British English and American English are almost the same. But there are slight differences between British and American English in vocabulary, pronunciation, spelling and grammar.
The first difference between British and American English is in vocabulary. Almost all of the words used in British English and American English are exactly the same. Only a very small number of words are used disparately. For example, Americans would say “apartment”, but the British would say “flat” to talk about the place where they live. In addition to some common words, many idiomatic（惯用的）expressions are different. In England people might say “I’ll ring you up tonight”, but in the US, people might say “I’ll call you up tonight”.
The second difference between British and American English is in Pronunciation. The main difference in pronunciation concerns the vowels（元音）. Some American dialects and some British dialects use vowels in different ways. Sometimes, Americans and the British don’t understand each other’s pronunciation. But most of the time, the British and Americans do understand each other’s pronunciation because most of the sounds of the two dialects are the same.
The third difference is very small. This is the difference in spelling. A few types of words are spelled differently in British and American English. The most common example is in a word like “center”. In British English, this word would be spelled C-E-N-T-R-E, while in American English the same word would be spelled C-E-N-T-E-R. Another example is “or” vs “our”. The word “color”is spelled C-O-L-O-U-R in Britain but C-O-L-O-R in the US.
There are a few differences in grammar, too. The British may say “Have you got..?” while Americans prefer “Do you have..?” An American might say “my friend just arrived”, but a British would say “my friend has just arrived”. Sometimes function words are used differently: the British may say “at the weekend”, but Americans would say “on the weekend”.
小题1:What is this passage mainly about?| A．The development of American English | | B．Differences between British and American English | | C．The influences of British English on American English | | D．The causes of the differences between British and American English |
小题2:What does the underlined word “disparately” in Paragraph 2 mean?| A．Frequently | B．Regularly | C．Eventually | D．Differently |
小题3:According to Paragraph 3, Americans and the British may find it hard to understand each other because of .| A．the different ways of using vowels | | B．the different idiomatic expressions they use | | C．the differences in grammar | | D．the differences in spelling |
小题4:Which of the following words probably belong to the American English vocabulary?
a. flavour b. theater c. humor d. centre e. kilometer f. honour g. color小题5:Which of the following sentences is most probably used by Americans?| A．I’ll learn with you at the weekend | | B．Have you got a dictionary? | | C．I’ll ring her up tonight. | | D．Do you have a pen? |
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小题1:B
小题2:D
小题3:A
小题4:C
小题5:D |
这是一篇关于英美英语差异的文章。
小题1:主旨大意题。根据文章第一段可知文章是关于英美英语差异的。
小题2:猜测词义。根据前句words used in British English and American English are exactly the same. Only a very small number of words are used disparately.可知disparately应该与same意思相反。
小题3:细节题。根据第三段The main difference in pronunciation concerns the vowels（元音）.可知答案为A。
小题4:细节题。根据文章第四段关于拼写的差异，可知是C。
小题5:细节题。根据最后一段Americans prefer “Do you have..?”可知答案为D。 |
核心考点
试题【British English and American English are almost the same. But there are slight d】；主要考察你对
题材分类等知识点的理解。
[详细]举一反三
It’s easy to see how to help others, but what about those whose needs aren’t so obvious? This story may have happened a while back, but it was a lesson which has stayed with me and helped me ever since.
It was Thanksgiving and I was volunteering with my parents at a shelter for the poor. We stood behind the counter dishing out hot food to whoever came in. most of our dinners looked like they had been having hard times, their clothes old, worn and dry. In short, they looked poor!
Then, a man came in, who looked anything but poor. He was well dressed, wearing an expensive suit. I wondered what he was doing there and my jaw dropped in amazement when he joined the line for food. The closer he came to my service station, the more I muttered. What was this man doing? I wanted to know. Surely he wasn’t gong to take food.
Then my mother quietly took me to one side. She said, “You have assumed that the needs of the people who come here must be purely physical: hunger, inadequate shelter and needs are emotional? What if he needs comfort, friends, or just to be among other human beings?” her words hit me like a ton of bricks! I felt like I should apologize to the man, but I didn’t.
About a week later the shelter received a large donation from an anonymous source. I can’t help but wonder if it came from that man.
Now, whether I meet others, I remember my mother’s words and try to send kindness and blessings to them, regardless of how they look.
Needs aren’t always visible. But kindness always makes a difference.
小题1:The task of the author at the shelter was to_______.| A．decide whether dinners looked poor | B．learn life experience there | | C．serve hot food to the poor | D．help parents order dishes |
小题2:When the man waited in line, how did the author feel?| A．Surprised | B．Pitiful | C．Excited | D．Angry |
小题3:The author felt he should apologize to the man, because he_______.| A．was asked to do so by his mother | | B．gave the man food much less than others | | C．realized something was wrong with the man | | D．knew later that the man went there to donate |
小题4:What can we infer from the last paragraph?| A．We should show others kindness whatever their needs are | | B．Some needs can’t be known clearly at times | | C．Needs can always be met by kindness | | D．We should find out others’ needs |
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Mouse potatoes joined couch potatoes (who spend much time watching TV on the couch), google officially became a verb and drama queens (extremely emotional persons) finally found the attention when they crossed over from popular culture to mainstream English language.
