I came across quite a few language problems while on holiday with my family last summer. The most embarrassing was when my Mom apologized to the people we were staying with because her “pants were dirty”. They looked at her in amazement, not knowing how to react. You see, Mom had fallen over and gotten mud on her jeans. But in Britain, “pants” means underpants, not trousers as it does back home.
Katie — From America
When I asked for the “restroom” in a big department store, people kept directing me to a room with seats where I could sit and “rest”. It took me years to get through to someone that I only wanted the toilet!
Tom — From America
Last summer we went on a two-week family touring holiday, so Dad hired a car over the Internet. This was an old vehicle and there turned out to be lots of things wrong with it. When he phoned the hire company and tried to explain that the lock on the boot(汽车行李箱) was broken, they thought he was talking about footwear! He had no idea their word for “boot” was “trunk”. In the end we went to a garage and just solved the problem.
Mary — From Britain
Last summer, I went to stay with a friend on the west coast. Her flat was on the first floor of a high-rise building so I got the lift up. Then I wandered round for ages looking for her flat but couldn’t find it. Fed up and tired, I finally had to go out to find a phone box. She explained that her flat was on the first floor, which for me meant the ground floor.
David — From Britain
小题1:Hearing Katie’s mother’s words, Katie’s friends were in amazement because ____________.
A．they mistook “pants” in American for underpants
B．Katie’s mother’s underpants were dirty
C．Katie’s mother got mud on her jeans
D．they didn’t know any English小题2:David went out to find a phone box to ____________.
A．phone the police for help
B．apologize for his being late
C．tell his friends he couldn’t go to visit her
D．phone his friend for help小题3: When Tom asked for the “restroom”, the people around him thought _____________.
A．he wanted a chair
B．he wanted to have a rest
C．he wanted the toilet
D．He wanted to go to a department store小题4:The underlined word “garage” is probably _____________.
A．a parking place
B．a car
C．a place to repair cars
D．a gas station小题5:Which of the following words is from British English？
A．Pants
B． Restroom
C．Ground floor
D．Trunk
