Question

Few people realize that there is a big difference between formal English and informal English. Formal English is used for most writing, and often in public speaking and formal meetings. It pays close attention to grammar rules, because if we use proper grammar, our meaning is often more precise. Also, on important occasions, we do not want to appear uneducated or to offend (冒犯) others, so we are very careful about how we speak. Informal English is used in speaking or writing to our friends and family. It often does not pay such close attention to grammar rules, because when we speak or write to them, we want our words to flow quickly. Also, with our friends and family, we are usually not so worried about appearing uneducated or about offending them by how we write or speak.

A big difference between formal and informal English is the use of contractions. A contraction is where we make a word shorter or where we put two words together and take away some of the letters. For example, instead of saying “do not”, many people say “don’t”. Using contractions in our speech is fine because it sounds natural, especially when we speak to our friends. In formal writing, however, contractions are usually avoided because people might think that you have made a mistake, or that you do not know proper grammar.

In the same way we might make words shorter, in informal English we often make sentences shorter as well. For example, if someone asks you your name, you will likely answer with one word: your first name. However, in formal English we usually use complete sentences. For example, we might write “My name is John”. In most speaking, we may not need to use every word in a sentence because the person we are speaking to will probably still understand us. In most writing, however, every word in a sentence must be written out in order to make sure that we can be understood.

1.When we use formal English, _______.

A．we will offend others

B．we will appear educated on important occasions

C．we needn’t pay more attention to grammar rules

D．we can express ourselves more directly and more quickly

2.What’s the meaning of the underlined word “precise”?

A．clear             B．direct            C．puzzling           D．simple

3.Contractions are best used when we are _______.

A．speaking at a formal meeting               B．speaking in public

C．speaking to our friends                   D．writing an application (申請) letter

4.In speaking, we do not always use complete sentences because ______.

A．we do not care about grammar             B．we do not want to sound stupid

C．we can still be understood                D．we don’t want to waste time

 

Answer 1

【答案】

1.B

2.A

3.C

4.C

【解析】

試題分析：本文介紹了正式英語和非正式英語的區(qū)別，它們的不同的用法。介紹了正式英語用合適的語法知識，完整的句子，能夠清楚地表達出自己的意思。不會因誤解而冒犯別人，或者讓別人誤認為你是未受過高等教育的；而非正式英語也有它的優(yōu)點可以簡明的表達自己的意思，常用在朋友與家人之間的對話。不用復(fù)雜的語法，用一個詞或一個短語就能表達清楚。

1.這是細節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)Also, on important occasions, we do not want to appear uneducated or to offend (冒犯) others, so we are very careful about how we speak.用正式的語言，在一些重要的場合，我們不想讓自己顯得沒有受過教育而冒犯別人。故選B。

2.這是詞義猜測題。根據(jù)It pays close attention to grammar rules, because if we use proper grammar用了合適的語法，語言表達的清楚，容易讓別人理解。故選A。

3.這是細節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)Using contractions in our speech is fine because it sounds natural, especially when we speak to our friends. 故選C。

4.這是細節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)In most speaking, we may not need to use every word in a sentence because the person we are speaking to will probably still understand us. 既然對方能聽懂簡略的答語，就沒有必要再用整個句子來表達了，故選C。

考點：這是一篇說明文。

點評：閱讀能力的測試包括閱讀速度，理解程度以及記憶能力等。要想獲得滿意的英語成績，最根本的方法就是提高詞匯量，加強閱讀訓(xùn)練，同時熟悉一些閱讀技巧和做題方法也是至關(guān)重要的。本文是比較容易讀懂的，仔細閱讀后能在原文找到正確答案。