American and British people both speak English of course. But sometimes 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 words together. Americans may say “I dunno” instead of (代替)“I don’t know”. Or they may say “Whaddya say?” instead of “What did you say?” However, the British are more careful. They usually say all the words and keep them separate.

Sound is not only the difference. Words sometimes have different meanings too. For example, the vocabulary(词汇) for cars and driving is very different. Americans drive trucks(卡车), but in England people drive lorries.

Many expressions(短语) 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”. When you are saying goodbye in England you might say “Cheerio!” In America you might say “See you later.”

There’re also some differences in grammar(语法). For example, Americans usually use the helping verb “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?”

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. It can also happen to other languages, such as French. Many people in Canada speak French but their French is very different from the French of France.

1.What does the word “separately” mean in this passage? It means “_____”.

A. 含糊地 B. 快速地 C. 分开地 D. 简略地

2.The vocabulary for cars and driving is _____.

A. an example of British English

B. an example of American English

C. the same in America and England

D. not the same in America and England

3.Languages _____.

A. are always changing as time passes

B. keep unchanged even if time changes

C. are the same in all places

D. are easy to learn

4.Which of the following is right?

A.American people usually say “ I don’t know” instead of “ I dunno ”.

B.There are four differences between American and British English.

C.Canadians speak all the same French as Frenchmen.

D.When people live in different places, the language is in the same way.

5.This passage is mainly about _____.

A. English vocabulary

B. how American sounds are different from British sounds

C. the way the British say words

D. some differences between American and British English

Sometimes it is impossible to deliver(投递)all the mail that arrives at the post office. Perhaps there is an mailing address and there is no return address. The post office cannot just the mail, so it becomes “dead mail”. Dead mail is to one of the U.S. Post Service’s in Atlanta, New York, and San Francisco. Seventy-five million pieces of mail can be put in these offices in one year.

There the workers of the dead mail offices have ways to deal with all of these pieces of dead mail. First of all, they look for something that can help them deliver the mail; they open packages, expecting that something will show where the package came from or is going to. Dead mail will also be listed on a so that people can call in and check to see if a missing thing is there on the screen. However, all of this mail cannot simply be forever; there is just too much of it. When a lot of dead mail comes together, the dead mail offices hold public auctions (拍卖). Every three months, some people who are are invited to the offices with objects(物品) found in dead mail packages and they are sold to the bidder (出价者).

1.A. impatient B. important C. unclear D. inactive

2.A. turn off B. eat up C. sell out D. throw away

3.A. sent B. returned C. lent D. sold

4.A. no B. several C. silly D. cruel

5.A. waste B. expensive C. useful D. new

6.A. funny B. inside C. useless D. outside

7.A. phone B. mirror C. TV set D. computer

8.A. kept B. put C. bought D. borrowed

9.A. bored B. interested C. worried D. satisfied

10.A. cheapest B. cleverest C. highest D. easiest

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