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 (代替)“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 only the difference. Words sometimes have different meanings too. For example, the vocabulary(词汇) for cars and driving is very different. Americans drive trucks(卡车), but in England people drive lorries.

Many expressions（短语） 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’re 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 word “separately” mean in this passage? It means “_____”.

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.Languages _____.

A. are always changing as time passes 

B. keep unchanged even if time changes

C. are the same in all places  

D. are easy to learn

4.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 language is in the same way.

5.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.A

4.B

5.D

【解析】

试题分析：本文讲述的是英国英语与美国英语的区别：读音上有区别、单词有时有不同的含义、许多短语也有不同、语法上也有差异。

1.C词义猜测题。题意：文中的“separately” 是什么意思？A. 含糊地；B. 快速地；C.分开地；D. 简略地。句意：Often, Americans don’t say each word separately. They say words together. 通常美国人不把每个词separately地讲，而是一起讲，可以推测出其意思是“分开地”故选C。

2.D细节理解题。题意：cars和driving的词汇怎样？A. an example of British English 英国英语的一个例子；B. an example of American English美国英语的例子；C. the same in America and England在美国和英国一样；D. not the same in America and England在美国和英国不同。根据第三段内容，英国人和美国人的表达不一样，故选D。

3.A细节理解题。题意：语言怎样变化？A. are always changing as time passes一直随着时间变化；B. keep unchanged even if time changes即使时间变化，语言也保持不变；C. are the same in all places在所有地方是一样的；D. are easy to learn容易学习。由最后一段的Languages change over time.可知语言在随着时间发生变化，故选A。

4.B推理判断题。题意：下面哪一个是对的？根据短文内容，英国英语和美国在、读音、单词的含义、短语、语法四个方面有差异。故选B。

5.主旨大意题。题意：本文主要是有关什么的？A. English vocabulary英语词汇；B. how American sounds are different from British sounds美国音标与英国音标有多不同；C. the way the British say words 英国人讲话的方式；D. some differences between American and British English美国英语和英国英语之间的区别。本文主要讲述的是英国英语与美国英语的区别，故选D。

考点：社会文化类短文阅读。