Englishmen speak British English and Americans speak American English. A student is learning to speak British English. He often asks himself, “Can Americans understand me when I speak British English?” Certainly there are some differences between British and American English. The Englishmen say “Do you have a pen?” The pronunciation is sometimes different. Americans often sound “r” in words like “bird” and “hurt”. The British speakers don’t sound the “r” in these words. There are differences in spelling. For example, “colour” and “neighbour” are British while “colour” and “neighbour” are American. These differences in grammar, pronunciation and spelling are not important, however. For the most part, British and American English are the same language. When Englishmen and Americans are talking with each other, the don’t need an interpreter(翻译).

1．Between British and American English, _______

A．the greatest difference is in spelling

B．there are differences in many ways

C．people can’t understand each other      D．students don’t know the difference

2. When a student is asking himself “Can Americans understand me when I speak British English?” it shows that_______.

A. he wants to learn American English                 B．he doesn’t like British English

C．he hasn’t spoken to any American so far   

D．he is spending more time

3. The differences between British and American English are not important because______

A. everyone knows the differences 　　

B. people talk to each other very often

C. Englishmen and Americans get along well    

D. British English and American English are the same language

4. “Have you a pen” and “Do you have a pen?” show a difference in______

A. grammar                  B. spelling 

C. pronunciation            D. listening

5. At the end of the passage the writer wants to tell us _______.

 A. British and American English will be two different languages some day

 B. Englishmen and Americans will never need an interpreter while talking

 C. there will be no more differences between British and American English

 D. the differences between British English and American English will grow larger

　　There are differences __1__ boys' and girls' favourite subjects __2__ school. Many young __3__ like maths, music, and languages. Most __4__ boys like P.E. __5__ many sixteen-year-old boys like science __6__ maths. Many sixteen-year-old girls __7__ foreign languages（外语）, but science and maths __8__ their favourite subjects. __9__ don't girls and boys have __10__ favourite subjects? We do not know.

Have you ever wondered what goes through your mind when you choose where to sit in a new classroom? Or in a waiting room full of strangers? Or on a bus? Researchers have found out some interesting facts.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, we prefer to sit closer to people like ourselves. Girls sit by girls and boys sit by boys. Adults sit together and young people choose another young person to sit near. But it goes further than this. We even choose to sit near someone who looks like us. People with glasses are more likely to sit near other people with glasses. People with long hair sit closer to other people with long hair.
We seem to believe that people with similar habits or hobbies will share similar attitude and we are more likely to be accepted by people like ourselves or even, we think we may be safer with people who look like us. Sometimes that’s true but it's a pity if we always stick to the same people, the same group. The danger in always staying in our comfort zone (舒适区)is that we just recycle the same opinions, the same tastes and the same ideas. We lose the chance to learn something new, find out about interesting things, hear funny stories and discover difference.?
When we always stick to the same people, how can we ever break down the barriers which prevent us from getting to know people with different ideas? And how can we avoid the ignorance (无知),which too often leads to prejudice (偏见) and even fear? If instead you want to live in a society that opens to changes and new things and different opinions, be the cat among the pigeons.
Move out of your comfort zone. Go and sit next to someone different. And don't just sit there in silence. Say hello. Ask a question. Start a conversation. That’s how we make friends. That’s how we learn about people. That’s how we open our minds to new ideas. That's how we live an exciting life.
【小题1】From the passage, we know that people prefer sitting by someone who