American English and British English
Many students want to know about the differences between American English and British English. How did these differences come about? There is no quick answer to this question.
At first the language in Britain and America was the same. In 1776 America became an independent (独立的) country. After that, the language slowly began to change. For a long time the language in America stayed the same, while the language in England changed. For example, 300 years ago the English talked about “fall” Today, most British people talk about “autumn”, but Americans still talk about “fall”. In the same way Americans still use the expression “I guess” ( meaning “I think”), just as the British did 300 years ago. At the same time, British English and American English started borrowing words from other languages, ending up with different words. For example, the British took “typhoon” from Chinese, while the Americans took “tornado” from Spanish.
In 1828 Noah Webster published the first American dictionary. He wanted to make American English different from British English, so he changed the spelling of many words. That’s why the words colour, centre and traveller are spelt color, center, and traveler in American English. Except for these differences in spelling, written English is more or less the same in both British and American English.
The differences are greater in the spoken language. For example, American say dance [dæns], and in southern England they say [da:ns]. In America they pronounce not [nat]; in southern England they say [nɔt]. However, most of the time people from the two countries do not have any difficulty in understanding each other.
1. When did the language in Britain and American slowly begin to change?| A．After 1828. |
| B．300 years ago. |
| C．After Britain stopped ruling the USA. |
| D．300 years after America became independent. |
| A．Britain and America published different dictionaries |
| B．American English changed but British English stayed the same |
| C．British decided to change the spelling of many American words |
| D．the Americans and British took different words from other countries |
| A．Why English has been a popular language. |
| B．How American and British English have changed. |
| C．How people in two countries understand each other. |
| D．Why Britain and America are two similar countries. |
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【推荐1】About 6.000 different languages are spoken around the world. The Foundation for Endangered Languages estimates that between 500 and 1,000 of those are spoken by only a handful of people. And every year the world loses around 25 mother tongues. This week a conference organized by the foundation is being attended by about 100 academics. They are discussing rare languages in Ireland, China, Australia and Spain.
“I do think it is a good thing for a child on the Isle of Man to learn Manx(the language of the Isle of Man with about 100 speakers now). I value continuity in a community,” says Nicholoas Ostler, the foundation’s chairman. In Europe, Mr Ostler’s view seems to command official support. There is the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (ECRML), which every European Union (EU) member has signed, and the EU has a project called the European Language Diversity for All (ELDIA), designed to protect the most threatened native tongues. At the end of last year the project received $2.7m to identify those languages most at risk.
But for some this is not just a waste of resources but a misunderstanding of how language works. “To have a public policy that a certain culture or language should be preserved shows a fundamental misunderstanding. In the end, whether or not a language can exist is very simple. If a language is one that people don’t participate in, it’s not a language anymore,” says writer and broadcaster Kenan Malik.
American journalist Jeff Bell agrees that languages are decided by people not politicians. And Mr Bell says politicians make a “category mistake” when they try to get in the way of language, mentioning an experiment in Glasgow’s schools. “Offering Gaelic to children of people who don’t speak it seems like the preservation of lost glories. It’s very romantic to try and save a language but nonsense,” says Bell.
“Language is not a plant that rises and falls, lives and dies. It’s a tool that is perfectly adapted by the people using it. Get on with living and talking.” adds Bell.
1. What do the ECRML and the ELDIA aim at?| A．Studying the origins of minority languages. |
| B．Introducing more official languages to the EU. |
| C．Identifying regional languages across the EU. |
| D．Preventing rare languages from extinction(灭绝). |
| A．The development of a language is in the hands of speakers. |
| B．Languages are equally important. |
| C．Language protection lies in governmental effort. |
| D．The preservation of a language is to preserve a culture. |
| A．It will be considered a glory. |
| B．It will very likely be a vain attempt. |
| C．It will make Gaelic popular again. |
| D．It will be opposed by the teachers. |
| A．How should we protect threatened tongues? |
| B．Why is it important to learn our mother tongues? |
| C．Are dying languages worth saving? |
| D．Do we speak the languages our ancestors speak? |
【推荐2】If you are fond of learning languages, you must start learning Chinese. English is the most widely spoken language in the world and it is a more powerful language in all fields. But it is expected that Chinese, which is one of the six official languages of the United Nations (UN), will be the most important language in the coming years. What are the reasons behind the rapid spread of this language and why should you learn it?
I studied many Latin languages and in the process, I deepened my knowledge of the languages. And I gained a lot of information about the Western world. But I always felt I needed to learn Chinese to be a global citizen because “without learning Chinese, we see with one eye”.
