“Long time no see” is a very interesting sentence. When I first read this sentence from an American friend’s email, I laughed. I thought it was a perfect example of Chinglish.
Obviously, it is a word-by-word literal translation of the Chinese greetings with a ruled English grammar and structure! Later on, my friend told me that it is a standard American greeting. I was too thrilled to believe her. Her words could not convince me at all. So I did a research on google.com. To my surprise, there are over 60 thousand web pages containing “Long time no see.” This sentence has been widely used in emails, letters, newspapers, movies, books, or any other possible places. Though it is sort of informal, it is part of the language that Americans use daily. Ironically, if you type this phrase in Microsoft Word, the software will tell you that the grammar needs to be corrected.
Nobody knows the origin of this Chinglish sentence. Some people believe that it came from Charlie Chan’s movies. In the 1930s, Hollywood moviemakers successfully created a world wide famous Chinese detective named “Charlie Chan” on wide screens. Detective Chan likes to teach Americans some Chinese wisdom by quoting Confucius. “Long time no see” was his trademark. Soon after Charlie Chan, “Long time no see” became a popular phrase in the real world with thanks to the popularity of these movies.
Some scholars(学者) refer to America as a huge pot of stew. All kinds of culture are mixed in the stew together, and they change the color and taste of each other. American Chinese, though a minority ethnic(少数民族的成员) group in the United States, is also contributing some changes to the stew! Language is usually the first thing to be influenced in the mixed stew.
You can have some other examples besides adoptions from Chinese, such as pizza from Italian, sushi from Japanese, and déjà vu from French etc. There is a long list! Americans do not just simply borrow something from others. They will modify it and make it their own, so you would not be surprised to find a tofu and peanut butter hamburger in a restaurant, or to buy a bottle of iced Chinese green tea with honey in a grocery store. Since Americans appreciate Chinese culture more and more nowadays, I believe more Chinese words will become American English in the future. In this way the American stew keeps adding richness and flavor.The writer himself felt surprised at ______.
A.the Chinglish expression “Long time no see” |
B.finding out Americans use the expression every day |
C.so many literal translation of the expressions used in America |
D.“Long time no see” used as standard American English |
The word “stew” in the 4th paragraph probably means ______.
A.mixture literature |
B.Confucius’ words |
C.a kind of cooked dish |
D.American changing cultures |
According to the passage, it can be inferred that ______.
A.detectives translate the phrase “Long time no see” |
B.Hollywood made “Long time no see” popular |
C.the huge pot of stew greatly affects all kinds of languages |
D.cultures won’t be changed in the huge pot of stew |
The main idea of the passage is that ______.
A.some Chinese expressions are introduced into English |
B.you’ll not be surprised at a tofu in a restaurant in America |
C.some American expressions can be used in China |
D.American English keep being enriched from different cultures |
According to the passage, which of the following statements is not true?
A.Informal language sometimes doesn’t go with grammar and structure. |
B.Languages are always ruled by grammar and structure. |
C.Long time no see” has been used in at least four media mentioned in the passage. |
D.There are four languages mentioned to be adopted in the American stew. |
Learners of English, especially self-taught learners may have troubles in understanding speeches by native speakers. The following ways might help improve their listening ability.
First of all, do things step by step. It is not good to listen to something beyond your level. Better choose a proper course and start with the first book. Go on to the second book only after you are sure you understand the first one.
Secondly, stick to (坚持) one course of study. Don't change books often. Never let your attention be attracted (吸引) by another course just because it seems to be more "fashionable" (时髦).
Thirdly, listen to the English news program over the radio from time to time. Better go through the news stories in the Chinese-language newspaper first. That will make it easy for you to understand the English news on the radio.
Fourthly, if you have time, listen to some interesting stories in Special English from the V. O. A. or other listening materials(材料)of the same level as that of your textbook. This is a piece of advice to learners of English on how to ______.
A.improve their listening ability | B.read fast |
C.write better English and read faster | D.speak correctly |
If you want to understand the English news program on the radio, you should ________.
A.read the Chinese-language newspaper step by step |
B.read again and again the Chinese-language newspaper |
C.go through the Chinese-language newspaper |
D.be able to recite the Chinese language newspaper |
"Beyond your level" means something _______.
A.easy for you |
B.too difficult for you |
C.not too easy and not too difficult for you. |
D.just all right for you |
The author advised that once you have taken up a course, you ______.
A.should stick to it |
B.should begin with the last book |
C.should take up other courses if they are more fashionable |
D.shouldn't do anything else |
A man stayed in his house as a flood engulfed (包围) his town. Two men in a boat came to his house and offered to take him to safety. “No, thank you,” said the man, “God will help me.”
As the waters rose, the man retreated (撤退) to the second floor of his house. Now, two men in a motorboat came by and offered to rescue him. Again, the man refused, saying, “No, thank you. God will help me. ”
As the waters rose still higher, the man retreated again to the rooftop of his house. A plane came by, and someone inside it threw down a rope, urging (催促) the man to grab (抓住) it and be pulled up into the airplane. Once more, the man declined and said, “No, thank you. God will help me. ” Just then a powerful voice called out to the man, “You idiot! I sent you a boat, a motorboat and now a plane. What more do you want me to do?”Which of the following do you think is the best title for his passage.
