Question

American and British people both speak English of course. But sometimes it does not seem like the same language. In fact, 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 several 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 in their speech. They usually say all the words and keep them separate.

    Words sometimes have different meanings too. Some American words are never used in England. The same thing is true of some British words in America. For example, the vocabulary（词汇）for cars and driving is very different. Americans drive trucks, but in England people drive lorries.

     Many expressions 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”.

     There’re also some differences in grammar. For example, when Americans ask a question., they say “Do you have a storybook?” But the British often say “Have you a storybook?”

     All these differences can be confusing （易混淆的）if you are learning English. But 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 “separate” mean in the passage? It means “____”

A. 含糊的     B. 快速的    C. 分开的      D. 简略的

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.Language _________.

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. 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.D

【解析】

试题分析：这篇短文为我们讲述了美国英语和英国英语之间的不同包括读音、词义、语法及固定表达等。

1.词意猜测题。根据第二段的内容可知，美国人说英语和英国人不一样。They say several words together.美国人会把好几个单词连在一起说。那么由此我们可以猜测英国人应该是一个词一个词的说，即分开说。故选C。

2.细节理解题。文章中第二段为我们讲的是英国英语和美国英语在词义上的不，并给我们举例说明。For example, the vocabulary（词汇）for cars and driving is very different. Americans drive trucks, but in England people drive lorries.由此我们可知答案为D。

3.细节理解题。根据文中最后一段Languages change over time.，语言是随着时间而改变的，即语言是不断发展变化的。故选A。

4.主旨大意题。文中的第一段就点明了文章的中心there are some important differences between British English and American English，美国英语和英国英语之间有一些重要的不同。故选D。

考点：教育类短文阅读。