A student is learning to speak British English. He wonders, "Can I communicate with Americans? Can
they understand me?" Leaners of English often ask, "What are the differences between British English and
American English? How important are these differences?" Do you know any differences between British
English and American English?
      Certainly, there are some differences between British English and American English.
     There are a few differences in grammar. For example, speaker of British English say "in hospital" and
"Have you a pen?" While Americans say "in the hospital" and "Do you have a pen?"
     Pronunciation is sometimes different. Americans usually sound the "r" in the words like "bird" and "hurt".
Some speakers of British English don't sound the "r" in these words.
     There are differences between British English and American English in spelling and vocabulary. For
example, "colour" and "honour" are British. But "color" and "honor" are American.
     These are differences in grammar, pronunciation, spelling, and vocabulary are not important, however.
For the most part, British English and American English are the same lauguage.

1. The importance of the differences between British English and American English is _____.

A. great
B. quite great
C. fairly great
D. not great at all

2. _____ British English and American English are the same language.

A. Nearly
B. Partly
C. On the Whole
D. For the most people 

3. _____ sound the "r" in the words.

A. British English speakers
B. Americans
C. Both British English speakers and Americans
D. Most Americans

4. How many differences are there between British English and American English?

A. Grammer.
B. Pronunciation.
C. Spelling and vocabulary.
D. A, B and C

5. Which sentence best expresses the main idea of this passage?

A. Speaker of British English and American English use the same language.
B. British English and American English are two kinds of languages.
C. There are some difference between British English and American English.
D. The writer stresses (強調(diào)) the differences between British English and American English.

    At midnight on New Year's Eve (除夕), people in Rome, Italy, throw out all the things they don't want
any longer. The streets are filled with old chairs, beds, clothes and plates. In Madrid, Spain, the New Year
comes in more quietly. People get together in the center of the city. Each holds a bag of grapes. As the
clock strikes (敲) twelve, the people eat grapes-one for each strike.
    In Tokyo, Japan, people eat noodles on New Year's Eve. This food is said to bring long life. Early the
next morning some Japanese families climb Mount Fuji. There they watch the first sunrise of the new year.

(     )1. New Year's Eve Rome must be very noisy.
(     )2. In the center of Madrid, a Spaniard brings more than fifteen grapes and waits for the New Year.
(     )3. Many happy people are in the street in Madrid on New Year's Eve.
(     )4. People in both Madrid and Tokyo bring in the new year by eating a special food.
(     )5. The Japanese prefer to welcome the new year by going to bed early and rising early.

    Tokyo may be one of those places that you love and hate at the same time. In Tokyo, there are always too
many people in the places where I want to go. There are also too many cars. Tokyo drivers often spend a long
time in the busy street, just like drivers in London, Paris and New York.
     Tokyo also has a lot of people on foot, and sometimes it is really difficult to walk in the street. The worst
time in the street is at 11:30 at night. That is because the nightclubs are closing at that time and everybody
wants to go home then. There are 35,000 nightclubs in Tokyo, and usually none of them is empty at night.
     During the day, most people go to work by train. Six million train tickets are sold every year in Tokyo. At
most stations, trains arrive every two or three minutes, but at certain hours it is not enough at all. Although
trains are always crowded, they are very good in many ways. They always leave and arrive on time. In London
trains, you may see everybody reading a newspaper. But in Tokyo trains, everybody seems to be sleepy, no
matter whether his journey is long or short. If you stand outside the station for five minutes, there will be three
fire engines(消防車) going past you. They are on the way to one of the fires that Tokyo has every day. Tokyo
has so many surprises that none of them can really surprise me now.

1. In London, Paris and New York, there are _____ in the street.

[     ]

A. a few trains
B. many trains
C. too many cars
D. no cars

2. Japanese trains _____.

[     ]

A. don't often leave and arrive on time
B. are not crowded
C. are good for sleep
D. are the important traffic tools for Japanese

3. The business of the nightclubs in Tokyo is _____.

[     ]

A. very bad
B. just so so
C. not too good
D. very good

4. From the passage, we can know _____.

[     ]

A. the writer like Tokyo more than he hates
B. the writer hates Tokyo more than he likes
C. the writer wants to leave Tokyo as soon as possible
D. the writer has got used to the life in Tokyo

       In the United States, every year, Thanksgiving Day is on the fourth Thursday of November. Because
Canada is north of the United States, and is colder. The harvest comes earlier in the year. In Canada, people have
Thanksgiving Day on the second Monday in October. 
       The harvest brings a lot of food to the people. On Thanksgiving Day people in Canada and America like to
have a big meal with their friends and family just like Chinese people do at Mid-Autumn Festival. Many
Canadians and Americans put flowers, vegetables and fruits around their homes to say "Thank you" for the
harvest.
       At a Thanksgiving Day dinner, many Canadians and Americans will eat turkey, potatoes, and pumpkins pie.
These are food like the food of many years ago. They are saying "Thank you" for the harvest that comes every
year.

