单选题 Language experts say that spoken English was almost the same in the American colonies and Britain. Americans began to change the sound of their speech after the Revolutionary War in 1775. They wanted to separate themselves from the British in language as they had separated themselves from the British government.
In 1828, Noah Webster published The American Dictionary of the English Language — the first truly American dictionary. It established rules for speaking and spelling the words used in American English. Many foreign words and expressions introduced by a large number of immigrants also helped to make American English quite different from British English.
Sometimes Americans and British people do not understand each other because of different expressions. For example, a "wastebasket" in America is a "dustbin" in Britain. French fried potatoes in the United States are called "chips" in Britain. All these differences led British writer George Bernard Shaw to joke that Britain and America are two countries separated by the same language.

单选题 When did Americans start to change the sound of their language?

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】[解析] 事实细节题。本题问美国人从何时开始改变自己的语言发音。从文章第一段第二句可以知道美国人是在1775年独立战争爆发之后，开始改变的。所以答案选C)。

单选题 Which statement is NOT true about The American Dictionary of the English Language?

A、 The American Dictionary of the English Language was written by Noah Webster.
B、 The American Dictionary of the English Language established rules for speaking and spelling the words used in American English.
C、 The American Dictionary of the English Language is the first truly American dictionary.
D、 The American Dictionary of the English Language was published before the Revolutionary War.

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】[解析] 细节判断题。本题问关于《美国英语词典》的描述，4个选项中哪一个是不正确的。根据文章第二段的相关信息，可以判断D)选项中的描述是错误的，美国独立战争爆发于1775年，而该词典出版于1828年，所以答案选D)。

单选题 Why did the Americans want to separate themselves from the British in language?

A、 Because they didn't like the language spoken by the British.
B、 Because they didn't know how to speak the British English.
C、 Because they had separated themselves from the British government.
D、 Because they wanted to be the only English-speaking country in the world.

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】[解析] 事实细节题。本题问美国人为什么要在语言方面也跟英国区别开来。从文章第一段的最后一句话可以知道美国人在政治上已经独立于英国，所以在语言上，也想要摆脱英国的影子。所以答案是C)。

单选题 How did the immigrants influence American English?

A、 They tried to replace American English with their own languages.
B、 Their languages messed up American English.
C、 Their languages helped to narrow the gap between American English and British English.
D、 They introduced many foreign words and expressions into American English.

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】[解析] 事实细节题。本题问的是移民到美国的人对美国英语有怎样的影响。从文章第二段的最后一句话可以了解到移民到美国的人为美国英语带来了大量的外来词。所以答案选D)。

单选题 According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?

A、 Language experts say that spoken English is completely the same in the American colonies and Britain.
B、 The Revolutionary War came to an end in 1775.
C、 Americans and British people can fully understand each other.
D、 In American English and British English, different expressions are used for the same concept.

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】[解析] 细节判断题。本题问根据全文，4个选项中哪个是正确的。阅读全文可以发现，只有D)选项的描述“同样的概念，在美国英语和英国英语中有不同的表达方式”是正确的。所以答案为D)。