Tousitseemssonaturaltoputupanumbrellatok
To us it seems so natural to put up an umbrella to keep the water off when it rains, but actually the umbrella was not invented as protection against rain. Its first use was as a shade against the sun.
Nobody knows who first invented it, but the umbrella was used in very ancient times. Probably theChinese were the first to use it in the eleventh centuryB、C、
We know that the umbrella was used in ancientEgypt andBabylon as a sunshade.And there was a strange thing connected with its use: it became a symbol of honor and authority. In the FarEast in ancient times, the umbrella was allowed to be used only by the king or by those in high office.
InEurope, 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 persons inEurope to use the umbrella as protection against the rain were the ancient Romans.During the MiddleAges, the use of the umbrella practically disappeareD、Then it appeared again in Italy in the late sixteenth century.And again it was considered a symbol of power and authority.By 1680, the umbrella appeared in France, and later on inEnglanD、
By the 18th century the umbrella was used against rain throughout most ofEurope. Umbrella did not change much in style during all this time, though they became much lighter in weight. It was not until the twentieth century that women’s umbrellas were made, in a whole variety of colors.
A、strange feature of the umbrella’s use is that it was used as______.A．a shade against the sun
B．protection against rain
C．a symbol of honor and power
D．women’s decoration