Module 1 British and American English

本模塊知識(shí)網(wǎng)絡(luò)

詞匯短語(yǔ)園地

1. confusing? ?adj.? ?令人困惑的;難懂的

The instructions on the box are very confusing.

盒子上的使用說明令人費(fèi)解。

confuse? vt.? ?使糊涂，使迷惑

confuse A with/and B? ?將A與B混淆

I’m always confusing Jack with James.

我總是分不清杰克與詹姆斯。

confused? ?adj.? ?糊涂的;迷惑的;混亂的

2. compare? ?vt.? ?比較，對(duì)比

I compared the copy with the original， but there wasn’t much difference.

我比較了復(fù)印件和原件，但差別不是很大。

（1） compared to/with...? ?和……相比

Compared to many students， he is lucky.

和許多學(xué)生比起來，他是幸運(yùn)的。

My own problems seem insignificant compared with other people’s.

與別人的問題相比，我自己的問題算不了什么。

（2） compare... to...? ?把……比作……

Shakespeare compared the world to a stage.

莎士比亞把世界比作一個(gè)舞臺(tái)。

（3） compare notes （with sb）? ?（與某人）交換意見

After comparing notes we found that we had the same opinion.

交換意見后，我們發(fā)現(xiàn)我們的想法是一致的。

（1）compare? ?n.? ?比較

without/beyond compare? ?無與倫比

The height of the new building is without compare in the world.

這座新樓的高度在世界上是無與倫比的。

It’s a diamond beyond compare.

這是一顆獨(dú)一無二的鉆石。

（2）comparison? ?n.? ?比較;對(duì)比

by comparison? ?比較起來;相比之下

by/in comparison （with sb/sth）（與……）相比較

3. differ? ?vi.? ?不同，有區(qū)別

Customs differ in different countries.

各國(guó)風(fēng)俗不同。

（1） differ from...? ?和……不同

Their house differs from ours because they have no garage.

他們的房子和我們的不同，因?yàn)樗麄儧]有車庫(kù)。

（2） differ in...? ?在……方面不同

The two boxes differ in color but not in size.

雖然這兩個(gè)盒子的顏色不同，但是大小相同。

（3） differ with sb about/on/over sth? ?和某人在某事上持不同看法

We differ with them on that question.

我們?cè)谀莻€(gè)問題上跟他們的意見不同。

4. present? vt.? ? ? 陳述;提出（觀點(diǎn)、計(jì)劃等）;

展現(xiàn);顯示

adj.? ?出席的;到場(chǎng)的;現(xiàn)存的;當(dāng)前的

n.? ? ? 禮物，禮品

When is the committee presenting their report？

委員會(huì)什么時(shí)候提出他們的報(bào)告？

The book presents an interesting picture.

這本書呈現(xiàn)了一幅有趣的畫面。

How many people were present at the meeting？

參加會(huì)議的有多少人？

We do not have further information at the present time.

目前我們沒有進(jìn)一步的消息。

What can I get him for a birthday present？

我送他什么生日禮物呢？

5. attempt? ?n.? ?努力;嘗試

v.? ?努力;嘗試;試圖

They made no attempt to escape.

他們沒有企圖逃跑。

I will attempt to answer all your questions.

我將努力回答你的全部問題。

be in an attempt to do sth? ?試圖做某事

make an attempt to do/at doing sth? ?打算做某事

attempt to do sth? ?試圖做某事

6. have... in common? ?有相同的特點(diǎn)

I married her because we have so much in common.

我之所以跟她結(jié)婚，是因?yàn)槲覀儌z有很多共同點(diǎn)。

have sth in common? ?有共同之處

have nothing in common? ?沒有共同之處

have much in common? ?有很多共同之處

have little in common? ?幾乎沒有共同之處

7. lead to? ?引起;導(dǎo)致;通向

Too much work and too little rest often lead to illness.

過量的工作和過少的休息通常會(huì)引發(fā)疾病。

This will lead to trouble in the future.

這將導(dǎo)致以后的麻煩。

All roads lead to Rome.

