When I was growing up in America, I was ashamed of my mother’s Chinese English. Because of her English, she was often treated unfairly. People in department stores, at banks, and at restaurants did not take her seriously, pretended(假装) not to understand her, or even acted as if they did not hear her.
My mother has realized the disadvantages of her English as well. When I was fifteen, she used to have me call people on phone to pretend I was she. I was forced to ask for information or even to yell at people who had been rude to her. One time I had to call her stockbroker(股票经纪人). I said in a voice that was not very convincing, “This is Mrs. Tan.” And my mother was standing beside me, whispering loudly, “Why he doesn’t send me the check. It’s already two weeks late.”
And then, in perfect English I said: “I’m getting rather anxious .You agreed to send the check two weeks ago, but it hasn’t arrived.” Then she talked more loudly. “What does he want? I’ll come to New York and say it in front of his boss.” And so I turned to the stockbroker again, “I can’t accept any more excuses. If I don’t receive the check immediately, I have to speak to your manager when I am in New York next week.”
The next week we ended up in New York. While I was sitting there red-faced, my mother, the real Mrs. Tan, was shouting to his boss in her broken English. When I was a teenager, my mother’s broken English embarrassed (使困窘) me. But now, I see it differently. To me, my mother’s English is perfectly clear, perfectly natural. It is my mother tongue. Her language, as I hear it, is clear and direct. It was the language that helped me form the way I saw things, expressed ideas, and made sense of the world.Why was the author’s mother poorly treated?
A.She was unable to speak good English. |
B.She was often misunderstood. |
C.She was not clearly heard. |
D.She was not very polite. |
From Paragraph 2, what can we know about the author?
A.She was good at pretending. |
B.She was rude to the stockbroker. |
C.She was ready to help her mother. |
D.She was unwilling to phone for her mother. |
Even after the author made the phone call to the stockbroker,__________.
A.they forgave the stockbroker |
B.they failed to get the check |
C.they moved to New York immediately |
D.they wrote to their boss at once |
What does the author think of her mother’s English now?
A.It’s hard for her to understand. |
B.It embarrasses her. |
C.It helps her understand the world. |
D.It helps her forgive rude people. |
Exchange Students’ Experience
Name: Susan Lane |
Exchange Country: Iceland |
I think it was a turning point in my life. I began to understand more about my own culture by experiencing a different culture in this country. |
Name: Sara Small |
Exchange Country: Germany |
I enjoyed this trip. I found German people were not as serious as I thought before. Although I made a lot of German friends, I still missed my family and friends in Australia. |
Name: David Links |
Exchange Country: Australia |
I wanted to try something that was very different from Australia in culture. In Australia everything was different, but I soon got used to it. |
Name: Tom Jennings |
Exchange Country: France |
There were some challenges (挑战), but I liked them, experiencing a different culture. You just have to face each situation as it comes. |
Where did Susan Lane study?
A.In Iceland. | B.In Germany. | C.In Australia. | D.In France. |
Who made a lot of friends in Germany?
A.Susan Lane. | B.Sara Small. | C.David Links. | D.Tom Jennings. |
How many students talk about their exchange experience?
A.One. | B.Two. | C.Three. | D.Four. |
Jack was born in a poor family. His father had a small boat and went fishing in the morning and sold the fish in the market in the afternoon. Then he bought some food for his family. When winter came, they were often hungry. One morning the hungry man fell into the river and nobody found him. Jack's mother left her three-year-old son without saying goodbye. His aunt had to look after him.
Twenty years passed. Jack became a tall, strong man. He worked on a farm. He worked hard and wanted to get more money to marry (结婚). He often went to see his aunt with some nice presents. The woman was very happy. But one day she died (死) in a traffic accident (交通事故). The young man was very sad. After he buried (埋葬) her, he decided to buy a beautiful tombstone (墓碑) for her. He went to the town and came into a shop, but all the tombstones were too expensive. He asked, "Do you sell an old tombstone, sir?"
"Yes, we do, sir," answered the shopkeeper.
"Is it as expensive as the new one?"
"No, it is much cheaper," said the man. "But another name was engraved (刻) on it."
"It doesn't matter," said the man. "My aunt could not read."Jack's father is a.
