It may seem as if Mother's Day was invented by a company named Hallmark, but people have been t

C
It may seem as if Mother's Day was invented by a company named Hallmark, but people have been taking time on the calendar to give a shout-out to Mom for a long time. The Greeks and Romans had mother goddess festivals — although their celebrations didn't involve the menfolk taking their underappreciated mothers out to dinner. A more recent tradition wasMothering Sunday, which developed in the British Isles during the 16th century. On the fourth Sunday in April, young men and women who were living and working apart from their families were advised to return to their mothers’ houses.
Mother's Day as it is observed in the United States started in the 1850s with Ann Jarvis, a West Virginia woman who held “Mothers' Work Days” to promote health and hygiene(卫生) at home and in the workplace. During the Civil War, Jarvis organized women to improve sanitary conditions for soldiers on both sides, and after the war she became a peacemaker, furthering the cause by bringing together mothers of Union and Confederate soldiers and promoting a Mother's Day holiday.
Jarvis's work inspired another 19th-century woman, Julia Ward Howe. In 1870 Howe published her “Mother's Day Proclamation”, which envisioned the day not as appreciation of mothers by their children but as an opportunity for women to exercise their collective power for peace. Howe started holding annual Mother's Day celebrations in Boston, her hometown, but after about a decade she stopped footing the bill and the tradition faded away.
It was Jarvis's daughter Anna who succeeded in getting Mother’s Day recognized as a national holiday. After her mother died, in May 1905, Anna started holding yearly ceremony on the anniversary and conducting a tireless PR campaign to have the day made a holiday. In 1908 she succeeded in enlisting the support of John W anamaker, the Philadelphia department store magnate and advertising pioneer, and by 1912 West Virginia and a few other states had adopted Mother's Day. Two years later, President Woodrow Wilson signed a resolution declaring the second Sunday in May a national holiday.
It wasn't long, though, before whatever ideals the day was supposed to celebrate were buried under an amount of greeting cards and candy. By the 1920s Anna Jarvis was campaigning against the holiday she had been instrumental in creating. “I wanted it to be a day of emotionalism, not profit,” she said.
38. The first paragraph suggests that   .
A. mothers didn't get enough appreciation
B. Mother's Day was invented by Hallmark
C. young people returned to their mothers' houses
D. Greeks and Romans were the first to celebrate Mother's Day
39. Who plays the most important role in creating Mother's Day?
A. Ann Jarvis. B. Julia Ward Howe.
C. Woodrow Wilson. D. Anna Jarvis.
40. Why did Anna Jarvis object to Mother's Day at last?
A. Because it was an emotional day.
B. Because the festival was not profitable.
C. Because the celebrations went against the original spirit.
D Because the day was buried under greeting cards and candy.
41. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A. The Objection to Mother’s Day
B. The Argument on Celebrating Mother's Day
C. The Story Behind the Creation of Mother's Day
D. Different Form of Celebrations on Mother's Day
【答案】38. A    39. D    40. C    41. C
【解析】
【分析】
