A student is learning to speak British English. He wonders(想知道): Can I communicate(交际) with Americans? Can they understand me? Learners of English often ask: What are the differences between British and American English? How important are these differences?

Certainly, there are some differences between British and American English. There are a few differences in grammar. For example, speakers of British English say “in hospital” and “Have you a pen?” Americans say “in the hospital” and “Do you have a pen?”.Pronunciation is sometimes different. Americans usually sound theirs in words like “bird” and “hurt”. Speakers of British English do not sound theirs in these words. There are differences between British and American English in spelling and vocabulary. For example, “colour” and “honour” are British, “color” and “honor” are American.

These differences in grammar, pronunciation, spelling and vocabulary are not important, however. For the most part, British and American English are the same language.

1.According to this passage, a student who is learning to speak American English might be afraid that __________.

A. British people cannot understand him

B. American people cannot understand him

C. the grammar is too hard for him

D. the spelling is too hard for him

2.American English and British English are different in __________.

A. spelling　　　B. pronunciation           C. grammar          D. all of the above

3.What is NOT mentioned(提及) in the passage?

A. Whether there are differences between British English and American English.

B. Whether British English and American English are one language or two.

C. How the differences between British English and American English came about.

D. How important the differences are.

4.Most ______say “Do you have a watch?”

A. British people　　B. Americans       C. children         D. teachers

5.According to this passage, British people and Americans have ______ difficulty in understanding each other.

A. little               B. much             C. some             D. great

.---Sorry, Mum. I've lost my pen again.

I_____it! You never remember to put your things away after using them.

阅读理解

　　Mr. Smith did not like to be troubled by visitors while working. He hung a plate outside his door. On the plate were these words,“Mr. Smith isn't at home.”

　　One day, after he had finished his work at another place, Smith thought deeply about some problems on his way home. When he got to the door, he saw the plate, “Oh, Mr. Smith isn't in.”He said to himself and then turned back to his work again.

　　Another time, Smith went to some place to give a talk. When he walked along a river, he thought out a new way. He accidently picked up a small stone, played with it in his hand and then put it into his pocket. When he left the riverside, he took one thing out of his pocket and threw it into the river. At the meeting when he was going to see the time, he was surprised. He took out a small stone from his pocket. There was no watch in it!

1．Mr. Smith hung a plate to tell the visitors that he was ________.

［　　］

2．One day he saw the plate, he ________.

［　　］

3．By the river, he picked up ________ and put it into his pocket.

[　　]

4．At the meeting, there was no watch ________ a stone in his pocket.

［　　］

5．After reading the story, we know that Mr. Smith was always ________.

［　　］

A．working hard at his work

B．careless with his work

C．forgetting something important he did

D．making mistakes in his work

请认真阅读下面对话，并根据各题所给首字母的提示，写出一个英语单词的完整、正确形式，使对话通顺。

M=Mary

T=Tom

M:  Hi, I'm going door to door tonight to tell people about the Student Action Union.

T:  I think I read something in the (76)n       last week.

M:  Yeah, we are trying to (77) p       and preserve some of the open spaces on campus.

T:  You are the group that's (78) a　　　　against the extension of the parking lot next to Darwin Hall,

    right?

M:  That's us. We just feel it is important to save some of the (79) n       beauty of the campus.

    Some of those trees are hundreds of years old.

T:  It's a pretty (80) p       . My friends and I had picnics over there by the stream.

M:  We are going to (81) o     a demonstration on Thursday afternoon.

T:  Well, I have a class on Thursday afternoon.

M:　But maybe you could (82) s     this appeal letter. We are going to hand it in to the administration

    to demonstrate how the students feel about this.

T:  Sure, let me get a pen.

M:  I have a pen right here. And let me (83) l        you this little book about the Student Action

    Union. Maybe you could come to some of our meetings. We get (84) t     once a month.

T:  Yeah, I'd like to know more about your group. Let me know (85) w      the next meeting is and I

    will try to be there.

“The pen is more powerful than the sword（刀）.” There have been many writers who used their pens to fight things that were wrong. Mrs Harriet Beecher Stowe was one of them.

　　She was born in the U.S.A. in 1811.One of her books not only made her famous but has been described as one that excited the world, and was helpful in causing a civil war and freeing the enslaved race. The civil war was the American Civil War of 1861, in which the Northern States fought the Southern States and finally won.

　　This book that shook the world was called Uncle Tom's Cabin. There was time when every English-speaking man, woman, and child has read this novel that did so much to stop slavery.  Not many people read it today, but it is still very interesting. The book has shown us how a warm-hearted writer can arouse (唤起) people's sympathies. The author herself had neither been to the Southern States nor been a slave. The Southern Americans were very angry at the book, which they said did not at all represent true state of affairs, but the Northern Americans were wildly excited over it and were so inspired by it that they were ready to go to war to set the slaves free.

According to the passage______

　A. every English-speaking person has read Uncle Tom's Cabin

　B. Uncle Tom's Cabin was not very interesting

　C. those who don't speak English cannot have read Uncle Tom's Cabin

　D. the book Uncle Tom's Cabin did a great deal in the American Civil War

What do you learn about Mrs Harriet Beecher Stowe from the passage?

　A. She had been living in the north of America before the American Civil War broke out.

　B. She herself encouraged the Northern Americans to go to war to set the slaves free.

　C. She was better as writing as swinging (挥舞) a sword.

　D. She had once been a slave.

Why could Mrs Harriet Beecher Stowe's book cause a civil war in America?

　A. She wrote so well that Americans loved her very much.

　B. She disclosed the terrible wrongs that had been done to the slaves in the Southern States.

　C. The Southern Americans hated the book while the Northern Americans like it.

　D. The book had been read by many Americans.

What can we learn from the passage?

　A. We needn't use weapons (武器) to fight things that are wrong.

　B. A writer is more helpful in a war than a soldier.

　C. We must understand the importance of literature and art.

　D. No war can be won without such a book as Uncle Tom's Cabin.