American and British people both speak English of course. But sometimes it does not seem like the same language. In fact, there are some important differences between British English and American English.
First of all, they sound very different. Often, Americans don’t say each word separately. They say several words together. Americans may say “I dunno” instead of “I don’t know”. Or they may say “Whaddya say?” instead of “What did you say?” however, the British are more careful in their speech. They usually say all the words and keep them
separate.
Words sometimes have different meanings too. Some American words are never used in England. The same thing is true of some British words in America. For example, the vocabulary（詞匯）for cars and driving is very different. Americans drive trucks, but in England people drive lorries.
Many expressions are also different in the two countries. In England, if you are going to telephone your friends, you “phone them up”. In America, you “give them a call”.
There’re also some differences in grammar. For example, when Americans ask a question., they say “Do you have a storybook?” But the British often say “Have you a storybook?”
All these differences can be confusing （易混淆的）if you are learning English. But most languages are like this. Languages change over time. When people live in separate places, the languages change in different ways. This is what has happened to English. It can also happen to other languages, such as French. Many people in Canada speak French but their French is very different from the French of France.
小題1:What does the word “separate” mean in the passage? It means “____”
小題2:The vocabulary for cars and driving is _____.
| A．an example of British English |
| B．an example of American English |
| C．the same in America and England |
| D．not the same in America and England |
小題3:Language _________.
| A．are always changing as time passes |
| B．keep unchanged even if time changes |
| C．are the same in all places |
| D．are easy to learn |
小題4: This passage is mainly about ______.
| A．English vocabulary |
| B．how American sounds are different from British sounds |
| C．the way the British say words |
| D．some differences between American and British English |
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