1. Which country has the Thanksgiving Day like the United States?

A. Japan.
B. China.
C. Canada.
D. Korea.

2. In the United States, Thanksgiving is on the fourth Thursday of            .

A. January
B. May
C. November
D. December

3. Canada has Thanksgiving earlier in the year because             .

A. they like flowers
B. the harvest come earlier
C. they have a big meal
D. they want to be different

4. The harvest brings               to people.

A. flowers
B. turkeys
C. food
D. pumpkins

5. What do people usually say on Thanksgiving Day for the harvest?

A. Good morning.
B. I'm hungry.
C. Hello.
D. Thank you.

     When you are learning English, you find it not clever to put an English sentence, word for world, into
your own language. Take the sentence "How do you do?" for example. If you look up each word in the
dictionary, one at a time, what is your translation (翻譯)? It must be a wrong sentence in your language.
     Language do not just have different sounds, they are different in many ways. It's important to master
the rules of word order in the study of English, too. If the speaker put words in a wrong order, the listener
can't understand the speaker's meaning easily. Sometimes when order of words in an English sentence is
changed, the meaning of the sentence changes. But sometimes the order is changed, the meaning of the
sentence doesn't changed. Let's see the difference between the two pairs of sentences.
     "She only likes apples." "Only she likes apples."
     "I have seen the film already." "I have already seen the film." When you are learning English, you must
do your best to get the spirit of the languages and use it as the English speaker does. 

1. From the passage we know that _____ when we are learning English.

A. we should look up every word in the dictionary
B. we shouldn't put every word into our own language
C. we need to put every word into our own language
D. we must translate word by word.

2. The writer thinks it is _____ in learning English.

A. difficult to understand different sounds
B. possible to remember the word order
C. important to master the rules of word order.
D. Easy to master the rules of word order

3. We can learn from the passage that           .

A. the meaning of an English sentence always change with the order of the word
B. the order of the word can never change the meaning of an English sentence
C. sometimes different order of words has a different meaning
D. if the order of words is different, the meaning of the sentence must be different

4. The sentence "she only likes apples"           . 

A. is the same as "Only she likes apples"
B. is different from "Only she likes apples"
C. means "she likes fruit except apples"
D. means "she doesn't like apples

5. Which is the best title for this passage?

A. How to Learn English?
B. How to Speak English?
C. How to Put English into Our Own Languages?
D. Different Orders, Different Meanings.

     Popular music in America is what every student likes. Students carry small radios with earphones
and listen to music before or after class, and at lunch. Students with cars buy large speakers and play
the music loudly as they drive on the street.
     Adult (成年的) drivers listen to music on the car radio as they drive to work. They also listen to the
news about sports, the weather, and the life of American people.    1    
     Pop or popular music singers make much money.    2    Once the popular singer is heard all over the
country, young people buy his or her tape. Some of the money from these tapes goes to the singer.
Wherever the singer goes, all the young people want to meet him or her.    3    
     There are other kinds of music that are important to Americans. One is called folk (民間) music.
It tells stories about the common life of Americans.    4    This is started by cowboys (牛仔) who would
sing at night to the cows they were watching.    5    

A. Now the singer has become a national star.
B. They make a CD or tape which radio stations use in many places.
C. Another is called western or country music.
D. Most of the radio programmes are music.
E. Today, any music about country life and the love between a country
    boy and his girl is called western or country music.
1._____ 2._____ 3._____ 4._____ 5._____

     Are not you glad that mothers and fathers give names to their children? Names are the quickest and
easiest and the most friendly way to say who's who. Another nice thing about names is that they do not
change as people do. Yesterday Mary's hair was long. Today her hair is short. But her name is still Mary.
On his birthday Uncle Tom didn't have moustache (胡子). At Christmas time he did. But his name is still
Tom. People are always changing a little or a lot. But people's names are still the same. A name sometimes
says something nice about someone. Girls' names often come from words meaning "pretty", "happy",
"loving"... Boys' names are often borrowed from words which mean "strong", "brave".... Do you know
how your name comes?

1. _____ usually give names to the children.

A. Parents
B. Friends
C. Teachers
D. Family members

2. A man's name _____.

A. is always changing
B. changes as he does
C. is seldom changing
D. changes at any time

3. Some people sometimes have their _____ when writing for newspaper.

A. family names
B. given names
C. full names
D. pen names

4. If there is a word "brave" in a boy's name, that mean his parents wish him _____.

A. to have a strong body
B. to be stronger, when he grows up
C. to have a name for love
D. not to be afraid of anybody

5. In the last paragraph, the underlines word "borrowed" means _____. 

A. 使用
B. 借用
C. 拿走
D. 帶來

     Americans with small families own a small car or a large one. If both parents are working, they usually
have two cars. When the family is large, one of the cars is sold and they will buy a van (住房汽車).
     A small car can hold four persons and a large car can hold six persons but it is very crowded. A van
hold seven persons easily, so in a family three children could ask their grandparents to go on a holiday
travel. They could all travel together.
     Mr. Hagen and his wife had a third child last year. This made them sell a second car and buy a van.
The sixth and seventh seat are used to put other things, for a family of five must carry many suitcases
(衣箱) when they travel. When they arrive at their grandparents' home, the suitcases are brought into the
two seats can then carry the grandparents.
     Americans call vans motor homes. A motor home is always used for holidays. When a family are
traveling to the mountains or to the seaside, they can live in their motor home for a few days or weeks.
All the members of a big family can enjoy a happier life when they are traveling together. That is why
motor homes have become very popular. In America there are many parks for motor homes.

