British English and American English
A student is studying British English. He wonders: Can I have a talk with Americans? Can they catch me? Learners of English often ask--what are the differences between British English and American English? How important are these differences?
Certainly, there are some differences between British English and American English. There are a few differences in grammar（语法）. For example, speakers of British English say “in hospital” and “Have you a pen?” Americans “in the hospital” and “Do you have a pen?” Pronunciation (发音) is sometimes different. Americans usually sound the “r” in words like “car” and “farm”. Some speakers of British English do not sound the “r” in these words. There are differences between British English and American English in spelling and vocabulary. For example, “ colour” and “ honour” are British English spellings. “Color” and "honor” are American English spellings.
These differences are in grammar, pronunciation, spelling and vocabulary. However, they are not important. For the most part, British English and American English are the same language. In American English, we can say, " _________ ? "
| A．Have you a new book | B．Do you have a new book |
| C．Are you have a new book | D．Can you to have a new book |
Between British English and American English, sometimes pronunciation is __________.
| A．poor | B．different | C．high | D．short |
In American English, the word “favourite”can be spelt ___________ .
| A．favoruite | B．favurite | C．favorite | D．favorite |
Englishmen say “in hospital”, while Americans say ___________ .
| A．at the hospital | B．in the hospital | C．by hospital | D．to hospital |
The main idea of the passage is that __________ .
| A．there are no differences between British English and American English |
| B．British English and American English are two different languages |
| C．speakers of British English and American English speak the same language |
| D．we shouldn't speak English |
Long, long ago there was a very foolish thief. Do you know what he did one day? When he wanted to steal (偷) the bell on his neighbor’s door, he walked up to the door, took hold of (抓住) the bell and pulled hard. The bell made a very loud noise. The thief was afraid and went home.
Then he sat down to think, “I must do something about the noise,” he said. He thought and thought. At last he had an idea. “Ah, I’ll put some cotton in my ears. Then I won’t be able to hear the noise.” The next day he went to the door of his neighbor, and took hold of the bell. This time he pulled even harder. The bell rang loudly, but the thief did not hear anything. With another hard pull he got the bell out. Just then the neighbor came running out. “Steal my bell? I’ll teach you a lesson (教训),”the angry man shouted. And he hit the thief on the nose.
The foolish thief did not know how the neighbor found out he was stealing the bell. “Why did he come out just then?” he wondered (感到疑惑).The thief was trying to get .
| A．his neighbor | B．his neighbor’s doorbell |
| C．some cotton | D．a door with a bell on it |
The thief put some cotton in his ears. He thought it would be for him to steal the doorbell.
| A．safe | B．difficult | C．dangerous | D．easy |
The neighbor ran out probably (很可能) because_________.
| A．he knew his doorbell was being stolen |
| B．he thought someone was eager (渴望的) to visit him |
| C．He realized (意识到) something strange happened |
| D．Both B and C |
The neighbor hit the thief to ________.
| A．give him lessons | B．punish (惩罚) him for stealing |
| C．help him with the bell | D．be his teacher |
Which of the following is TRUE?
| A．The thief understood why he was hit on the nose. |
| B．The thief knew why the neighbor came out. |
| C．The thief thought the neighbor could not hear the bell. |
| D．The thief didn’t want to know why the neighbor ran out just at the time he stole the doorbell. |
Marry is eight years old now. This autumn she begins to go to school. She likes her teachers and has some friends. She studies hard and is good at her classes. So we think she’s a good girl.
It’s Sunday today. It’s fine and after breakfast the girl and her parents are going to the zoo. She likes to watch the animals very much. Now they’re standing at the bus stop and waiting for the bus. She sees her friend Jim and his grandpa there.
"Good morning, grandpa!" says the girl. "Are you going to the zoo, too?"
"Yes, we are," says the old man. Then he says to Mary’s father, "You have a polite daughter. How old is she?"
"Eight, grandpa." answers the girl.
"Eight?" the old man says with a smile. "But you’re shorter than my stick!"
"How old is your stick, then?" says the girl. Mary is a ________.
| A．teacher | B．student | C．worker | D．soldier |
Mary is in Grade _______ now.
| A．One | B．Two | C．Three | D．Four |
We think Mary is a good girl because _________.
| A．she’s only eight | B．she has some friends |
| C．she likes her teacher | D．she’s good at her classes |
Mary and her parents are going to the zoo by _________.
| A．car | B．boat | C．bus | D．bike |
Mary’s parents and the girl are going the zoo because _________.
| A．they like to watch the animals | B．it’s fine today |
| C．the zoo is near their house | D．Jim and his grandpa are going there, too |
A student newspaper reports that most students go to sleep at 1:30 am. Even if that’s an overstatement (夸张), it’s close to the truth. Scientists say teens should sleep nine hours each night. But that’s hard. Some are even “pulling all-nighters” (开夜车). These students must hand in their homework the next day but they haven’t done it. In the morning they don’t look healthy and you can tell who’s been doing it. One of my classmates did a survey on the topic. She found that most kids pull all-nighters to finish homework, but some do it for other reasons, such as playing computer games!
Maybe our lack(缺乏) of sleep is because of laziness — I think I’m a rather lazy student — or maybe it’s because we have too much to do in American high schools. I usually go to bed around midnight. If I stayed up past 1:30 am, I wouldn’t get any work done. I’d be falling asleep at my computer. My classes begin at 7:30 am. I’m partly awake in my first class. By the second, I’m a little sleepy. By my third class, I’m sleepy. By midday I’m finally fully awake. But by 3:00 pm, I’m slowing down again. Yet I get more sleep than usual students.
