1 . Canada is one of the few nations in the world to have two official languages: English and French. There are 10 provinces in the country, but only one of these—Quebec is known as “French Canada”. This is because it was founded by French explorers while British adventurers discovered the rest.
Canada left the British Empire(帝国) in 1867 to become an independent country, and English and French have been recognized as the official languages ever since.
Most people speak English as their first language and the two national television networks broadcast in English throughout the country. Apart from in Quebec and a few places on the east coast, French television is rare.
The same goes for traffic signs and menus, for example, outside of Quebec, there are only a few places where you’ll see traffic signs in French. In restaurants, it’s almost impossible to find French on the menu unless you are in the heartland(中心地带) of French Canada. However, all products sold in Canada must, by law, have labels(标签) and instructions in both languages.
In Canada’s English-speaking provinces, official bilingualism means that students can choose to complete a special French language course. Under this program, they are taught most of their subjects in French. If a student begins the course in kindergarten(幼儿园) or Grade One, it is likely that all his lessons will be in French. But if he starts at junior high school, 25 percent of the teaching will continue to be in English.
1. Which country controlled Canada before its independence?| A．France. | B．America. | C．The British Empire. | D．Germany. |
| A．In Quebec and a few other places. | B．Only in Quebec. |
| C．From the two national television networks. | D．All over Canada. |
| A．外语教育 | B．双语教育 | C．母语教育 | D．语言教育 |
| A．Only English courses are offered. |
| B．Most of the courses in junior high schools are taught in English. |
| C．The courses in primary schools are all taught in English. |
| D．If you choose a special French language course in kindergarten, all of the lessons will be taught in French. |
2 . The words “England” and “English” are perhaps the two most misused words in the English language. The British themselves often say England and English when they really mean Britain and British.
What’s the difference, you may ask. To understand the question we have to know something about the history of the country and its people.
We all know that Britain is an island country separated from the European continent by the English Channel. Actually there are two main islands. The larger one is called Britain, or Great Britain, and the smaller one is called Ireland, and these two, together with many small islands make up what is called the British Isles.
The British Isles is a geographical term. It is not the name of any country. At present it is made up of two countries, the larger of which is the one we very often inaccurately call England. The full official name is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, but people call it Britain or Great Britain for that. It consists of England, Scotland, Wales and a small part of Ireland－the northeastern part.
People still tend to call Britain England not only because England is the largest in area and the most populous but mostly because England is the strongest and also the most influential country in every respect before it absorbed the other three countries(The whole of Ireland was a part of the United Kingdom at one time). Call it national chauvinism（沙文主义） if you like, but people in England call Britain England out of habit rather than conscious sense of superiority, though it annoys the Welsh and especially the Scots who are proud of their separate national tradition.
1. The British Isles is made up of_______.| A．one country | B．two countries |
| C．two and a half countries | D．three countries |
| A．Great Britain |
| B．England |
| C．United Kingdom |
| D．the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| A．England is the largest in area and has the largest population. |
| B．people in England do so out of habit. |
| C．England is the nearest to the European continent. |
| D．England is the strongest and also the most influential in every respect. |
| A．The formation of the UK. |
| B．The chauvinism of the English. |
| C．The location of the British Isles. |
| D．The difference between “English” and “British”. |
