T-shirts, so-called because when you lay them out they look like the letter T, are such a universal item of clothing that it is surprising to realize that no one wore them except as underwear until the second half of the 20th century.
American soldiers serving in Europe in the 1914—1918 War were equipped with heavy wool uniforms, which were extremely hot during the humid(潮湿的)summers. They noticed the French colleagues wore lightweight cotton shirts when the weather was hot. The nickname(绰号,诨名) “T-shirt” for this useful piece of clothing quickly caught on by the 1920s, it was already in Webster’s Dictionary of American English. By the time of the 1939—1945 war, it had become standard tissue clothing for USA soldiers.
At first, it was regarded as an undershirt, and was never worn as “outerwear”. However, the performances of two charming Hollywood movie stars, Marion Brando and James Dean, changed all this. The two actors are usually credited with making the T-shirt a stylish and desirable piece of clothing. Very soon, it was an indispensable fashion item for American young men.
The popularity of T-shirts rocketed during the 1970s, when rock and roll bands realized that they could make significant amounts of money selling their T-shirts. Professional sports teams also adopted the idea, and big companies began to produce T-shirts with their logo on the front and gave them away to their customers. Very soon, T-shirts carrying the brand names of international brands became commonplace.
60. Which of the following statements about T-shirts is true?
A. They originated (起源) in France in the early 1900s.
B. The original T-shirts were made of heavy wool.
C. All American soldiers wore them under their uniforms in the early 1900s.
D. They were worn only as underwear by men and women until the mid 20th century.
61. Who made the T-shirts a popular fashion shirt for men?
A. French soldiers who wore them in the early 1900s.
B. Rock and roll bands.
C. Two American film stars from the 1950s.
D. Sports professionals.
62. The underlined word “indispensable” in the third paragraph means
___________ .
A. you can’t buy it B. you can't throw it away
C. you must have it D. you must throw it away
63. What does the author mean by the expression “the popularity of T-shirts rocketed” in the fourth paragraph?
A. They were suddenly no longer popular.
B. They were suddenly very popular.
C. They gradually became more and more popular.
D. They were suddenly very expensive.