The flag, the most common symbol of a nation in the modern world, is also one of the most ancient. With a clear symbolic meaning, the flag in the traditional form is still used today to mark buildings, ships and other vehicles related to a country.
The national flag as we know it today is in no way a primitive artifact. It is, rather, the product of thousands of years’ development. Historians believe that it had two major ancestors, of which the earlier served to show wind direction.
Early human beings used very fragile houses and boats. Often strong winds would tear roofs from houses or cause high waves that endangered travelers. People’s food supplies were similarly vulnerable. Even after they had learned how to plant grains, they still needed help from nature to ensure good harvests. Therefore they feared and depended on the power of the wind, which could bring warmth from one direction and cold from another.
Using a simple piece of cloth tied to the top of a post to tell the direction of the wind was more dependable than earlier methods, such as watching the rising of smoke from a fire. The connection of the flag with heavenly power was therefore reasonable. Early human societies began to fix long pieces of cloth to the tops of totems (图腾) before carrying them into battle. They believed that the power of the wind would be added to the good wishes of the gods and ancestors represented by the totems themselves.
【2016届四川省西昌市高考英语阅读理解和信息匹配类练习(1)】相关文章:
★ 2017高考四川省广安市英语阅读理解一轮系列训练:4(含解析)
★ 2017高考四川省广安市英语阅读理解一轮系列训练:5(含解析)
★ 浙江省湖州市2014高考英语阅读理解一轮(暑假)精炼(9)含答案
★ 贵州省贵阳市2014高考英语(新人教版)一轮阅读训练(22)附答案
★ 辽宁省辽阳市2014高考英语单项选择一轮(暑假)训练(8)附答案
★ 浙江省湖州市2014高考英语阅读理解一轮(暑假)精炼(17)含答案
★ 2017高考四川省广安市英语阅读理解一轮系列训练:9(含解析)
★ 2017高考四川省广安市英语阅读理解一轮系列训练:13(含解析)
最新
2017-04-24
2017-04-24
2017-04-24
2017-04-24
2017-04-21
2017-04-21