完形填空

　　In English the 　　1　　 of words does not always represent the sound．So people say/raIt/　　2　　 spell it “right”, or “write”, or even “rite”．Combinations of letters(like “ough”)may be pronounced in 　　3　　 ways．And some words just seem to have 　　4　　 many letters．

　　For 　　5　　, things are a little bit easier, thanks to the work of Noah Webster, 　　6　　 teacher who graduated from Yale University in 1778．As a young man he had 　　7　　 the British in the American War of Independence, and he felt that 　　8　　 English in the newly independent United States should have a distinctive “American” look．

　　So he began his 　　9　　 on American English．His first book, the Elementary Spelling Book, 　　10　　 simplifying the spelling of English words．The book was very popular．By the 1850s, it was 　　11　　 one million copies a year, making　　12　　 one of the most popular schoolbooks ever．

　　　　13　　 of the suggestions were quickly used, 　　14　　 “center” instead of “centre”, “program” instead of “programme”, and “flavor”　　15　　 “flavour”．Others, 　　16　　, such as removing silent letters like the “s” in “island” or the final “e” in“ examine”, were not．

　　Webster is best 　　17　　 for An American Dictionary of the English Language, 　　18　　 first appeared in 1828．It introduced lots of new American words, with information about their pronunciation and 　　19　　, and, of course, the new spelling．The British criticized the dictionary, but it quickly became a standard reference book in the states．Today, Webster’s dictionary is 　　20　　 the most important dictionary for American students．