Question

I ran into quite a few language problems while vacationing (度假) with my family last summer. The most embarrassing was when my Mom apologized to the people we were staying with because her “pants were dirty”. They looked at her in amazement, not knowing how to react. You see, Mom had fallen over and gotten mud on her jeans. But in Britain, “pants” means underpants or knickers( 内裤), not trousers as it does back home.

Katie — From America

I went to stay with a friend on the west coast last summer. Her flat was on the first floor of a high-rise building so I got the lift up. Then I wandered round for ages looking for her flat but couldn’t find it. Fed up and tired, I finally had to go out to find a phone box. She explained that her flat was on the first floor, which for me meant the ground floor.

David — From Britain

When I asked for the “restroom” in a big department store, people kept directing(指引) me to a room with seats where I could sit and “rest”. It took me years to get through to (使...明白)someone that I only wanted the toilet!

Tom — From America

Last summer we went on a two-week family touring holiday, so Dad hired a car over the Internet. This was an old vehicle and there turned out to be lots of things wrong with it. When he phoned the hire company and tried to explain that the lock on the boot was broken, they thought he was talking about footwear! He had no idea their word for “boot” was “trunk”. In the end we went to a garage and just solved the problem.

Mary — From Britain

1.Hearing Katie’s mother’s words, Katie’s friends were in amazement because _______.

A. Katie’s mother got mud on her jeans

B. Katie’s mother’s underpants were dirty

C. they mistook “pants” in American for underpants

D. they didn’t know English

2.Which of the following words is from British English？

A. Pants. B. Ground floor.

C. Restroom. D. Trunk.

3.When Tom asked for the “restroom”, the people around him thought ________.

A. he wanted to have a rest

B. he wanted the toilet

C. he wanted a chair

D. He wanted to go to a department store

4.The underlined word “garage” is probably ________.

A. a parking place B. a car

C. a gas station D. a place to repair cars

 

Answer 1

1.C

2.B

3.A

4.D

【解析】

试题分析：分享几个有趣的小故事，说明英式英语和美式英语间存在的文化差异。

1.1】推理判断题。Mom had fallen over and gotten mud on her jeans.妈妈摔倒了，裤子上沾到了泥。my Mom apologized to the people we were staying with because her “pants were dirty”。妈妈因此向和我们一起的人表示抱歉。But in Britain, “pants” means underpants or knickers( 内裤), not trousers as it does back home.。英式英语中，pants特指内裤，语义差异使得英国人产生了误解，故选C。

2.2】细节理解题。ACD三个选项在英式和美式英语中都有，只是意思不同，而B只在英式英语中出现，故选B。

3.3】推理判断题。When I asked for the “restroom” in a big department store, people kept directing(指引) me to a room with seats where I could sit and “rest”. 当汤姆寻找“restroom”，周围的人把他带到了一个有椅子的房间，在那里可以坐着休息，周围人认为他是想要休息了，故选A。

4.4】词义解析题。联系上下文可以知道。When he phoned the hire company and tried to explain that the lock on the boot was broken。他打电话给租车公司，试图解释清楚车后备箱的钥匙是坏的。In the end we went to a garage and just solved the problem.最后他们到了garage 才解决了这个问题。所以garage 是修车行，故选D。

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