English is the most important language in the world. More than 400 million people speak English as their mother tongue. Another 400 million speak it as a second language. No one knows how many people speak it as a foreign language. Chinese is the language with more speakers than English, but it is only the language for more than one billion Chinese people. English is the official language on 20% of the land area in the world. It is spoken in North American, Great Britain, Australia, and New Zealand. In South Africa and India, it is also one of the official languages. In many countries, the textbooks in universities are written in English. More than 75% of the world’s mai is composed in English. More than 60% of the radio stations broadcast programs in English. English is the language of international communication

A. Decide whether the statements that follow are TRUE or FALSE.
1. China is the most important language.
2. We don’t know how many people speak English as a foreign language.
3. English has more speakers than Chinese.
4. English is spoken in North America, Great Britain, Australia, and New Zealand.
B. Circle the best answer to each question.
5. Many people in the world use English as an important ________
A. subject B. language C. country D. source of power
6. In many countries, people use English to _______ textbooks in universities.
A. read B. make C. write D. advertise

A. More than 400 million people speak English as their mother tongue. Another 400

million speak it as a second language. No one knows how many people speak it as a

foreign language. Chinese is the language with more speakers than English, but it is only

the language for more than one billion Chinese people. English is the official language on

one-fifth of the land area in the world. It is spoken in North America, Great Britain,

Australia, and New Zealand. In South Africa and India, it is one of the official languages.

In many countries, the textbooks in universities are written in English. More than three

fourths of the world's mails are composed in English. More than three-fifths of the radio

stations broadcast programs in English. More than half of the scientific and research

journals are in English. English is the language of international communication.

1. Chinese has more speakers than English. __________

2. More than 60 per cent of the world's mails are in English.__________

3. People in North America cannot speak English.

__________

4. There are more than one billion Chinese people.

__________

5. What is the language compulsorily spoken in Canberra, the capital of the Australia?

A. Chinese

B. English

C. Australian

D. American

6. How many people speak English primarily?

A. three-fifth of the world population

B. one-fifth of the world population

C. more than four hundred million people

D. one billion people

Choose the word or phrase among A, B, C or D that best fits the blank space in the following passage.

Language is (1)…… people (2)……… with one another. It is a terrific tool. Language is spoken, but it is also (3)……. down. Sign language used by many people who are (4)…….is the communication with gestures. We do (5)…….. our communication (6)……..speaking.

English is (7)…………international language in the world, but it is not the world’s most (8)…… spoken language. There are more than 1.2 billion people (9)……..Chinese. Arabic is second, and then Hindi, with English in the fourth place. (10)………. languages in the top ten are Spanish, Bengali, Portuguese, Russian, Japanese, and German.

Question 1

A.how

B.why

C.what

D.when

True or False

Today,when English is one of the major languages in the world, it requires an effort of the imagination to realize that this is relatively recent thing-that in Shakespeare's time,for example,only a few million people spoke,and the language was not thought to be very important by the other nations of Europe,and was unknown to the rest of the world.

English has become a world language because of its establishment as a mother tongue outside England,in all the continents of the world. This exporting of English began in the seventeenth century,with the first settlements in the United States,assisted by massive immigration in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries,that has given the English language its present standing in the world.

1. English was spoken by a few million people in Shakespeare's time.......

2. It is considered as a mother language outside England.......

3. English was spoken in North America in the seventeenth century.........

4. Most of the immigration in the USA do not speak English.............

Cloze tests

A. Complete the passage with the words in the box

The differences (1) ............ American English and British English are not as (2)........... as the differences in Chinese dialects. Two (3).......... the differences between American English and British English are (4).......... and spelling. In American English we (5)........ elevator, truck, and apartment. The British say lift, lorry and flat. Another difference is (6).......... . In American English we (7)......... honor, meter, and realize. In British English, these (8)......... are honour, metre, and realise

B. Read the passage and choose the best answers

In other words, language is not necessarily the private property of those (1)........ use it, just as French is not the private property of (2)........ , nor English of Englishmen. English is spoken as a first (3).......... in the United States, in Australia, in New Zealand, in most of Canada, in certain nations of Africa, and in other areas of the (4)...... . It is unreasonable to regard any language as the (5)......... of a particular nation, and with no language is more unreasonable (6)......... with English. This is not to say that English is used by a greater number of (7)....... than any other language, for it is easily outnumnered in this respect by Chinese. But it is the most (8)......... of lamguages

1. A. Which B. Who C. Whom D. Whosr

2. A. Americans B. Dutchmen C. Englishmen D. Frenchmen

3. A. Language B. Luggage C. Baggage D. Country

4. A.Worth B. Work C. Word D. World

5. A. Possession B. Possessive C. Importance D. Necessity

6. A. That B. Than C. As D. So

7. A. Speakers B. Speaker C. Writers D. Writer

8. A. National B. International C. Conpulsory D. Official

Language is how to people(14)................ with one another. It is a terrific tool.Language is spoken, but it is also (15).........

down. Sing language used by many people who are(16)................ is the communication with gestures. We do most of our communication (17).......... speaking

English is(18)......... international language in the world, but it is not the world's most(19)....... spoken language.There are more than 1,2 billion people (20).......... Chinese.Arabic is second, and then Hindi, with English in the fourth place.(21)..... languages in the top ten are Spanish, Bengali, Portuguese, Russian, Japanese, and German

14. a.communicate b.instruct c.introduce d.mention

15.complied b.composed c.written d.made

16.Blind b.deaf c.dead d.alive

17.a.on b.of c.about d.by

18.a. most b.the most c.the mostly d.the more

19.a.widened b.width c.wide d.widely

20.a.speak b.speaks c.speaking d.are spoken

21. a. Another b.One another c.Other d.Others

Read the text below and think of the word which best fits each space :

The reason (1)............. more and more people decide to learn English as a foreign (2) .................. is obvious : It is now the language used to in (3)............. every walk of life we can mention. Going to an international (4) ............... , we can hear all the flight announcements read (5).................. English. Switching on our TV to (6).......... a match between , say, Manchester United and Real Madrid, we immediately hear the commentator speak English. Taking (7).......... in a scientific seminar we surely find ourselves speaking English to (8)............ scientists. It is predicted (9)....... in quite a near future English will become the official language of (10).................... world.