Question

"Colour" and "color"，"favourite" and "favorite"... Have you ever wondered why Americans spell those words without a "u"? Is it because they are lazy?

Of course not. In fact，the difference in spelling was created by Noah Webster (1758-1843). He is a teacher who reformed English to make American identity stronger. Linguists (语言学家) celebrated his 250th birthday on October 16. After the Revolutionary War (1775~ 1783)，Webster believed that Americans should have their own dictionary，rather than rely on British versions (版本). He dropped the British "u" in some words. And he changed "centre" into "center" for children to learn English by spelling words more like they sounded.

Webster wasn't shy about expressing his opinions. In defining (定义) preposterous (unreasonable)，he wrote: "A republican government in the hands of females is preposterous."

Webster spent 28 years on the project before completing the 70,000-word dictionary in 1828 with his American-style spellings. He also added local words. His dictionary was widely used in schools. Linguists believed it helped a new nation achieve unity and cultural independence at a time when most were focused on political freedom.

"He was the shaper of our language and the shaper of American identity，"said Joshua Kendall，who is working on a biography (传记) about Webster. "He at last bonded (联合)us through our language."

1.Which of the following would probably be the best title for the passage?

A．The shaper of American English.

B．American identity.

C．Webster's dictionary.

D．Spelling differences between American and British English.

2.According to the passage，when he worked on his dictionary, Noah Webster did all of the following EXCEPT        .

A．voicing his opinion                      B．changing "centre" into "center"

C．adding local words                       D．dropping "u" in all the British words

3.Which of the following word can best describe Noah Webster’s work?

A．Interesting.        B．Meaningful.        C．Unfinished.        D．Boring.

4.Why did Noah Webster create these differences in his dictionary?

A．Because he wanted to make English simple and easy.

B．Because he wanted to show that the USA is stronger than the UK.

C．Because he wanted to achieve political freedom.

D．Because he wanted American English to have its own characteristics.

5.When did Noah Webster probably begin his project of the dictionary?

A．In 1758.           B．In 1783.           C．In 1800.           D．In 1828.

 

Answer 1

【答案】

1.A

2.D

3.B

4.D

5.C

【解析】

试题分析：本文主要向读者介绍了美国英语的奠基人Noah Webster，以及他对美式英语的贡献。

1.A 主旨大意题。本文主要向读者介绍了美国英语的奠基人Noah Webster，以及他对美式英语的贡献。故A正确。

2.D 细节题。根据第二段第五行He dropped the British "u" in some words.说明他只是在一些单词里把U去掉，并没有把所有的单词里的U都去掉，故D的说法是错误的。

3.B 推理题。根据文章第四段Linguists believed it helped a new nation achieve unity and cultural independence at a time when most were focused on political freedom. 说明他的工作对于美国人来说很重要，帮助美国人实现了自己文化方面的独立。是非常有意义的事情，故B正确。

4.D 推理题。根据第二段He is a teacher who reformed English to make American identity stronger.

Webster believed that Americans should have their own dictionary，rather than rely on British versions (版本).说明他希望美国人有自己的文化而不是依赖英国人的版本。故D正确。

5.C 计算题。根据第四段1,2行Webster spent 28 years on the project before completing the 70,000-word dictionary in 1828 with his American-style spellings.在1828年完成这部美式英语的字典之前他工作了28年，那么他是在1800年左右开始编写这部字典的。故C正确。

考点：考查人物传记类短文

点评：文章篇幅较短，内容易懂，除了细节题和主旨题，主要考查了推理题，注重综合语言能力的运用，结合语境，做出准确的判断。