條條大路通羅馬。

lead? ?vt.? ?過（某種生活）

lead a happy/hard/simple life? 過著幸福/艱苦/簡(jiǎn)樸的生活

8. in favour of? ?同意;支持;看中，選擇

They were in favour of free trade.

他們贊成自由貿(mào)易。

I’m in favour of equal pay for equal work.

我支持同工同酬。

He abandoned teaching in favour of a career as a doctor.

他棄教從醫(yī)。

do sb a favour = do a favour for sb?  幫某人一個(gè)忙

Would you do me a favour/do a favour for me and turn off the radio？

能否請(qǐng)你幫我把收音機(jī)關(guān)上？

9. refer to... as...? ?稱……為……

People refer to this kind of food as cheese.

人們稱這種食物為奶酪。

People who work in offices are usually referred to as “white collar” workers.

那些在辦公室工作的人通常被稱為“白領(lǐng)”。

refer to? ?提到;談?wù)?參考;參照;與……相關(guān)

The scientist referred to the discovery as the most exciting new development in this field.

科學(xué)家把這一發(fā)現(xiàn)稱為這一領(lǐng)域里最令人激動(dòng)的進(jìn)展。

Please refer to a dictionary if you don’t know the meaning of the word.

如果你不知道這個(gè)詞的意思，就請(qǐng)查查詞典。

What I have to say refers to all of you.

我要講的話與你們大家都有關(guān)。

10. pick up? ?（偶然）學(xué)會(huì);拿起;撿起;

（開車）接人;得到;感染

She picked up Spanish when she was living in Mexico.

她旅居墨西哥時(shí)順便學(xué)會(huì)了西班牙語(yǔ)。

I picked up the book for her.

我替她撿起了那本書。

I’ll pick you up at five.

我五點(diǎn)鐘來接你。

I seem to have picked up a terrible cold from someplace.

我似乎從什么地方染上了重感冒。

11. wear off? ?逐漸消失;消逝;磨掉;磨損

The smell of the new paint will wear off in about a month.

新漆的味道一個(gè)月左右就會(huì)消失。

I bought those new plates cheaply， and the pretty rose pattern has been worn off already.

那些新盤子我買得很便宜，上面漂亮的玫瑰花紋都已經(jīng)磨掉了。

（1） wear away? ?變薄;磨光

The steps had been worn away by the feet of thousands of people.

成千上萬的人把臺(tái)階踏得磨損了。

（2） wear out? ?穿破;用壞;（使）精疲力竭;耗盡

He wore out two pairs of shoes last year.

去年他穿壞了兩雙鞋。

You’ll wear yourself out if you carry on working so hard.

你要是繼續(xù)這樣拼命工作，身體會(huì)吃不消的。

幽默小故事

I Didn’t Want to Walk Home

Tom is a very old man. After dinner， he likes walking in the street. And he goes to bed at seven o’clock.

But tonight， a car stopped at his house. A policeman helped him get out. He told Tom’s wife， “The old man couldn’t find his way in the street. He asked me to take him in the car.”

After the policeman left， his wife asked， “Tom， you go to the street every night， but tonight you can’t find the way. What’s the matter？”

The old man smiled like a child and said， “I couldn’t find my way？ I didn’t want to walk home.”

跟蹤導(dǎo)練（一）

閱讀理解

A

The summer when I turned 18， my father gave me a car， which allowed Susan and me to drive around Tucson whenever we wanted to.

Susan was my best friend. “Susan’s amazing，” my mother always said. And sure enough， that summer she signed with a modeling agency. She was already doing runway work.

One day， Susan and I went to the movies. On the way home， we stopped at the McDonald’s drive-through， putting the fries on the seat between us to share. “Let’s ride around a while，” I said. It was a clear night， moonlight shone over the desert.Taking a turn too fast， I hit a patch （小塊） of dirt and fishtailed.

We were taken in separate ambulances. In the Emergency Room， my parents spoke quietly， “Best plastic surgeon in the city.” This meant the end of her modeling career.

We’d been wearing lap belts （安全腰帶）， but the car didn’t have shoulder harnesses. I’d cracked my cheekbone; Susan’s forehead had split wide open. What would I say to her？

When her mother， Sharon， came into my hospital room， I started to cry， preparing myself for her anger. She sat beside me and took my hand. “I almost ended my best friend when I was your age，” she said， “I totally damaged her car and mine.”

