I am a writer.I spend a great deal of my time thinking about the power of language—the way it can evoke (唤起) an emotion,a visual image,a complex idea,or a simple truth.Language is the tool of my trade.And I use them all—all the Englishes I grew up with.
Born into a Chinese family that had recently arrived in California,I've been giving more thought to the kind of English my mother speaks.Like others.I have described it to people as "broken" English.But feel embarrassed to say that.It has always bothered me that I can think of no way to describe it other than "broken",as if it were damaged and needed to be fixed,as if it lacked a certain wholeness.I've heard other terms used,"limited English,"for example.But they seem just as bad,as if everything is limited,including people's perceptions(认识)of the limited
English speaker.
I know this for a fact,because when l was growing up,my mother's "limited" English limited my perception of her.I was ashamed of her English.I believed that her English reflected the quality of what she had to say.That is,because she expressed them imperfectly her thoughts were imperfect.And I had plenty of evidence to support her:the fact that people in department stores,at banks,and at restaurants did not take her seriously,did not give her good service,pretended not to understand her,or even acted as if they did not hear her.
I started writing fiction in l985.And for reasons l won't get into today,I began to write stories using all the Englishes I grew up with:the English she used with me,which for lack of a better term might be described as "broken".and what I imagine to be her translation of her Chinese,her internal(内在的)language and for that I sought to preserve the essence,but neither an English nor a Chinese structure:I wanted to catch what language ability tests can never show;her intention,her feelings,the rhythms of her speech and the nature of her thoughts.
68. By saying "Language is the tool of my trade",the author means that ________.
A.she uses English in foreign trade B.she is fascinated by languages
C.she works as a translator D.she is a writer by profession
69. Which of the following is TRUE according to Paragraph 3 ?
A.Americans do not understand broken English.
B.The author's mother was not respected sometimes.
C.The author's mother had positive influence on her.
D.Broken English always reflects imperfect thoughts.
70. The author gradually realizes her mother's English is________.
A.well structured B.in the old style
C.easy to translate D.rich in meaning
71. What is the passage mainly about?
A.The changes of the author's attitude to her mother's English.
B.The limitation of the author's perception of her mother.
C.The author's misunderstanding of“limited”English.
D.The author's experiences of using broken English.
Do you still get free plastic bags from the supermarkets? Things have changed.
China has banned free plastic bags at shops and supermarkets, and people have to pay for using plastic bags. The rule started on June 1, 2008. It came because our country tried to make litter less. Making super-thin plastic bags has also been banned.
The Chinese once used about 3,000,000,000 plastic shopping bags a day, and they have caused pollution of the environment. The bags have become a main cause of plastic pollution because they are easy to break and people throw them away here and there. So the Chinese people are encouraged to bring their own bags for shopping.
What kind of shopping bag is the best to bring? Some students in Anhui have a good idea. They make their own shopping bags. They use old clothes to make cloth bags, and send them to their parents as presents. They also ask their parents and friends to use cloth bags instead of plastic ones. They think it is their duty to protect the environment. People in China have to _____ now.
A.throw plastic bags here and there |
B.collect plastic bags in the street |
C.pay for using plastic bags at shops and supermarkets |
D.use free plastic bags at shops and supermarkets |
China made this rule because plastic bags were bad for the ______.
A.environment | B.litter |
C.shops | D.supermarkets |
Some students in Anhui ______.
A.ask their parents to make cloth bags | B.make cloth bags themselves |
C.pick up plastic bags everywhere | D.buy cloth bags for their parents |
What’s the main idea of this article?
A.Making super-thin plastic bags has been banned in China. |
B.The bags have become a main cause of plastic pollution. |
C.Some students in Anhui begin to make their own shopping bags. |
D.To protect the environment, free plastic bags have been banned in China. |
One day, I happened to talk to a stranger (陌生人) on the bus. When he found out that I was from Chicago, he told me that one of his good friends lived there and he wondered if I happened to know him. At first I wanted to say that it was foolish (愚蠢的) to think like that, for from all the millions of people in Chicago, I could not possibly know his friend. But, instead, I just smiled and said that Chicago was a very big city. He was quiet for a few minutes, and then he began to tell me all about his friend.
He told me that his friend was an excellent tennis player and that he even had his own tennis court (网球场). He added that he knew a lot of people with swimming pools, but that he only knew two people in the country who had their own tennis courts. And his friend in Chicago was one of them. I told him that I knew several people like that, for example, my brother and my next-door neighbor. I told him that my brother was a doctor and he lived in California. Then he asked where my brother lived in California. When I said Sacramento, he said that last year his friend spent the summer in Sacramento and lived next door to a doctor. The doctor had a tennis court. I said that my next-door went to Sacramento last summer and lived in the house next to my brother’s. For a moment, we looked at each other, but we did not say anything.
“Would your friend’s name happen to be Roland Kirkwood?” I asked finally. He laughed and said, “Would your brother’s name happen to be Dr. Ray Hunter?” It was my turn to laugh. Which of the following is true?
A.The story happened in Chicago. |
B.The writer’s brother lived in Sacramento. |
C.Both the writer and the stranger lived in Chicago. |
D.Both the writer and his brother lived in California. |
The writer said that Chicago was a very big city. That means _____________.
A.it was possible for him to happen to know the stranger’s friend |
B.he didn’t want to look for the stranger’s friend |
C.he didn’t know the stranger’s friend |
D.it was impossible to find the stranger’s friend |
How many persons does the story involve (涉及)?
A.Four. | B.Five. | C.Six. | D.Seven. |
Which is the best title of the story?