1. From the passage, a van is also called _____. 　　

A. a motor car 　　
B. a motor home 　　
C. a motor bike 　　　
D. a big truck 

2. Before Mr. Hagen and his wife bought a van, they _____. 　　

A. sold their old house 　　　　　　　　
B. moved to their grandparents' house 　　
C. built a new place for a van 　　　　　
D. sold their second car

3. A motor home is usually owned by a family with _____. 　　

A. a baby 　　
B. much money 　　
C. more than two children 　　
D. interest in vans

4. Americans usually use motor homes _____.

A. to travel with all the family members for holidays
B. to do some shopping with all the family members
C. to visit their grandparents at weekends
D. to drive their children to school every day

5. Motor homes have become popular because _____.　　

A. they can take people to another city when people are free
B. they can let families have a happier life when they go out for their holidays
C. some people think motor homes are cheap 　
D. big families can put more things in motor homes

     Many (許多) English people (人) have three names, a first name, a middle name and a last name
(or a family name). For example (例如), my name is James Allan Green. James is my first name. Allan
is my middle name. Green is my last name. People don't use (用) Mr., Mrs., Ms. or Miss before their
first names. People should (應當) use them before their family names. 　　
     But in China, people use Mr., Mrs., Ms. or Miss before their first names. Because in China, the first
name is the family name. For example, his name is Lin Tao. "Lin" is his family name, and "Tao" is his
given name (名).

1. My name is James Allan Green. Which (哪一個) is my family name?  　　

A. James.　　
B. Allan.　　
C. Green.　　
D. Allan Green.

2. If (如果) his name is Lin Tao, which is his family name?

A. Lin.　
B. Tao.　　
C. Lin Tao.　
D. Zhang.

3. We use (使用) "Mr." before (在....之前) _____ in the name "James Allan Green". 　　

A. James　
B. Allan　
C. James Allen　
D. Green

4. In China, we use "Mrs." before _____ in the name "Wang Ping". 　　

A. Wang　
B. Ping　　
C. Lin　　
D. Tao

5. Which sentence (句子) is right (正確的)? _____. 　　

A. In English names, the first name is the family name. 　　
B. In Chinese names, the first name is the family name. 　　
C. In English names, the middle name is the family name. 　　
D. In Chinese names, the last name is the family name.

     In England recently three foreign gentlemen came to a bus stop and waited. About five minutes later,
the bus they wanted came along. They were just going to get on when suddenly there was a loud noise
behind them. People rushed onto the bus and tried to push them out of the way. Someone shouted at
them. The bus conductor came rushing down the stairs to see what all the trouble was about. The three
foreigners seem all at sea and looked embarrassed (窘迫的). No one had told them about the British
custom (習慣) of lining up for a bus that the first person who arrives at the bus stop is the first person
to get on the bus. 　
 　Learning the language of a country isn't enough. If you want to have a pleasant visit, find out as
much as possible about the manners and customs of your host country. You will probably be surprised
just how different they can be from your own. A visitor to India would do well to remember that people
there consider it impolite to use the left hand for passing food at table. The left hand is supposed to be
used for washing yourself. Also in India, you might see a man shaking his head at another to show that
he doesn't agree. But in many parts of India a shake of the head means agreement. Nodding (點頭) your
head when you are given a drink in Bulgaria will most probably leave you thirsty. 　　
     In that country, you shake your head to mean "yes"-a nod means "no". At a meal in countries on the
Arabic Peninsula, you will find that your glass is repeated refilled as soon as you drink up. If you think
that you have had enough, you should take the cup or glasses in your hand and give it a little shake from
side to side or place your hand over the top. 　　
     In Europe it is quite usual to cross your legs when you are sitting talking to someone even at an
important meeting. Doing this in Thailand, however, could bring about trouble. Also, you should try to
avoid (避免) touching the head of an adult (成人)-it's just not done in Thailand.

1. The British people tried to push the three gentlemen out of the way,
    because the gentlemen _____.

A. were foreigners
B. didn't have tickets
C. made a loud noise
D. didn't line up for the bus

2. According to the article, if you want to have a pleasant
    journey in a foreign country, you should _____.

A. learn the language of the country
B. understand the manners and customs of the country
C. have enough time and money
D. make friends with the people there

3. In India it is considered impolite _____. 

A. to use the right hand for passing food at table　　
B. to pass food with the left hand
C. to eat food with your hands
D. to help yourself at table

4. To cross one's legs at an important meeting in Europe is _____.

A. a common (平常的) habit
B. an important manner
C. a serious (嚴重的) trouble 　
D. a bad manner

5. The best title (題目) for this article is _____.

A. People's Everyday Life　　
B. Mind Your Manners
C. Shaking and Nodding Head　
D. Taking a Bus in England