they feared and depended on the power of the wind, which could bring warmth from one direction and cold from another.
Using a simple piece of cloth tied to the top of a post to tell the direction of the wind was more dependable than earlier methods, such as watching the rising of smoke from a fire. The connection of the flag with heavenly power was therefore reasonable. Early human societies began to fix long pieces of cloth to the tops of totems (图腾) before carrying them into battle. They believed that the power of the wind would be added to the good wishes of the gods and ancestors represented by the totems themselves.
These flags developed very slowly into modern flags. The first known flag of a nation or a ruler was unmarked. The king of China around 1000 B.C. was known to have a white flag carried ahead of him. This practice might have been learned from Egyptians even further in the past, but it was from China that it spread over trade routes through India, then across Arab lands, and finally to Europe, where it met up with the other ancestor of the national flag.
【小题1】The best title for the passage would be “ ”.A．Development of the National FlagB．Power of the National FlagC．Types of FlagsD．Uses of Flags【小题2】The underlined word “vulnerable” in Paragraph 3 means .A．impossible to make sure ofB．likely to be protectedC．easy to be damagedD．difficult to find【小题3】The earliest flags were connected with heavenly power because .A．they could tell direction B．they could bring good luck to ancient fightersC．they were handed down by the ancestorsD．they were believed to stand for natural forces【小题4】What does the author know of the first national flag?A．He knows when it was sent to Europe.B．He believes it was made in Egypt.C．He thinks it came from China.D．He doubts where it started.【小题5】What will the author most probably talk about next?A．The role of China in the spread of the national flag.B．The second ancestor of the national flag.C．The use of modern flags in Europe.D．The importance of modern flagsA

(答案→)A 解析：本文讲述了国旗的出现的原因分析，古代人认为旗帜是自然力量的象征，分析了人类旗帜的发展历程。【小题1】A 主旨大意题。根据文章第一段可知本文是关于国旗的由来的解释，在下面的段落中详细介绍了国旗的发展历程。故A项正确。【小题2】C 推理题。根据本句Often strong winds would tear roofs from houses or cause high waves that endangered travelers. People’s food supplies were similarly vulnerable.强烈的风可能会把房子的屋顶掀翻，导致海里的巨浪。给人们带来伤害，人们的食物供应也有可能会强风破坏掉，故C项指容易破坏正确。【小题3】D 推理题。根据第四段The connection of the flag with heavenly power was therefore reasonable. Early human societies began to fix long pieces of cloth to the tops of totems (图腾) before carrying them into battle. They believed that the power of the wind would be added to the good wishes of the gods and ancestors represented by the totems themselves.说明早期的旗帜与神力联系在一起是因为人们认为风代表着自然的力量。故D项正确。【小题4】D 细节题。根据最后一段第二句The first known flag of a nation or a ruler was unmarked.说明他也不知道第一面国旗的具体的情况，故D项正确。【小题5】B 推理题。根据文章第二段Historians believe that it had two major ancestors, of which the earlier served to show wind direction.说明历史学家认为国旗有两个原因，本文只讲述了一个原因，那么接下来最有可能讲述的是另外一个原因，故B项正确。

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