It goes without saying that the language spoken by the majority of British people has the same name as the language spoken by most citizens of the U.S.A. Nonetheless, quite apart from well-documented lexical (词汇的) differences - pavement/sidewalk, lift/elevator, etc. - there are still some words and phrases which can cause confusion and misunderstanding between speakers of the two different forms. That's why some people say that Great Britain and the United States are nations separated by a common language. There are practical reasons for this.

When the first English settlers arrived in what we now call America, the language they spoke was naturally the same as that spoken by their compatriots (同胞) on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, However, they immediately saw things which didn't exist in Europe, often items used and made by Native Americans, such as canoes and moccasins and creatures such as buffalo. They also picked up words which they heard being used by other European immigrants. The word "boss", for example, was used by settlers from Holland in New York in the mid-17^th century. It comes from the Dutch word "baas", which means master. The word "cookie" also comes from the Dutch "koekje".

There are many words, phrases and even grammatical structures which are mistaken for Americanisms (美式英语用语) in Britain when they are nothing of the sort. Very often, they represent not an American import, but an original form of British English which has disappeared in Britain. The verbs "guess" meaning think and "loan" meaning lend and the adjective "mad" meaning angry are frequently criticized as Americanisms, yet they all appeared in British English hundreds of years ago. In the case of "loan", it was used as long ago as 1,200 years! In fact, English spoken in the UK has changed so thoroughly in the last 500 years that American English now represents the last place where some original British English forms can be found.

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Chinese: a language for life

You might think that whether you choose a blue shirt or a yellow one to wear to work or college makes no difference to your day and those around you. However, an increasing number of experts argue that the colors we choose affect our mood, our career prospects (前景) and even our health.

The power of color has been used for centuries and we should be making the most of it in our lives. Color affects us to a greater degree than most of us realize. It is used increasingly by psychologists and therapists for influencing mood and state of mind, and for various types of treatments when we are ill. Some people ever believe that the blind can benefit from, the “vibrations” (震动) that color gives off.

Companies use color to great effect to encourage us to buy their product. For example, purple is seen as creative and mixes well with red, to show that a company has ideas and the power to make them happen. Orange and blue are also recommended colors for companies to use, because orange is the color of communication and blue suggests safety and security. So this could be a particularly good combination. Companies have found certain colors ‘speak’ to specific age groups. They often use red to attract younger people to their products, for example, as it is vibrant and more youthful than colors like gold and navy, which older customers seem to prefer.

Wearing different colors can affect how you feel and how others react to you, so it is important to consider this when deciding what to wear in the morning. If you want people to take you seriously, then wearing navy blue or black is good. Blue would also be helpful for an interview or oral examination because it relaxes you and makes you feel calm. Red gets you noticed by everyone and makes you, the wearer, feel energetic, but be careful, as it can raise your pulse rate and not everyone wants this effect.

So think carefully before you leave the house. The colors you choose are a wonderful tool. Are you making the right impression—on yourself and on others?