“I’m so sorry，” I said .

“You’re both alive，” she said，“and the rest doesn’t matter a lot.” I started to protest， but Sharon stopped me， “I forgive you. Susan will， too.”

Sharon’s forgiveness allowed Susan and me to be good friends throughout life. I think of her gift of forgiveness every time I want to hate someone for doing something wrong. And whenever I see Susan， the scars are a symbol of grace for me.

1. What caused the car accident？

A. Not seeing clearly. B. Driving too fast.

C. Hitting a patch of dirt. D. Not staying focused.

2. What can best describe Susan’s mother？

A. Supportive. B. Generous. C. Optimistic. D. Helpful.

3. What result did the accident cause to Susan and the author？

A. It worsened their friendship.

B. It made both of them disabled.

C. It changed Susan’s working career.

D. It ruined the author’s confidence in driving.

4. What can be the best title for the text？

A. Lucky Survival B. Lifelong Friendship

C. My Best Friend Susan D. Learning to Forgive

B

People often talk about cultural differences between western and eastern countries， but how about the western world itself？ Surprisingly， a closer look at it can reveal a good many curious details.

The most obvious characteristic of the majority of Americans is that they smile a lot. It does not matter whether they have a strong reason to smile; they do it， sometimes simply because they have to. A smile is not just a powerful marketing tool but also a way to show that someone is friendly， and that life in general is fine. Europeans， on the contrary （相反） prefer to keep a more neutral （中性的） facial expression. They smile mostly when they are in a good mood， or feel amused; if not， a European’s face will remain neutral， or even dull. In Russia， for example， there is a proverb saying that laughing for no reason is a sign of a fool. It does not mean that Europeans are serious， or that they do not have a sense of humor.

The same refers to communication in general. Americans are extremely communicative; small talks and chats are common. Europeans talk mostly when there is something to say， and rarely enter communication just for the purpose of talking to other people. American people prefer to express what they think carefully， considering how it might affect surrounding people. Europeans are more straightforward， even with unfamiliar people. A European friend will almost always voice his opinion on different occasions， and will not hesitate （猶豫） to remind you that you need to lose some weight or take a shower.

It can be said that Americans are people of contrasts. They are open-minded， flexible， and ready to accept everything new enthusiastically; but at the same time， American society manages to bring up unbelievable conservatives （保守者）. Americans are extremely politically correct， which， in most cases， is indeed a safe and useful practice， but it can also mess up daily or even private communication， sometimes preventing having close relationships. Europeans， on the contrary， are more straightforward， preferring to tell the truth in direct ways. Each way of communication is different—neither is correct or incorrect.

5. What does the author say about smiling？

A. It is culture-related within western countries.

B. It is regarded as a social necessity in Europe.

C. It is thought of as a sign of a fool in America.

D. It is a powerful marketing tool across cultures.

6. What is the typical characteristic of Europeans’ communication？

A. Becoming worried about giving their opinions.

B. Having small talks and chats.

C. Hiding their feelings carefully.

D. Expressing themselves openly.

7. What does the underlined word “it” in the last paragraph refer to？

A. Being straightforward.

B. Being politically correct.

C. Accepting everything new.

D. Raising unbelievable conservatives.

8. How is the text mainly developed？

A. By making comparisons.

B. By classifying body language.

C. By analyzing cause and effect.

D. By discussing research findings.

跟蹤導(dǎo)練（二）

完形填空

History has some very special qualities about it. It is a of what has happened in the past， and the really interesting thing is that much of history has been again and again. It allows us to learn from the past， both the made and the successes achieved.

One of the of history is that it allows us to know how famous people when they were faced with challenges in their life. Although these happened at a certain time in the past or in a country or culture， all of them can always teach us something .

Take the of Thomas Edison for example and how many times he while on the road to finally inventing the light bulb. He could be held up as an example of a person who stopped trying. I am sure he was by those difficulties but he did not let them stop him. He had a and he just kept trying until he reached success.

