Question

It may be common knowledge that what British people call “football” is known as “soccer” in the US, and “colour” in British English(BrE) goes without the “u” in American English (AmE). But according to a chart made recently by website Grammar Check, these are far from being the only differences between the two countries’ use of English. The chart outlined 63 of the main contrasts between BrE and AmE, from the more well-known “lift/elevator” and “autumn/fall” to the lesser-known “garden/yard” and “petrol/gasoline”.

Some of the vocabulary mismatches are so different that two people in a conversation may fail to understand each other. For example，the two countries have different names for certain food. “ Biscuits “ and “sweets” in Britain  are known as “cookies” and “candy” , respectively, in the US. But while getting food names mixed up only causes confusion, some misunderstandings may lead to embarrassment if you’re not careful. I f a British man in the US is asked to show up a party in “pants”, there’s a chance that he might get a lot of stares from other guests. “Pants” in the UK means underwear. “Trousers” are what you need to ask a British friend to wear if you don’t want them to cause a scene among your friends.

However, even if 63 is already a lot, there are still many differences that the chart failed to cover. If a US girl walks into a UK barber and says “I want to have my bangs fixed”, for example, it could take a while before the hairdresser realizes what she    means is actually her “fringe”.

1.By presenting the first paragraph, the author mainly tell us     .

A. the chart is made by Grammar    Check

B. people are much more familiar with “lift/elevator”

C. BrE and AmE are different in spelling

D. There are many differences between BrE and AmE

2.If a British man is asked to join in a party in “pants”, he might    .

A. get into an embarrassment

B. be attractive among his friends

C. be puzzled at others’ dresses

D. ask for a pair of trousers instead

3.Why is the example in the barber mentioned?

A. To confirm some examples are unknown.

B. To support the author's opinion on the topic.

C. To indicate the British are slow in understanding.

D. To show the hairdresser isn’t familiar with “bangs”.

Answer

1.D

2.A

3.B

【解析】说明文。作者通过几个实例说明英国英语和美国英语之间存在很大区别。

1.推理判断题。第一段先以“football”, “soccer”和“colour”为例，说明英美英语词汇的不同；随后作者指出，根据网站Grammar Check所列图表可知英美英语差异不仅限于此；再从下文不同角度的例子可以推断，作者在第一段中主要向读者传递的是：英美英语差异很大。故选D。

2.细节判断题。根据第二段倒数三句话可知， 英国英语里“pants”是“underwear” 的意思。如果某英国人穿着“underwear”参加聚会，可能就会引人注目、并陷入难堪的局面。故选A。

3.推理判断题。上文列举了英美英语差异的几个例子，然后在最后一段第一句话指出上述图表未能涵盖其它许多不同之处，其后事例用于强化区别之大这一观点。故选B。