Passage 4

American and British people both speak English of course. But sometimes there are some important differences between British English and American English.

First of all, they sound very different. Often, Americans don’t say each word separately. They say words together. Americans may say “I dunno” instead of (代替) “I don’t know”. Or they may say “Whaddya say?” instead of “What did you say?” However, the British are more careful. They usually say all the words and keep them separate.

Sound is not only the difference. Words sometimes have different meanings too. For example, the vocabulary (词汇) for cars and driving is very different. Americans drive trucks (卡车), but in England people drive lorries.

Many expressions are also different in the two countries. In England, if you are going to telephone your friends, you “phone them up”. In America, you “give them a call”. When you are saying goodbye in England you might say “Cheerio!” In America you might say “See you later.”

There are also some differences in grammar (语法). For example, Americans usually use the helping verb “do” when they ask a question. They say “Do you have a storybook?” But the British often leave out the helping verb. They say “Have you a storybook?”

Most languages are like this. Languages change over time. When people live in separate places, the languages change in different ways. This is what has happened to English. It can also happen to other languages, such as French. Many people in Canada speak French but their French is very different from the French of France.

36.What does the word “separately” mean in this passage? It means “______”.

A. 含糊地 B. 快速地 C. 分开地 D. 简略地

37.The vocabulary for cars and driving is ______.

A. an example of British English B. an example of American English

C. the same in America and England D. not the same in America and England

38.Languages ______.

A. are always changing as time passes

B. keep unchanged even if time changes

C. are the same in all places

D. are easy to learn

39.Which of the following is right?

A. American people usually say “I don’t know” instead of “I dunno”.

B. There are four differences between American and British English.

C. Canadians speak all the same French as Frenchmen.

D. When people live in different places, the language is in the same way.

40.This passage is mainly about ______.

A. English vocabulary

B. how American sounds are different from British sounds

C. the way the British say words

D. some differences between American and British English

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