填空题
[听力原文]11-15
Nobody knows who first invented the umbrella, but it was used in very ancient times. Probably the first to use it were Chinese, in the eleventh century B. C.. 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 sign of honor. In the Far East in ancient times, the umbrella was allowed to be used only by those in high office.
In Europe, the Greeks were the first to use the umbrella as a sunshade. And 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.
By the eighteenth century, the umbrella was used against rain throughout most Europe. 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 women’s umbrellas began to be made, in a whole variety of colors.