Question

American and British people both speak English of course. But sometimes there are some important differences between British English and American English.

First of all, they sound very different. Often, Americans don’t say each word separately. They say words together. Americans may say “I dunno” instead of “I don’t know”. Or they may say “Whaddya say?” instead of “What did you say?” However, the British are more careful. They usually say all the words and keep them separate.

Sound is not the only difference. Words sometimes have different meanings too. For example, the vocabulary (词汇) for cars and driving is very different. Americans drive trucks, but in England people drive lorries.

Many expressions (表达) are also different in the two countries. In England, if you are going to telephone your friends, you “phone them up”. In America, you “give them a call”. When you are saying goodbye in England you might say “Cheerio!” In America you might say “See you later.”

There are also some differences in grammar (语法). For example, Americans usually use the helping verb “do” when they ask a question. They say “Do you have a storybook?” But the British often leave out the helping verb. They say “Have you a storybook?”

Most languages are like this. Languages change over time. When people live in separate places, the languages change in different ways. This is what has happened to English. It can also happen to other languages, such as French. Many people in Canada speak French but their French is very different from the French of France.

1.What does the underlined word “separately” mean in this passage?

A. 含糊地            B.快速地         C. 分开地        D. 简略地

2.The vocabulary for cars and driving is ________________.

A. an example of British English 

B. an example of American English

C. the same in America and England

D. not the same in America and England

3.Which of the following is RIGHT?

A. American people usually say “I don’t know” instead of “I dunno”.

B. There are four differences between American and British English.

C. Canadians speak all the same French as Frenchmen

D. When people live in different places, the languages change in the same ways.

4.This passage is mainly about ___________________.

A. English vocabulary

B how American sounds are different from British sounds.

C the way the British say words.

D some differences between American and British English.

Answer

1.C

2.D

3.B

4.D

【解析】

试题分析：英国人和美国人都说英语，但是他们所说的英语有很多不同，短文中作者在发音、词汇、表达和语法等四个方面，通过举例，给我们详细的进行了介绍。

1.C词义猜测题。根据短文第二段中Often, Americans don’t say each word separately. They say words together.可知，美国人经常把单词连在一起说，由此可推断separately应该跟together是相反的意思，因此应是分开的，选C。

2.D细节理解题。根据短文第三段中For example, the vocabulary (词汇) for cars and driving is very different. Americans drive trucks, but in England people drive lorries.可知，在英国和美国，关于汽车和驾驶的词汇是不同的。故应选D。

3.B推理判断题。根据短文中First of all, they sound very different、Words sometimes have different meanings too.、Many expressions (表达) are also different in the two countries、There are also some differences in grammar可知，短文中告诉我们，英国英语和美国英语在发音、词汇、表达和语法上都有不同，因此短文中一共介绍了四个方面，故选B。

4.

考点：文化类短文阅读。