Question

 What’s a “gift”? If you look it up in the dictionary, you’ll see that it’s another word for a present. For example, “They brought him some gifts.” However, if you’re German, “gift” means something completely different: poison!

This word “gift” is an example of a false friend--- a word that looks the same in two languages, but which actually has two different meanings. As English is basically a mixture of German, French and Latin, there are many words that are similar in these languages. For example, the English word “education” is “education” in Spanish. And the English words “word, book, nine, house” are “Wort, Buch, Neun, Haus” in german.

   These similar-looking words can be very helpful when learning other languages --- they’re our “friends”. However, sometimes they can turn out or be “false friends”. Here are a few examples.

   In English, someone who is “sensible” thinks before they act and shows good judgement. For example , “The sensible thing to do would be to consult a lawyer.” However, in Spanish, “sensible ” means “sensitive” (showing understanding of other people’s problems, needs or feelings).

   The English word “coin” refers to a piece of money made of metal. For example, “I had a few coins in my pocket.” But the French word “coin” means “corner”.

   The English word “library” is a place where you can go to borrow books. For example, “I borrowed six books from the library.” But the Spanish word “libreria” refers to a bookshop (where you buy books).

   The English word “actually” means “in fact”. For example, “Actually I’m not Italian, I’m form American.” But the Spanish word “actualmente” means “currently” or “at the moment”.

   Finally, the English word “embarrassed” means “ashamed”. For example, “They looked a bit embarrassed.” However, the Spanish term “embarazada” means “pregnant” (with a child).

1. We can learn from the first two paragraphs that English _______.

A. is easy to master

B. is simpler than Spanish

C. has a complex background

D. has changed greatly throughout history

2. Which of the following pairs of words are true friends according to the author?

A. Nine and Neun.                         B. Library and libreria.

C. Actually and actualmente.                 D. Embarrassed and embarazada.

3. According to the text, in Spanish ______.

A. “coin” means “corner”

B. “gift” refers to something negative

C. “educacion” simply means “book”

D. “sensible” doesn’t necessarily means “wise”

4. The author develops the text mainly by ______.

A. following the order of space               B. comparing different ideas

C. providing typical examples                D. analyzing the cause and effect

Answer

1.C

2.A

3.D

4.C

【解析】

试题分析：本文讲的是英语是德语、法语、拉丁语的混合语言，有很多单词看起来很相似，这对学习其他语言是有帮助的，但还有很多单词虽然看起来相似，意思上却有很大的不同，即false friend 。文章中举了很多这样的例子。

1.细节理解题。根据文章第二段第二句话，English is basically a mixture of German、French and Latin 可知答案选C。

2.细节理解题。根据文章第二段最后一句话可知选A。

3.细节理解题。根据文章第四段内容可知选D。

4.作者意图题。纵观全文可知本文中作者给出了很多的例子来说明。

考点：文化类短文阅读。