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The number of speakers of English in Shakespeare’s time is estimated to have been about five million. Today it is estimated that some 260 million people speak it as a native language, mainly in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. In addition to the standard varieties of English found in these areas, there are a great many regional and social varieties of the language as well as various levels of usage that are employed both in its spoken and written forms.

  In fact, it is impossible to estimate the number of people in the world who have acquired an adequate working knowledge of English in addition to their own languages. The purpose for English learning and the situations in which such learning takes place are so varied that it is difficult to explain and still more difficult to judge what forms an adequate working knowledge for each situation.

  The main reason for the widespread demand for English is its present-day importance as a world language. Besides serving the indefinite needs of its native speakers, English is a language in which some of important works in science, technology, and other fields are being produced, and not always by native speakers. It is widely used for such purposes as meteorological and airport communications, international conferences, and the spread of information over the radio and television networks of many nations. It is a language of wider communication for a number of developing countries, especially former British colonies. Many of these countries have multilingual populations and need a language for internal communication in such matters as government, commerce, industry, law and education as well as for international communication and for entrance to the scientific and technological developments in the West.

Reading Comprehension:

　　1. What would be the best title for this passage?

　　A. The Difficulties of Learning English

　　B. International Communications

　　C. The Standard Varieties of English

　　D. English as a World Language

　　2. Which of the following statements is NOT true?

　　A. Some 260 million people in the world have an adequate working knowledge of English.

　　B. There are some 260 million native speakers of English in the world.

　　C. It is almost impossible to estimate the number of people with an adequate working knowledge of English.

　　D. People learn English for a variety of reasons.

　　3. According to the passage, what is the main reason for the widespread use of English?

　　A. It was popular during Shakespeare’s time.

　　B. It is used in former British colonies.

　　C. It serves the needs of its native speakers.

　　D. It is a world language that is used for international communication.

　　4. What forms an adequate working knowledge of English?

　　A. The ability to read a newspaper.

　　B. It is difficult to judge because it differs for each situation.

　　C. Being a multilingual.

　　D. Being a native speaker.

　　5. What type of developing countries would be most likely to use English?

　　A. Those geographically close to the United States.

　　B. Those interested in the culture of the United States.

　　C. Former colonies of Great Britain.

　　D. Countries where international conferences are held.

Background Information:

英語語言的歷史發展可以分為三個階段，分別是：古英語（Old English），中世紀英語（Middle English）和現代英語（Modern English）。

古英語（449--1100）。有記載的英語語言起始于449年，和現代英語相比，古英語中的外來詞很少，但派生詞綴較多。

中世紀英語（1100――1500）。1066年的諾曼底征服事件在英語語言發展史上是一個標志性的轉折點。中世紀英語的語音變化較少，但句法上已經形成了固定的詞序，并且擴展了情態動詞、助詞結構。不規則動詞越來越少，很多不規則動詞的過去式和過去分詞也趨向規則化。

現代英語（1500――至今）。為體現英語語言的威望，文藝復興時期（Renaissance）有更多的拉丁和希臘詞匯加入英語，象congratulate, democracy, education等來自拉丁語；catastrophe, encyclopedia, thermometer 來自希臘語。一些現代希臘語、拉丁語中的科技用語如aspirin, vaccinate也被當作英語使用。另外，一些外來語（如criterion, focus）仍保留了原來詞語的復數形式。還有一些更保留了當時的拼寫和發音。

Vocabulary:

Adequate   足夠的

Estimated   估計

Key:

　　1.D。主旨題。根據第3段第1句及全文的內容：英語在各個國家的各個領域的應用，可推知此題的答案為 D。

　　2.A。細節題。根據文章第1段中第2句及第2段的第1句的描述可推知此題的答案為A。

　　3.D。推斷題。根據文章最后一段的描述，英語在世界不同領域、不同的地區的使用，可推知此題的答案為 D。

　　4.B。細節題。根據文章第2段最后一句可推知此題答案為B。

　　5.C。細節題。根據文章最后一段倒數第2句可推知此題答案為C。