When I was growing up in America, I was ashamed of my mother’s Chinese English.

 When I was growing up in America, I was ashamed of my mother’s Chinese English. Because of her English, she wasoften treated unfairly. People in department stores, at banks, and at restaurantsdid not take her seriously , did not give her good service , pretended not tounderstand her , or even acted as if they did not hear her .

My mother has realized thelimitations of her English as well. When I was fifteen, she used to have mecall people on phone topretend I was she . I was forced to ask for information or even to yell atpeople who had been rude to her. One time I had to call her stockbroker (股票经纪人).I said in an adolescent voice that was not veryconvincing, “This is Mrs. Tan..”

   And my mother was standing beside me, whispering loudly,“Why he don’t send me cheek already two week lone.”

And then, in perfect English I said : “I’m getting rather concerned .You agreed to send the checktwo weeks ago, but it hasn’t arrived.”

Then she talked more loudly.“What he want? I come to New York tell him front of his boss.” And so I turnedto the stockbroker again, “I can’t tolerate any more excuse. If I don’t receivethe check immediately , I am going to have to speak to your manager when I amin New York next week.”

The next week we ended up in New York. While I was sitting there red-faced, my mother, the real Mrs. Tan, was shoutingto his boss in her broken English.

    When I was a teenager, my mother’s brokenEnglish embarrassed me. But now, I see it differently. To me, my mother’sEnglish is perfectly clear, perfectly natural. It is my mother tongue. Herlanguage, as I hear it, is vivid, direct, and full of observation and wisdom.It was the language that helped shape the way I saw things, expressed ideas,and made sense of the world.

1.From Paragorph 2, we know that the authorwas          .

       A. good at pretending                                        B.rude to the stockbroker

       C. unwilling to phonefor her mother               D.ready to help her mother

2.After the author made the phone call,             .

A. they forgave thestockbroker                           B.they went to New York immediately

       C .they failed to getthe check                      D.they spoke to their boss at once

3.What does the author think of her mother’sEnglish now?

       A. It confusesher.                             B. Itembarrasses her.

       C .It helps her toleraterude people.                 D.It helps her understand the world.

4.We can inter from the passage that ChineseEnglish         .    

A. is clear and natural tonon-native speakers      

B. is vivid and direct tonon-native speakers

       C. may bringinconvenience in America

       D. has a very badreputation in America

试题答案

【答案】

1.C

2.C

3.D

4.C