The discovery that language can be a barrier to communication is quickly made by all who travel, study, govern or sell. Whether the activity is tourism, research, government, policing, business, or data dissemination, the lack of a common language can severely impede progress or can halt it altogether. "Common language" here usually means a foreign language, but the same point applies in principle to any encounter with unfamiliar dialects or styles within a single language. "They don't talk the same language" has a major metaphorical meaning alongside its literal one.
Although communication problems of this kind must happen thousands of times each day, very few become public knowledge. Publicity comes only when a failure to communicate has major consequences, such as strike, lost orders, legal problems, or fatal accidents--even, at times, war. One reported instance of communication failure took place in 1970, when several Americans ate a species of poisonous mushroom. No remedy was known, and two of the people died within days. A radio report of the case was heard by a chemist who knew of a treatment that had been successfully used in 1959 and published in 1963. Why had the American doctors not heard of it seven years later? Presumably because the report of the treatment had been published only in journals written in European languages other than English.
But isolated examples do not give an impression of the size of the problem--something that can come only from studies of the use or avoidance of foreign-language materials and contacts in different communicative situations. In the English-scientific world, for example, surveys of books and documents consulted in libraries and other information agencies have shown that very little foreign-language material is ever consulted. Library requests in the field of science and technology showed that only 13 per cent were for foreign language periodicals.

单选题 The word "impede" in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ______.
A. improve B. hinder C. stop D. speed

单选题 In stating "They don't talk the same language" in paragraph 1, the author points out the problems in ______.
A. understanding metaphor
B. learning foreign languages
C. understanding dialects or styles
D. dealing with technological change

单选题 Why does the author describe the case of poisonous mushroom?
A. To support the position that communication problems may lead to fatal accidents.
B. To give an example of fatal accidents caused by poisonous mushrooms.
C. To criticize the American doctors for their ignorance about the treatment.
D. To introduce a famous chemist who knew the treatment.

单选题 Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 2 about American doctors?
A. They should pay more attention to radio reports.
B. They only read medical articles if they are in English.
C. They are sometimes unwilling to try foreign treatments.
D. They do not always communicate effectively with their patients.

单选题 The word "it" in paragraph 2 refers to the ______.
A. radio report B. poisonous mushroom
C. chemist D. treatment

单选题 According to the passage, the linguistic insularity of British businesses ______.
A. later spread to other countries
B. had a negative effect on their business
C. is not as bad as it used to be
D. made non-English speaking companies to other markets

单选题 Look at the four squares, , , and

单选题 The passage discusses all of the following as examples of linguistic insularity in the 1960s EXCEPT the fact that ______.
A. most British firms used English to correspond with non-English-speaking customers
B. many companies only had English sales literature
C. the majority of employees could speak the customers' languages
D. foreign customers were happy to communicate in English

单选题 The word "exempt" in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to ______.
A. expected B. excluded C. expired D. accepted

单选题 According to paragraph 4, English-speaking people need to be aware that ______.
A. some foreigners have never met an English-speaking person
B. many foreigners have no desire to learn English
C. foreign languages may pose a greater problem in the future
D. English-speaking foreigners may have difficulty understanding English

单选题 Which of the following best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence? Incorrect answer choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.
A. To avoid misunderstanding, it is very important to understand the foreigners' languages.
B. Listening comprehension is the most important among the four skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing.
C. In order to get full understanding, we should speak to them as often as possible.
D. What we speak to them is as important as what they speak to us.

填空题 Directions: An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is provided below. Complete the summary by selecting the THREE answer choices that express the most important ideas in the passage. Some sentences do not belong in the summary because they express ideas that are not presented in the passage or are minor ideas in the passage. This question is worth 2 points.
British companies tried to solve the problem of the language barrier in many ways since the 1960s.
·______
·______
·______

A. Many companies have their own translation services.
B. Some companies help their customers learn English.
C. Employers can learn foreign languages through training programs.
D. Some firms produce their own technical glossaries.
E. Some firms employed many interpreters.