1 . The Mississippi is a romantic river whose relationship with man goes back beyond its discovery by the Spaniards in the 16th century. Indians used the river as a highway and as a source of food, and it was they who gave it its name —''misi'', meaning ''great'' and ''sipi'' meaning ''water''.
When the length of its great tributary (支流), the Missouri, is added to it, the Mississippi becomes the third longest river in the world. From the source of the Missouri to the tip of the delta (三角洲), it is 2,480 miles long. Its head waters have been compared to a healthy, thick-branched tree, healthy because its main branches, or tributaries, are navigable for most of their length.
The Indians paddled up and down the river in their canoes. The first streamer was launched in 1810. It had a single great paddle-wheel at the stern, and was known as a ''paddle-wheeler.'' Throughout the 19th century these unique ships were queens of the Mississippi. They have become part of American history and American literature. The noted writer, Mark Twain, immortalized (使不朽) the river in his greatest novel, Huckleberry Finn, and Oscar Hammerstein immortalized it in his song, Old Man River, which was made popular all over the world by the great black American singer and actor, Paul Robeson.
1. The Mississippi was discovered by the
.
| A．Americans | B．Indians |
| C．Spaniards | D．Queens of the Mississippi |
2. Indians gave
the name ''misi and sipi'' meaning ''great water''.
| A．the Mississippi | B．the Missouri |
| C．the tributary | D．the delta |
3. Because most of the Mississippi's length can be navigated, it has been compared to a
.
| A．branch | B．river | C．paddle | D．tree |
4. During
the single paddle-wheel ships were queens of the Mississippi.
| A．the 16th century | B．the 19th century |
| C．the 17th century | D．the 15th century |
