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THE ROAD TO MODERN ENGLISH

At the end of the 16th century, about five to seven million people spoke English. 1_____________(几乎)all of them lived in England. 2_____________(之后) in the next century, people from England made 3_____________(航海) to 4_____________(征服)other parts of the world and 5_____________(因为)that, English began to 24____________(speak) in many other countries. Today, more people speak English as their first, second or foreign language than ever before. Native English speakers can understand each other 6_____________(即使)they don’t speak the same kind of English. Look at this example:

British Betty: Would you like to see my flat?

American Amy: Yes, I’d like to 7_____________(上来)to your apartment.

So why has English changed 8_________ time? 9_____________(事实上) all languages change and develop when cultures meet and communicate with each other. At first the English spoken in England between about AD 450 and 1150 was very 10_____________(不同)the English 25_____(speak) today. It was11________(基于) more _____ German than the English we speak 12_____________(现在). Then 13_____________(逐渐的)between about AD 800 and 1150, English became less like German because those who ruled England spoken first Danish and later French. These new 14_____________(settle)15_____________(rich)the English language and especially its 16_____________(词汇). So by the 1600’s Shakespeare was able to 17_____________(利用)a 26________(wide) vocabulary than ever before. In 1620 some British settlers moved to America. Later in the 18th century some British people were taken to Australia too. English began to be spoken in both countries.

Finally by the 19th century the language was 18_____________(确定，固定). At that time two big changes in English spelling happened: first Samuel Johnson wrote his dictionary and later Noah Webster wrote The American Dictionary of the English Language. The latter gave a 19_____________(分开的)20_____________(身份) to American English spelling. English now is also spoken as a foreign or second language in South Asia. For example, India has a very large number of 21_____________(流利的) English speakers because Britain ruled India from 1765 to 1947. During that time English became the language for 22_____________(政府)and education. English is also spoken in Singapore and Malaysia and countries in Africa such as South Africa. Today the number of people learning English in China is 23_____________(增加)rapidly. In fact, China may have the largest number of English learners. Will Chinese English develop its own identity? Only time will tell.

1 Nearly 2 Later 3 voyages 4 conquer 5 because of 6 even if 7 come up 8 over 9 Actually 10 different from 11 basedon 12 at present 13 gradually 14 settlers 15 enriched 16 vocabulary 17 make use of 18 settled 19 separate 20 identity 21 fluent 22 government 23 increasing 24 be spoken 25 spoken 26 wider

STANDARD ENGLISH AND DIALECTS

What is 1_____________(标准的)English? Is it spoken in Britain, the US, Canada, Australia, India and New Zealand? 2_____________(信不信由你), 3_______________________ (没有这样的事)standard English. Many people believe the English spoken on TV and the radio is standard English. This is because in the early days of radio, those who reported the news were4_____________(期待) to speak excellent English. However, on TV and the radio you will hear differences in the way people speak.

When people use words and 5_____________(短语)different form “standard language”, it is called a 6_____________(方言). American English has many dialects, especially the midwestern, southern, African American and Spanish dialects. Even in some parts of the USA, two people from neighbouring towns speak a little differently. American English has so many dialects because people have come from all over the world.

7_____________(地理)also 8_____________(扮演某个角色) making dialects. Some people who live in the mountains of the eastern USA speak with an older kind of English dialect. When Americans moved from one place to another, they took their dialects with them. So people from the mountains in the southeastern USA speak with almost the same dialect as people in the northwestern USA. The USA is a large country in which many different dialects are spoken. Although many Americans move a lot, they still 9_____________(辨认出)and understand each other’s dialects. AMY: Excuse me, Ma’ma. Could you tell me where the nearest subway is?

LADY: Er...the underground? Well, go round the corner on your left-hand side, straight on and cross two streets. It’ll be on

your right-hand side. AMY: Thanks so much.

FRIENDS: What did she say, Amy?

AMY: She told us to go around the corner 10______ the left and keep going straight for two blocks. The subway will be on our right.

1 standard 2 Believe it or not3 there is no such thing as 4 expected 5 expressions 6 dialect 7Geography 8plays a part in 9recognize 10 on

英国人的航海在英语的传播中扮演了重要的角色。目前，英语在许多国家被作为官方语言或通用语言频繁地使用，例如美国、新加波、马来西亚和一些非洲的国家。这些国家的英语都以英式英语为基础，能很好地为以英语为本族语的人所理解。但是实际上，这些英语在口音、拼写、表达和词汇的使用方面都在逐渐变化。

因为这一情况的存在，你就可以利用这些英语之间的区别说出你们街区的外国人是哪个国家来的了。例如，如果有个老板流利地命令他的司机：“Come up straight to my apartment by elevator and take some gas for my trucks and cabs（直接搭电梯到我公寓上来拿卡车和出租车的汽油）”，而不是要求说，“Please come to my flat by lift and take some petrol for my lorries and taxis（请直接搭电梯到我公寓上来拿卡车和出租车的汽油）”，你就可以轻易地辨认出他的美国人身份，而后者却暗示着那是一位英国人。（请注意：听力录音里第二段两个“电梯”的单词跟原文不一致，原文是对的，录音弄错了，elevator才是美式说法而lift是英式说法。)

Voyages of people from Englandplay an important part in spreading the English language. At present, English is frequently spoken as anofficial or common language in many countries, such asAmerica, Singapore,Malaysia and someAfrican countries. All based on British English, the English spoken in these countries can be well understood by native English speakers. But actually, theseEnglishes have been gradually changing in accents, spellings, s and theusage of vocabulary. Because of this fact, you can make use of the differences to tell which country the foreigners of your block are from. For example, if a boss fluentlycommands his driver, “Come up straight to my apartment by elevatorand take some gas for my trucks and cabs”, instead of requesting, “Please come to my flat by lift and take somepetrol for mylorries and taxis”, you can recognize his Americanidentity, while the lattersuggests that he is British.

I began to learn English three years ago. So far I have learnt about 1500 new words. I can read some English books and write short articles in simple English. I have difficulties in learning English well. I can’t remember some new words sometimes I find it difficult to understand what the English teacher says.I can’t make myself understood when I speak to others.I was not doing well in the English test a few days ago. I’m losing my confidence in learning English. I wonder if you can give me some advice on my English study. I would appreciate it if you can help me.

You should make full use of every opportunity to practiceEnglish so that you can eventually have a good command of English.