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  3. Scottish customs and traditions cover a very wide range of topics. Everything from kilts to golf, bagpipes to whisky, Celtic cro

Scottish customs and traditions cover a very wide range of topics. Everything from kilts to golf, bagpipes to whisky, Celtic cro

admin2014-01-07  53
问题     Scottish customs and traditions cover a very wide range of topics. Everything from kilts to golf, bagpipes to whisky, Celtic crosses to Protestant missionary work, the "second sight" to Nessie.
    The history of the bagpipes takes us a long way back from today and far away from Scotland. Everyone thinks about Scotland when they hear the word "bagpipe", but this instrument is so old that true age and origin are unknown. In some historical documents it is written that the pipes were first played somewhere around Asia Minor in 1000 BC. Also, it is said, by some, that "Emperor Nero played the ’Pipes’ not the fiddle, while Rome burned." Some "form" of bagpipes are used in many European countries but in Scotland they have become an integral part of the country’s culture. Scotland is the ancestral home of the "Great Highland Bagpipes" known to all as the "Great Pipes".
    A Pipe band is one thing that every visitor of Scotland wants to see. These are groups of men(in modern times it can be both men and women); each group has matching skirts, fancy jackets and strange little hats. They march around squeezing the air out of big tartan bags(known as bagpipes)and blowing it in again through a pipe attached to the bag. This results in a racket known as "the skirl o’ the pipes" which is almost indistinguishable from the noise made by the haggis during the mating season. These pipe bands often turn out to be Australians, not Scots at all!
    The tartan kilt has long been the most recognizable cultural tradition of the Highland Scots, but just like the other symbols, kilts have also an unknown origin. One sure fact is that the wearing of the kilt has been developed in the 19th century during the reign of Queen Victoria. It had been created for some rational reasons: men who wore it could make very quick moves, wade through rivers and shelter in huts, woods and rocks, etc.
    There is a question which will always linger next to the word "kilt" and that is: Do people who wear kilts have underwear or not? Even though there are lots of people who consider this immoral, the tradition says that underwear should not be present if one is dressed in a kilt, the only exception being the participation to some sportive games and the presence of women. In the 50’s, soldiers were verified if they wore underwear by their sergeants who used a long stick that had in the top a mirror.
    Other two’ reasons for which Scotland is famous are its traditional food and of course, whisky. No one could argue that traditional Scottish cooking has produced one of the great cuisines of the world. The quality of the ingredients has always been excellent: the world’s finest seafood including shellfish, lobster and crabs, and varieties of fish too numerous to mention; succulent lamb and beef; soft fruit including raspberries, strawberries and blackberries and a host of locally produced types of cheese, including cheddar from Ayrshire and Galloway. The national dish is the haggis, a type of food that combines mutton with other ingredients and which is served with turnip and potatoes.
    Whisky has been produced in Scotland for hundreds of years. It is well known that the Irish created this alcoholic drink, but the Scots were the ones who brought it to the form that we drink today. Whisky refers to a broad category of alcoholic beverages that are distilled from grains and aged in oak casks. The name means water of life.
Which of the following descriptions is suitable for the bagpipe performance?
选项 A、Bagpipe bands used to consist of male Australians only.
B、Bagpipes are played to imitate the noise of mating haggis.
C、Bagpipe bands must dress in specific performance costumes.
D、Bagpipes are too heavy to carry around during the performance.
答案C
解析 第3段第2句中的第2个分句对服装的描述暗示风笛乐队表演时要穿上特定的演出服，由此可见，C的说法是正确的。该段第2句表明以前乐队都由男性组成，最后一句表明现在风笛乐队“常常”(often)是澳洲人，但也暗示乐队并不“绝对”是澳洲人，因此A不正确；该段第4句提及风笛发出的声音很像哈吉斯羊在交配季节发出的声音，但演奏风笛并不是为了模仿这种声音，B不正确；该段第3句的they marcharound表明演奏者要扛着风笛边走边演奏，D中的too．．．to carry around与此相悖，也不正确。
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