A
(湖北省2020年高三4月调研考试)Many people believe that there is one form of their language that is more correct than others. For example, they may believe that British English is more correct than other varieties；or that written English is more correct than spoken English; or that standard spoken forms are more correct than dialect forms. Often this belief is supported by reference books on grammar, usage guides or dictionaries：If something goes against a rule in a grammar, or if the word isn't in the dictionary, it “must be wrong”. Since the reference books are often based on observation of the standard written language, the_argument_is_really_circular: These books will naturally describe standard usage, because that is what they are for; but this does not mean that there is anything wrong with other kinds of usage less often described.
A better way of looking at things is to say that usage is “correct in its place”. Standard American English is correct in America, British English is correct in Britain, spoken grammar is accepted in casual speeches, and formal written grammar is employed in formal writing. The only forms that are wrong in all contexts (语境) are learners' errors. For example, “I have forgetting the your address.” or “One of your chairs are broken.” This means there is no answer to the question：“What kind of English should learners study？” It depends on their purposes. For many learners, the best model is British or American English. Neither of these is “better” than the other, and they are both used and understood worldwide.
People are also worried about language change.If younger people “break” the rules that older people have learned, or use language in new ways, older people often feel disturbed: They are concerned that younger people no longer know their grammar，and that the language is going downhill. This is a needless worry: Change is natural and inevitable;it cannot be stopped, and it does not generally affect a language's efficiency as a communicative tool. A great deal of modern English grammar would have been wrong three hundred years ago, and will perhaps be wrong again three hundred years from now.
【语篇解读】 本文是一篇议论文，主要讲述了不同的语境决定了不同的语言使用方法，所以作者认为，没有所谓“一定正确”和“一定错误”的语言。同时我们也不必担心语言的发展变化，它通常不会影响语言作为交流工具的有效性。许多现代英语语法在三百年前是错的，也许三百年后又变成错的。
1．What does the underlined part in Paragraph 1 mean?
A．Learners are always confused about the reference books.
B．Usages not mentioned in the reference books are not necessarily wrong.
C．Nobody can challenge the authority of the reference books.
D．Some wrong usages can be found in the reference books.
B [句意猜测题。根据第一段中的“but this does not mean that there is anything wrong with other kinds of usage less often described”可知，作者认为这些参考书自然会描述标准用法，但这并不意味着参考书中未提及的用法一定是错的。故选B项。]
2．What is the main idea of Paragraph 2?
A．There is no “standard English”．
B．American English is better than British English.
C．A learner should master all the distinctions of different English.
D．There are differences between British English and American English.
A [主旨大意题。根据第二段中的“A better way of looking at things is to say that usage is‘correct in its place’．Standard American English is correct in America，British English is correct in Britain...”可知，作者认为不存在所谓“标准英语”。学习者应该学什么样的英语？这个问题没有答案。所以本段主要说的是没有“标准英语”。故选A项。]
3．The underlined word in Paragraph 3 can be most probably replaced with ________.
A．unbelievable B．uncountable
C．unacceptable D．unavoidable
D [词义猜测题。根据最后一段画线词后的“it cannot be stopped”可知，此处是说，语言变化是自然和不可避免的，它不能被阻止，也通常不会影响语言作为一种交流工具的效率。所以画线词应意为“不可避免的”，与unavoidable意义相近。故选D项。]
4．What is the author's attitude toward the changes of English?
A．Disturbed. B．Cautious.
C．Optimistic. D．Aggressive.
C [推理判断题。根据最后一段中的“People are also worried about language change.”和“This is a needless worry：Change is natural and inevitable；it cannot be stopped，and it does not generally affect a language's efficiency as a communicative tool.”可推知，作者对于英语的变化是持乐观态度的。故选C项。]
