阅读理解

　　Pronouncing a language is a skill. Every normal person is expert in the skill of pronouncing his own language, but few people are even moderately proficient(熟练的) at pronouncing foreign languages. Now there are many reasons for this, some obvious, some perhaps not so obvious. But I suggest that the fundamental reason why people in general do not speak foreign languages very much better than they do is that they fail to grasp the true nature of the problem of learning to pronounce, and consequently(因而，所以) never set about tackling(对付，处理) it in the right way. Far too many people fail to realize that pronouncing a foreign language is a skill, one that needs careful training of a special kind, and one that cannot be acquired by just leaving it to take care of itself. I think even teachers of language, while recognizing the importance of a good accent, tend to neglect(忽视), in their practical teaching, the branch of study concerned with speaking the language. So the first point I want to make is that English pronunciation must be taught; the teacher should be prepared to devote some of the lesson time to this, and by his whole attitude to the subject should get the student to feel that here is a matter worthy of receiving his close attention. So, there should be occasions when other aspects of English, such as grammar or spelling, are allowed for the moment to take second place.

　　Apart from this question of the time given to pronunciation, there are two other requirements for the teacher: the first, knowledge; the second, technique.

　　It is important that the teacher should be in possession of the necessary information. This can generally be obtained from books. It is possible to get from books some idea of the mechanics of speech, and of what we call general phonetic(语音的) theory. It is also possible in this way to get a clear mental picture of the relationship between the sounds of different languages, between the speech habits of English people and those, say, of your students. Unless the teacher has such a picture, any comments he may make on his students pronunciation are unlikely to be of much use, and lesson time spent on pronunciation may well be time wasted.

1．What does the writer actually say about pronouncing foreign languages?

[　　]

A．Only a few people are really proficient.

B．No one is really an expert in the skill.

C．There aren't many people who are even fairly good.

D．There are even some people who are moderately proficient.

2．The writer argues that going about the problem of pronunciation in the wrong way is ________.

[　　]

A．an obvious cause of not grasping the problem correctly

B．a fundamental consequence of not speaking well

C．a consequence(推断) of not grasping the problem correctly

D．not an obvious cause of speaking poorly

3．The best way of learning to speak a foreign language, he suggests, is by ________.

[　　]

A．picking it up naturally as a child

B．learning from a native speaker

C．not concentrating on pronunciation as much

D．undertaking systematic(系统化的) work

4．What is it that teachers are said to be inclined(趋向) to forget?

[　　]

A．The practical teaching of languages.

B．The importance of a good accent.

C．The principle of phonetic theory.

D．The teaching of pronunciation in the classroom.

5．The value the student puts on correct speech habits depends on ________.

[　　]

A．how closely he attends to the matter

B．whether it is English that is being taught

C．his teacher's approach(途径) to pronunciation

D．the importance normally given to grammar and spelling

The English are famous for their manners． The phrase, “Manners maketh the man” was coined by Englishman William of Wykeham back in 1324, but they’re just as important today． Books are written on the subject, advice columns in magazines tell people how to behave, and “finishing schools” still exist to ensure that young girls become young “ladies”．

   The best example of English manners is in their mastery of the art of forming a queue． It is a popular joke in England （the land of sporting failures） to say, “if only queuing was an Olympic sport, we’d win hands down．” No one knows exactly how and when it started, but queuing plays an important role in the English social make-up． School children are taught to queue for roll-call, assembly and lunch, and English people across the land form orderly queues at shops, banks, cinemas and bus-stops every day． The English obviously aren’t the only people who queue, but they seem to do it better than anyone else． As one visitor said, “I have travelled across Europe, the Middle and Far East and nowhere have I seen the single-file queues which are formed in England．”

   The English are also famously polite when it comes to language． Whereas many other notions are more direct in their communication, the English prefer a more indirect form of asking for things． For example, an American who wants to talk to a colleague might say, “Got a minute?”; however an English person will often use a more indirect means might of requesting the chat, “Sorry to bother you, but would you possibly have a minute or so to have a quick chat if you don’t mind, please?”

   The English also love to apologize for things． When squeezing past someone, people say “sorry”． And they will apologize if you bump into them, “whoops! Sorry! My fault．” In fact, no one seems to say “sorry” as much as the English: “sorry I’m late． /Sorry I forgot to call you last night．/I’m sorry you didn’t get the e-mail．” And so on． They also like to use “please” and “thank you” a lot． In a shop, they will say, “I’d like a packet of crisp, please． Thanks．” British students thank their lectures, and bosses often thank their employees for doing their jobs．

Why does “finishing schools” still exist to help young girls become “ladies”?

   A． Because the English mind their manners very much．

   B． Because the English parents want to marry their daughters to the royal family．

   C． Because the English girls are so rude that they need to be taught to be polite．

   D． Because the English government ensures their existence．

The underlined sentence in paragraph2 implies ________________．

   A． The English love the Olympics very much．

   B． The English spend nothing winning an Olympic medal．

   C． The English are best at queuing．

   D． The English prefer to queue with their hands down．

According to the passage, if Americans say “Waiter! Could I have another fork, please?” how will the English express such a meaning?

    A． Excuse me! Give me another fork, please!

    B． Excuse me! I have to be a bother, but would you mind awfully changing this fork, please?

    C． Hi! Would you mind giving me another fork?

    D． Waiter! Come here and change the fork!

According to the passage, why do the employers often thank their employees for doing their jobs?

    A． The employees can bring them a lot of benefits．

    B． The employees finish their jobs perfectly．

    C． The English employers’ good manners lead them to do so．

    D． The employers do it as a result of the company’s regulation．

The English are famous for their manners． The phrase, “Manners maketh the man” was coined by Englishman William of Wykeham back in 1324, but they’re just as important today． Books are written on the subject, advice columns in magazines tell people how to behave, and “finishing schools” still exist to ensure that young girls become young “ladies”．
The best example of English manners is in their mastery of the art of forming a queue． It is a popular joke in England （the land of sporting failures） to say, “if only queuing was an Olympic sport, we’d win hands down．” No one knows exactly how and when it started, but queuing plays an important role in the English social make-up． School children are taught to queue for roll-call, assembly and lunch, and English people across the land form orderly queues at shops, banks, cinemas and bus-stops every day． The English obviously aren’t the only people who queue, but they seem to do it better than anyone else． As one visitor said, “I have travelled across Europe, the Middle and Far East and nowhere have I seen the single-file queues which are formed in England．”
The English are also famously polite when it comes to language． Whereas many other notions are more direct in their communication, the English prefer a more indirect form of asking for things． For example, an American who wants to talk to a colleague might say, “Got a minute?”; however an English person will often use a more indirect means might of requesting the chat, “Sorry to bother you, but would you possibly have a minute or so to have a quick chat if you don’t mind, please?”
The English also love to apologize for things． When squeezing past someone, people say “sorry”． And they will apologize if you bump into them, “whoops! Sorry! My fault．” In fact, no one seems to say “sorry” as much as the English: “sorry I’m late． /Sorry I forgot to call you last night．/I’m sorry you didn’t get the e-mail．” And so on． They also like to use “please” and “thank you” a lot． In a shop, they will say, “I’d like a packet of crisp, please． Thanks．” British students thank their lectures, and bosses often thank their employees for doing their jobs．
【小题1】 Why does “finishing schools” still exist to help young girls become “ladies”?