I am a writer. I spend a great deal of my time thinking about the power of language―the way it can evoke(唤起) an emotion, a visual image, a complex idea, or a simple truth. Language is the tool of my trade. And I use them all―all the Englishes I grew up with.

    Born into a Chinese family that had recently arrived in California, I’ve been giving more thought to the kind of English my mother speaks. Like others, I have described it to people as “broken” English. But feel embarrassed to say that. It has always bothered me that I can think of no way to describe it other than “broken”, as if it were damaged and needed to be fixed, as if it lacked a certain wholeness. I’ve heard other terms used, “limited English,” for example. But they seem just as bad, as if everything is limited, including people’s perceptions(认识)of the limited English speaker.

    I know this for a fact, because when I was growing up, my mother’s “limited” English limited my perception of her. I was ashamed of her English. I believed that her English reflected the quality of what she had to say. That is ,because she expressed them imperfectly her thoughts were imperfect. And I had plenty of evidence to support me: the fact that people in department stores, at banks, and at restaurants did not take her seriously, did not give her good service, pretended not to understand her, or even acted as if they did not hear her.

    I started writing fiction in 1985. And for reasons I won’t get into today, I began to write stories using all the Englishes I grew up with: the English she used with me, which for lack of a better term might be described as “broken”, and what I imagine to be her translation of her Chinese, her internal(内在的) language, and for that I sought to preserve the essence, but neither an English nor a Chinese structure: I wanted to catch what language ability tests can never show; her intention, her feelings, the rhythms of her speech and the nature of her thoughts.

 

   41. By saying “Language is the tool of my trade”, the author means that ______.

      A. she uses English in foreign trade

      B. she is fascinated by languages

      C. she works as a translator

      D. she is a writer by profession

   42. The author used to think of her mother’s English as ______.

      A. impolite

      B. amusing

      C. imperfect

      D. practical

   43. Which of the following is TRUE according to Paragraph 3?

      A. Americans do not understand broken English.

      B. The author’s mother was not respected sometimes.

      C. The author’ mother had positive influence on her.

      D. Broken English always reflects imperfect thoughts.

   44. The author gradually realizes her mother’s English is _____.

      A. well structured

      B. in the old style

      C. easy to translate

      D. rich in meaning

    45. What is the passage mainly about?

      A. The changes of the author’s attitude to her mother’s English.

      B. The limitation of the author’s perception of her mother.

      C. The author’s misunderstanding of “limited” English.

      D. The author’s experiences of using broken English.

I am a person who does not like to wait.I don' t like lines, being put on hold when making a phone call, arriving at an appointment to find that my companion will be delayed and of course, I don * t like waiting rooms.
However, I realize that my agony(痛苦) will not be good for me, as an increasingly, crowded world can only mean one thing—more waiting.
Owing to this, I have taken a measure and decided to turn my disappointment to productive ends.In short, I am looking for what I call "waiting in line books".
These are books that contain material designed for being read in shortened words, so there is no extended story line to lose track of.Another requirement is that they be small enough to slip neatly into my back pocket.
The other day I went to the supermarket.Convinced that the rain would keep most people away, I was surprised to see that the place was crowded with shoppers.Every checkout was open—and jammed! But I could take out my pocket book and go to work.
The more the world demands that I wait, the more I learn from my waiting library.Look at these titles: One Hundred Things Every American Should Know; The Poetry of Robert Frost; Living Thoughts of Leading Thinkers; Still More Toasts.I have learned interesting and enriching things and much knowledge from these books.
On a recent visit to the general store, I placed my order at the counter along with six or seven other people.The one female employee seemed to have her hands full as she rushed about."Just be patient," she said to me.
No problem.I quietly opened my dictionary of prose (散文) and poetical quotations. Perhaps the other customers regarded me as a bookish, lonely soul.But little did they realize that I was enjoying the company of Shakespeare, Thoreau, Homer and Ben Johnson.
【小题1】According to the passage, the world ______.

A.needs to produce many materials to useB.is becoming more and more crowded
C.loses tracks of story line increasinglyD.is crowded with shoppers everywhere
【小题2】How did the author overcome his agony of waiting?
A.By reading books designed to be read in shortened words.
B.By arriving early for an appointment.
C.By taking measures to produce some books for readers.
D.By keeping most people away from the supermarket for some reasons.
【小题3】Which of the following can't be carried in the author's pocket?
A.One Hundred Things Every American Should Know
B.The Poetry of Robert Frost
C.Living Thoughts of Leading Thinkers
D.Homer and Ben Johnson
【小题4】Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A.The author succeeded in changing his agony into fun.
B.The author was a bookish and lonely soul.
C.Six or seven employees in the store were busy in rushing about.
D.There were fewer customers in the supermarket on rainy days.