The mouse potato, the himbo (attractive, empty-headed man) and drama queen were among 100 new words added to the 2006 update of America’s best-selling dictionary, the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary《韦氏大词典》. The Internet search engine Google also found its way into the dictionary for the first time as a verb, meaning to find information quickly on the worldwide web.
New words and phrases from the fields of science, technology, pop culture and industry are chosen each year by Merriam-Webster’s team of editors after months of looking through books, magazines and even food labels. “They are not tracking spoken language. They are looking for evidence that words have been used in the written English language,” said Arthur Bicknell, senior editor of Merriam-Webster.
Other words first coming into the dictionary this year were soul patch (a small growth of beard under a man’s lower lip), unibrow (two eyebrows joining together) and supersize － the fast food industry phrase for extra large meals.
The technology world contributed ringtones (changeable incoming cellphone call signals) and spyware (software installed in a computer to track a user’s activities) while biodiesel (生物柴油) and avian influenza(禽流感) came from the world of science.
America’s first dictionary － Noah Webster’s A Compendious Dictionary of the English Language － was published 200 years ago and also introduced some fresh words that have now become familiar. Those “new” words in 1806 included slang, surf, psychology, naturally and Americanize.
小题1:The mouse potato refers to ____________. | A．a mouse that lives by potatoes | | B．a person who spends much time on the computer | | C．a mouse that is shown on the screen of the computer | | D．a person who likes to eat mice and potatoes |
小题2:Which group of words and phrases is NOT the fresh words for the dictionary of this year? | A．mouse potatoes, google, supersize， drama queen. | | B．himbo, soul patch, unibrow, supersize. | | C．ringtones, spyware, biodiesel, avian influenza. | | D．couch potatoes, surf, psychology, Americanize. |
小题3:Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the text? | A．New words and phrases were introduced into the dictionary have close relationship with the time. | | B．New words and phrases chosen by the editors of the dictionary have been used in written English somewhere. | | C．Some words that are now familiar to us used to be fresh words collected in the dictionary. | | D．The Merriam-webster Collegiate Dictionary becomes the best-seller because 100 new words are added to it. |
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Schoolgirls have been wearing such short skirts at Paget High School in Branston that they"ve been ordered to wear trousers instead. All skirts will be banned from September. Tight-fitting trousers will also be forbidden and Muslim head-dresses will have to be “school blue’’ color.
Head teacher Don Smith said, "One of the big problems for us at the school has been the number of girls who have been wearing inappropriately short skirts. This has been an area of particular concern at a time when there has been a lot of material nationally about the sexualisation of young people.”
He also said, “ It will be impractical to police the length of girls" skirts. A blanket ban will be easier for staff to put into practice. We did not want to arrive at a situation where we were telling girls their skirts could only be a certain number of centimeters above or below the knee. Pupils", parents" and other teachers" opinions were sought before the uniform rules were changed.，，
The new clothing policy has been explained in a letter sent to parents of the school"s 1,000 pupils and will come into force after the summer holiday. Support will be given to parents unable to afford the new tie. The school also wants pupils to wear clip-on(夹式)ties instead of traditional neckties.
But the new uniform rules have not been well received by everyone. One parent, whose teenage daughter attends the school, said, “I completely agree some girls were wearing skirts that were too short. However, I think girls should be allowed to be feminine(女性化的).Other schools manage to let girls wear skirts while making sure they are not inappropriately dressed. I don"t see why Paget can"t do the same."
小题1:The girls at Paget High School are not allowed to wear skirts in that _______.| A．short skirts give people the impression of sexualisation | | B．short skirts are too expensive for parents to afford | | C．the headmaster doesn"t like girls wearing short skirts | | D．the girls wearing short skirts will be at the risk of being laughed at |
小题2:We can learn from the passage that _______ | A．the new uniform rules are well received by everyone | | B．no schools in Branston allow girls to wear short skirts | | C．parents unable to afford the new uniform will gain support | | D．the pupils" parents were informed of the new clothing policy |
小题3:What"s the attitude of Mr. Smith towards the new uniform rules?| A．Disagreeable. | B．Supportive. | C．Anxious. | D．Curious. |
小题4:What"s the best title for the passage?| A．New School Rules Set | B．Girls" Skirts Forbidden | | C．Traditional Neckties Gone | D．Different Opinions Voiced |
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The island Fiji has always been around me in my life. My parents met in Fiji when my father was a teacher as a Peace Corps volunteer and my mother a student. They taught me about its people, culture, foods and religious beliefs.
