To us, it seems so natural to put up an umbrella to keep the water off when it rains. But in fact the umbrella was not invented as protection against the rain. Its first use was as a shade(遮蔽)against the sun.
Nobody knows who first invented it, but the umbrella was used in very ancient times. Probably the first to use it were the Chinese, back in the eleventh century BC.
We know that the umbrella was used in ancient Egypt and Babylon as a sunshade. And there was a strange thing connected with its use : it became a symbol of honor and power(权力). In the Far East in ancient times, the umbrella was allowed to be used only by those in high office or by royal people such as the kings or queens.
In Europe, the Greeks were the first to use the umbrella as a sunshade. The umbrella was in common use in ancient Greece, but it is believed that the first people in Europe to use the umbrella as protection against the rain were the ancient Romans. During the middle ages in Europe, the use of the umbrella almost disappeared. Then it appeared again in Italy in the late sixteenth century. And again it became a symbol of power.
Umbrellas have not changed much in style during all this time, though they have become much lighter in weight. It wasn't until the twentieth century that the umbrellas for women began to be made in all kinds of colors.
According to this passage, the umbrella was probably first invented in ancient_______.

A．China

B．Egypt

C．Greece

D．Rome

Which of the following statements is not true about the umbrella?

A．No one exactly knows who the inventor of the umbrella was

B．The umbrella was first invented to be used as protection against the sun.

C．The umbrella changed much in style in the eighteenth century

D．In Europe, the Greeks were the first to use the umbrella as a sunshade.

A strange feature of the umbrella’s use is that it was used as__________.

A．protection against rain

B．a symbol of honor and power

C．a shade against the sun

D．women’s decoration

In Europe, the umbrella was first used against the rain_______________.

A．during the Middle Ages	B．in Rome
C．by the 18th	D．in Greece

This passage talks mainly about_______________.

A．when and how the umbrella was invented

B．why the umbrella was so popular in Europe

C．the development of the umbrella

D．The history and use of the umbrella

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