题型：阅读选择 题类： 难易度：普通
湖北省武汉市七一华源中学2023-2024学年九年级上学期月考英语试卷（1月份）
"I killed the wrong goose (鹅), " a man complained in his letter about the Xinhua Dictionary. It was the 1970s. The man wanted to kill a male goose. He didn't know the difference between male and female goose, so he turned to the dictionary for help. It read, "The male geese have a yellow bump on their head."
The man chose a goose that matched the description. But when he opened its stomach, many eggs poured out, and the man was angry.
The dictionary wasn't totally wrong. However, it didn't make it clear that all geese have a yellow bump on their head. Males have just bigger ones. The dictionary's editors corrected it in the next edition (版本) .
Since its birth in 1953, the Xinhua Dictionary has been used as an encyclopedia (百科全书) by people across China. More than 600 million copies have been sold.
In 1949, about 80 percent of China's population was uneducated. Xinhua Dictionary succeeded in opening up knowledge to millions of Chinese people. "I had no education when I was little. The dictionary helped me get into high school. " Said a woman in her 50s.
Over the past 50 years, the dictionary has been improved in each edition. "鲟"was once explained as"can be eaten". Later editions made it clear that it was "an animal in danger". The meaning of "豹"is no longer "wild animals whose fur can be made into clothes". New editions have included many new meanings. The character "晒" (to dry something under the sun) , for example, now has a second meaning: to share. Popular expressions like "初心"have also been added to dictionary.
In a way, Xinhua hasn't just explained words; it has shaped the way Chinese people think. According to an article in Southern Weekly, "When children write about a spring outing, the sky is always ‘cloudless for ten thousand miles'. They will always ‘sing and dance' on the way. " "Both sentences, " the editor added, " are from examples in the Xinhua Dictionary."
Here is some cool information about the world's population（人口) .
| It took 12 years for the world's population to grow from 7 billion to2022's 8 billion. But it will take about 15 years for the population to reach 9billion. That's because fewer babies are born now. In 50 years, this can slow the growth of the world's population. |
| The day on which the world's population grows by one billion is important. The United Nations chooses a baby born on that day as the symbolic (象征的) baby. For example, the world's population reached 8billion on November 15,2022. Vinice Mabansag was born on that day and she became the symbolic 8 billionth baby. |
| More boys than girls are born around the world. There are 106 baby boys born for every 100 baby girls. There are 1. 8 billion people between the ages of 10 and 24. That's the largest number ever (有史以来). |
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