I made a promise to myself on the way down to the vacation beach cottage. For two weeks I would try to be a loving husband and father. Totally loving. No ifs, ands or buts.
The idea had come to me as I listened to a talk on my car radio. The speaker was quoting a Biblical passage about husbands and their wives. Then he went on to say, “Love is an act of will. A person can choose to love.” To myself, I had to admit that I had been a selfish husband. Well, for two weeks that would change.
And it did. On arriving at the beach cottage, I kissed Evelyn meeting me at the door and said, “That new yellow sweater looks great on you.” “Oh, Tom, you noticed”, she said, surprised and pleased. Maybe a little puzzled. After the long drive, I wanted to sit and read. Evelyn suggested a walk on the beach. I started to refuse, but then I thought, “Evelyn’s been alone here with the kids all week and now she wants to be alone with me.” We walked on the beach while the children flew their kites.
So it went. Two weeks of not calling the Wall Street firm where I am a director; a visit to the shell museum though I usually hate museums. Relaxed and happy, that’s how the whole vacation passed. I made a new promise to keep on remembering to choose love.?
There was one thing that went wrong with my experiment, however. Evelyn and I still laugh about it today. On the last night at our cottage, preparing for bed, Evelyn stared at me with the saddest expression.
“What’s the matter?” I asked her.
“Tom,” she said in a voice filled with distress, “I don’t?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well…that checkup I had several weeks ago…our doctor…did he tell you something about me? Tom, you’ve been so good to me…am I dying?”
It took a moment for it all to be understood. Then I burst out laughing.
“No, honey,” I said, wrapping her in my arms. “You’re not dying; I’m just starting to live.”
【小题1】From the story we may infer that Tom drove to the beach cottage ______.

A.with his familyB.with EvelynC.alone D.with his children
【小题2】During the two weeks on the beach, Tom showed more love to his wife because ______.
A.he was determined to be a good husband
B.he had made a lot of money in his Wall Street firm
C.she looked lovely in her new clothes
D.the doctor said his wife was seriously ill
【小题3】The author says, “There was one thing that went wrong with my experiment.” What does “one thing” refer to?
A.He praised her sweater, which puzzled her.
B.She insisted on visiting a museum, which he hated.
C.He knew something about her illness but didn’t tell her.
D.He was so good to her that she thought she must be dying.

One day I heard that one of my dear friends had lost his mother. This made me sad, for my friend was very close to his mother. He had been by her side as she traveled through her long and hard journey with cancer. At this time, many memories about my loved ones that had passed away came flooding to me. Finally these memories passed, but it was really sad to think that my friend would have to go through the pain.

Three times I tried to write an email to my friend and three times words failed me. I am a person who is not often lost for words and I decided to have a sleep. Upon waking up I could hardly wait for my computer to work, the words I needed were there. I was still left with a heavy heart although I had sent an email.

Everything in this universe is balanced and indeed it is. Three days later, I received his reply letter. I was happy to hear that he’d been admitted to (录取) Cambridge University. It served as a gentle reminder for me that my friend would be okay and that life would go on.

Everything in life is balanced; the lowest feelings change places with the highest feelings. Without the lows, we would never appreciate the highs. No matter how dark the clouds seem to be, the sunshine is always there and just waiting for the opportunity to shine through.

1. When the author learnt her friend had lost his mother, she ______.

A.gave him some money

B.wrote an email to him

C.went to visit him

D.went for a journey with him

2.What good news did the author’s friend receive?

A.He received the author’s email.

B.He was told that life would go on.

C.He would go to Cambridge University.

D.His life would go back to normal again

3. Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?

A.The author wrote four emails to her friend.

B.The mother of the author’s friend died from cancer.

C.The author’s friend is a teacher in Cambridge University.

D.The author felt relaxed after sending the email.

4. From the text, we can learn that the author is ______.

A.sincere and warm-hearted

B.proud and confident

C.serious and friendly

D.funny and responsible

5. The author aims to tell us that ______.

A.life is not fair to everybody

B.time waits for no man

C.everyone has good and bad times in life

D.where there is a will, there is a way

 

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