Do you know how Uncle Sam became the popular symbol of the United States?
Some historians believe that he is based on a real person，Samuel Wilson．During the War of 1812，Wilson sold meat to American troops. Wilson labeled
the meat barrels（桶）US．This meant that it was for the army．At that time，US was not used to mean“United States”．An officer asked what the US on the barrels meant．A soldier replied，“United States”，meaning Samuel Wilson．
The Uncle Sam image（形象）today shows a man with a beard，a stars and stripes（星条旗）top hat，and a suit．Thomas Nast created this image in about 1838．It represented the government in Nast's political cartoons．Some people believe that Nast based his image on Dan Rice，a popular entertainer．Rice performed while wearing a top hat and suit．
Others think it was James M．Flagg that drew the most famous image of Uncle Sam in 1917， during World War I．It shows a serious man pointing a finger at the viewer and says“United States”．Flagg drew this enduring image to encourage Americans to join the U.S．Army．It has been used for this purpose ever since．
Today, Uncle Sam is a symbol of the United States that is recognized around the world．

Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Uncle Sam was a character created by the government of the United States．

B．Samuel Wilson，a businessman，sold meat to American troops during the War of 1812．

C．Uncle Sam was based on an entertainer to show Americans were popular people．

D．The image of Uncle Sam has been used to urge Americans to join the army since 1838．

The underlined word“enduring”in the fourth paragraph is closest in meaning to“________”.

A．long-lasting	B．short-lived
C．painful	D．scary

It can be inferred from the passage that___________.

A．Uncle Sam is an officer from the American army

B．Uncle Sam’s top hat and suit reflect the American flag

C．Tile Uncle Sam symbol is the best of all American symbols

D．Opinions differ about how Uncle Sam became a national symbol

Which of the following can best sum up the passage?

A．The name Uncle Sam was invented during the War of 1821．

B．There are many symbols of the United States，including Uncle Sam．

C．Over time，the image of Uncle Sam came to represent the United States．

D．Uncle Sam is a national symbol that is recognized around the United States．