Or， think about the story of Abraham Lincoln who to become President of the United States even though he suffered losses. Most of us only know about his success. In fact， his life was not . His story makes us keep moving forward no matter what we have in life.

These true history stories will make you stop to reconsider or going after your dreams even though you may not think you have the courage or the for now to get what you have always wanted. They could help you make decisions and when you have no idea what to do. They could inspire （鼓舞） you to be all that you can be.

1. A. note????????????? B. belief??????? C. chance???? D. record

2. A. repeated????? B. taught?????? C. reported?? D. corrected

3. A. agreements B. jokes??????? C. mistakes? D. efforts

4. A. results????????? B. advantages??????????????????? C. problems???????????? D. periods

5. A. dealt???????????? B. escape???? C. learn???????? D. reacted

6. A. stories????????? B. accidents C. challenges? D. successes

7. A. different?????? B. poor????????? C. developed?? D. famous

8. A. clear??????????? B. useful?????? C. special????? D. simple

9. A. name??????????? B. character C. position??? D. story

10. A. observed??? B. approached?????????????????? C. escaped????????????? D. failed

11. A. never???????? B. yet??????????? C. still?????????? D. also

12. A. shocked?????????????????????????? B. discouraged

C. beaten????????????????????????????? D. controlled

13. A. job????????????? B. duty????????? C. dream?????? D. power

14. A. happened?? B. prepared? C. managed? D. pretended

15. A. money??????? B. weight????? C. slight??????? D. personal

16. A. After all???? B. As usual?? C. In all???????? D. In fact

17. A. difficulties?????????????????????? B. improvements

C. permissions?????????????????????????????????????????? D. directions

18. A. giving up???????????????????????? B. passing by

C. setting off??????????????????????? D. calming down

19. A. habit?????????? B. ability?????? C. goal????????? D. choice

20. A. introductions?????????????????? B. conversations

C. judgments??????????????????????? D. impressions

語(yǔ)法填空

How do native speakers truly feel when speaking with non-native English speakers？ It seems that （break）English annoys them. However， they keep being really nice when speaking with non-native speakers. I wonder how they really feel when doing so.

I think it would depend the native English speakers.Some people are just （easy） annoyed. Personally， I study Spanish. When I hear someone attempting English， I am patient with them because I know difficult it is to talk in a non-native tongue. I also know English is very difficult （learn）， and that increases my respect for their effort. I’m a patient person by nature.

The situation matters too. If I （be） a waiter on a super crowded day and really needed to do about a dozen different things， I might become upset at having to wait for someone to struggle （奮斗） while （order） his meal.

There also exists the （possible） that what is considered as annoyance is not truly annoyance. I might frown （皺眉） while listening to a non-native speaker， that is because I （concentrate） and listening hard to understand him. It doesn’t mean I’m at all annoyed.

1. 2._____? 3._____? 4._____? 5._____

6._____? 7._____? 8._____? 9._____? 10._____

跟蹤導(dǎo)練（三）

閱讀理解

A

You may think that the story of Pygmalion—in which people are judged by the way they talk—is something that only existed in the days of British high society. But thanks to etiquette （禮儀） expert and author William Hanson， we realize that little has changed during the past 100 years.

In a BBC radio program， Hanson released （公布） a list of common words used in British English that could reveal whether a person is “common” or “fashionable”.

And yet here comes the interesting part： While some of us might go through life using fancy words， dressing in ways that make us appear more well-off than we really are， there are wealthy people in the world who try to hide their riches because they want to be seen as “normal” instead of “showy”.

Beatrice， for example， is a New Yorker who inherited

（繼承） millions of dollars. She told The New York Times that she has a habit of removing the price tags （標(biāo)簽） from her clothes so her house staff don’t see them or feel uncomfortable.

“We don’t want that ‘Wow’，” said Scott， also a New Yorker， who had just inherited over $50 million. “We’re just not the type of people who wear it on our sleeve.”