本文为记叙文。本文主要叙述了母亲节的来历。母亲节似乎是由Hallmark的创立的。但母亲节与美国一名妇女安•贾维斯（Ann Jarvis）是分不开的。19世纪50年代安·贾维斯（Ann Jarvis）举办“母亲工作日”活动，以促进健康和卫生。1870年，朱莉娅·沃德·豪受其影响，发表了她的“母亲节宣言”，该宣言认为母亲节不是孩子对母亲的赞赏，而是妇女行使集体力量争取和平的机会。1905年5月，安娜在母亲去世后，开始每年举行周年纪念仪式，并让这一天成为节日。1912年，西弗吉尼亚州和其他几个州已经采用了母亲节。两年后，伍德罗威尔逊总统签署了一项决议，宣布五月的第二个星期天为国定假日。
【38题详解】
推理判断题。根据第一段“but people have been taking time on the calendar to give a shout-out to Mom for a long time. The Greeks and Romans had mother goddess festivals — although their celebrations didn't involve the menfolk taking their underappreciated mothers out to dinner.”虽然有母亲节，人们一直在日历上向母亲表达感谢。希腊人和罗马人也有母亲节和女神节——但他们的庆祝活动没有涉及到男人带他们的不受重视的母亲出去吃饭。由此可推断出，虽然有母亲节，但母亲们没有得到足够的感激和重视。分析选项可知A项符合题意，故选A。
【39题详解】
推理判断题。根据第二段，第四段“Mother's Day as it is observed in the United States started in the 1850s with Ann Jarvis ，a West Virginia woman who held “Mothers' Work Days” to promote health and hygiene(卫生) at home and in the workplace. After her mother died, in May 1905, Anna started holding yearly ceremony on the anniversary and conducting a tireless PR campaign to have the day made a holiday. In 1908 she succeeded in enlisting the support of John W anamaker, the Philadelphia department store magnate and advertising pioneer, and by 1912 West Virginia and a few other states had adopted Mother's Day. Two years later, President Woodrow Wilson signed a resolution declaring the second Sunday in May a national holiday”，在19世纪50年代美国的母亲工作日，并倡导推动母亲节。1905年5月，安娜的母亲去世后，她开始每年举行周年纪念仪式，并进行不懈的公关活动，让这一天成为节日。1908年，她成功地获得了费城百货公司巨头和广告先锋约翰·W·阿纳梅克的支持，到1912年，西弗吉尼亚和其他几个州都采用了母亲节。两年后，伍德罗·威尔逊总统签署了一项决议，宣布5月的第二个星期天为国家假日。由此可知，安娜·贾维斯在母亲节的创 立方面起了重要的作用。故D项符合题意，故选D，
【40题详解】
推理判断题。根据文章中“Ann Jarvis, ... held ‘Mothers' Work Days’ to promote health and hygiene(卫生) at home and in the workplace”举办“母亲工作日”活动，以促进家庭和工作场所的健康和卫生 。“In 1870 Howe published her ‘Mother's Day Proclamation’, which envisioned the day not as appreciation of mothers by their children but as an opportunity for women to exercise their collective power for peace.”豪发表了她的“母亲节宣言”，该宣言认为母亲节不是孩子对母亲的赞赏，而是妇女行使集体力量争取和平的机会。最后一段“It wasn't long, though, before whatever ideals the day was supposed to celebrate were buried under an amount of greeting cards and candy. By the 1920s Anna Jarvis was campaigning against the holiday she had been instrumental in creating. ‘I wanted it to be a day of emotionalism, not profit,’ she said”.没过多久，这一天本该庆祝理想的东西被大量的贺卡和糖果掩埋了。到了20世纪20年代，安娜·贾维斯(Anna Jarvis)发起了反对这个节日的运动。她说:“我希望这一天充满感情的，而不是利益的。可知，现在的母亲节已与最初的母亲节的精神相悖， C正确，故选C。
【41题详解】
主旨大意题。根据第一段第一句“It may seem as if Mother's Day was invented...”是文章的主题句，告诉我们母亲节是是如何创立，其中的invent与C项中的“Creation”的动词create是同义词。从第二段到最后叙述了19世纪50年代安•贾维斯（Ann Jarvis）举办“母亲工作日”活动。1870年，朱莉娅•沃德•豪受其影响，发表了 “母亲节宣言”。1905年5月，安娜在母亲去世后，开始每年举行周年纪念仪式，并让这一天成为节日。1912年，西弗吉尼亚州和其他几个州已经接纳了母亲节。两年后，伍德罗威尔逊总统签署了一项决议，宣布五月的第二个星期天为国定假日。由此可推断出：本文主要叙述母亲节创立的背景故事。分析选项可知C项符合题意，故选C。
【点睛】选择标题在英语阅读理解中属于主旨大意题，是一种深层理解题。要求考生在通读全文的基础上，认真分析文章大意及作者的写作意图。确定最佳标题的方法就是要找出文章的主题句。
主题句通常在文章的首段，也可能在文章的末段，在文章的某一段落，或分散在文章的各个段落中。如果每个段落都有主题句，那么把各段落的主题句的中心集中起来，即为全文的主题句。如第4小题属于主旨大意题中的选择最佳标题。本文的中心句在首段的第一句“It may seem as if Mother's Day was invented by...,”是文章的主题句。告诉我们母亲节是是如何创立其中的invent对应C项中的“Creation”的动词create。
找出主题句，抓住文章主线和关键词语，归纳文章中心。要注意不是所有的段落都有主题句，有时主题句暗含在句中。阅读这样的文章，就需要自己根据文章的细节来分析，概括出段落的主题，从而推导出文章的主旨。分析的方法是：先弄清该段落主要讲了哪几方面的内容，这些内容在逻辑上有什么联系，然后加以归纳形成主题。第4小题从第二段至结束叙述了19世纪50年代安•贾维斯（Ann Jarvis）举办“母亲工作日”活动，以促进健康和卫生。1870年，朱莉娅•沃德•豪受其影响，发表了 “母亲节宣言”。1905年5月，安娜在母亲去世后，开始每年举行周年纪念仪式，并让这一天成为节日。1912年，西弗吉尼亚州和其他几个州已经接纳了母亲节。两年后，伍德罗威尔逊总统签署了一项决议，宣布五月的第二个星期天为国定假日。由此可推断出：本文主要说明母亲节创立的背景故事。分析选项可知C项符合题意，故选C。