A student is learning to speak British English. He wonders : Can I communicate with Americans? Can they understand me? Learners of English often ask: What are the differences between British and American English? How important are these differences? Certainly! there are some differences between British and American English. 'There are a few differences in grammar. For example, speakers of British English say "in hospital" and "Have you a pen?" Americans say "in the hospital!" and "Do you have a pen?". Pronunciation is sometimes different. Americans usually sound theirs in words like "bird" and "hurt". Speakers of British English do not sound theirs in these words. There are differences between British and American English in spelling and vocabulary. For example, "colour" and "honour" are British, "color" and honor" are American. These differences in grammar, pronunciation, spelling and vocabulary are not important, however. For the most part, British and American English are the same language. According to this passage, British people and Americans have _ difficulty in understanding each other. A) little B) much C) some D) great
A
Valentine's Day is on Feb. 14, and Chinese call it "lovers day". I don't think the translation is an accurate one, since it doesn't only belong to lovers. Valentine's Day is for expressing affection of all sorts. But it is uniquely for the romantically involved who shine the brightest, who spend the most money, whose hearts are the most engaged. When I was b boy, my mother would buy enough cheap cards with ugly drawings of butterflies and little rabbits and honeybees for me to give one to every kid in my class, about 20 or so. The cards came in bags, and each card had a few foolish words-"Be Mine" or "I like you" or "You've Got My Heart" or the uninteresting words, "Hi, Valentine!" I would sign my name on the cards quickly and the name of one of my classmates on each easily-broken envelope. I would lick each one shut, but they were so cheap that the envelopes rarely had enough glue. On Valentine's Day, I would take the cards to school-everyone did. We would have a party in our classroom, with cupcakes and juice and tiny candy hearts, which also had Valentine messages printed on them-"You're sweet" or "Cupid "or "Love". Ah, love! That's the Valentine's Day message: love. No one knows for certain the origin of the holiday. Several, Catholic victims were named Valentine, but it's difficult to separate legend from fact. One story tells of a priest named Valentine who was imprisoned and may have been stoned to death around 270 for performing marriages in going against the orders of the Roman Emperor Claudius II. But it's hard today to find any religious connection. A priest named Valentine was stoned to death for the sake of _ . A) his not attending a ceremony on time. B) his stealing something from the church C) his rude words to Roman Emperor Claudius II D) his not obeying the orders by Roman Emperor Claudius II
D
Q: Why are we addicted to upgrades? According to Donald Norman, American author of the book The Design of Everyday Things, "planned obsolescence" is the trick behind the upgrading culture of today's consumer electronics industry. The New York Times cited Norman last month, saying that electronics manufactures strategically release new upgrades periodically, both for hardware and software, so that customers on every level feel the need to buy the newest version. "This is an old-time trick- they're not inventing anything new," he said. Thomas Wensma, a Dutch designer, despises the "planned obsolescence" of companies, as recently reported by UK-based The Guardian. Wensma said this is a wasteful system through which companies - many of them producing personal electronics - release shoddy products simply because "they know that, in six months or a year, they'll put out a new one". But the new psychology of consumers is part of this system, as Wensma said to the newspaper: "We now want something new, something pretty, the next shiny thing." _ "It's to the damage of the consumer and the environment," as the New York Times quoted Norman. "But perhaps to the betterment of the stockholder." In its most recent fiscal year, Apple's profit margin was more than 21 percent, reported the Los Angeles Times. At Hewlett-Packard, the world's biggest PC manufacturer, it was only 7 percent. "Steven Jobs pushed the principle of 'planned obsolescence' to new heights," the newspaper commented on the company's profits and marketing strategy. "Apple's annual upgrades of its products generate sales of millions of units as owners of one year's MacBook or iPhone line up to buy the newest version, even when the changes are incremental." Peer pressure As to Li Jijia, the need for upgrading his smart phone comes mainly from friends and classmates. When the majority of friends are switching to the latest devices, he worries about feeling left out. "Some apps and games require better hardware to run," said Li. "If you don't join in, you lose... Donald Norman believes that electronics makers strategically release new upgrades periodically because _ . A) customers need the latest version B) technology is developing so fast C) they want to invent something new D) they can make a lot of money
A: D
*Question*
Hong Kong, a city of seven million--and growing fast. By the year 2050 Hong Kong's population will almost double. Where will these people live? There's only one place to go--up. Fast forward 50 years.This is the tallest man-made structure on the planet. Its name:Millennium Tower. It would stand twice as tall as anything built before. Over 60 thousand people would live or work here. Millennium's designers think it represents the best solution for the coming population explosion. It would cost ten billion dollars and consume more building materials than any single nation could produce. David Nelson, one of Millennium's key designers, said:"It would be a massive project and a world project. But to actually realize it, resources would have to come from all over the globe. The challenge and the motivation for doing it would be to realize one of the world's largest and most complex construction projects." Millennium would be more complex than anything ever built. So its builders won't know for sure the building is safe until it's up, and they can't afford to make an error. Massive earthquakes have brought down entire cities in this part of the world. Can Millennium's designers make it immune to these quakes of the earth? For Millennium, like all the other buildings, safety is just one concern among many. It will need to be a home, one that welcomes people in. Getting people into the building and making sure they have a great experience well be what makes Millennium successful, but how to do it? For the design team, the secret was to bring all the elements of city life within. Cafes and restaurants, theatres and stores would provide entertainment. Health clubs, even schools and medical clinics would also serve the towers' residents. Millennium's designers have proven something. Things that seem impossible today, might just become reality tomorrow. The engineering problems have, for the most part, already been solved. Our achievements are limited only by our imaginations. Why did the designers decide to build Millennium? A) Because they wanted to build the world's most complex building. B) Because Hong Kong's population will greatly increase. C) Because Hong Kong is developing fast as an international city. D) Because it can bring huge profit after it is put to use.
**Answer**
B