Originally, both the British and the American spoke with a rhotic accent. Rhotic essentially means an accent where the letter "r" is pronounced strongly after a vowel . Rhotic accents are strong in both the US and Scotland, but seem to have disappeared from British English and its _ , such as Australian English and New Zealand English. The major American accent -- the typical accent of the mid-western US -- is rhotic, and British English is, as a rule, non-rhotic. Specifically, US speakers pronounce every "r", wherever they appear in a word. Most British speakers (and you will note that there are some British Isle accents that are strongly rhotic, like US) do not pronounce every "r". Americans stress the "r" at the end of words such as "teacher" or "neighbour", but in many non-rhotic British accents it is more of a "schwa" (an unstressed sound) so it comes out as, "teacha" (unstressed) or "neighba". This main difference also differs across the country of origin. For example, the US has a clear difference in the accents between people of the north and south, not to mention less clear differences across the states. Similarly, British people have a different accent according to their locality. The "cockney " accent is greatly different to the middle and upper class accents. Another common difference appears to be that Americans pronounce words such as "herbal" without the "h". Syllables may be stressed differently, too. "Oregano" in the US tends to be pronounced "o-reg-a-no" while in British English it is more likely to be "o-reg-AH-no". When a rhotic accent occurs, _ . A) the letter "r" is silent in any positions B) the letter "r" is sounded after a vowel C) the ending syllable of a word is stressed D) the ending syllable of a word is unheard
B
What is the difference between a college and a university? This is a good question for students who want to attend a college or a university in the United States. Colleges and universities have many things in common. Both provide a greater understanding of the world and its past. Both provide education in the arts and sciences. And both can help prepare young people to earn a living. Students who complete their undergraduate studies either at a four-year college or a university receive a bachelor's degree. One difference is that many colleges do not offer graduate studies. Universities are generally bigger, offer more programs and do more research. Modern universities developed from those of the Middle Ages in Europe. The word "university" comes from the Latin "universitas". This described a group of people organized for a common purpose. The word "college" comes from a Latin word with a similar meaning, "collegium". In England, colleges were formed to provide students with places to live in. Usually each group of students was studying the same thing. So college came to mean an area of study. But a college can also be a part of a university. The first American universities divided their studies into a number of areas and called each one a college. This is still true. Programs in higher learning may also be called schools. The University of Arizona in Tucson, for example, has 18 colleges and 10 schools. They include the colleges of pharmacy , education, engineering and law. They also include the schools of architecture, dance and public administration. College is also used as a general term for higher education. A news report might talk about "college students" even if they include students at universities. Or someone might ask, "Where do you go to college?" Today, most American colleges offer an area of study called liberal arts. These are subjects first developed and taught in ancient Greece. They include language, philosophy and mathematics. The purpose is to train a person's mind instead of teaching job skills. When the term "college students" appears in a newspaper, it may refer to _ . A) only students studying in colleges B) students studying in colleges in the USA C) only students studying in universities D) students receiving higher education
D
Q: The famous English writer, Charles Dickens, is on every British child's school reading list. Though Dickens is one of England's greatest writers, he is not often read. Most people do not read his books because they think they are too long and the language he uses is old-fashioned . Television, however, has rescued this great English writer from disappearing in the modern age. In the UK for several years, Dickens' novels have been turned into exciting television dramas. His latest book to be filmed is his little known story Little Dorrit. Before the story became a 15-part television drama most Britons were unaware that Dickens had ever written it. Most of the Dickens television dramas are so well filmed that English students are likely to watch them in class while studying his book. There are, however, some differences between the books and television dramas. The television dramas often give more time to the exciting parts of Dickens' books. For example, there is far more kissing scenes in the television shows than there are in the books. Some television dramas have also slightly changed Dickens' female characters to make them more acceptable to a modern audience . In Dickens' books his females are often weak and emotional. The TV dramas, however, show them as being fairly independent-minded. Several TV critics have argued that Dickens' stories are actually better suited to television than they are being read as books. Their reasoning is that Dickens wrote his stories for newspapers. A chapter would appear in the newspaper each week so Dickens ended each chapter at an exciting moment. People then would buy the newspaper the following week to find out what happened later. This makes his stories perfect for being shown on television as 15-part programs. Which of the following shows the differences between Dickens' books and television dramas? A) The television dramas are more often used in class for English students than the books. B) The television dramas are better known than the books. C) The television dramas are more exciting than the books. D) There is far more kissing in the books than there are in the television dramas.
A: C
*Question*
In Asia,there are special competitions where kites have complex designs and are fitted with instruments that make musical sounds as the wind blows through them.Although all kites have a similar structure ,they are widely different in size and shape.Kitefighting competitions are also held,in which competitors use their kites to attack and bring down their opponents' kites or cut their strings . For more than 15 years,the Big Wind Kite Factory has been giving kitemaking and kiteflying classes for the children on an island in Hawaii.In its kitemaking lessons,students can make kites in as little as 20 minutes!Children as young as four years old can learn how to fly a kite.Jonathan Socher and his wife Daphne started the kite factory in 1980.Their kites are made of nylon .Their designs are Hawaiian themes created by Daphne.The designs are cut out of the nylon with a hot knife that seals the edges and then fastened directly onto the kite. The kite that is used to give lessons is a regular diamond kite with a rainbow pattern.The difference between this kite and the ones they make during the lessons is that it is a twostring controllable kite.Big Wind employees fly the kite and for a few minutes show students how pulling on one line and then on the other controls the direction the kite goes in.Then the controls are given to the students. Jonathan insists that it is not necessary to make a huge impressive kite to have fun making and flying kites.Even the simplest structure can work,and can give hours of fun.Go on,give it a try! (2012*,D) What is mainly described in the text? A) A kite factory. B) Kiteflying lessons. C) Special competitions. D) The kitemaking process.
**Answer**
A