My contact with many international organizations and government institutions made me believe that Chinese is one of the most important languages of our time. After visiting the capitals such as Paris and London, I discovered that Chinese language can be seen everywhere in these places. In the subway in Paris, you will hear instructions in French, English and Chinese. In London, for example, the Chinese language was introduced in schools.
China is an important political and economic country because it is making great economic progress that has never been seen before. The world is watching China with great surprise, and this peaceful Chinese rise makes us decide to focus on learning the Chinese language and knowing more about Chinese culture.
To be a global citizen these days, I would advise you to learn Chinese. It will add more beauty to your life and allow you to better understand Chinese civilization.
1. What can we learn about languages in the future according to the first paragraph?| A．Some of them will disappear. |
| B．More official languages will be added to the UN. |
| C．English will still have an advantage over others. |
| D．Chinese language will probably be second to none. |
| A．Paris is a wonderful capital city worth a visit. |
| B．Chinese learning is very popular in schools in London. |
| C．People in some western countries like speaking Chinese. |
| D．Chinese language is playing an important role in the world. |
| A．The rise of Chinese economy. | B．Their love for language learning. |
| C．Their curiosity about Asian culture. | D．The long history of Chinese civilization. |
| A．How to be a global citizen | B．Chinese — the language you must learn |
| C．What you should know about Chinese culture | D．Chinese economy—the most powerful engine |
【推荐3】Katherine Rooks, a Denver-based writer, had sent her son a text message about coming home from school “I could tell from his response that he became upset suddenly in our thread. And when he came home, he came over and said, ‘What did you mean by this?’ “Rooks was confused.” So we looked at the text together and I said, “Well, I meant, see you later, or something. I don’t remember exactly what it said.’ And he said, ‘But you ended with a full stop!
“I thought you were really angry!” Rooks wasn’t angry, and she explained to her son that, well, periods are how you end a sentence.
But in text-messaging — at least for younger adult periods do more than just end a sentence: they also can set a tone. Gretchen McCulloch. a linguist, said that when it comes to text-messaging, the period has lost its original purpose. But that doesn’t mean the period has lost all the purposes in text-messaging. Now it can be used to indicate seriousness or a sense of finality. “But caution is needed.” said McCullocb, noting that problems can start to arise when you combine a period with a positive emotion, like “sure” or “sounds good”.
A period can accidentally set a tone. A recent study conducted by Binghamton University psychology professor Cclia Klin confirmed this. Researchers asked undergraduates to evaluate a text exchange that included an innocent question and the answer “Yes”. Some saw “Yes” with a period and some saw the word without. They found consistently through many experiments that “Yes” with a period resulted in responses that were more negative. So people thought “Yes” with a period was less friendly, less sincere, and so on. “I really don’t like getting text messages that end in periods because it always feels so passive-aggressive,” said Juan Abenante Rincon, 24, a social media manager for Adidas. “Like, are you mad? What’s going on? Like, did 1 do something wrong?”
Klin said this demonstrates language is constantly changing. “Language evolution has happened; it’ll continue to happen, and isn’t it great that we’re so linguistically creative?”
1. Why does the text begin with Katherine’s conflict with her son?| A．To show the way of communication. | B．To show the power of words. |
| C．To show the misuse of punctuation. | D．To show the misbehavior of kids. |
| A．By making contrast. | B．By listing experiment figures. |
| C．By raising examples. | D．By quoting research findings. |
| A．To raise doubts about the study. | B．To confirm findings of the study. |
| C．To make prediction on the study. | D．To show opposition for the study. |
| A．Changing language trends. | B．Widening generation gap. |
| C．Developing online communication. | D．Ongoing linguistic debate. |
【推荐1】If there is one city in China that is hugging the future, it’s certainly Shanghai. As the most developed city in China, being ever-changing is the future-facing character of Shanghai and its people.
The city is also considered to be a leading technological pioneer. One key example is that Shanghai is the first city in the world to have 5G coverage. 5G is bringing into a new age, with faster speed than 4G—100 times faster, to be exact. In fact, this wonderful technology has some really fantastic usages in many parts.
Tim Clancy, Hangzhou Culture and Tourism Promotion Ambassador, said 5G surely changes the way we use technology. “When 2G came out, we had voice. When 3G came out, we had internet. When 4G came out, we can use such things like Douyin and WeChat, which has changed our life so much.” Clancy said. “As the newest network, 5G makes greater improvements in speed than 4G. I think Shanghai can be seen as the birthplace of everything modern in China. 5G technology is the perfect program for all people in Shanghai to experiment with.”
5G is expected to greatly change the world—medicine, tourism and also internet. Clancy said 5G increases flows, and we can improve the way we actually live with the collection of data.
Andy Mok, senior fellow at the Center for China and Globalization, thought 5G is more than just smart phones, but all the things that people don’t see. “5G is the moment for Chinese production, especially Huawei. One reason is that Huawei laid the ground work for this many years ago.” Mok said.
