()refers to some words or expressions which are to be avoided because tradition or so

jority of the speakers of a language in any situation regardless of the level of formality. As such, these words and expressions are well defined and listed in standard dictionaries. Colloquialisms, on the other hand, are familiar words and idioms that are understood by almost all speakers of language and used in informal speech or writing, but not considered acceptable for more formal situations. Almost all idiomatic expressions are colloquial language. Slang, however, refers to words and expressions understood by a large number of speakers but not accepted as appropriate formal usage by the majority. Colloquial expressions and even slang may be found in standard dictionaries but will be so identified. Both Colloquial usage and slang are more common in speech than in writing.

Colloquial speech often passes into standard speech. Some slang also passes into standard speech, but other slang expressions enjoy momentary popularity followed by obscurity. In some cases, the majority never accepts certain slang phrases but nevertheless retains them in their collective memories. Every generation seems to require its own set of words to describe familiar objects and events.

It has been pointed out by a number of linguists that three cultural conditions are necessary for the creation of a large body of slang expressions. First, the introduction and acceptance of new objects and situations in the society; second, a diverse population with a large number of subgroups; third, association among the subgroups and the majority population.

Finally, it is worth noting that the terms "standard," "colloquial," and "slang" exist only as abstract labels for scholars who study language. Only a tiny number of the speakers of any language will be aware that they are using colloquial or slang expressions. Most speakers of English will, during appropriate situations, select and use all three types of expressions.

Which of the following is the main topic of the passage？

A．Standard speech.

B．Idiomatic speech.

C．Different types of speech.

D．Dictionary. usage.

words and so on.()

A.Morphology

B.Semantics

C.Syntax

D.Phonology

hich words are formed.()

"Culture consists of all shared products of human society" (Robertson, 1981 ). This means not only such material things as cities, organizations and schools, but also non-material things such as ideas, customs, family patterns, languages. Putting it simply, culture refers to the entire way of life of a society, "the ways of a people".

Language is a part of culture and plays a very important role in it. Some social scientists consider it the keystone of culture. Without language, the maintaining of culture would not be possible. On the other hand, language is influenced and shaped by culture, it reflects culture. In the broadest sense, language is the symbolic representation of a people, and it comprises their historical and cultural backgrounds, as well as their approach to life and their ways of living and thinking.

We should not go further into the relationship between language and culture. What needs to be stressed here is that the two interact, and that understanding of one requires understanding of the other.

Social scientists tell us that cultures differ from one another, that each culture is unique. As cultures are diverse, so languages are diverse. It is only natural then that with differences in cultures and differences in languages, difficulties often arise in communicating between cultures and across cultures. Understanding is not always easy.

Learning a foreign language well means more than merely mastering the pronunciation, gram mar, words and idioms. It means learning also to see the world . as native speakers of that language see it, learning the ways in which their language reflects the ideas, customs, and behaviors of their society, learning to understand their "language of the mind". Learning a language, in fact, is inseparable from learning its culture.

According to the first paragraph, the term "culture" refers to ______.

A．things like cities, organizations and schools

B．ideas, customs, family patterns, and languages

C．all things produced by human race

D．the total that constitute a society

Utterance meaning in a face-to-face communication refers to ()。

A. what the speaker has intended to convey in what is said

B. what the hearer has understood on the basis of what is said

C. what what is said normally means

D. the associative meaning words have