As we all know，American and British people both speak English．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．

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”．

There're also some differences in grammar．For example，Americans usually use the helping verb（助动词）“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（易混淆的）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．

1．When a person says，“I'm driving a truck now．” Where does the man most probably come from?

A．America．           B．Britain．              C．France．

2．What does the underlined word “separately” mean in this passage?

A．含糊地                B．快快地                C．分开地

3．How many differences has the writer told US between American English and British English?

A．Three．               B．Four．                C．Five．

4．Which sentence is Not right?

A．Many expressions are different between American English and British English．

B．British English and American English sound very different．

C．British English is the same as American English in grammar．

5．This passage is mainly（主要）about ________．

A．some important differences between British English and American English

B．the difference of the grammar between British English and American English

C．the difference of the sound between British English and American English

  Premier（总理）Wen Jiabao was in Hunan to help direct disaster relief（减灾）work in the central Chinese province. Premier Wen Jiabao arrived in the city of Changsha, the capital of Hunan province, on Tuesday morning.

  He flew out of Beijing on Monday night, but had to land at Tianhe Airport in neighboring Hubei Province because of the bad weather in Hunan, before completing his journey by train.

  He said the crisis(危机)there means the government can’t wait any longer.

  Wen Jiabao said, “Our task in Hunan province is to restore（恢复）the electricity supply and rail operation between Changsha and Shaoguan．If we finish that successfully, it will built up the confidence of the whole nation in combating (与战斗) disaster.”

  The Premier also warned that the situation is still continuing, and said all efforts should be made to prepare for the worst. He expressed his confidence in the province’s capability to deal with the disaster in a short time．

Wen later went to, see the families of the three workers in the Hunan Electric Power Company, who lost their lives in rescue work. He said the people and the country won’t forget them for their work．

  The Premier also visited the Changsha Railway Station and spoke with passengers stranded（使搁浅）there．

  Wen Jiabao said, “I’m so sorry that you are all stuck（滞壁, 困难）here. We are fighting against time to restore, the power grids（电网）. Once the repairs are finished, railway services will resume（恢复）. And you will be going home for the Spring Festival soon! I wish you a happy Spring Festival. Thank you!”

  In the afternoon, Wen Jiabao travelled along the Beijing – Zhuhai highway（京珠高速）and stopped in the hardest—hit area of Majiahe in Xiangtan city. Wen said electricity company employees have done well in dealing with the disaster there. They not only protected the power grids in Hunan, but also assisted（协助）their counterparts in neighboring Guizhou province. Wen said he appreciates their contribution.

  Also on the Beijing – Zhuhai highway Wen visited the Changtan Highway workers who have done well in dealing with the disaster there. They not only protected the power grids in Hunan, but also assisted their counterparts in neighboring Guizhou province. Wen visited the Changtan Highway workers who have been engaged(参加)in relief work for 6 days. The premier expressed his appreciation to them as well.

  1．The passage is a（an）            .

    A．story                   B．report                  C．guide                     D．instruction

  2．Why did Premier Wen Jiabao come to Hunan

    A．He came to help direct disaster relief（减灾）work. 

    B．he wasn’t busy.

    C．it snowed heavily in the central Chinese province

    D．A, B and C

  3．According to the passage, how many workers in the Hunan Electric Power Company did rescue work?

    A．Three                  B．One                     C．Two                      D．Four

  4．Did Premier Wen Jiabao promise that passengers stranded in the Changsha Railway Station could go home three days later? 

    A．Yes，he did．                                         B．No he didn’t．

    C．Yes he does．                                            D．We don’t know．

  5．Which statement is not right?

    A．Premier Wen Jiabao said the people and the country will remember the workers in the Hunan Electric Power Company died in rescue work forever.

    B．The crisis there means the government can’t wait any longer.

    C．Premier Wen Jiabao flew to Changsha on Tuesday morning.

    D．The Changtan Highway workers worked there without rest for 6 days.

^{Dear Amy，}

    ^{Paul is my pen pal．He is from Landon，England．He speaks good English．He is now in Shanghai with his parents，because they work in Shanghai．Paul can speak a little Chinese!}

    ^{There are five people in his family，his parents，his two sisters and he．His sisters aren't in China．They are in England now．}

    ^{He likes singing and dancing very much．His favorite subject is music．He likes going to the movies on weekends：He thinks it is fun．I think he is a nice boy．}

    ^Yours，

    ^Sam

^{1．Paul is Sam's                                       ．}

^{A．brother                               B．cousin                                   C．pen pal                                   D．teacher}

^{2．Where does Paul live now?}

^{A．In Beijing．                                                                              B．In Shanghai．}

^{C．In London．                                                                                                D．In New York．}

^{3．How many brothers and sisters does Paul have?}

^{A．He has two brothers and one sister．}

    ^{B．He has two sisters and one brother．}

^{C．He has two brothers and no sister．}

^{D．He has two sisters and no brother．}

^{4．What’s Paul’s favorite subject in school?}

^{A．Math                                   B．Chinese                              C．English．                               D．Music．}

^{5．Which of the following is TRUE（正确的）in this letter?}

^{A．Paul is from China．}

    ^{B．Paul is in Shanghai with his whole family．}

    ^{C．Paul Likes going to the movies on weekends．}

    ^{D．Paul speaks good Chinese．}