1. What has been a fact in the past 100 years？

A. People tend to use more polite words.

B. People failed to judge others’ manner.

C. People meet impolite persons frequently.

D. People judge others by their way of talking.

2. What do rich people prefer to do according to the text？

A. To hide their wealth.

B. To earn more money.

C. To think highly of their wealth.

D. To judge others by their wealth.

3. Why did Beatrice remove the price tags on her clothes？

A. To pretend to be normal.

B. To show off her fashion sense.

C. To change people’s attitude to rich people.

D. To avoid making others uncomfortable.

4. What does the underlined word “it” in the last paragraph refer to？

A. The New York Times. B. The brand label.

C. The inheritance contract. D. The price tag.

B

One way of predicting the future is to look back at the past. Today the status of English—as a means of communication by speakers of different languages—is similar to that of the Latin of pre-modern Europe. Classical Latin was kept alive as a standard written medium throughout Europe long after the fall of the Roman Empire. But the Vulgar Latin used in speech continued to change， forming new local languages， which in time gave rise to the modern Romance languages： French， Spanish， Portuguese， Romanian and Italian.

Similar developments may be found today in the use of English around the globe， especially in countries where it works as a second language. New languages are appearing， in which the features of English are mixed with those of other native tongues and their pronunciations. For example， Spanglish， a mixture of English and Spanish， is the native tongue of millions of speakers in the US. So we may have an image of the future English.

Looking back to the early 20th century， it was the Standard English used in England that was welcome. But today the largest concentration （集中） of native speakers is in the US， and the influence of American English can be heard throughout the world. US spellings such as disk and program are already preferred to disc and programme. There is a wider acceptance of American preferences， such as favorite， donut， dialog， and center.

In the online world， attitudes to correctness have changed： different spellings are accepted and punctuation （標(biāo)點(diǎn)） marks are used to express a range of attitudes， including apologizing， challenging， thanking， agreeing， and so on. Letters are used to show anger， misspellings show humor and build group identity， and smiley-faces or emoticons （表情符號(hào)） express a range of reactions. Some have questioned whether the increasing development and use of emoticons， which allow speakers to communicate without the need for language， mean that we will stop communicating in English at all？ We hope not.

5. What can we infer from Paragraph 1？

A. Latin is now widely used in the world.

B. English plays an important role in the world.

C. English gave rise to many European languages.

D. Latin became less valued after the fall of the Roman Empire.

6. What will English be like in the future？

A. A combination of a native language and English.

B. A mix of British English and American English.

C. An international language featuring different cultures.

D.A language combining standard English and online English.

7. What can we infer from Paragraph 3？

A. Standard English is encouraged globally.

B. US spellings lead to better communication.

C. The disadvantages of British English are obvious.

D. American English is gaining popularity in the world.

8. What word can best describe online language？

A. Formal. B. Colorful. C. Confusing. D. Standard.

跟蹤導(dǎo)練（四）

閱讀七選五

How to Improve Vocabulary Fast？

Your vocabulary refers to the words in a language you are familiar with. We should learn some ways to expand it.

Read every day.___1___Choose reading material that is slightly above your level and keep a dictionary with you to look up words you do not know.

___2___If you do not meet with an unfamiliar word in your daily reading， use your dictionary to search for one.

Learn the correct definition （釋義） and pronunciation for each new word. Pronunciation is as important as definition because in order to add a word to your active vocabulary， you must be able to use it in speech._____

Elaborate （詳盡闡述） on the meaning of the word. If you have just learned the word “stubborn”， think about the neighbor who will not lend you his car. ___3___

Use your new word in speech and in writing. E-mail your sister about how your cat is stubborn about sleeping on your pillow.___4__But the more you use it， the more fluent （流利的） you will become in its use. Soon it will be a regular part of your active vocabulary.

Tell everyone you are trying to increase your vocabulary. Encourage them to ask you what your latest word is. ___5___

The more you explain the meaning of a word to someone， the more likely you are to remember it.

A. Find a new word every day.

B. The vocabulary can be increased.

C. Your vocabulary contains the words you have learned.

D. The more often you read， the faster your vocabulary

can grow.

E. Or let them ask for the definition of a new word you

have used.

F. The first time you use a new word in speech it may

seem strange.

G. Imagine him shaking his head， and think of him as

“stubborn in his refusal”.