At the age of two, I made my first trip across the Pacific Ocean to Fiji. My mother and I made that trip unexpectedly because my grandma was ill and longed to see her American granddaughter. Although I have few memories of that first trip, I do remember grandma braiding(编辫子) my hair every day. The brush gliding through my hair is a feeling I will treasure forever because she passed away soon. I returned to America when I was five years old. This time I had a brother, Martin, who was two.
I resisted my third trip to Fiji when I was 15, being a teenager who did not want to spend the summer away from friends. It was this trip, however, that made me realize that Fiji is not just a place to visit but a part of who I am. The smells and sounds and sights came back to me, but the best part was getting to know my relatives.
Vishal was one cousin I quickly bonded with(与…合拍). Born two days before me, I had only known him through pictures before. Though raised oceans apart in different cultures, we talked and laughed about everything from American sports to Fijian dancing. I was able to form close ties with all my cousins, and when I talk about them now, it’s as if I have known them my whole life. Spending time with them helped me understand the traditions and values my mother grew up with. Hospitality (热情) and care and respect for family members are central values in Fijian culture.
I truly enjoyed learning about my roots during this trip. Fuji is just like a second home, and I will never forget the time I have spent there.
小题1:From the passage, we can learn that ______________________.
- the author’s parents had been classmatesbefore
- the author had lived in Fiji for aboutfive years
- the author had no memories of hergrandma
- people value family in Fijian culture
小题2:The author resisted her third trip to Fiji because______________________.
- she didn’t want to separate from herbrother
- she didn’t know her cousins there verywell
- she didn’t want to separate from herAmerican friends
- her grandma had passed away
小题3:Which of the following is TRUE about Vishal?
- He is younger than the author.
- The author had met him on her first tripto Fiji.
- He and the author had lots of commoninterests.
- He and the author held differentopinions about Fijian culture.
小题4:What’s the best title for the passage?| A． My Trips to Fiji | | B．Discovering My Fijian Origins | | C．My Understanding of Fijian Culture | | D．My Memories of Fiji |
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Long long ago, human beings used to walk barefoot. A king happened to travel 16 into the countryside. He was greatly troubled by the 17 roads where gravel(砾石) and broken stones pricked(使刺痛) and numbed(使麻木) his 18 . When he returned to his palace he issued an order that all the roads be 19 with cattle hide(牛皮). He thought it was beneficial not only to 20 but also to his people and hoped 21 would no longer be a painful thing
But 22 all the cattle in the kingdom were killed there 23 not be enough hide to get the work done. Evidently it was a stupid 24 . As it was an imperial order people could do nothing but shake their heads and 25 . At this juncture a clever servant in the palace 26 to make a suggestion. "Your Majesty, why don"t take an easier way? You don"t have to mobilize（调动）so many people, to have so many oxen killed, nor so much money 27 . What you have to do is simply to cover each of your feet with a piece of hide." Surprised and 28 , the king immediately changed his mind and adopted the 29 .
This is said to be the origin of using 30 to make shoes. Though it sounds 31 and strange, it inspires us to think. It is much easier to change oneself than to change the world. 32 it will be much better for one to change oneself before one 33 an attempt to change the outer world. Why don"t try to put yourself on the 34 of the person you deal with? You will find it easier to solve a problem 35 you change your way of thinking.
| 小题1: | | A．much | B．near | C．far | D．a lot |
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| 小题2: | | A．smooth | B．rough | C．long | D．busy |
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| 小题3: | | A．body | B．arms | C．feet | D．legs |
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| 小题4: | | A．crowded | B．filled | C．covered | D．put |
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| 小题5: | | A．others | B．himself | C．them | D．themselves |
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| 小题6: | | A．walking | B．swimming | C．singing | D．shopping |
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| 小题7: | | A．as well | B．even if | C．as long as | D．when |
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| 小题8: | | A．would | B．should | C．must | D．may |
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| 小题9: | | A．comment | B．chance | C．attempt | D．opinion |
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| 小题10: | | A．sigh | B．sign | C．cheer | D．weep |
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| 小题11: | | A．wanted | B．ventured | C．planned | D．hoped |
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| 小题12: | | A．wasted | B．borrowed | C．saved | D．loaned |
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| 小题13: | | A．moved | B．excited | C．pleased | D．bored |
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| 小题14: | | A．decision | B．plan | C．suggestion | D．measure |
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| 小题15: | | A．leather | B．silk | C．plastic | D．cloth |
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| 小题16: | | A．odd | B．funny | C．amusing | D．surprising |
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| 小题18: | | A．makes | B．tries | C．takes | D．gives |
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| 小题19: | | A．direction | B．situation | C．occasion | D．position |
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| 小题20: | | A．before | B．if | C．while | D．until |
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