American and British people both speak English of
course. But sometimes it does not seem like the same language. In fact, 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 several
words together. Americans may say “I dunno” instead of “I don’t know”. Or they
may say “Whaddya say?” instead of “What did you say?” however, the British are
more careful in their speech. They usually say all the words and keep them separate.
Words sometimes have different
meanings too. Some American words are never used in England. The same thing is
true of some British words in America. For example, the vocabulary(词汇)for cars and driving is very different. Americans
drive trucks, 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”.
There’re also some
differences in grammar. For example, when Americans ask a question., they say
“Do you have a storybook?” But the British often say “Have you a storybook?”
All these differences can be
confusing (易混淆的)if you are learning
English.
But 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 a
lso
happen to other languages, such as French. Many people in Canada speak French
but their French is very different from the French of France.
1.What does the word “separate” mean in the passage?
It means “____”
A. 含糊的
B. 快速的 C. 分开的 D. 简略的
2.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
3.Language _________.
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
4. 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