Most American high schools seem to have a similar(相似的) problem with sleepy students. High school classes start at 7:30 am, so students have to get up one and a half hours before that to get ready and catch the bus. It’s believed that lack of sleep can be bad for both grades and health. Some schools are paying attention. Classes in those schools start at 8:30 am. What does the underlined sentence “it’s close to the truth” mean?
| A．It doesn’t tell the truth. | B．It is quite true. |
| C．It is impossible. | D．I don’t think it’s right. |
Why do most of the teens have to stay up late?
| A．They play computer games. | B．They watch videos late. |
| C．They have to do a lot of housework. | D．They have to do a lot of homework. |
When do students in most American high schools have to get up?
| A．At 7:30 am. | B．At 6:00 am. | C．At 9:00 am. | D．At about 7:00 am. |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the reading?
| A．The writer usually stays up past 1:30 am. |
| B．The writer usually goes to bed around midnight. |
| C．The writer usually does a survey. |
| D．Many American students don’t get enough sleep, so they can have high grades. |
What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．Something has to be done to solve the problem of students’ lack of sleep. |
| B．Many American high school students are sleepy in class. |
| C．Many kids have too much homework to do. |
| D．Students can’t play computer games. |
Rita stepped into the cool, moving water. She pushed a black inner tube(内胎) in front of her. She had a worried look on her face because she had never floated down a river before.
“Let me hold your tube while you climb on,” said her father. He smiled at her. “There’s not a cloud in the sky. It’s a great day to be in the river, isn’t it?”
Rita looked out across the water. People were floating by on tubes. Some talked and laughed as they floated easily down the river. Others leaned(倚靠) back with hats pulled over their faces. None of them looked terrified.
“We’ll stay together,” said Rita’s father. “I’ll hold on to your rope(绳子).”
“Will we go very fast?” Rita asked.
“No,” said Dad. “We’ll move slowly for a while, and then it will get a little faster near the river’s bend(拐弯). Don’t worry, Rita. You’ll be fine.”
Rita looked at her tube. It gently(轻轻地) moved up and down in the water. She saw a girl of her own age float by. The girl seemed to be having fun. Suddenly Rita’s worries disappeared（消失）.
“I’m ready to climb on and ride, Dad,” she said. The underlined word “floated” in the reading means “________”.
| A．划船 | B．乘坐 | C．漂浮 | D．移动 |
What is Rita’s problem in this story?
| A．She doesn’t like to be in cool water. |
| B．She is worried that she will get sunburned (晒伤的). |
| C．She is afraid to try something new. |
| D．She is afraid of boating. |
What’s the weather like in the story?
| A．Cloudy. | B．Rainy. | C．Windy. | D．Sunny. |
Which of these happened last in the story?
| A．Rita pushed her black tube. | B．Rita saw a girl of her own age. |
| C．Rita stepped into the water. | D．Rita looked worried. |
What’s the best title for this passage?
| A．Rita’s Ride. | B．Rita’s Trip. | C．Rita’s Visit. | D．Rita’s Tube. |
For Customers in the USA and Canada Only.
(Customers outside North America, please CLICK HERE to start your shopping)
| Product |
Ｉｔｅｍ / Ｐｒｉｃｅ |
Ｄｅｓｃｒｉｐｔｉｏｎ |
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Ｔｈｅ Ｓｉｌｋ Ｒｏａｄ (Item#CB510) Price: US$12.99 |
Ｔｈｅ Ｓｉｌｋ Ｒｏａｄ, with colorful pictures, has information of hot spots, suggested routes with an area map, introduction(介绍) of major cities along the silk road, festivals, hotel, transportation and travel service. Color pictures. 48 pages. English. Click for picture of inside page. |
 |
Ｔｈｅ Ｓｉｇｈｔｓ ｏｆ Ｂｅｉｊｉｎｇ (Item# CB101) Price: US$39.99 |
Detailed(详细的) Beijing tour guide, 684 pages, English. The book includes Beijing introduction and sightseeing, profile of the sights（名胜），places to visit, travel information, scenic spots within one-day journey from Beijing, with pictures. |
 |
Ｔａｌｋｉｎｇ ａｂｏｕｔ Ｃｈｉｎａ (Item#CB102) Price: US$12.99 |
English & Chinese A Canadian’s experience in China. CLICK for more information or pictures. |
Mr Smith is an American teacher who works in Peking University. How could he get the book Ｔｈｅ Ｓｉｌｋ Ｒｏａｄ?
| A．By telephoning the travel agency. | B．He could shop online. |
| C．He could go to the post office to buy it. | D．He has to buy it in Xinjiang. |
Which of the following is NOT included in Ｔｈｅ Ｓｉｌｋ Ｒｏａｄ?
| A．An area map. |
| B．Hotel service. |
| C．Introduction of major cities along the silk road. |
| D．Introduction of sports along the silk road. |
What does the underlined word “profile” mean?
| A．Description. | B．Maps. | C．Service. | D．Price of the tickets. |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the reading?
| A．Not all the books are in English. |
| B．Ｔｈｅ Ｓｉｇｈｔｓ ｏｆ Ｂｅｉｊｉｎｇ is the most expensive. |
| C．Ｔａｌｋｉｎｇ ａｂｏｕｔ Ｃｈｉｎａ is about a Canadian’s experience in Canada. |
| D．There’re pictures in all the books. |
If you want to get more information, what can you do?
| A．Surf the Internet. | B．Write a letter to the writer. |
| C．Ask the Canadian. | D．Buy the books in Canada. |