A
Consider these five words: island, honour, sign, tongue, climb. At first glance, you probably don't think they have anything in common. Then, you might find some of them contain the most common letter in the English language. And you might need to go back to your grade-school grammar lessons to see the connection. If you're still confused, say each word slowly. Did you notice a missing syllable (音节) or two? Actually, all five words have one or more silent letters—and that's just a small sample of them.
It's no secret that the English language has lots of crazy grammar rules, and the way we pronounce words is no exception While there are 26 letters in the alphabet, they share at least 44 different pronunciations among them. The letter A, for example, has seven different English pronunciations alone. At least you can safely ignore these common grammar rules.
On top of that, almost every letter in the alphabet has a silent usage, too. Think about it: From the C in scissors to the U in build, the English language has a bad habit of dropping letters in certain words. Even unusual letters like Z and J are silent in words that we have adopted from foreign languages, such as marijuana (originally a Spanish word) and laissez-faire (French).
But as Merriam-Webster Dictionary points out, one unusual letter is never silent: the letter V. While it makes an appearance in words like quiver and vivid, you can be sure it always behaves the exact same way. That might change soon, though. Last year, President Donald Trump tweeted the word “covfefe”, which caused heated debate about how, exactly, one should say this made-up term. Some suggested that it is pronounced with a silent V.
21. What do the underlined words in Paragraph have in common?
A. They contain the exactly same letters.
B. They have one or more silent letters.
C. They are difficult to pronounce.
D. They all refer to a place.
22. Why is the letter A mentioned in Paragraph 2?
A. To show that it has many pronunciations.
B. To tell that English has many grammar rules.
C. To explain that words have similar pronunciations.
D. To prove English letters have various pronunciations.
23. Which letter is seldom silent in the English language?
A. The letter A. B. The letter J.
C. The letter V. D. The letter Z.
24. What is the text mainly about?
A. English pronunciations. B. English dictionaries.
C. English grammar. D. English vocabulary.
【答案】21. B 22. D 23. C 24. A
【解析】
本文是一篇说明文。文章介绍了英语发音中的一些特点，主要侧重介绍了一种特别的现象--- silent letters不发音字母。
【21题详解】
细节理解题。根据第一段中Did you notice a missing syllable (音节) or two? Actually, all five words have one or more silent letters—and that's just a small sample of them.一句可知这五个单词中都或多或少含有不发音字母。故选B。
【22题详解】
细节理解题。根据第二段中While there are 26 letters in the alphabet, they share at least 44 different pronunciations among them. The letter A, for example, has seven different English pronunciations alone.一句可知英语字母有很多不同的发音，作者提到A（有七种不同的发音）这个字母就是为了解释这个现象。故选D。
【23题详解】
细节理解题。根据最后一段中But as Merriam-Webster Dictionary points out, one unusual letter is never silent: the letter V.一句可知根据Merriam-Webster Dictionary词典，字母V永远都发音。因此，英语中极少不发音的字母就是V。故选C。
【24题详解】
主旨大意题。本文开头就以五个单词的发音的共同点引入话题，接下来介绍了英语发音中的一些特点，主要侧重介绍了一种特别的现象--- silent letters不发音字母。所以文章主要讨论英语发音。故选A。
