The flag, the most mon symbol(象征) 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(原始的)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．Power of the National FlagB．Uses of FlagC．Types of FlagsD．Development of the National Flag【小题2】The underlined word “vulnerable” in Paragraph 3 means A．impossible to make sure ofB．difficult to findC．likely to be protectedD．easy to damage【小题3】 The earliest flags were connected with heavenly power because A．they were believed to stand for natural forcesB．they could bring good luck to fightersC．they were handed down by the ancestorsD．they could tell wind direction【小题4】What does the author know of the first national flag?A．He thinks it came fromB．He believes it was made in EgyptC．He doubts where it started.D．He knows when it was sent to Europe【小题5】 What was 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 EuropeD．The importance of modern flagsD
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(答案→)D
解析：
本文介绍了作为国家象征的国旗的发展史。
【小题1】主旨归纳题。第二段第二句及第五段首句等都说明本文是介绍国旗发展史的。
【小题2】词意猜测题。由第三段中的similarly一词可知“人们的早期食物也具有和早期人类的房屋和船一样易碎的特点”，所以选D项对。
【小题3】推断题。在第四段中谈到系布于竿子顶端来辨别风向比靠炊烟来辨别风向更可靠。且从此段尾句可知“早期的人类认为风力被给予了由图腾代表的神和祖先的美好祝愿”。故可推得风代表自然的力量。
【小题4】细节理解题。从第五段第二句可直接推知。
【小题5】推断题。由于本文只是详细谈论了国旗的一种原型，而依据第二段尾句可知下文将谈论国旗的另一种原型。