1、Module 1British and American English话 题 导 读我们都知道美国和英国都说英语，但你知道美国英语是怎么产生的吗？英国英语和美国英语到底有什么不同吗？下面让我们来看究竟吧！The English language was first introduced to the Americas by British colonists beginning in the early 17th century.Similarly,the language spread to many other parts of the world as a result of Brit
2、ish colonization(殖民地，殖民)elsewhere during the spread of the former British Empire.Over the past 400 years,the form of the language used in the Americasespecially in the United Stateshas become different from the one used in the United Kingdom in many ways,leading to the dialects(方言)which are now comm
3、only referred to as American English and British English.Differences between the two include pronunciation,grammar,vocabulary,spelling and idioms.A small number of words have completely different meanings between the two dialects,or are even unknown or not used in one of them.Henry Sweet once predic
4、ted(预言，预料)in 1877 that within a century,American English,Australian English and British Englishwould be mutually(相互地)unintelligible(无法了解的).Other experts have also made similar predictions.It may be the case that increased world-wide communication through radio,television,the Internet,and globalizati
5、on has reduced the amount of regional variation.This can result either in some variations disappearing or in the acceptance of wide variations as “perfectly good English”everywhere.However,it remains the case that although spoken American and British English are generally similar,there are enough di
6、fferences to cause occasional misunderstandings or,at times,embarrassment.Section Introduction&Reading and SpeakingComprehending练读文 记词汇 学翻译1 教材助读先读通 Words,words,wordsBritish and American English are different in many ways.The first and most obvious way is in the vocabulary.There are hundreds of diff
7、erent words which are not used on the other side of the Atlantic,or which are used with a different meaning.Some of these words are well knownAmericans drive automobiles down freeways and fill up with gas；the British drive cars along motorways and fill up with petrol.As a tourist,you will need to us
8、e the underground in London or the subway in New York,or maybe you will prefer toget aroundthe town by taxi(British)or cab(American).Chips or French fries?But other words and expressions are not so well known.Americans use a flashlight，whilefor the British,its a torch.The British queueup；Americans s
9、tand in line.Sometimes the same word has a slightlydifferent meaning,which can be confusing.Chips,for example，are pieces of hot fried potato in Britain；in the States chips are very thin and are sold in packets.The British call these crisps.The chips the British know and love are French fries on the
10、other side of the Atlantic.Have or have got?There are a few differences in grammar,too.The British say Have you got.?while Americans prefer Do you have.?An American might say My friend just arrived,but a British person would say My friend has just arrived.Prepositions，too,can be different:compare21
11、on the team22，on the weekend23(American)with in the team,at the weekend(British).The British use prepositions where Americans sometimes omit24 them25(Ill see youMonday；Write me soon！)Colour or color?The other two areas in which the two varieties26 differ27 are spelling and pronunciation28.American s
12、pelling seems29 simpler:center,color and programinstead of 30centre,colour and programme.Many factors have influenced31American pronunciation since the first settlers32 arrived four hundred years ago.The accent,which is most similar to33 British English34，can be heard on the East Coast of the US.Whe