A.On a bus | B.Two tennis players |
C.One in a million | D.Chicago is a large city |
I don’t often lose things and I’m always careful with money, so I was quite surprised when I reached for my wallet and it wasn’t there. At first, I thought it was possible that I could have left it at home. Then I remembered taking it out to pay the taxi, so I knew I had it with me just before I walked into the restaurant. I wondered if it was possible that it could have dropped out of my pocket while I was eating dinner. I turned and walked back to the table where I had been sitting. Unluckily, there were several people sitting at the table at that time, so I had the waiter go over to the table to see if my wallet was on the floor. While the waiter was looking for it, the head of the restaurant came up to me and asked me if anything was wrong. I told him what had happened. He asked me to report the missing wallet to the police. I told him I didn’t want to do so; I was in a hurry because I had to reach my waiting room before two o’clock, where some people were waiting to see me. I also told him that my biggest worry at the moment was how I was going to pay for the meal. He told me not to worry about that. He asked me to write down my name and address, and he said he would send me a bill (帐单). When the writer couldn’t find his wallet, his first thought was that________
A.it had been given to the taxi-driver |
B.he had dropped it in the taxi |
C.he had lost his wallet again |
D.it might be left at home |
The writer thought he must have the wallet with him because___________.
A.he had paid the taxi-driver |
B.he had paid the bill of the meal |
C.the waiter had seen it on the table |
D.the waiter was looking for it on the floor |
Why do you think the writer turned and walked back to the table?
A.He would phone the police about the missing of his wallet. |
B.He wondered if he had dropped his wallet while eating. |
C.The head of the restaurant wanted to know what was wrong. |
D.Several people were sitting at the table at that time. |
The writer of the story is probably a _________.
A.doctor | B.cook | C.school teacher | D.newspaper reporter |
When Tom finished his studies at the university (大学), he began to look around for a job. He did not know what he would like to do, but one of his uncles had worked for the government for thirty years, and he advised Tom to try to get a job of the same kind, so he went for an exam one day. He was successful, and his first job was in a large government office in London.
When Tom had been working there for a few weeks, his uncle came to visit the family one Saturday evening. He was pleased that his nephew (侄子) had got a job working for the government, and he asked him a lot of questions about it.
One of the questions he asked was, “How many people work in your department (部门), Tom?”
The young man thought for a few moments and then answered, “About half of them, Uncle Jim.”When he graduated (毕业) from university, Tom was not ________.
A.interested in getting any information from the government |
B.looking for a good-paying job with excellent hours |
C.good at making decisions |
D.very good at science |
What did Tom think of his uncle’s advice?
A.He did not like it. | B.He thought it was good |
C.He refused to take it. | D.He was unable to follow it. |
The uncle wanted to find out ________.
A.what his nephew was doing |
B.how his nephew was getting on with his job |
C.whether his nephew could understand him or not |
D.what his nephew had expected |
In fact Tom’s answer means that __________.
A.the people working in the government office were in many groups and they worked in turn |
B.most of the government workers were not working hard |
C.only half of the government workers went to work on time |
D.the government office had more people than needed |
The people below are looking for someplace to enjoy some entertainments in Beijing. After the description of these people, there is information about places A — F. Decide which place would be the most suitable for the person mentioned in1---5and write down the correct letter ( A — F ) on your answer sheet. One place is not suitable for all.
_____Stephen studies art in Beijing University. He shows great interest in paintings and he is especially interested in those oil paintings that reflect the variety of life.
____ Mark has just come to China and he is very interested in Chinese culture. He has been waiting for a long time to have a chance to see a wonderful Chinese acrobatic (杂技的) performance in China.
____ Oscar is a student from Yangzhou University, visiting his friends who share the same interest in music. They are planning to find someplace to enjoy rock and roll and pop songs.
___ Charles works in Philips Company, Shanghai Branch. He is going to Beijing on business in middle September. He will be free in the evening, so he wants to go to someplace to enjoy some music performed by foreign bands.
____ Carol studies Chinese in Beijing. She is free recently during the day time, so she would like to find someplace where she can attend some kind of activity so that she can learn some details about Chinese modern literature.
A.Capital Theatre: To celebrate its 50th anniversary, the China Acrobatic Troupe will present “The Soul of China”, where the seemingly impossible is made real. Chills (寒战) will run down your spine (脊柱) as you watch breathlessly as performers take their art and their bodies to the edge. Time: 7:30 p.m., September 13 — 19. |
B.Huangshicheng Gallery: A group ink pain ting exhibition is running. About 50 works by 25 young artists including Ge Yun and Yu Yang are on display. Time:9 a.m.— 5 p.m. until September 10. |
C.The Wangfung Art Gallery: A joint show of oil paintings by 10 young and middle-aged artists will be hosted by the gallery. On display are more than 30 of their latest works, which capture the wonderous variety of life in unique styles. Time: 9 :30 a.m. — 4:30 p.m., daily. |
D.Anyuan Museum: The National Museum of Modern Chinese Literature offers an indepth study of the development of Chinese contemporary literature from 1919 to 1949. |
Time: 9 a.m. — 4 p.m., daily.
E. The Olympic Center: "The Fashionow Night of Chinese Rock" is set to bring back fans out by the thousands next month. Nine Chinese rock bands will perform at the concert, including older generation bands, middle generation bands, middle generation and some recent arrivals.
Time: September 16.
F. Grand Theater of the Cultural Palace of Nationalities: La Petite Band, the Baroque Orchestra of Belgium, will perform as part of activities across the world to commemorate (纪念) the 250th anniversary of Bach’s death.
Time: 7:30 p.m. September 11 — 14.