Question

When I was in college, I spent a semester studying abroad at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland. In my brief time there, I came to love Scotland for its local culture, food and scenery.

You might think, “Scotland isn’t so different from the US; they still speak English there!” But when I stepped off the plane, I was greeted by a gruff-voiced(声音粗哑的) lady at customs. “You’ll be coming from America, then?” She asked me, and I nodded. “But all of our guys are leaving Glasgow for the States!” Her thick Scottish English and sense of humor were obvious right away. I was not in the US any more, where customs agents never joke around.

As I settled in at the university, I could feel myself getting used to hearing—and even speaking—the Scottish English of my customs agent. In classroom discussions, people would say “em” when they couldn’t think of what to say instead of “um”, which was great fun. After the first few weeks, I stopped chuckling about this. Strathclyde students stayed up late into the night, running around campus and shouting, “Go! Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go [curse word] Glasgow!” Pretty soon, I was no longer saying “thanks” at the supermarket—instead, I said “cheers”.

My Scottish friends drank whiskey and ate haggis(羊杂碎布丁). I drank plenty of whiskey but felt ashamed to admit that I wasn't brave enough to try haggis. Scottish bakeries usually sell bridies (肉馅饼). Add a cup of tea—though I usually Americanized it by choosing coffee instead—and a bridie makes for a delicious breakfast.

Every time I took a train anywhere in Scotland, I’d gaze out at the rolling hills and wonder if grass was greener than anywhere else in the world. Then I’d reflect that there’s a reason this country was the birthplace of golf.

1.What did the author think of the lady at customs?

A. Impolite. B. Friendly.

C. Serious. D. Calm.

2.Which of the following can replace the underlined word “chuckling” in Paragraph 3?

A. Talking loudly. B. Comparing.

C. Laughing quietly. D. Hearing.

3.What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?

A. To explain why Scotland was famous for golf.

B. To promote the development of Scottish catering trade.

C. To introduce different pronunciations of “em”and “um”.

D. To share his experiences in Scotland as an exchange student.

Answer 1