语言与文化试题

课程代码： 00838

I. Each of the following incomplete statements is followed by four alternatives. Read each statement and the four alternatives carefully and decide which of the four alternatives best completes the statement. (20%)

1. Language is_________. （        ）

A. the product of the human brain                   B. rule governed

C. independent of culture                               D. the result of social institutions

2.Culture is a social phenomenon because it is a _________ product of human societies. （        ）

A. technical                                                B. cooperative

C. new                                                         D. language

3.A_________is a small open space symbolically enclosed with very low walls and adjoining a building. （        ）

A. semi house                                             B. balcony

C. plot                                                         D. yard

4.English is often referred to as a _________ language because it uses frequently connectives to indicate the relation between linguistic elements. （        ）

A. paratactic                                               B. hypotactic

C. branching                                                 D. linear

5.Decide which of the following words is the word with an inflectional morpheme. （        ）

A. complete                                                B. behavior

C. played                                                    D. membership

6.When receiving a gift, the English speakers normally say_________. （        ）

A. “Thank you very much. How much is it? ”

B. “Where did you get it? This is really what I want. ”

C. “It must have cost you a lot. Thank you very much. ”

D. “It’s very nice. ”

7.Which expression is NOT appropriate for you to use after you receive an apology? （        ）

A. It’s O.K.                                                B. It’s all right.

C. Not at all.                                                 D. Never mind.

8. A: Is Jenny co .ruing to the party?

B: Yes, she is.

The sentences in the above dialogue are connected by both grammatical and lexical means, so

we say that they exhibit_________. （        ）

A. cohesion                                                  B. coherence

C. coexistence                                             D. cooperation

9.Most of the cultural interpretations of the difference between English and Chinese at the textual level are_________. （        ）

A. conclusions rather than tentative assumptions

B,. tentative assumptions rather than conclusions

C. either tentative assumptions or conclusions

D. neither tentative assumptions nor conclusions

10. In American English, the equivalent word for “公寓” is_________. （        ）

A. department                                             B. flat

C. apartment                                                 D. basement

11.7 days without 7-up make one weak.

In this advertisement, one can find the tactful use of _________. （        ）

A. homophones                                           B. figure of speech

C. repetition                                                 D. several adjectives

12. Nodding means “ agreement ” to Chinese and most Europeans. But in the Eskimo gestural

 system, head nodding means “ _________ ” . （         ）

A. yes                                                        B. anger

C. pleasure                                                  D. no

13. _________is a construction, expression, etc., having a meaning different from the literal one or not according to the usual patterns of the language. （        ）

A. “ To pull one’s leg ”                               B. “ To keep a straight face ”

C. “ To make a cat laugh ”                         D. “ To ride one’s high horse ”

14. The proverb “ without Ceres and Bacchus, Venus grows cold ” is related to_________. （        ）

A. Christianity                                              B. Greco-Roman civilization

C. individualism                                            D. insular culture

15. In English culture _________ connote wisdom. （        ）

A. mice                                                      B. chickens

C. owls                                                        D. mules

16. _________is the symbol of fear, cowardice or timidity. （        ）

A. A white slave                                            B. A white elephant

C. A white hope                                           D. A white feather

17. _________shows a biased attitude towards certain ethnic groups. （        ）

A. Racist language                                         B. Religious language

C. Sexist language                                         D. Metaphorical language

18. The thematic model emphasizes three culture elements: _________. （        ）

A. traits, values and world views

B. personal behaviours, thinking patterns and values

C. norms, customs and circumstances

D. time, space and dimension

19. _________are pleasant, polite or harmless sounding words or expressions used to mask harsh, rude or infamous truths. （        ）

A. Honourifics                                              B. Terms of humility

C. Euphemisms                                           D. Taboos

20. For example, a boy told his mother in a whispering voice that it was not he who broke the vase but did not dare to look at his mother in her eyes. How could one interpret his verbal and nonverbal messages? （        ）

A. Complementing.                                     B. Contradicting.

C. Repeating .                                               D. Regulating.

Ⅱ . Each of the following incomplete statements is followed by four alternatives. Read each statement and the four alternatives carefully and decide what alternatives can complete the statement. There might be more than one correct answer. (10%)

21. Some of the important properties in a language are_________. （        ）

A. a set of symbols                                        B. human specific

C. vocal                                                       D. unsystematic

22. “ Handsome ” means nice looking and can be used together with the following words_________. （        ）

A. village                                                     B. vessel

C. typewriter                                                D. overcoat

23. Inductive argumentation has been related to_________. （        ）

A. the linear thinking pattern                        B. the branching thinking pattern

C. inductive reasoning                                   D. indirect personality

24. When people are introduced, _________. （        ）

A. they always shake hands

B. they normally shake hands in formal or business situations

C. they do not always shake hands

D. men shake hands more often than women

25. The logical relationships between adjoining sentences can be classified into_________.

（        ）

A. additive                                                  B. adversative

C. causal                                                     D. temporal

26. The word “ hero ” can be pronounced as_________. （        ）

A. ['her v]                                                 B. ['hi:r v]

C. ['hir v]                                                   D. ['hi r v]

27. Silence may send the nonverbal messages of_________. （        ）

A. displeasure                                               B. pleasure

C. indifference                                              D. irritation

28. _________means to be clumsy. （        ）

A. “ To put one’s foot in one’s mouth ”

B. “ To be all thumbs ”

C. “ To have a chip on one’s shoulder ”

D. “ To have two left feet ”

29. _________have the metaphorical meaning of timidity. （        ）

A. Beavers                                                  B. Lambs

C. Mice                                                      D. Chickens

30. _________is a euphemistic synonym of “ poor ” . （        ）

A. Deprived                                                  B. Needy

C. Underprivileged                                      D. Disadvantaged

III. Fill in each underlined space with a proper expression.(20%)

31. Language is vocal, which means that speech is the ___________________of language.

32. Each language represents a unique system of meaning in ___________________ ways.

33. “ 2006 年 8 月 12 日 下午 3 点” can be translated into___________________.

34. John Bull is ___________________ personified.

35. It has been claimed that English texts develop in a ___________________ fashion, while Chinese ones develop in a spiral way.

36. A national language may have several regional___________________.

37. Though Chinese speakers tend to say “犟牛” to mean stubborn, English speakers would say “ as stubborn as a___________________ ” in similar situations.

38. The English expression equivalent to “敝校” is___________________.

39. If a person stretches out his forefinger and the middle finger apart, he means______________.

40 The English idiom equivalent to “鹤立鸡群” or “羊群里的骆驼” is “ ___________________ ” .

IV. Answer the following questions briefly. (12%)

41 What is the English equivalent for “挂钟” ?

42. What are the four types of common English names?

43. What does a white slave refer to?

44. What is the typical text structure of letters of request in English? And how does it differ from

 that of Chinese letters?

V. Translation. (18%)

45 ．不动声色

46 ．久仰大名

47. My hands are as cold as ice ．

48. Wine and judgment matures with age.

49. The Chinese people prefer the order in which the modifier appears before the head because they are indirect. For the same reason, the subordinate clause precedes the main clause in Chinese.

50. In China when people visit a friend and have dinner with his or her family, the host or hostess

often says, “ These are the best dishes we can supply. Please feel at home and help yourselves ” .

Vl. Discuss the following topics. (20%)

51. What cross-cultural contrasts can you find between English and Chinese telephone calls?

52. “ Plain looking ” , “ heavy ” , “ slender ” , “ physically handicapped ” , and “ hard of hearing ” are some commonly used euphemisms. How do we use those euphemisms related to human appearance?