A.A Man in Floods | B.God Will Help Me |
C.A Town in Floods | D.Different Ways to Help People out of Water |
Why didn’t the man enter the rowboat at first?
A.Because he didn’t know the men in the boat. |
B.Because he thought he could retreat to a higher place. |
C.Because he was sure God would help him. |
D.Because he was sure he could take himself to safety. |
At the end of the passage, who called out to the man?
A.The men in the rowboat | B.The men in the motorboat |
C.Someone in the helicopter | D.God himself |
What do you think of the man? He was .
A.very strong | B.very silly | C.helpless | D.useless |
根据短文内容,从短文的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项,选项中有两项为多余选项。
Every boy and every girl expects their parents to give them pocket money. Why do their parents just give them a certain amount? 1
The amount of money that parents give to their children to spend as they wish differs from family to family. 2Some children get weekly pocket money. Others get monthly pocket money.
First of all, children are expected to make a choice between spending and saving. Then parents should make the children understand what is expected to pay for with the money. At first, some young children may spend all of the money soon after they receive it. Parents are usually advised not to offer more money until it is the right time. 3
In order to encourage their children to do some housework, some parents give pocket money if the children help around the home. Some experts think it not wise to pay the children for doing that. 4
Pocket money can give children a chance to experience three things they can do with the money. They can spend it by giving it to a good excuse. They can spend it by buying things they want. 5Saving helps children understand that costly goals require sacrifice(牺牲). Saving can also open the door to future saving and investing(投资)for children.
A.They can save it for future use. |
B.Timing is another consideration(考虑). |
C.As helping at home is a normal part of family life. |
D.Some children are not good at managing the pocket money. |
E.Learning how to get money is important for children.
F.One purpose(目的)is to let kids learn how to manage their own money.
G.By doing so, these children will learn that spending must be done with a budget
Too much TV watching can harm children's ability to learn and even reduce their chances of getting a college degree, new studies suggest in the latest effort to examine the effects of television on children.
One of the studies looked at nearly 400 northern California third-graders. Those with TVs in their bedrooms scored about eight points lower on math and language arts tests than children without bedroom TVs.
A second study, looking at nearly 1000 grown-ups in New Zealand, found lower education levels among 26-year-olds who had watched lots of TV during childhood. But the results don't prove that TV is the cause and don't rule out that already poorly motivated youngsters(年轻人)may watch lots of TV.
Their study measured the TV habits of 26-year-olds between ages 5 and 15. Those with college degrees had watched an average(平均)of less than two hours of TV per weeknight during childhood, compared with an average of more than 2 1/2 hours for those who had no education beyond high school.
In the California study, children with TVs in their rooms but no computer at home scored(得分)the lowest while those with no bedroom TV but who had home computers scored the highest.
While this study does not prove that bedroom TV sets caused the lower scores, it adds to findings that children shouldn't have TVs in their bedrooms.According to the California study, the low-scoring group might
A.have watched a lot of TV |
B.not be interested in math |
C.be unable to go to college |
D.have had computers in their bedrooms |
What is the researchers' understanding of the New Zealand study results?
A.Poorly motivated 26-year-old watch more TV. |
B.Habits of TV watching reduce learning interest. |
C.TV watching leads to lower education levels of the 15-year-olds. |
D.The connection between TV and education levels is difficult to explain |
What can we learn from the last two paragraphs?
A.More time should be spent on computers. |
B.Children should be forbidden from watching TV. |
C.TV sets shouldn't be allowed in children's bedrooms. |
D.Further studies on high-achieving students should be done. |
What would be the best title for this text?
A.Computers or Television |
B.Effects of Television on Children |
C.Studies on TV and College Education |
D.Television and Children's Learning Habit |
Museum of London
At the Museum of London you can experience and discover the hidden treasures in our city's history.
From talks, walks and tours to evening classes, there's always something happening at museums. The museum is here for you all year round so you can relax in our cafes, find a gift in our shop or just enjoy the sights.
National Army Museum
The museum is available to wheelchair users. And baby changing units are available in the male and female toilets.
The museum cafe offers freshly-made tea and coffee and seasonal food. The National Army Museum Shop offers different kinds of goods(商品)which can be ordered by telephone or mail order, and an online shop has opened.
Opening hours: 10: 00 a. m.-5:30 p. m.
Garden Museum
The Garden Museum explores and celebrates British gardens and gardening through its collection.
A planned program of talks, children's activities and plant shows runs throughout the year. The shop offers a lot of perfect presents for those who love gardens and the garden cafe serves delicious freshly-made food. The museum also welcomes volunteer gardeners.
Musical Museum
The Musical Museum contains many collections of musical instruments.
The museum is open to the public from Tuesday to Sunday. We are planning many special performances to which you are all invited. If you would like to have a party or use our facilities(设备),then please call us for further details.
The museum shop provides a number of presents for musical instrument lovers. For further details please visit the website at www. visit-hounslow. com.We can learn from the text that all the museums
A.have a gift shop for visitors |
B.have collections of instruments |
C.offer large baby changing units |
D.offer different sight-seeing tours |
What's special about the Garden Museum?
A.You can order goods by mail. |
B.You can have freshly-made seasonal food. |
C.You can relax in the cafes all day. |
D.You can work as a volunteer there. |
If you want to hold a party, you should go to
A.the Garden Museum |
B.the Museum of London |
C.the Musical Museum |
D.the National Army Museum |