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．
Sound is not only the difference between British English and American English．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 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”．When you are saying goodbye in England you might say “Cheerio!” In America you might say “See you later．”
There’re also some differences in grammar．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?”
All these differences can be confusing 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 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．
(1)
What does the author think of the differences between American and British English?
[ ]
A．
American and British English are the same languages．
B．
American and British English are quite different．
C．
Although American English came from the British English，there are still some differences．
D．
American and British people don’t both speak English of course．
(2)
What does the underlined word “separately” mean?
[ ]
A．
together
B．
one by one
C．
in common
D．
in different ways
(3)
What does the underlined sentence “The same thing is true of some British words in America．” mean?
[ ]
A．
The words of American and British English are the same．
B．
The spelling of American and British English are the same．
C．
Although they don’t sound the same，the words are the same．
D．
Some British English words are not used in American English．
(4)
How many ways are used to talk about the differences between American and British English?
[ ]
A．
One．
B．
Two．
C．
Three．
D．
Four．
(5)
Why has English changed over time?
[ ]
A．
Geography plays an important role in the changing．
B．
Different people have different living habits．
C．
Different people have different jobs．
D．
The income of the native English speakers is different．
