Question

“I don’t speak English”-these are the first words I learned when I came to America. Soon I was able to pronounce the four words clearly, and said them whenever an American tried to talk to me. This answer was very effective（有效的）at ending our conversation and saving me from another uncomfortable situation, or I would have to communicate in a language that I was not familiar with.

Before coming to the States, I thought I knew English pretty well. But the truth is that the grammar and vocabulary-based English that is taught in schools overseas（海外的）is not the English people speak in America.

But fear not! Once you are in America, you can immediately begin to bridge the gap（弥补差距）between the learned English that you already know, and the spoken English that is all around you. To do this, first of all, it is important not to fear when you realize that you may not be as prepared for daily communication as you thought. For me, as soon as I stopped worrying about my accent and started speaking, I made rapid progress. Often the people didn’t notice my mistakes because they were so glad to finally be able to communicate with me.

Another good idea is to listen carefully and pay attention to the way in which ideas are expressed. For example, if you are working hard and you want to stop working and rest for a little while, you can either say “I would like to stop working and rest for a while” or “I want to take a quick break from work.” The first sentence, I quickly learned, sounds dry and too formal for any kind of communication, while the second is an idiom（成语）that is widely used in American English conversation.

Finally, use what you already know---the vocabulary, the grammar and the spelling. Try to use these into the spoken language for more impressive and accurate（精确）speaking results.

1.What’ s the main idea of this passage?

A．You’d better say “I don’t speak English” in the USA.

B．How you can improve your spoken English in the USA.

C．Idioms are widely used to express your ideas in the USA.

D．Listening is the best way to improve your spoken English in the USA.

2.At first the writer preferred to use the sentence “I don’t speak English” to       .

A．admit he is a foreigner

B．save much time for himself

C．prevent himself from being laughed at

D．avoid getting upset in communicating with others

3.What’s the problem with the English taught outside the English-speaking countries?

A．It is quite different from what the natives speak. 

B．It is taught in boring and wrong grammar.

C．It has nothing to do with English.

D．It has too small a vocabulary.

4.When did the writer make rapid progress in spoken English?

A．As soon as he paid attention to the way Americans spoke.

B．The minute he found what has been learned useless.

C．The moment he got rid of the fear of speaking.

D．Immediately he arrived in the USA.

5.All the following are tips given buy the writer EXCEPT “       .”

A．speaking bravely                                    B．listening carefully

C．using what you have learned                    D．making few mistakes

 

Answer 1

【答案】

 

1.B

2.D

3.A

4.C

5.D

【解析】

试题分析

本文首先提出许多初到美国的人都会遇到的问题，即他们以前学的英语和在美国听到的英语不同，然后提出了自己的建议，就是丢掉畏惧心理，仔细听别人说英语并利用以前学到的语言知识。

1.主旨大意题。文章一、二两段提到很多初次来到美国的人都会遇到的问题：他们以前学习的英语不同于在美国实际听到的英语。本文就是教给读者如何”bridge the gap”. 为此，作者提出三点建议：去除恐惧心理；细心听；利用已有知识。所以本文主旨是improve your spoken English. 答案为B.

2.细节题。由文章第一段This answer was very effective（有效的）at ending our conversation and saving me from another uncomfortable situation可知，告诉别人”I don't speak English”可以让自己避免与人交谈以免陷入尴尬。故答案为D.

3.细节题。由文章第二段the grammar and vocabulary-based English that is taught in schools overseas（海外的）is not the English people speak in America.可知，以前以语法和词汇为核心的英语不是美国人说的英语。B,D两项中的boring and wrong grammar和too small a vocabulary文章未提及；C项明显错误。故A项正确。

4.细节题。由文章第三段as soon as I stopped worrying about my accent and started speaking, I made rapid progress.可知，一旦不再担心自己的口音并大胆开口说，英语进步很快。故答案为C.

5.细节题。通观全文作者为“bridge the gap”所提三个建议，即“不恐惧、细心听、利用已知”，可得D项非作者建议。故D项正确。

考点：说明文。