I've been living in China for a while -- long enough to observe the long-term deterioration of my own native language abilities, as well as those of my fellow English speakers. This deterioration can take different forms, one of which is the non-standard usage of the words. Its source is, specifically, Chinese culture, and its target is native English speakers. Below I give some of the common ways that the Chinese environment strikes down the native speaker's linguistic competence . Net bar: In Chinese, they're called "", This is fine. We generally call them "Internet cafe" in English. The Chinese seem to think that "" should be translated as "net bar" in English, and many careless foreigners have even been misled by this idea. Name card: In the English-speaking world, business people have lots of business meetings to discuss business. On these occasions, business people exchange specially printed pieces of paper known as business cards. In China everyone calls them "name cards", because in Chinese they are called "" and "name card" is a more direct translation . Bean curd. It's called "tofu," OK! This English word comes from Chinese. I know all dictionaries sold in China will tell you "" is "bean curd" in English and that may represent the two characters nicely, but "bean curd" is more a definition than a comfortable translation. And yet some foreigners start saying "bean curd" rather than tofu. Deplorable ! I think you see the pattern. The normal native way of saying something is replaced by a more unnatural way of saying it using other English words. If you've been living in China for a while and find yourself using all of these, you might be on dangerous ground. You're going to start making a fool of yourself back home. Look out! Resist Chinglish attempts at destroying your own command of your mother tongue! Which of the following expressions is more native? A) Bean curd B) Tofu C) Name card D) Net bar
B
(Question)
Now, it's time for some brief news items. Teens Go Online Some 13 million European children under 18 use the Internet for schoolwork, games and music according to research done by Nielsen's "Net-rating". The study covered Britain, Germany, France, Italy and Spain. Experts advised parents to limit the time their kids spend on line and keep them away from chat rooms. Chat to the magic Mum British author J. K. Rowling, mother of magic boy Harry Potter, will do an Internet interview about her new book "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" on June 26. Before the event, children are invited to send their questions about Harry to the website. The book will hit stores in the US and UK on June 21 and will arrive in China in August. School Soldiers Russian school students will have to do basic military training in their final year of school, the government has decided. The lesson will include learning to fire guns, marching drills and how to deal with a chemical, nuclear or biological attack. The activity is seen as part of a drive toward the education of their love for their country. Is it hard for you to get up early and get ready for classes? Some students at Winter Park High School just roll out of bed in their pajamas and go to class in their own bedrooms, Of course, their teachers and classmates do not see them because all their class work is on the computer. The Florida High School, the state's only online school, has 250 students who are taking classes at home by computer. Students in this first online program take classes in algebra , American government, chemistry, computer, economics, and web-page design. They also have to go to regular school to attend other classes. The last news can be given a title " _ ". A) Get up Late B) Online School C) Magical Computers D) No Teachers
(Answer)
B
Ques: Convenience Foods Instead of buying only fresh foods, Americans nowadays buy many more convenience foods. These are foods which are ready partly or completely prepared. Many of them are frozen, such as frozen dinner, heat-and-serve French fries, and frozen pizzas. There are also many canned convenience foods, such as ready-made spaghetti, soups, stews and vegetables Convenience foods save time and trouble. They are popular with people who are busy or who don't like to cook or wash dishes. But they often cost more than fresh, unprepared foods and many contain man-made additives. Also, many people feel they don't taste as good as home-cooked foods. Health Food and Co-ops In the 1960s, a "back-to-the-earth" movement was started by young people in the United States. The movement was a reaction against the harmful effects of technology. From the movement came a new understanding of food and health. Many people now prefer natural and organic foods to the prepared foods sold in health foods stores and in food co-ops, which are small stores where customers help manage the store. In co-ops, food is usually not packaged. Customers bring their own bags and jars and scoop their food out of boxes or baskets. The Diet Craze These days Americans are more and more concerned with their weight. Perhaps as many as 70 million Americans are on weight-dollar business. American supermarkets sell a variety of diet food such as soft drinks, diet candy, and diet salad dressings. Dieters also spend money on diet pills, exercise machines, and jogging suits . Each year dozens of new diets are popularized. They have such names as the Miracle Diet, the Nine-day Wonder Diet, and the East 24-hour Diet. There is even one called the Ice Cream Diet, which advises the dieters to eat only ice cream for lunch and dinner! For dieters who cannot lose weight on their own, there are many well-organized diet groups, which offer help and encouragement. What would be the best title for this text? A) Eating American Food B) A Look at American Food C) Making American Food D) Cooking American Food
Ans: B
Sleep -- or a lack of it -- is probably the most-discussed part of baby care. New parents discover its importance in those first few weeks and months after their babies were born. Actually, the quality and quantity of a baby's sleep affects the well-being of everyone in the family. So how do new parents get their children to bed through the cries? And how much sleep is enough for their children? It all depends on their children' s age. Sleeping charts that list the hours of sleep likely to be required by a baby or a two-year-old may cause concern if individual differences aren't considered. These numbers are simply averages reported by large groups of children of a particular age. There's no satisfactory number of hours required by all kids in a certain age group. Two-year-old Sarah might sleep from 8:00 pm to 8:00 am, while two-year-old Johnny is just as alert the next day after sleeping from 10:00 pm to 5:00 am. Still, sleep is very important to a child's well-being. The link between a child's lack of sleep and his or her behavior isn't always obvious. When adults are tired, they can have low energy, but kids can become overexcited, disagreeable and have extremes in behavior. Most children's sleep requirements fall within a predictable range of hours based on their age, but each child is a unique individual with different sleep needs. Here's a summary of a few ways that may help your child ease into a good night's sleep: Stick to bedtime. Consider playing soft music. Don't give your baby a bottle of milk or any sugar-containing drink to aid sleep. There isn't one sure way to raise a good sleeper, but every parent should be encouraged to know that most children have the ability to sleep well. The key is to try, from early on, to establish healthy sleep habits that may last a lifetime. We can know from the passage that _ . A) the quality and quantity of a baby's sleep has an influence on everyone in the family B) all the children should have the same sleep time C) sleep has no influence on children's behavior D) giving children some milk before sleep can help them sleep
A