Question

As an Asian country, Singapore has a reputation for being highly westernized, with English among the country’s four official languages, but a couple of signs found on local buses that have recently become a hit online may say otherwise.

Quite different from English we know, the signs read, for example, “Here cannot go in” instead of “No entry”, and “Here can charge phone” instead of “Charge phone here.” This language that resembles English is called Singaporean English or Singlish.

The New York Times calls Singlish “patchwork” because Singapore consists of migrants(移民) from several countries including China, India and Malaysia, and they all speak their own versions of “English”. “Everyone who speaks it shapes it,” wrote the newspaper.

For example, in Singlish, you can easily recognize influences from Chinese, including vocabulary such as “ Mee Siam” and “da bao”. Sentence structures like “ toilet where” instead of “where’s the toilet” also come from Chinese.

Interesting and diverse as it may seem, the trend for Singlish is worrying Singapore’s government. It is concerned that the dialect is lowering the country’s English standard and may affect its relationship with visitors. It even started the Speak Good English Movement.

Unfortunately, the problem was not solved. Instead, Singlish has boomed, especially among young people who think of it as a sign of being cool and a way of identifying themselves as Singaporean.

But this does not mean that standard English is being abandoned by young people. In fact, they are much more capable than the government gives credit—they can speak both.

“We are a nation good at code switching—we know that the way we speak to friends or drivers must be different from how we act at work or school,” wrote Cheryl, a Singaporean author, in Time magazine, “To actively urge us to give up a language that speaks to the very heart of who we are, that’s so beautifully represents the melting pot of Chinese, Indians, Malaysians and Eurasians that we are, is shortsighted, surely.”

1.Why does Singapore have many different versions of English?

A. It is highly westernized.    B. It is made up of migrants.

C. It is influenced by Chinese.    D. It is affected by official languages.

2.What is the purpose of starting the Speak Good English Movement?

A. To stop the new trend.    B. To better the relationship.

C. To keep the English standard.    D. To give the government credit.

3.What do the young people think of Singlish?

A. It’s their identity.    B. It’s interesting.

C. It’s a sign of status.    D. It’s a way of code-switching.

4.What can we learn from what Cheryl said?

A. Different people speak different styles of Singlish.

B. Singlish is a more beautiful language than others.

C. People speaks Singlish only to friends and drivers.

D. People can use Singlish to express themselves well.

Answer

1. B

2. C

3. A

4. D

【解析】

这是一篇说明文，英语是新加坡的官方语言之一，但是这里的英语受到汉语和很多移民因素的影响，形成了新加坡式的英语，对此不同人有不同的看法。

1.细节理解题。根据第三段中的The New York Times calls Singlish “patchwork” because Singapore consists of migrants(移民) from several countries including China, India and Malaysia, and they all speak their own versions of “English”.可知，新加坡包括中国，印度，马来西亚等几个国家的移民，他们都说自己版本的英语，因此新加坡的英语有很多版本，是因为他们有很多国家的移民。故选B。

2.细节理解题。根据第五段中的It is concerned that the dialect is lowering the country’s English standard and may affect its relationship with visitors. It even started the Speak Good English Movement.可知，政府认为方言降低了国家的英语水平，有可能影响与游客之间的关系，所以才开始了说好英语的活动，因此这个活动的目的主要是为了保持国家的英语水平，故选C。

3.推理判断题。根据第六段中的Instead, Singlish has boomed, especially among young people who think of it as a sign of being cool and a way of identifying themselves as Singaporean.可知，年轻人认为新加坡式的英语可以彰显他们的身份，故选A。

4.推理判断题。根据最后一段中的To actively urge us to give up a language that speaks to the very heart of who we are, that’s so beautifully represents the melting pot of Chinese, Indians, Malaysians and Eurasians that we are, is shortsighted, surely. 可知，他认为新加坡是中国人、印度人、马来西亚人和欧亚混血儿的大熔炉，而积极敦促我们放弃一种能够触及我们内心深处的语言无疑是目光短浅的。因此可以推断他认为这种英语可以触及内心深处，可以很好的将自己表达出来。故选D。