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2017年12月英语六级阅读训练269

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　　2017年12月全国大学英语四六级考试已进入备考冲刺阶段——【点击查看各科目练习汇总】。英语六级考试中六级阅读所占比重为百分之三十五，阅读训练的重要性不言而喻，然而阅读技巧也是一门学问。来看看文都四六级小编为各位整理的2017年12月英语六级阅读训练(269)，请考生及时练习！

　　文都小编推荐：点击此处马上进入六级阅读训练时间

　　【口语】2017年11月英语四六级口语考试报名时间及方式

　　【备考】2017年12月英语四六级各科目备考练习汇总

　　The“V”Sign

　　The palm-forward“V”sign, formed by raising andspreading the first two fingers1 ,has three differentmeanings in American culture.The most popularmeaning of the“V”sign was invented in 1941 by aBelgian, Victor De Lavalaye. Wanting a symbol forresistance to the Nazi2 occupation, he came upwith the single letter“V”, which stood not only for hisown first name3, but also for English victory, Flemish virijheid, and French victoire. Thesymbolism of the sign spread very quickly, and Winston Churchill4 used it constantly in publicappearance. Thus throughout the 1940 s and 1950 s, the gesture meant simply“victory”.Thesecond meaning came in the 1960 s. Because of its military implication, Americanantiwarprotestors used the sign sarcastically against the arms, so that it became known as the“ peacesign”. In the 1970s, the“V”sign , which had lost its military implication, was a commongreeting among freedom lovers, acid heads5, political radicals, and ultimately, young people ingeneral. So by about the middle of the 1970s, it ceased to give clue to the user’s philosophy.The third meaning is the oldest and least common. American children jokingly put “V”, whichresembles“ horns”, behind friends’heads in group snapshots. The are unknowingly reproducingsomething that southern Europeans would find highly offensive. This mischief, called“horns ofthe Devil”, is a variant of the European“ horns”gesture, which is obscene. Here the“V”signmeans“Your wife has been cheating on you ”or, when placed behind another’s head,“His wifehas been cheating on him”. In the United States, the gesture is typically given with the palmfacing the viewer. The British use both this version and an older, palm-backward version; thelatter is obscene in American culture, and corresponds to the American“ finger”6 . Churchill gotsome surprised stares in 1941 when, evidently unaware of the vulgar usage, he gave thepalm-backward“V”to British troops. In England today you could have to be a social hermit notto understand the distinction. Astonishingly, however, Margaret Thatcher7 repeatedChurchill’s error after her victory in the 1979 election.

　　阅读自测

　　Ⅰ. Fill in the blanks with proper words :

　　American children______________________ ( 开玩笑地) put“V”,which______________________ ( 类似)“ horns”,

　　behind friends’heads in group ______________________( 快照) . Theyare______________________ ( 无意中地) reproducing

　　something that southern Europeans would find highly______________________ ( 无礼的) .

　　This mischief, called“ horns of the Devil”, is a ______________________( 变体) of theEuropean

　　“ horns”gesture, which is______________________ ( 淫秽的) .

　　Ⅱ. Exp lain the fo llowing phras es in bold typ e in yo ur own words :

　　1. If you kee p yo ur fin ge rs crossed , you ______________________.

　　2. If you are all fin ge rs a nd thumbs , you ______________________ .

　　3. If you ha ve a finger in every pie , you______________________ .

　　4. If you thumb a lift, you______________________.