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 becarried out below decks( i. e. 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!

　　21. The British have been strongly influenced by thesea because

　　A. they live on an island surrounded by the sea

　　B. they occupied more land around the world

　　C. they got more wealth from the sea

　　D. they had the largest navy ever

　　22. If someone is open and above board, it means he is

　　A, secretive B.cheerful C. honest D. dishonest

　　23.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

　　A. Sailors will be whipped if they do business below decks.

　　B. Sailors need to go to sleep when they hear a whistle.

　　C. A poor sailor may be whipped nine times a day.

　　D. There is no spare room to raise cats on ships.

　　24. The passage is mainly about_________.

　　A. The business on British sailing ships

　　B. The sailing history of English

　　C. The sailing story of British sailors

　　D. The influence of British sailors' language on English

　　B

　　The best reporters I know are bright,persistent,honest,curious and courageous.If you asked them to explain their success,this is what they might say：

　　Helen：A good reporter is a generalist,able to deal with a number of topics and talk with a variety of people.He or she can see the unusual,the ironic(讽刺的) in the everyday.She can think through all the possibilities and organize a large amount of information to find the important parts.

Jack：A good reporter is quick.Once he is assigned a story,he goes after it.He makes the calls and keeps trying if he doesn't make contact.Besides,a good reporter is