13、n the Irish writer George Bernard Shaw made the famous remark35 that the British and the Americans are two nations divided by a common language,he was obviously thinking about the differences.But are they really so important?After all,there is probably as much variation36 of pronunciation within the
14、 two countries as between them.A Londoner has more difficulty understanding37 a Scotsman from Glasgow than understanding a New Yorker.Turn on the TV Some experts believe that the two varieties are moving closer together.For more than a century communications across the Atlantic have developed steadi
15、ly38.Since the 1980s,with satellite39 TV and the Internet,it has been possible to listen to British and American English40 at the flick41 of a switch42.This non-stop communication,the experts think,has made it easier for British people and Americans to understand43 each other.But it has also led to4
16、4lots of American words and structures45 passing into British English,so that some people now believe that British English will disappear46.However,if you turn on47CNN,the American TV network,you find newsreaders and weather forecasters all speaking with different accents48 American,British,Australi
17、an,and even Spanish.One of the best-known faces,Monita Rajpal,was born in Hong Kong,China,and grew up speaking Chinese and Punjabi49，as well as English.This international dimension suggests50 that in the future,there are going to be many “Englishes”，not just two main varieties.But the message is “Do
18、nt worry.”Users of English will all be able to51understand each otherwherever they are52.再记住 be different in 在方面不同obviousbvisadj.显然的；显而易见的which引导两个定语从句，均修饰words。drive.down.沿驾驶；相当于drive.along.。fill up(with)(用)装满；填满motorwaymt weIn.(英)高速公路petrol n.(英)汽油；gas n.(美)汽油underground ndrandn.(英)地铁subwaysb weIn
19、.(美)地铁prefer to do.更愿意/喜欢做prefer.to.喜欢胜过(to为介词)get around 四处走动(旅行)flashlightfl laItn.(美)手电筒；火把while 为并列连词，意为“而，然而”。queuekju vi.(英)排队(等候)queue up(for.)排队(等候)stand in line 排队等候slightly adv.略微，稍微；此处修饰different。which引导非限制性定语从句，指代整个主句的内容。confusingknfju zIadj.令人困惑的；难懂的for example “例如”，常作插入语，可位于句首、句中或句末。pr
20、eposition prepzInn.介词21 comparekmpevt.比较compare.with.把与相比compare.to.把比作22 on the team(美)是队里的一员in the team(英)是队里的一员23 on the weekend(美)在周末at the weekend(英)在周末24 omitmItvt.省略25 where引导地点状语从句。26 varietyvraItin.种类a variety of/varieties of各种各样的27 differdIfvi.不同，有区别differ in 在方面不同differ from 与不同28“in关系代词w
21、hich”引导定语从句，修饰先行词areas，其中differ in中的介词前移了。29 seem看来，似乎(作连系动词)seem后常与动词不定式to do或形容词连用，或构成固定句式It seems that.。30 instead of代替；而不是31 influence vt.&n.影响have an influence on对有影响32 settlersetln.移民；定居者33 be similar to 与相似be similar in 在方面相似34 which引导非限制性定语从句，指代the accent。35 remarkrIm kn.评论；讲话36 variation ve
22、rIeInn.变化37 have difficulty(in)doing sth.做某事有困难38 steadilystedIliadv.不断地；持续地39 satellitest laItn.卫星40 画线部分为“itbeadj.to do.”结构，it为形式主语，而真正的主语为后面的动词不定式短语。41 flickflIkn.轻打；轻弹；抖动at the flick of 轻轻一按/弹42 switchswItn.开关43 makeitadj./n.(for sb.)to do.为固定结构。it为形式宾语，其后的动词不定式为真正的宾语。44 lead to 引起；导致45 structur
23、estrktn.结构；体系46 disappear vi.消失47 turn on打开48 find sth./sb.doing.“发现某物/某人在做”，为“find宾语宾补”结构。49 现在分词短语作伴随状语。50 suggest v暗示，表明51 be able to 能够52 wherever引导让步状语从句，相当于no matter where。再翻译 词，词，词英式英语和美式英语在很多方面是不同的。首先最明显的是在词汇方面。有数以百计的不同的词在大西洋彼岸不被使用，或者以一种不同的意思被使用着。其中一些单词是人们所熟知的美国人在freeways上驾驶的是automobiles,给车加
24、gas；英国人在motorways上驾驶的是cars,给车加petrol。作为游客，你在伦敦要乘坐的地铁叫underground,而在纽约则叫subway,或者你也许更愿意乘坐taxi(英式)或者cab(美式)游览城市。Chips 还是French fries?但是其他词和表达方式却没有这么广泛地为人所知。美国人把手电筒称为flashlight,而英国人则叫它torch。“排队”在英式英语中用queue up,而在美式英语中用stand in line。有时候同一个单词的含义有微小的差别，这让人很困惑。例如，chips在英国是指热的炸薯条，在美国却指非常薄而且装在纸袋里出售的薯片英国人把这种东
