Part of the "American Dream" is to own a home. Many Americans borrow money when they buy a home. They use a mortgage loan（抵押贷款）to help pay for the property. To get the money, the buyer signs an agreement with a bank or loan company. The borrower promises to pay back the money, plus interest, over a period of years.

    The word "mortgage" comes from two Old French words. Mort means dead and gage means to promise or pledge（质押）. Combine the two terms and you get "death pledge." Perhaps this deadly sounding name is why many people are afraid to buy a house, and choose to rent one instead. The second half of the word, gage, is part of another useful word—engage. Engage has many meanings.

    You can enter into battle with, or engage, your enemy. You can engage, or ask, someone to work for you. If you are engaged in a business, you've been taking part in it or doing it.

    To engage also means to hold someone's attention. If you have an engaging speaking style, you can hold the attention of others—or engage them—for a long time.  

    An engagement can be a single promise to be some place at a given time. For example, "He has an engagement this evening and won't be able to make it." Or an engagement can be a serious promise to marry someone. You can say, "The couple got engaged two years ago."

    The French term "mort" gives a deathly meaning to other English words—words like mortal（凡人）, mortality（死亡率）, mortician （殡仪业者）and mortuary（停尸房）.

    Many religious people believe that when we die, we simply leave our mortal life—or life on this world—for an afterlife. Something that does not die is immortal. Clergymen（牧师）or other religious leaders often pray for a person's "immortal soul."

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1.Mortgage loan is used by many Americans to__________.

A realize their dreams

B buy their houses

C sign an agreement

D pay off their debts

解析：选B。B。细节理解题。由第一段第三句They use a mortgage loan to help pay for the property可知，这里的property 就是指房产，故选B。

2.Why are so many people afraid of using mortgage loan?

A Because the word ‘mortgage’ comes from French.

B Because they like to rent a house better than to buy one.

C Because they have to pay back the money with extra interest.

D Because they are afraid of the word ‘mort’ which means ‘dead’.

解析：选D。D。细节理解题。由第二段可知，不少的美国人因为mortgage一词在法语中的意思与death有关，（因不吉利）而不敢用此方式购房，故选D。

3.What does the word ‘engage’ mean in the sentence “You can enter into battle with, or engage, your enemy”？

A 雇佣.

B 与……订婚.

C 与……交战.

D 答应.

解析：选C。C。词义猜测题。从此句可以看出，engage与Battle with同义，都表示“与……战斗”。选C。

4.How many English words are given here that come from the French word ‘mort’ ?

A Three.

B Four.

C Five.

D Six.

解析：选D。D。细节理解题。本文总共提到了6个英语单词与mort 有关，它们是mortgage, mortal, mortality, mortician , mortuary 和 immortal。

5.If you are a newspaper editor, you will put this passage in column of____________.

A news report

B business

C economy

D language

解析：选D。D。 文章归类题。本文是一篇介绍文字起源的文章，所以应放在语言类栏目中。选D。