1. (2022高三上·喀什月考) 阅读理解

"Belittle" was first used by Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States.

Many years ago, Buffon, a French naturalist, wrote some books about natural history. The books were a great success even though some critics did not like them. Some critics said, "Buffon is more of a poet than a scientist."

Thomas Jefferson did not like what Buffon had said about the natural wonders of the New World. It seemed to Jefferson that Buffon had spoken of natural wonders in America as if they were unimportant.

This troubled Thomas Jefferson. He was a naturalist, as well as a farmer, inventor, historian, writer and politician. He had seen the natural wonders of Europe. To him, they were no more important than those of the New World.

In 1788, Thomas Jefferson wrote about his home state, Virginia. While writing, he thought of its natural beauty and then of the words of Buffon. At that moment, Jefferson created a new word-belittle. He said. "Buffon believes that nature belittles her productions on this side of the Atlantic."

Noah Webster, the American word expert, liked this word. He put it in his English language dictionary in 1806, "Belittle-to make somebody or something small, unimportant."

Americans had already accepted Jefferson's word and started to use it. In 1797, the Independent Chronicle newspaper used the word to describe a politician the paper supported. "He is an honorable man," the paper wrote, "so let the opposition try to belittle him as much as they please."

In 1872, a famous American word expert decided that the time had come to kill this word. He said, "‘Belittle' has no chance of becoming English. And as more critical writers of America, like those of Britain, feel no need of it, the sooner it is forgotten, the better." This expert failed to kill the word. Today, "belittle" is used where the English language is spoken.

1. （1） What was the reason for Jefferson's creating the new word?

   A . He was a naturalist and writer. B . Lots of critics disliked Buffon's books. C . Lots of critics thought Buffon wasn't a real naturalist. D . He disagreed with Buffon's views on natural wonders in America.
3. （2） What do we know about Buffon according to the text?

   A . Some of his poems were known to Jefferson. B . Some of his books were welcome by readers. C . He made some wrong comments on Jefferson. D . He made great contributions to the creation of "belittle".
5. （3） What does the underlined word "those" in the last paragraph refer to?

   A . The critical writers. B . The English words. C . The word experts. D . The English-speaking countries.
7. （4） What may be the best title for the text?

   A . The comment on the New World B . The creation of Thomas Jefferson C . The history of the word "belittle" D . The argument about the new word