British English and American English are almost the same. But there are slight differences between British and American English in vocabulary, pronunciation, spelling and grammar.
The first difference between British and American English is in vocabulary. Almost all of the words used in British English and American English are exactly the same. Only a very small number of words are used disparately. For example, Americans would say “apartment”, but the British would say “flat” to talk about the place where they live. In addition to some common words, many idiomatic（惯用的）expressions are different. In England people might say “I’ll ring you up tonight”, but in the US, people might say “I’ll call you up tonight”.
The second difference between British and American English is in Pronunciation. The main difference in pronunciation concerns the vowels（元音）. Some American dialects and some British dialects use vowels in different ways. Sometimes, Americans and the British don’t understand each other’s pronunciation. But most of the time, the British and Americans do understand each other’s pronunciation because most of the sounds of the two dialects are the same.
The third difference is very small. This is the difference in spelling. A few types of words are spelled differently in British and American English. The most common example is in a word like “center”. In British English, this word would be spelled C-E-N-T-R-E, while in American English the same word would be spelled C-E-N-T-E-R. Another example is “or” vs “our”. The word “color”is spelled C-O-L-O-U-R in Britain but C-O-L-O-R in the US.
There are a few differences in grammar, too. The British may say “Have you got..?” while Americans prefer “Do you have..?” An American might say “my friend just arrived”, but a British would say “my friend has just arrived”. Sometimes function words are used differently: the British may say “at the weekend”, but Americans would say “on the weekend”.
【小题1】What is this passage mainly about?

根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

Rock Climbing as Sport and Art

An estimated nine million people rock climb in the United States. Millions more take part in the activity around the world.   1.  Others compete. Rock climbing can be dangerous. But there are many methods and protective devices that can increase a climber’s safety.

 2.    Climbers have to pull themselves straight up the face of very high rocks or walls. So they have to be strong enough to carry their own weight. And climbers sometimes have to hold on to rocks with only their fingers or toes.

There are several kinds of rock climbing. Traditional rock climbing is done outside. Climbers wear ropes and attach devices to the rocks as they climb many hundreds of meters up. They also connect their ropes to the devices.   3.   Sport climbing is similar. However, in those cases the protective devices are permanently placed in the rock. There is also indoor climbing. Rock walls made of wood or concrete have places for the climber’s hands and feet.

4.   People climb glaciers or frozen waterfalls instead of rocks. They use special equipment for the ice.

And then there is bouldering（巨石攀岩）— climbing rocks between three and seven meters high.   5.   Many climbers like bouldering because they can use less equipment. Climbers often need only special shoes and chalk. All climbers use chalk to keep their hands dry.

A. Ice climbing is exactly as it sounds.

B. Some do it just for personal satisfaction.

C. Some go climbing at weekends or in holidays.

D. It is a quicker and more intense（剧烈的；紧张的）kind of climbing.

E. If a climber slips, a rope can stop him from falling.

F. Climbing takes strength, control and good balance.

G. It is more challenging and dangerous, but also more fun.

（共5小题；每小题1分，满分5分）

根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

Five Smart Habits of Successful Children

Have you ever wondered what actions make the most difference in your children's lives?

Children don't have to be smart to succeed. They don't have to be born rich and famous. All they need is the right outlook and a few smart habits.

Successful children make friends wherever they go. Children who learn to get along with others from an early age are more successful in life. 1    Without them, we'd have no support. Whatever the goal is, friends are needed to achieve it. Do your children a favor by encouraging social interaction early.

 2  They don't just hope for success; they are certain of it. They don't complain. They have a smile on their face and get on with the business of living. They feel pain just like the other children. The difference is that they don't let it hinder(妨碍) their progress.

Successful children become successful because they never give up. They fall. They fail. 3    The difference is that they use their mistakes the way they were intended. They embrace failure because it pushes them forward.

Successful children ignore the naysayer (反对者). They don't worry about what other people think. They follow the path that is right for them, regardless of gossip. 4     They are too busy working towards their goals. They do have concern for the feelings of others.

Successful children share their success. They don't forget all the people who helped them get where they were going. 5 They don't criticize（批评）and reject（抛弃） those who are struggling. They take them by the hand and guide them up the ladder.

A．Do you want to be a successful child?

B．Social skills are vital（重要的） to human survival.

C．Successful children look on the bright side.

D．They make just as many mistakes as the other children.

E. They take the time to teach others what they have learned.

F. They don't engage in gossip either, because they don't have time for it.

G. In fact, they don't even have to become rich and famous.

请将下列方框里所列词汇的正确形式填到短文中，每空限一词，不能重复使用。

We can see the 1) __________ between American English British English but they are different sometimes. Many students want to know about the 2) __________ between American English and British English.

At first the language in Britain and America was the same. In 1776 America became a (an) 3) __________ country. After that, the language slowly began to change. For a long time the language in America stayed the same, while the language in England changed. For example, 300 years ago the English talked about "fall".

Today, most British people talk about "autumn", but Americans still talk abut "fall". In the same way Americans still use the expression "I guess" 4) __________ "I think", just as the British did 300 years ago.

At the same time, British English and American English started borrowing words from other languages, 5) __________ with different words. For example, the British took "typhoon" from Chinese, while the Americans took "tornado" from Spanish.

In 1828 Noah Webster published the first American dictionary. He wanted to make American English different from British English, so he changed the spelling of many words. That’s why the words "colour", "centre" and "traveller" are spelt "color", "center" and "traveler" in American English. Except for spelling, written English is more or less the same in both British and American English.

They are also different in the spoken language. For example, Americans say dance /dæns/, and in southern England they say /dɑ?ns/. In America they 6) p__________ not /nɑt/; in southern England they say /n?t/. However, most of the time people from the two countries do not have any trouble in understanding each other.

（共5小题；每小题1分，满分5分）
根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。
Five Smart Habits of Successful Children
Have you ever wondered what actions make the most difference in your children's lives?
Children don't have to be smart to succeed. They don't have to be born rich and famous. All they need is the right outlook and a few smart habits.
Successful children make friends wherever they go. Children who learn to get along with others from an early age are more successful in life. 1    Without them, we'd have no support. Whatever the goal is, friends are needed to achieve it. Do your children a favor by encouraging social interaction early.
 2  They don't just hope for success; they are certain of it. They don't complain. They have a smile on their face and get on with the business of living. They feel pain just like the other children. The difference is that they don't let it hinder(妨碍) their progress.
Successful children become successful because they never give up. They fall. They fail. 3    The difference is that they use their mistakes the way they were intended. They embrace failure because it pushes them forward.
Successful children ignore the naysayer (反对者). They don't worry about what other people think. They follow the path that is right for them, regardless of gossip. 4     They are too busy working towards their goals. They do have concern for the feelings of others.
Successful children share their success. They don't forget all the people who helped them get where they were going. 5 They don't criticize（批评）and reject（抛弃） those who are struggling. They take them by the hand and guide them up the ladder.