1.____ 2. ____3. ____4. ____5. ____

完形填空

Two or three years ago， I was very envious （羨慕） of the “cool” girls in my class. They chose___1___clothes in grown-up stores while I was still___2___at Children’s Place. In fact， I was___3___of wearing jackets and jeans every day. This___4___went on for quite a while， lowering my self-confidence and making me burn with___5___whenever I saw a girl who was better dressed than me. With my parents’ credit card in hand， I___6___all the clothes I had ever dreamed of owning.

On the first day of a new term， I put on my new___7___and headed out of the door. Not surprisingly， it was the most

___8___day of my life. Everybody was looking at me the new girl， in a strange way，___9___the style that made me feel like I was nothing more than a（n）___10___only playing at being me.

Since then， another year has come and gone， bringing many new___11___. Very quickly， I realized it was a mistake to___12___others and only wear the clothes the “cool” girls were wearing. What was more___13___was finding a style that fitted my personality. I used the clothes in my closet to create my own___14___， which didn’t make me fear but gave me___15___.

I___16___that if you are not comfortable with what you are wearing， you will not look___17___no matter how fashionable your clothes are. Being fashionable comes from within yourself， not from the clothes you wear. The___18___here is not to be afraid to break out of your shell， but break out for the

___19___reasons in the right direction. In other words，___20___the way you want to， not the way others say you should.

1. A. cheap B. popular C. strange D. foreign

2. A. working B. studying C. playing D. shopping

3. A. proud B. fond C. ashamed D. careful

4. A. interest B. condition C. problem D. life

5. A. anger B. surprise C. pain D. fear

6. A. sold B. designed C. accepted D. ordered

7. A. shoes B. clothes C. jackets D. jeans

8. A. exciting B. unreal

C. uncomfortable D. pleasant

9. A. showing B. breaking C. forming D. preparing

10. A. manager B. teacher C. actress D. waitress

11. A. chances B. changes C. emotions D. conditions

12. A. forget B. admire C. thank D. copy

13. A. convenient B. interesting C. important D. difficult

14. A. style B. idea C. habit D. personality

15. A. opinion B. confidence C. respect D. knowledge

16. A. answer B. hear C. promise D. learn

17. A. honest B. strong C. kind D. nice

18. A. wonder B. reason C. lesson D. note

19. A. proper B. special C. wrong D. perfect

20. A. follow B. develop C. try D. find

跟蹤導(dǎo)練（五）

閱讀理解

The world is changing so fast that English， perhaps the most widely used language， is struggling （爭(zhēng)?。?to keep up. Learners in the future are likely to be much younger. Young children are often said to be better at language learning than older learners but they also have special challenges. Young children don’t usually have the kind of instrumental motivation and determination for learning English that older learners often have. English lessons must therefore be fun and rewarding.

The reasons why people learn English are also changing. Globalization is bringing together more people than ever who speak different languages and who are turning to English as the means of communication. The English learners of the future may be less worried about sounding exactly like a native speaker and more concerned about how to use English effectively in cross-cultural communication. We may be hearing more non-native speakers in dialogues and a wider range of the “New Englishes” now used around the world.

Technology will allow English to come to you， rather than you having to go to a special place to learn English.

Learning English has always involved both pain and pleasure， private effort and social activity. Traditional learning provided take-it or leave-it mixes of these as well as of content but in future learners will be able to choose a plan which suits their cultural and psychological dispositions （性情）， or their particular needs at that moment. They， rather than their teachers， will decide how， what and when they will learn.

Above all， learning English is about communication and an important benefit （益處） of learning English is being able to exchange views and make friends with people all over the world. Despite the growing independence of learners， trusted institutions and brand names will remain important.

1. Compared to older learners， young English learners ______ .

A. are more active in learning

B. have more difficulty in learning

C. are more hard-working in learning

D. have less lasting determination in learning

2. What can we learn about the future English language？

A. British English will be more popular.

B. American English will be more popular.

C. Many different kinds of Englishes will appear.

D. Standard English will be spoken by most people.

3. What can we infer from about English learning in the future Paragraph 4？

A. It means less pain.

B. Learners will be less independent.

C. More attention will be paid to personal needs.

D. Training schools won’t be popular with the youth.

4. What can we learn from the text？

A. Future English lessons will be more interesting.

B. Old people will have to learn English in the future.

C. People will pay more attention to English pronunciation.

D. Teachers will play a more important role in one’s English

___1______1___?learning.

閱讀七選五

Many people say “thank you” by using text messages or chat these days.___1___It’s a meaningful way to express gratitude （感激） when you receive a gift or become the recipient of someone’s thoughtful action. Write your letter warmly and make it personal and sincere.

