English is the native or official language of one-fifth of the land area of 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.
More people study English than any other language. In many countries, the textbooks in universities are in English. Many university classes are taught in English even though the native language is not English.
English is the language of international munication. It is the language of international business, research, and science. More than three-fourths of the world’s mail is written in English. More than half of the scientific research journals are in English. Most other languages have borrowed many English words.
Why did English bee the international language? In the middle of the nineteenth century, French was the international language. The Britain became very powerful in the world. England started colonies in North America and India in the seventeenth century. By 1900 England also had colonies in other parts of Asia, Africa and the South Pacific. The people in the colonies had to use English. Slowly it became more important than French internationally. After the Second World War, the United States became very powerful, and even more people began to learn English.
Is English a good international language? It has more words than any other language. The grammar is simpler than in other major languages. However, English spelling is difficult. Foreigners all have trouble spelling English. So do native speakers!
Since 1880, people have invented over fifty artificial (not natural) languages. No one speaks them as a native language. However, none of them has ever bee popular. Some people don’t want to study English, but it is the international language. There is no way to change that now.
【小题1】English is the native language of .A．South AfricaB．AustraliaC．All of CanadaD．Malaysia【小题2】England started a colony in India in the .A．1600sB．1800sC．1700sD．1900s【小题3】Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the text?A．The English grammar is simple in general.B．It has a good vocabulary.C．Its pronunciation sounds pleasant.D．It is difficult to spell correctly.【小题4】The author concludes that .A．it is necessary to invent a new language.B．English is the international language whether you like it or notC．English is much better than other languagesD．English should be spoken all over the worldB
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(答案→)B
解析：【小题1】B 细节题。结合第一段English is the native or official language of one-fifth of the land area of 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.可选出答案。
【小题2】A 细节题。结合第四段The Britain became very powerful in the world. England started colonies in North America and India in the seventeenth century. 可选出答案。
【小题3】C 细节题。结合第5段It has more words than any other language. The grammar is simpler than in other major languages. However, English spelling is difficult.排除C 项。文章中没有提及C 项。
【小题4】B推断题。结合最后一段Some people don’t want to study English, but it is the international language. There is no way to change that now.可知不管你喜不喜欢，英语都是国际语言。