England was probably the first country in Europe 17 ordinary people used umbrellas 18 the rain.
答案：(C) against
「against the rain」表示「防雨、抵擋雨」，against 有「對抗、防範」的意思，符合撐傘擋雨的邏輯。below／of／from 都無法表達「抵擋」的意思。
本題大考中心未公布逐題答對率，以下不談數據，只談觀念。
「擋雨」的中文裡沒有介系詞，四個選項擺進去都得靠英文語感。這一格要抓的是 against 的核心語感。
四個選項都是介系詞，可見這一格考的是語意與搭配。整句是 ordinary people used umbrellas ___ the rain（一般人用傘……雨）。撐傘是為了抵擋雨水，而 against 的核心語感就是「對著、頂住」——不論是 fight against（對抗）、lean against（靠著），還是本題的 against the rain（擋雨），都有一個面對面頂住的意味。這一組在題庫裡剛出現過：85 年第 36 題的 protection against environmental dangers（防範環境危害的保護），與本題是同一個語感。一起記的還有 protect sb from／against sth（保護某人免於……）、shelter from the rain（避雨）。
from：表來源或分離。protect sb from 是成立的，但動詞換成 use 之後搭配就不同了，use umbrellas from the rain 不成說法。below（在……下方）、of（……的）：兩個都與「抵擋」無關。
against the rain（擋雨）、protection against（防範……的保護）、protect sb from／against sth（保護某人免於……）、fight against（對抗）、lean against（靠著）、shelter from（躲避）。
The umbrella is not a new invention. The Chinese 11 umbrellas in the eleventh century B.C. 12 China they traveled to India, Persia, and Egypt. But in Greece and Rome, men 13 use them. They believed umbrellas were 14 for women. When the Spanish explorers went to Mexico, they saw the Aztec kings 15 umbrellas. English explorers found out that Indian princes also carried umbrellas on the east coast of North America. It 16 that people in different parts of the world invented umbrellas at different times.
England was probably the first country in Europe 17 ordinary people used umbrellas 18 the rain. England has a rainy climate, and umbrellas are very useful there. The umbrella is now a very ordinary 19 . Everybody uses it today. It keeps the rain and the sun off people. Some umbrellas fold up, 20 it is easy to carry them.