I. 阅读理解 A
"Long time no see." is a very interesting sentence. When I first read this sentence from an American friend's e-mail, I laughed. I thought it was a perfect example of Chinglish.
Obviously,it is a word-by-word literal translation (直译) of a Chinese greeting with wrong English grammar! Later on, my friend told me that it is a standard American greeting. I was too surprised to believe her. Her words were unbelievable at all. So I did research on Google.com. To my surprise, there are over 60 thousand web pages containing "Long time no see." Though it is sort of informal, it is part of the language that Americans use daily. Interestingly, if you type this phrase in Microsoft Word, the software will tell you that grammar needs to be corrected.
Nobody knows the origin of this Chinglish sentence. Some people believe that it came from Charlie Chan's movies. In the 1930s, Hollywood moviemakers successfully created a world-by-word famous Chinese detective named "Charlie Chan" on wide screens. Detective Chan liked to teach Americans some Chinese wisdom by quoting Confucius. "Long time no see." was his symbol. Soon after Charlie Chan, "Long time no see." became a popular expression in America thanks to the popularity of these movies.
Some scholars compare America to a huge melting pot. All kinds of cultures are mixed in the pot together and they change the color and taste of each other. Language is usually the first thing to be influenced in the mixed pot.
You can have some examples from other countries, such as pizza from Italian, sushi from Japanese, and déjà vu from French etc. There is a long list! Since Americans admire Chinese culture more and more nowadays, I believe more Chinese words will become American English in the future. In this way, the American melting pot keeps adding richness.
1. Why did the writer himself feel surprised?
A. "Long time no see." is a Chinglish expression.
B. He's found Americans use the expression formally every day.
C. So many literal translations of expressions are used in America.
D. "Long time no see." is used as a standard American English greeting.
2. What do the underlined words "a huge melting pot" in Paragraph 4 probably mean?
A. A large boiling cooker.
B. Cross-cultural mixture.
C. A kind of cooked dish.
D. Confucius's famous words.
3. What can be inferred from the passage?
A. Detectives translated the phrase "Long time no see."
B. Cultures cannot be changed in the huge melting pot.
C. Hollywood probably made "Long time no see." very popular.
D. The huge melting pot greatly affects all kinds of languages.
4. What is the main idea of the passage?
A. Some American expressions can be used in China.
B. Americans have a strong interest in Chinese culture.
C. American English keeps being enriched by different cultures.
D. Some Chinese daily expressions are introduced into English.
答案:1. D
解析:根据第二段“Later on, my friend told me that it is a standard American greeting. I was too surprised to believe her.”可知,作者惊讶于“Long time no see.”被用作标准的美式英语问候语,D选项正确。A选项是作者最初的想法,不是惊讶的原因;B选项“formally”与原文“sort of informal”不符;C选项文中未提及“many literal translations”,故选D。
2. B
解析:根据第四段“All kinds of cultures are mixed in the pot together...”可知,“a huge melting pot”指不同文化的混合,即跨文化融合,B选项正确。A选项是字面意思,不符合语境;C、D选项与文意无关,故选B。
3. C
解析:根据第三段“Soon after Charlie Chan, 'Long time no see.' became a popular expression in America thanks to the popularity of these movies.”可推断,好莱坞电影可能使该短语流行起来,C选项正确。A选项文中说“Nobody knows the origin”,侦探是电影角色,并非翻译者;B选项与“they change the color and taste of each other”矛盾;D选项“all kinds of languages”范围过大,文中主要讲对美式英语的影响,故选C。
4. C
解析:文章通过“Long time no see.”等例子说明美国像一个大熔炉,不同文化融合,美式英语不断被丰富,C选项符合主旨。A、B选项片面;D选项是其中一个例子,并非主要观点,故选C。
5. What is the author's understanding of maths anxiety in Paragraph 1?
A. It happens when you have to pay bills after a meal.
B. It actually reflects one's poor performance in maths.
C. Only students often suffer from this sense of worry.
D. People normally have it when dealing with numbers.
答案:5. D
解析:根据第一段“many are afraid of the moment when they have to deal with numbers and figures and feel a real sense of worry and confusion... this maths anxiety is perfectly normal...”可知,作者认为人们在处理数字时通常会有数学焦虑,D选项正确。A选项是举例,并非定义;B选项与“our worries and fears don't necessarily reflect our ability”不符;C选项“Only students”错误,文中未限定人群,故选D。