Open with a salutation （稱呼語(yǔ)）. Begin your thank-you letter by addressing the person in the way that feels most natural.___2___?Whether the note is for your best friend， your teacher or your mom， this works.

Express your gratitude sincerely. Thank-you notes are usually short and to the point， so start by thanking the person right away.___3___Describing the gift a little will make it clear that you’ve thought about it and it’s something you cherish （珍惜）.

___4___Even if you don’t love the gift， think about the trouble and expense the person went to for your benefit. Show them that this effort and the gift itself is important to you. Try to be honest and sincere.

Ask the other person questions or share a little news. It’s time to show you care about the person. Ask some questions， and share information about your life. This makes all the difference between a dashed-off note and an actual thank-you letter， and the recipient will take even more pleasure in receiving your words.

Close the letter. Think about the nature of your relationship and choose the closing that seems most suitable.___5___

A. Be specific about what you’re grateful for.

B. If you can’t decide， it’s fine to just sign your name.

C. Let them know why their specific gift is cherished.

D. Either a handwritten or typed letter is totally acceptable.

E.However， nothing beats writing an old-fashioned thank-you letter.

F.It’s nice to write another few lines to show your care about the person.

G.In almost every situation， starting with “Dear ××” is suitable.

1.______ 2.______ 3.______ 4.______ 5.______

跟蹤導(dǎo)練（六）

單詞專練

用方框里單詞的正確形式填空，使其句意完整。

announce confuse compare simplify present

refer remark steady settle variety

1. There are several ____ books which can help you make your choice.

2. The teacher asked each of us to make a short? ____ of the term plan in the first class.

3. What he said was very ____ and I couldn’t understand.

4. ____ with our first house， this new one has a better view.

5. So far， the application forms ____ several times to make them easier to fill in.

6. There are wide ____ of projects to choose from in building this house.

7. Early ____ had an extremely difficult life in opening up and developing the new continent.

8. James ____ upon the subject when I came into the room.

9. The darkness was ____ growing， and the people were becoming more and more worried.

10. ____ of births， marriages and deaths appear in some newspapers.

單句翻譯

1.她旅居墨西哥時(shí)順便學(xué)會(huì)了西班牙語(yǔ)。（pick up）

2.醫(yī)生告訴我藥效不久就會(huì)消失。（wear off）

3.到目前為止你覺得這場(chǎng)演出怎么樣？（so far）

4.我們將在這兒待上兩三周，享受這里美麗的自然風(fēng)光和悠閑的生活。（be going to）

5.在社會(huì)進(jìn)步與發(fā)展的同時(shí)，人們也在同環(huán)境污染做斗爭(zhēng)。（fight against）

短文改錯(cuò)

I had an amused experience last year. Before I left a small village in the south of France， I drove on to next town. On the way， a young man waves to me. I stopped and he asked me for a lift. As soon as he had got into the car， I said good morning to him with French and he replied in the same language. Apart from a few word， I do not know any French at all. Neither of them spoke during the journey. I had nearly reached the town when the young man sudden said， very slowly， “Did you speak English？” As I soon learnt it， he was English himself！

書面表達(dá)

假如你是李華，你校將舉辦英語(yǔ)電影配音比賽，你打算參賽，但是不知道該選什么電影。請(qǐng)給你的筆友Peter

寫一封電子郵件，請(qǐng)他推薦。內(nèi)容包括：

1﹒說明事由;

2﹒說明比賽要求（主題、時(shí)間）;

3﹒表達(dá)期待與感謝。

注意：

1﹒詞數(shù)100左右;

2﹒可以適當(dāng)增加細(xì)節(jié)，以使行文連貫。

參考詞匯：配音比賽 dubbing contest

背景大鏈接

How Is English Changed Online？網(wǎng)絡(luò)發(fā)展如何改變英語(yǔ)？

English has become a common language for users from around the world online. In the process， the language itself is changing.

