Most people know that a wedding ring is symbolic of the bond of love and commitment between two people. But not everyone knows about the history behind this small yet powerful symbol. The history of the wedding ring goes back not just hundreds but thousands of years. No other currently practiced wedding tradition has been around as long.

The Egyptians were the first recorded civilization to use the wedding ring. In Egyptian hieroglyphics（象形文字）a circle represented eternity. Once a woman accepted the ring she became the “property” of the person who gave it to her and she was in a sense “his”. The first wedding ring could have been made of braided grass or hay (which would have been changed often), ivory, bone, or leather. Finally, metal was used, but the first wedding bands were crude(未加工的)and rough. However, the sentiment remained the same-eternal commitment and love.

The Egyptians wore the wedding ring on the left hand because it was believed that a vein in the left hand went straight to the heart. This tradition is still commonly practiced today in most parts of the world largely for practical purposes（most people are right handed）. It is worn on the fourth finger of the left hand. But there are some countries and groups which do not follow this tradition. In the Jewish faith, the wedding ring is put on the index finger. Roman Catholics traditionally wore their wedding band on the right hand, and in many countries and regions in Europe some people still follow this tradition.

It is interesting to note that in the long history of the wedding ring that it is only in the last century that men have begun to wear them．However, now both men and women show their love and commitment by exchanging rings on their wedding day．

Once you begin shopping for rings you may be amazed by the choices. There are several different types of metals: traditional gold, white gold, platinum, and titanium. You can have an inscription put on the inside of the band if you like. Some people are even choosing a tattoo band. The styles vary from a simple, yet elegant band to an elaborate ring covered with jewels. If you do not buy the wedding and engagement rings as a set, you will want to be sure the styles are compatible(配套). Choose carefully because this choice will need to stand the test of eternity.

What’s the best title for this passage?

    A．History of Rings                B．Interesting Facts about Rings 

    C．Different Rings     D．The Meaning of the Rings

What may the word “eternity” in paragraph 2 probably mean?

    A．round        B．marriage    C．couple       D. forever

What can we infer from the passage?

    A．Men were looked upon by women for thousands years．

    B．Only women have the right to make themselves beautiful．

    C．Women wore rings thousands of years earlier than men．

    D．You could have an inscription put on the inside the band．

The English, as a race, are very different in many ways from all other nationalities, including their closest neighbors, the French, the Belgians and the Dutch. It is claimed that living on an island separated from the rest of Europe has much to do with it. Whatever the reasons are, it may be fairly stated that the Englishman has developed many attitudes and habits which distinguish him from other nationalities.
Broadly speaking, the Englishman is a quiet, shy, reserved person who is fully relaxed only among people he knows well. In the presence of strangers or foreigners he often seems restrained, even embarrassed. You have only to witness a city train any morning or evening to see the truth of this. Serious-looking businessmen and women sit reading their newspapers or having a light sleep in a corner, and no one speaks. In fact, to do so would seem most unusual. An Englishman, pretending to be giving advice to overseas visitors, once suggested, “On entering a railway carriage, shake hands with all the passengers.” Needless to say, he was not being serious. There is an unwritten but clearly understood code of behavior which, if broken, makes the person immediately suspected.
In many parts of the world it is quite normal to show openly extremes of enthusiasm, emotion, excitement, etc, often accompanied by appropriate gesture. The Englishman is somewhat different. Of course, an Englishman feels no less deeply than anyone of a different nationality, but he tends to display his feelings far less. This is reflected in his use of language. Imagine a man commenting on the great beauty of a young girl. A more emotional man might describe her state “Oh, she is a goddess”, whereas an Englishman might just say “Oh, she’s all right.” An Englishman who has seen a highly successful and enjoyable film recommends it to a friend by commenting, “It’s not bad you know”, or on seeing some very unusual scenery he might convey (表达) his pleasure by saying, “Nice, yes, very nice.” The overseas visitor must not be disappointed by this apparent lack of interest and involvement. Instead, he must realize that “all right,” “not bad,” and “nice,” very often have the sense of “first-class,” “excellent,” “beautiful”. This unique style of language use is particularly common in England, and is known as restrained statement.
【小题1】According to the passage, the English are different from other nationalities in _______.

A．habits

B．attitudes

C．character

D．all of the above

【小题2】The underlined word “restrained” in the second paragraph probably means “_______”. 

A．calm and controlled	B．polite and friendly
C．nervous and quiet	D．silent and kind

【小题3】In Britain, if you don’t want other people to think you are strange, you’d better _______.

A．talk with others as much as possible

B．behave just like the English do

C．say nothing about yourself

D．shake hands with everyone you meet

【小题4】If an Englishman says “all right”, it may mean “_______”.  

A．not bad

B．correct

C．quite right

D．wonderful

【小题5】From the passage, we can infer that an Englishman _______.

A．doesn’t like to show his feelings so much

B．has less emotion than people of other nationalities

C．finds it easy to express his emotion

D．likes to have a joke with strangers

The English, as a race, are very different in many ways from all other nationalities, including their closest neighbors, the French, the Belgians and the Dutch. It is claimed that living on an island separated from the rest of Europe has much to do with it. Whatever the reasons are, it may be fairly stated that the Englishman has developed many attitudes and habits which distinguish him from other nationalities.
Broadly speaking, the Englishman is a quiet, shy, reserved person who is fully relaxed only among people he knows well. In the presence of strangers or foreigners he often seems restrained, even embarrassed. You have only to witness a city train any morning or evening to see the truth of this. Serious-looking businessmen and women sit reading their newspapers or having a light sleep in a corner, and no one speaks. In fact, to do so would seem most unusual. An Englishman, pretending to be giving advice to overseas visitors, once suggested, “On entering a railway carriage, shake hands with all the passengers.” Needless to say, he was not being serious. There is an unwritten but clearly understood code of behavior which, if broken, makes the person immediately suspected.
In many parts of the world it is quite normal to show openly extremes of enthusiasm, emotion, excitement, etc, often accompanied by appropriate gesture. The Englishman is somewhat different. Of course, an Englishman feels no less deeply than anyone of a different nationality, but he tends to display his feelings far less. This is reflected in his use of language. Imagine a man commenting on the great beauty of a young girl. A more emotional man might describe her state “Oh, she is a goddess”, whereas an Englishman might just say “Oh, she’s all right.” An Englishman who has seen a highly successful and enjoyable film recommends it to a friend by commenting, “It’s not bad you know”, or on seeing some very unusual scenery he might convey (表达) his pleasure by saying, “Nice, yes, very nice.” The overseas visitor must not be disappointed by this apparent lack of interest and involvement. Instead, he must realize that “all right,” “not bad,” and “nice,” very often have the sense of “first-class,” “excellent,” “beautiful”. This unique style of language use is particularly common in England, and is known as restrained statement.
【小题1】According to the passage, the English are different from other nationalities in _______.

A．habits

B．attitudes

C．character

D．all of the above

【小题2】The underlined word “restrained” in the second paragraph probably means “_______”. 

A．calm and controlled	B．polite and friendly
C．nervous and quiet	D．silent and kind

【小题3】In Britain, if you don’t want other people to think you are strange, you’d better _______.

A．talk with others as much as possible

B．behave just like the English do

C．say nothing about yourself

D．shake hands with everyone you meet

【小题4】If an Englishman says “all right”, it may mean “_______”.  

A．not bad

B．correct

C．quite right

D．wonderful

【小题5】From the passage, we can infer that an Englishman _______.

A．doesn’t like to show his feelings so much

B．has less emotion than people of other nationalities

C．finds it easy to express his emotion

D．likes to have a joke with strangers