Module 1　British and American English

　　【美文阅读】　

　　我们都知道美国和英国都说英语，但你知道英国英语和美国英语到底有什么区别吗？下面让我们来看究竟吧......

　　American and British English

　　American and British English spelling differences are one aspect of American and British English differences.

　　In the early 18th century，English spelling was not standardized.Differences became noticeable(明显的，显著的) after the publishing of influential dictionaries.Current British English spellings follow，for the most part，those of Samuel Johnson's Dictionary of the English Language (1755)．Many of the now characteristic American English spellings were introduced，although not，for the most part，created，by Noah Webster in his American Dictionary of the English Language of 1828.

　　Webster was a strong proponent of spelling reform for reasons both philological and nationalistic.Many spelling changes proposed in the US by Webster himself，and in the early 20th century by the Simplified Spelling Board，never caught on.Among the advocates of

　　spelling reform in England，the influences of those who preferred the Norman (or Anglo­French) spellings of certain words proved decisive.Subsequent spelling adjustments in the UK had little effect on present­day US spelling，and vice versa(反的)．While in many cases American English deviated(偏离；脱离) in the 19th century from mainstream British spelling，on the other hand it has also often retained older forms.

　　The spelling systems of Commonwealth countries，for the most part，closely resemble the British system.In Canada，however，while most spelling is "British"，many "American" spellings are also used.Additional information on Canadian and Australian spelling is provided throughout the article.

　　【诱思导学】　

　　1．What does this passage mainly tell us?

　　【答案】　This passage mainly tells us American and British English spelling differences.

　　2．What influenced current British English spelling?

　　【答案】　Samuel Johnson's Dictionary of the English Language (1755)．

　　3．Did later spelling adjustments in the UK have influence on present­day words?

　　【答案】　No.