When the seventeenth-century settlers brought the English language to America,they immediately and necessarily began to adapt(使适应)it to their new environment.These changes were clear early and criticized by some people on both sides of the Atlantic.However,after the Revolution,Americans began to be proud of their own form of English.Noah Webster was the major early supporter of American meanings and spellings over British ones and published the earliest American dictionary,An American Dictionary of the English Language.During the years since Webster,language differences have continued to develop,proving(证明)the truth of George Bernard Shaw’s often-repeated words that the two nations are divided by a common language. Like the American language,the earliest American literature(文学)copied English models.However,after the Revolution and the War of 1812,writers began to create a clear American literature.However,in 1820,Sydney Smith asked the famous question “Who reads an American book?” Answering to this and similar taunts(讽刺)with creative anger,American writers soon produced works that plenty of British people read.Works by Washington Irving,Walt Whitman,and Mark Twain had been acclaimed greatly in Britain by the end of the nineteenth century. Even as American writers got respect in Britain,British writers continued to have great influence in America.Charles Dickens went to America twice,in 1842 and 1867—1868.Other major British writers who traveled and lived in the United States include D.H.Lawrence and Aldous Huxley.British best works continue to be widely read.The works of William Shakespeare and Jane Austen became popular films. At the turn of the twenty-first century,many books and writers continue to cross the Atlantic in both directions — made possible by the proud heritage(继承)of the shared language. 【文章大意】美国人和英国人使用相同的语言。起初英国人看不起美国人写的书,后来美国独立后,一些美国作家写的文学作品深受英国人的欢迎,同时英国一些作家的作品也在美国人中广泛阅读。 1.The author of this passage seems to think 　　　.  A.British English is better than American English B.American English is better than British English C.the same language has divided the two nations D.the same language has connected the two nations 解析:推理判断题。由最后一段“made possible by the proud heritage(继承)of the shared language”可知,因为语言相同使得美国人和英国人联系交流起来。 答案:D 2.From the question asked by Sydney Smith,we can infer that 　　　.  A.the British had to translate American books into English ones B.the British found American books difficult to understand C.the British thought highly of books written by Americans D.the British looked down upon American books at first 解析:细节理解题。由第三段“Answering to this and similar taunts(讽刺)with creative anger...”可知,英国人起初看不起美国人编写的书。 答案:D 3.The underlined word “acclaimed” in Paragraph 3 probably means “　　　”.  A.sold　　　　　　　　B.discussed C.welcomed D.refused 解析:词义理解题。根据“...American writers soon produced works that plenty of British people read.”可知,美国作家很快创作出英国人阅读的作品。后面列举了Washington Irving,Walt Whitman,and Mark Twain等名人的作品,很显然是受英国人欢迎的。 答案:C   When the seventeenth-century settlers brought