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 I 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 and 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.

51. 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

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

  A. impolite           B. amusing          C. imperfect        D. practical

53. 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’s mother had positive influence on her.

  D. Broken English always reflects imperfect thoughts.

54. 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

55. What is the passage mainly about?

  A. The change 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.

       My father was Chief engineer of a merchant ship, which was sunk in Word War II. The book Night of the U-boats told the story.

    Memories

    In September, 1940, my mother, sister and I went to Swansea, where my father's ship was getting ready to sail. We brought him a family photograph to be kept with him at all times and keep him safe.

Then I remember my mother lying face down, sobbing. She had heard from a friend that the ship had been sunk by a torpedo (鱼雷).

    I can remember the arrival of the telegram, which in those days always brought bad news. My grandmother opened it. It read, "Safe, Love Ted."

    My most vivid memory is being woken and brought down to sit on my father's knee, his arm in a bandage.

    He was judged unfit to return to sea and took a shore job in Glasgow for the rest of the war. For as long as I can remember, he had a weak heart. Mother said it was caused by the torpedoes. He said it was because of the cigarettes. Whichever, he died suddenly in his early 50s.

    Ten years later I read Night of the U-boats and was able to complete the story.

    Torpedo

    One torpedo struck the ship. Father was in the engine room, where the third engineer was killed. He shut down the engines to slow the ship making it easier for it to be abandoned.

    By the time he got on deck he was alone. Every lifeboat was gone except one which had stuck fast. When he tried to cut it free, it swung against the ship, injuring his hand and arm. He had no choice but to jump — still with the photograph in his pocket.

    Three days later, he and other survivors were safe in Glasgow. All 23 with him signed the back of the photograph.

    A Toast

    In my room is the book and the photograph. Often, glass in hand, I have wondered how I would have dealt with an explosion, a sinking ship, a jump into a vast ocean and a wait for rescue? Lest we forget, I have some more whisky and toast the heroes of the war.

46. We can infer that the mother and children went to Swansea ______.

   A. to meet a friend                                       B. to see the father off

   C. to take a family photo                                         D. to enjoy the sailing of the ship

47. What did the author learn about the father from the telegram?

   A. He was still alive.                                      B. His knee was broken.

   C. His ship had been sunk.                                 D. He had arrived in Glasgow.

48. The underlined word "it" in Paragraph 6 refers to the father's ______.

   A. weak heart                                         B. taking a shore job

   C. failure to return to sea                                   D. injury caused by a torpedo

49. What can we know about the author's father after his ship was attacked?

   A. He lost his arm                                  B. He repaired the engines.

   C. He managed to take a lifeboat.                        D. He was the last to leave the ship.

50. What is the massage mainly about?

   A. A group of forgotten heroes

   B. A book describing a terrifying battle.

   C. A ship engineer's wartime experience.

   D. A merchant's memories of a sea rescue.

阅读下面短文,掌握其大意,然后从21-35各题所给的四个选项(A、B、C、D)中,选出最佳选项,并将答题卡上相应题目的答案标号涂黑。

When I entered Berkeley, I hoped to earn a scholarship. Having been a Straight-A student, I believed I could  21 tough subjects and really learn something. One such course was World Literature given by Professor Jayne. I was extremely interested in the ideas he  22 in class.

    When I took the first exam, I was  23 to find a 77 C-plus, on my test paper, but English was my best subject. I went to Professor Jayne, who listened to my arguments but remained unmoved.

    I decided to try harder, although I didn’t know what that  24 because school had always been easy for me. I read the books more carefully, but got another 77. Again, I  25 with Professor Jayne. Again, he listened patiently but wouldn’t change his  26 .

    One more test before the final exam. One more  27 to improve my grade. So I redoubled my efforts and, for the first time,  28 the meaning of the word “thorough”. But my  29 did no good and everything went as before.

    The last hurdle was the final. No matter what  30 I got, it wouldn’t cancel three C-pluses. I might as well kiss the  31 goodbye.

    I stopped working hard. I felt I knew the course material as well as I ever would. The night before the final, I even  32 myself to a movie. The next day I decided for once I’d have fun with a test.

    A week later, I was surprised to find I got an A. I hurried into Professor Jayne’s office. He  33  to be expecting me. “If I gave you the As you  34 , you wouldn’t continue to work as hard.”

    I stared at him,  35 that his analysis and strategy were correct. I had worked my head off, as I had never done before.

    I was speechless when my course grade arrived: A-plus. It was the only A-plus given. The next year I received my scholarship. I’ve always remembered Professor Jayne’s lesson: you alone must set your own standard of excellence.

21. A. take       B. discuss       C. cover            D. get

22. A. sought      B. presented     C. exchanged        D. obtained

23. A. shocked    B. worried       C. scared           D. anxious

24. A. reflected    B. meant         C. improved         D. affected

25. A. quarreled    B. reasoned       C. bargained         D. chatted

26. A. attitude      B. mind          C. plan             D. view

27. A. choice      B. step           C. chance           D. measure

28. A. memorized   B. considered     C. accepted         D. learned

29. A. ambition     B. confidence      C. effort            D. method

30. A. grade       B. answer         C. lesson           D. comment

31. A. scholarship   B. course         C. degree           D. subject

32. A. helped       B. favored         C. treated           D. relaxed

33. A. happened     B. proved         C. pretended         D. seemed

34. A. valued        B. imagined       C. expected         D. welcomed

35. A. remembering   B. guessing        C. supposing         D. realizing

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