A
The British live on a small island.They are surrounded by the sea，so it is not surprising that the sea has always played an important role in their lives.After the development of large，oceangoing sailing ships in the fifteenth century，the sea became even more important to the country's development.Ships setting sail from England determined to extend Britain's territories，its wealth and its knowledge of the world.Ships returned to England bringing goods，people and new ideas from foreign places.By the nineteenth century，Britain had the largest，most powerful navy in the world.
The great sailing ships were so much a part of British life that they even affected the language.Many English expressions we use today were originally nautical(航海的)terms，although most people no longer realize this.For example，people commonly describe an honest and fair business deal as being “above board”．This expression was originally used in sailing ship times when secretive，dishonest ship's business would be carried out below decks(below the boards)out of public view.On the other hand，honest business was always conducted on deck(above the boards)，in the open where everyone could see what was going on.
“Pipe down！”，meaning “Be quiet！”，is another common expression that has nautical origins.The ship's boatswain(水手长)would blow a whistle，or pipe，at the end of the day to indicate(表明)to the sailors it was time to quieten down and go to sleep.
Most native English speakers have heard the expression “not enough room to swing a cat”，but few know that the “cat” does not refer to a small furry animal with four legs and a tail.The “cat” is actually a short form of “cat of nine tails”—a whip with nine knotted(打结的)tails.A boatswain needed a lot of space in order to swing the whip properly when lashing(鞭打)a poor sailor under his control!
[语篇解读] 本文是一篇说明文。英国作为一个岛国，四周被海洋环绕，因此海洋在英国人的生活中发挥着重要作用。英国曾有着很强大的海军，一直以来，水手们经常使用一些丰富的航海术语，这些术语也影响着英语语言。
1．The British have been strongly influenced by the sea because________．
A．they occupied more land around the world
B．they got more wealth from the sea
C．they live on an island surrounded by the sea
D．they had the largest navy ever
解析：细节理解题。根据第一段第二句“They are surrounded by the sea，so it is not surprising that the sea has always played an important role in their lives.”可知，英国被海洋包围，所以海洋对英国人的生活影响很大。
答案：C
2．If someone is open and above board，it means he is________．
A．secretive B．honest
C．cheerful D．dishonest
解析：细节理解题。结合第二段中的“people commonly describe an honest and fair business deal as being ‘above board’”可知，选B项。
答案：B
3．What can we conclude from the passage?
A．Sailors need to go to sleep when they hear a whistle.
B．Sailors will be whipped if they do business below decks.
C．A poor sailor may be whipped nine times a day.
D．There is no spare room to raise cats on ships.
解析：细节理解题。根据第三段第二句“The ship's boatswain would blow a whistle，or pipe，at the end of the day to indicate to the sailors it was time to quieten down and go to sleep.”可知，当听到哨声，水手们要去睡觉。所以选A项。
答案：A
4．The passage is mainly about________．
A．the business on British sailing ships
B．the influence of British sailors' language on English
C．the sailing history of England
D．the sailing story of British sailors
解析：主旨大意题。本文主要通过介绍英国是一个受海洋影响的国家引入主题，即水手们在航行的时候使用的一些航海术语对英语这门语言产生了深远的影响。因此B项符合题意。
答案：B
