Do you speak English? Do you speak e-mail English? Maybe you don’t. E-mail English is a new kind of English that many people use to save time. A lot of e-mail English words come from a computer program called QQ, which means I seek(寻找)you. Ian Lancashire, a Canadian teacher, likes QQ, “People can use QQ to talk with each other using computer. But, you have to be able to type quickly or the other person will be bored. So e-mail English can give some help.”
A message in e-mail English mostly uses two kinds of new words. The first kind is made up of the first letters of the words. These are called acronyms. The second kind is homophones，letter combination(合并), symbols that sound like other words.
Acronyms in an e-mail save space and time. It takes a long time to write by the way. BTW is much faster. Other acronyms are F2F which stands for face to face, CSL for can’t stop laughing and DBEYR for don’t believe everything you read! Some of the acronyms look like strange words, such as SWAK. But this one means sealed(封口) with a kiss.
Homophones often use letters and numbers that sound like words or parts of words. For example, 8 sound like—eat in great, to save time, people write gr8. Another example is CU for see you or sometimes CU l8r (see you later)
The number 2 is used for to or too and the number 4 is used instead of for.
Another part of e-mail is emotive symbols(表情符号) which make faces when you look at them sideways. The most common emotive, is the happy face :). A comma (逗号) is often used to help add other parts of the face and show different expressions.
E-mail English is fun. An e-mail message with lots of e-mail English starts to look like secret code(密码). Your best friend will probably understand it, but your parents and teachers may not. In fact, many teachers don’t like e-mail English. It’s not just because they can’t comprehend what it means. It’s because students start to use e-mail English in their everyday writing. E-mail English is great for writing quickly. But most teachers say that e-mail English should only be used in e-mails to one’s friends.

1. 1.

   What does the writer talk about in the first paragraph?

   1. A.
      How to read new e-mail words.
   2. B.
      How new e-mail words are made.
   3. C.
      Why people use e-mail English.
   4. D.
      Canadian teachers and their e-mails.
2. 2.

   The underlined word “comprehend” in the last paragraph means “_______”.

   1. A.
      accept
   2. B.
      understand
   3. C.
      guess
   4. D.
      prefer
3. 3.

   What do teachers insist according to the passage?

   1. A.
      Parents will have to learn some e-mail English.
   2. B.
      E-mail English will develop our everyday writing.
   3. C.
      E-mail English can’t be used among schoolmates.
   4. D.
      E-mail English shouldn’t be used in school writing.
4. 4.

   What’s the title for this passage?

   1. A.
      E-mail English on Computer.
   2. B.
      American E-mail English.
   3. C.
      The Forms of E-mail English.
   4. D.
      The Changing of English.

How to talk to a foreigner? Students often want to practice their English outside class．One of the best ways to practice your English is to speak to a foreigner．This week's question comes from a student who is eager to start a conversation with the foreigners he sees every day．He asks, “Is it okay to talk to foreigners I see in the street? The answer is yes and no, but probably no．If you see a foreigner who looks lost，it is polite to ask him。”May I help you? But，otherwise（除此之外），you should probably let him get on with his business．Situations，however, do exist where it is quite all right to talk to foreigners．If a foreigner enters year school，classroom，office，shop or restaurant，for instance，feel free to ask them  （for example）：

--May I know your name，please?

--Where do you come from?

--What do you think of Beijing?

--How long will you stay in Beijing?

There are also situations where it's okay to talk to foreigners in public places．If you see a foreigner alone in a restaurant，bar or care, it may be appropriate（恰当的）to ask him or her：

--Is this seat free?

--Do you mind if I talk to you in English?

--You pan probably help them if they are new to China and if they are alone，you may be able to make them feel more welcome．After a few such questions, you should know whether this person wants to talk to you or not．If they ask you similar questions, or if they give long, informative（提供有用信息的）answers, you're in luck．If not，then give them their privacy（独处）．Talking to strangers is fun if you choose the right time and place．

1、One way to practice your spoken English is to try to talk with         ．

A、your friends           B、foreigners              C、your classmates      D、your teacher

2、When you first meet a foreigner，you should probably say         ．

A、Where are you going?                              B、Have you eaten your dinner?

C、Can you help me with my English?               D、How do you do?

3、The writer suggests that we should         ．

A、follow foreigners when we meet them in the street

B、talk with a foreigner at a good time

C、have a meal with foreigners in a restaurant

D、move to a place where a foreigner lives