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Usually, when your teacher asks a question, there is only one correct answer. But there is one question that has millions of correct answers. That question is “What’s your name?” Everyone gives a different answer, but everyone is correct.
Have you ever wondered about people’s names? Where do they come from? What do they mean?
People’s first names, or given names, are chosen by their parents. Sometimes the name of a grandparent or other member of the family is used. Some parents choose the name of a well-known person. A boy could be named George Washington Smith; a girl could be named Helen Keller Jones.
Some people give their children names that mean good things. Clara means “bright”; Beatrice means “one who gives happiness”; Donald means “world ruler”; Leonard means “as brave as a lion”.
The earliest last names, or surnames, were taken from place names. A family with the name Brook or Brooks probably lived near brook （小溪）；someone who was called Longstreet probably lived on a long, paved road. The Greenwood family lived in or near a leafy forest.
Other early surnames came from people’s occupations. The most common occupational name is Smith , which means a person who makes things with iron or other metals. In the past, smiths were very important workers in every town and village. Some other occupational names are: Carter —a person who owned or drove a cart; Potter —a person who made pots and pans.
The ancestors of the Baker family probably baked bread for their neighbors in their native village. The Carpenter’s great-great-great-grandfather probably built houses and furniture.
Sometimes people were known for the color of their hair or skin, or their size, or their special abilities. When there were two men who were named John in the same village, the John with the gray hair probably became John Gray . Or the John was very tall could call himself John Tallman . John Fish was probably an excellent swimmer and John Lightfoot was probably a fast runner or a good dancer.
Some family names were made by adding something to the father’s name. English-speaking people added -s or -son. The Johnsons are descendants of John; the Roberts family’s ancestor was Robert. Irish and Scottish people added Mac or Mc or O . Perhaps all of the MacDonnells and the McDonnells and the O’Donnells are descendants of the same Donnell.
1. Which of the following aspects do the surnames in the passage NOT cover?
A. Places where people lived.
B. People’s characters.
C. Talents that people possessed.
D. People’s occupations.
2. According to the passage, the ancestors of the Potter family most probably ______.
A. owned or drove a cart
B. made things with metals
C. made kitchen tools or containers
D. built houses and furniture
3. Suppose an English couple whose ancestors lived near a leafy forest wanted their new-born son to become a world leader, the baby might be named ______.
A. Beatrice Smith
B. Leonard Carter
C. George Longstreet
D. Donald Greenwood
4. The underlined word “descendants” in the last paragraph means a person’s ______.
A. later generations
B. friends and relatives
C. colleagues and partners
D. later sponsors
first name 名
given name 名
last name 姓
surname 姓
paved adj . 铺好的
leafy adj . 叶子茂盛的，茂密的
occupation n . 工作，职业
smith n . 铁匠
cart n . 运货马车，手推车
ancestor n . 祖先，祖宗
bake v . 烘焙
carpenter n . 木匠
descendant n . 后代，后裔
The most common occupational name is Smith, which means a person who makes things with iron or other metals.
occupational此处的意思是“与职业有关的”，which引导非限制性定语从句，修饰Smith，who引导定语从句，修饰person。
（参考译文） 最常见的与职业有关的名字是史密斯，它的意思是“用钢铁或其他金属制造器物的人”。