A.fisherman | B.driver | C.worker | D.farmer |
As, the family were hungry.
A.Jack's father had to look after him in winter |
B.Jack's father could catch little fish in winter |
C.no food was sold in winter |
D.Jack's father was often ill in winter |
Jack's mother when Jack was three years old.
A.left | B.went out | C.married | D.died |
Jack wanted to get more money to.
A.build a house | B.buy a farm |
C.give his aunt nice presents | D.marry a wife |
Jack wanted to buy an old tombstone because.
A.he had not enough to buy a new one |
B.his aunt could not know whose name was engraved |
C.his aunt was not going to mind it |
D.nobody knew what his aunt's name was |
My father is tall and has short gray hair. He wears glasses with heavy black frames(框). Here is a picture of him from 1968. What a surprise! In the picture, he's 15 years old. He's short and he is wearing glasses with small round frames. He has short blond hair and it's really straight. He is wearing blue jeans and a T-shirt with the word "love" on it. I'm 15 years old now. I'm of medium height and I have short hair. My hair isn't blond. It's blue. My father thinks it's strange (奇怪的), but my friends think it's great. I wear glasses, but my glasses have bright red frames. They're so cool! I have an earring (耳环) in one ear, too. I never wear blue jeans. I' like big baggy pants (袋状裤) and long T-shirts. Most of my T-shirts have pictures of my favorite rock bands on them.What kind of glasses is the writer's father wearing in the picture?
A.Glasses with heavy black frames. | B.Glasses with bright red frames. |
C.Glasses with small round-frames. | D.Glasses with small red frames. |
What color is the writer's hair?
A.Blond. | B.Blue. | C.Yellow. | D.Gray. |
What does the writer like wearing?
A.Blue jeans and a T-shirt. | B.Big jeans and a long T-shirt. |
C.Blue jeans and a long T-shirt. | D.Baggy pants and long T-shirts. |
What's on his father's T-shirt in the picture?
A.The word "love". | B.Cool earrings. |
C.Pictures of rock bands. | D.Pictures of famous actors. |
It's Sunday morning. My parents, my uncle, my sisters and I are all at home.
What is my father doing? He is reading a newspaper. My mother is watering the flowers in the small garden. There are some beautiful flowers in it. Some are red, and the others are yellow. My uncle is my mother's brother. He's a waiter. He is watching TV now. He is a basketball fan (迷). And he is good at playing basketball. Now he is watching NBA on TV. Where are my sisters? Cindy is over there. She is listening to the radio (收音机). She likes popular music very much. Nancy is in her room. She has a computer. Now she is surfing the Internet (上网). She's writing an e-mail to her friend. What am I doing? I'm doing my homework. "There arepeople in the family.
A. five B. six C, seven D. eightWhat are the sisters doing?
A.They are listening to the radio. |
B.They are surfing the Interact. |
C.Cindy is listening to the radio and Nancy is surfing the Internet. |
D.Sorry, we don't know. |
Which is not true (真实的)?
A.Nancy likes popular music very much. |
B.There are some red and yellow flowers in the garden. |
C.Uncle is good at playing basketball. |
D.My mother is a good English teacher. |
根据短文内容从所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳选项,并将其填到相应位置。
A Want Ads
1. WANTED
Are you hard-working? Do you like to meet people? If your answer is "yes", then we have a job for you as a waiter, Call AL Hotel at 556779!
2. SUMMER JOB
Do you like to talk with people? Do you like to write stories? If you want to work for our magazine as a reporter, please call Jack at 558366.
3. HELP WANTED
Do you like babies? Can you look after one baby for two days? If you are sure to take care of him, call us at 766588, $80 or more
4. CLEANER WANTED
Can you make a large house clean and tidy? If you hope to get the job paid at $20 once, call us this evening, 18:00-20:00. Tel: 633800.The above (上面的 ) job ads are probably (可能) from.
A.a newspaper | B.a storybook | C.a science book | D.a guidebook |
If you like children and have two days free, you can call atfor a job.
A.556779 | B.558366 | C.766588 | D.633800 |
is needed in AL Hotel.
A.Cleaner | B.Baby-sitter | C.Reporter | D.Waiter |