英語(yǔ)已經(jīng)在網(wǎng)絡(luò)上成為全球范圍內(nèi)的通用語(yǔ)言。在此過程中，英語(yǔ)本身也在不斷發(fā)生著變化。

When America emerged from the ashes of a bruising war with Britain in 1814， the nation was far from united. Noah Webster thought that a common language would bring people together and help create a new identity that would make the country truly independent of Britain.

1814年英美戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)結(jié)束后，當(dāng)美國(guó)從戰(zhàn)后的廢墟中發(fā)展起來時(shí)，它還是一個(gè)四分五裂的國(guó)家。諾亞·韋伯斯特認(rèn)為，共同的語(yǔ)言會(huì)將人們凝聚在一起，并幫助其獲得新的身份，這有助于美國(guó)真正地脫離英國(guó)而獨(dú)立。

The American Dictionary of the English Language took Webster 18 years to complete and Webster learned 26 other languages in order to research the etymology of its 70，000 entries.

韋伯斯特花了18年時(shí)間寫成《美國(guó)英語(yǔ)詞典》。為了研究詞典中的7萬個(gè)單詞的詞源，韋伯斯特又學(xué)習(xí)了26種語(yǔ)言。

Webster’s Dictionary adopted the Americanized spellings familiar today—“er” instead of “re” in “theatre”， dropping the “u” from “colour”， and losing the double “l(fā)” from words such as “traveller”. It also documented new words that were uniquely American such as skunk， opossum， hickory， squash and chowder.

《韋氏詞典》采用我們現(xiàn)在熟悉的美式拼寫——“theatre”中的“re”變?yōu)椤癳r”，去掉“colour”中的“u”，把一些單詞中的兩個(gè)“l(fā)”，如：“traveller”變?yōu)橐粋€(gè)“l(fā)”。詞典中也收錄了一些美國(guó)獨(dú)有的新詞匯，如：skunk（北美臭鼬）、opossum（負(fù)鼠）、hickory（山核桃木）、squash（南瓜小果）和chowder（雜燴羹）。

The Internet is creating a similar language evolution， but at a much faster pace.

互聯(lián)網(wǎng)為類似的語(yǔ)言演變創(chuàng)造了一個(gè)平臺(tái)，但速度要快得多。

There are now thought to be so many billion web pages worldwide， many of them are written in Chinese. And with over half the population of China now are online.

現(xiàn)在在全球范圍內(nèi)有幾十億網(wǎng)頁(yè)，其中有很多是中文網(wǎng)頁(yè)。在中國(guó)，如今有超過一半的人都是網(wǎng)民。

Still， some linguists predict that English will dominate the Internet—but in forms very different from what we accept and recognize as English today.

不過一些語(yǔ)言學(xué)家預(yù)測(cè)，英語(yǔ)將成為互聯(lián)網(wǎng)的主導(dǎo)語(yǔ)言，但其形式將和我們今天接受和認(rèn)可的英語(yǔ)有很大不同。

That’s because people who speak English as a second language already outnumber native speakers. And increasingly they use it to communicate with other non-native speakers， particularly on the Internet where less attention is paid to grammar and spelling and users don’t have to worry about their accent.

這是因?yàn)閷⒂⒄Z(yǔ)作為第二語(yǔ)言的人數(shù)已經(jīng)超過以英語(yǔ)為母語(yǔ)的人數(shù)。而且非英語(yǔ)國(guó)家的人相互進(jìn)行交流時(shí)使用英語(yǔ)情況越來越多，尤其是在互聯(lián)網(wǎng)上，使用者不太注重語(yǔ)法和拼寫，也不用擔(dān)心口音問題。

The increasing prevalence of the Internet in everyday life means that language online is not a zero-sum game. Instead， it allows multiple languages to flourish.

互聯(lián)網(wǎng)在日常生活中的日益普遍意味著網(wǎng)絡(luò)語(yǔ)言并非一場(chǎng)零和博弈。相反，它讓不同的語(yǔ)言蓬勃發(fā)展。