25、西称为crisps。英国人熟悉而且喜欢的薯条在大西洋彼岸被称为French fries。Have还是have got?在语法上，英式英语和美式英语也有一些区别。英国人说“Have you got.？”，而美国人更喜欢说“Do you have.？”，美国人可能会说“My friend just arrived”，但是英国人会说“My friend has just arrived”。介词的用法也有所不同：比较一下on the team,on the weekend(美式)和in the team,at the weekend(英式)。英国人用介词的地方美国人有时候会省略(Ill see you
26、 Monday；Write me soon！)。Colour还是color?这两种英语另外两个不同的方面是拼写和发音。美式英语的拼写看上去更简单一些：center，color和program是美式拼法，而centre，colour和programme是英式拼法。自从400年前第一批移民到来，有很多因素影响了美式英语的发音。在美国东海岸能听到与英式英语非常相似的口音。当爱尔兰作家乔治萧伯纳讲“英国和美国是被同一种语言分开的两个民族”这句名言的时候，他显然想到了它们的区别。但是这些区别真的如此重要吗？毕竟，两个国家境内的口音差别可能跟两国之间的口音差别一样多。一个伦敦人要听懂来自格拉斯哥的苏格兰人
27、说话比听懂纽约人说话更难。打开电视机一些专家相信这两种语言变体正在越来越接近。一个多世纪以来，大西洋两岸的交流稳步发展。自从20世纪80年代以来，随着卫星电视和因特网的使用，轻轻一按开关已经使得听到英式英语和美式英语成为可能。专家们认为，这种不间断的交流已使得英国人和美国人相互理解起来更加容易。但这也导致了大量的美式英语单词和结构进入英式英语，以至于现在有一些人认为英式英语将会消失。然而，如果你打开美国电视网络节目CNN,你会发现新闻播报员和天气预报员都操着不同的口音美国的、英国的、澳大利亚的，甚至西班牙的。其中最熟悉的面孔之一出生于中国香港的慕妮塔让治派，从小到大说的是汉语、一种印度土语和英
28、语。这种国际程度表明，在未来将有很多种“英语”，而不仅仅是主要的两种变体。但其实大家不用担心。无论在哪里，英语使用者们都能彼此理解。通语篇 学理解 重分析2语篇理解.Read the text and match the main idea of the paragraphs.1Paras.12 ASome experts believe that the two varieties are moving closing together.Users of English will all be able to understand each otherwherever they are.2P
29、ara.3 BThe first and most obvious way is in the vocabulary.But there are some words and expressions not so well known.3Para.4 CBritish English and American English are different in spelling and pronunciation.4Paras.57 DThere are a few differences in grammar.答案：14 BDCA.Read the text carefully and cho
30、ose the best answers according to the text.1Which of the following is the most obvious difference between British and American English?A.Grammar.B.Spelling.C.Pronunciation.D.Vocabulary.2What is the writers attitude towards the differences between British English and American English?APeople can unde
31、rstand each other in the same nation however great the differences are.BDifferences within a language are quite normal even in the same country.CGeorge Bernard Shaw believed that English would grow better.DIt is surprising that the same language has such great differences.3Whats the main idea of the
32、 last two paragraphs?AIn the future,there are only two varieties of English.BNewspapers and weather forecasters all speak American English.CIn the future,it will be difficult for users of English to understand each other.DThere will be more than two varieties of English in the future.4From the passa
33、ge we can infer _.Amore and more words have different meanings between American and British EnglishBBritish English turns popular with more people all over the worldCannouncers in the United States are required to have standard pronunciationDBritish English and American English have had an influence
34、 on each other答案：14 DBDD.Analyze the following difficult sentences in the text.1When the Irish writer George Bernard Shaw made the famous remark that the British and the Americans are two nations divided by a common language,he was obviously thinking about the differences.分析时间状语从句同位语从句过去分词短语翻译 当爱尔兰作
35、家乔治萧伯纳讲“英国和美国是被同一种语言分开的两个民族”这句名言的时候，他显然想到了它们的区别。2But it has also led to lots of American words and structures passing into British English,so that some people now believe that British English will disappear.分析 本句为_，主句的主语是it，谓语是has led to，动名词的_lots of American words and structures passing into British English作_；so that引导_，在从句中British English will disappear是that引导的_。主从复合句复合结构宾语结果状语从句宾语从句翻译 但是这也导致了大量美式英语单词和结构进入英式英语，以至于现在有一些人认为英式英语将会消失。