Mok added Apple is slower in changes since the iPhone 10, but China has seen the fastest progress in its smart phone industry that no other countries can match.
In fact, 5G network coverage has developed rapidly in Shanghai, and has made good preparations for formal business use. Moreover, Shanghai mobile is continuing to enlarge the coverage of 5G network, and will open more than 5,000 base stations this year.
1. According to the passage, what may be the main advantage of 5G?| A．It makes phone fare lower. | B．It makes phones much smarter. |
| C．It changes the way of communication. | D．It increases the internet speed greatly. |
| A．Shanghai is a highly populated city. | B．Shanghai is a highly fast-paced city. |
| C．Shanghai is a high-technology leader. | D．Shanghai is an important cultural center. |
| A．Hopeful. | B．Questioning. |
| C．Worrying. | D．Unconcerned. |
| A．5G: a new way to change our life | B．5G: everything you need to know |
| C．Shanghai: a city racing ahead in 5G | D．Shanghai: a city to bring dreams to life |
【推荐2】Language learning apps are very popular now and offer opportunities to learn vocabulary and practice grammar. But there has been a discussion about just how effective such apps can be.
Among the most popular apps are Duolingo and Busuu. A former research found positive results on the use of them. But it mainly concentrated on studies with learners who had signed up for language courses and these apps worked as an after-class support, so the results were not always reliable. A recent study of 4,095 Busuu users has been carried out to find out if users can actually learn a language with an app.
Busuu provides learning materials for 12 different languages. It offers special models where some contents are ready for use for free while some contents are not. We find that its users are an even mix of men and women. More than half consider themselves to be at the beginner level because there is a reduction in users as their language levels go up. Most people use the app because of personal interest, or because they want to study or live abroad. Female users are likely to use it less often but for longer periods of time than male users.
Feedback in the app is highly thought of. More than 92% of the users say that the app has met their expectations and 86% consider the app as very good or good. In fact, more than 80% of the users surveyed strongly agree that using the app has helped them improve their knowledge of the language they are learning.
Besides, language learning apps also create an environment where mistakes are only known to the users, and this can address the performance nervousness that many learners suffer from when asked to speak a foreign language. So language teachers should encourage their students to use them to do the grammar work, leaving precious class time for more language communication.
1. What's the reason why the results of the former research weren't always reliable?| A．It only considered users of a limited kind. |
| B．It just focused on positive results. |
| C．It was only carried out before class. |
| D．It used out-of-date methods. |
| A．It's used by more advanced learners. |
| B．. All the contents are free to use. |
| C．Most users consider it satisfying. |
| D．It's more popular with female learners. |
| A．cause | B．solve |
| C．increase | D．practice |
| A．Language learning apps are very popular with most language teachers. |
| B．Students won't suffer nervousness in learning languages by using Busuu. |
| C．Language learning apps are effective and satisfactory to language learners. |
| D．Students should be required to use apps for homework after class. |
International Teachers’ Day is celebrated on October 5. Being held ever since 1994, it is in honor of teachers' organizations worldwide. Its aim is to encourage supports for teachers and to meet the needs of students.
China―In 1939, Teachers’ Day was set for August 27, Confucius' birthday. In 1951, the celebration was stopped. However, it was founded again in 1985, and the day was changed to September 10.
India―Teachers’ Day is celebrated on September 5 in honour of Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, the second president of India, whose birthday falls on that day.
Russia―In Russia, Teachers’ Day was celebrated on the first Sunday of October between 1965 and 1994. Since 1994, the day is observed on October 5, just the same day as World Teachers’ Day.
The US―In the US, Teachers’ Day is non-official holiday. It is celebrated on the Tuesday of the first full week of May. A number of activities are organized in schools to honor teachers. The celebrations can continue for the whole week of May.
Thailand―In Thailand, National Teachers’ Day is celebrated every year on January 16. The first Teachers’ Day was held in 1957. The day is a holiday in schools.
1. What country celebrates Teachers’ Day in October?
| A．India. | B．The US. | C．India. | D．Russia. |
| A．stopped | B．celebrated | C．held | D．fell |
| A．China has celebrated Teachers’ Day since the year 1931. |
| B．Teachers’ Day is an official holiday in the United States. |
| C．Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan’s birthday is in September. |
| D．Teachers’ Day is a working day in schools of Thailand. |
| A．The first Teachers’ Day was held in 1965 in Thailand. |
| B．Teachers’ Day falls on Confucius' birthday in China. |
| C．International Teachers’ Day aims to benefit the students. |
| D．Teachers’ Day is celebrated on the same day all over the world. |
