I. Read the text and decide which of the facts bellow are TRUE, FALSE or NOT STATED World Language
Many people say that English is a global language. Why do they think so? English is not an easy language to learn, even as a mother tongue. Why has it become a global language?
People have always thought that they need a global language if they want to speak and understand each other. They even tried to develop special simple languages. One of them is Esperanto, a simple language, with just 16 rules, no definite articles and easy spelling. But Esperanto didn’t become a world language.
Global, or world, language is a language that people speak and learn in a lot of countries. It’s the mother tongue for many people, many countries teach them at schools. Diplomats, scientists and businessmen often use it. You can hear it at international meetings and at airports.
English has more speakers than any other languages in the world. But some other languages are also very popular. For example, French is the traditional language of diplomats, German is the language of science. But English is really a global language. It is the most important language of the Internet: about 80 per cent of all information there is in English. Many languages borrow words from the English language.
What makes English a global language? History shows that a language becomes global because of the political and economic power of its speakers. Other facts are important too. English has a very large vocabulary. Besides, it is easy to make new English words (speech – speechless, feel – feeling, sound – to sound). Its grammar is simpler than in some other languages. English poets and writers made the English language world famous.
So English is really a global language. But there is one very important question. If so many people want to use English as the global language, what will happen to other languages? Will they die?
1. It is easy to learn Esperanto.
2. Esperanto became a world language.
3. A global language is a simple language that people develop for communication.
4. Scientists quite often use the German language.
5. The English language has become global because it has a very large vocabulary.
6. In many languages of the world people use English words.
7. French is the mother tongue of millions of people.
8. There are very many words in the English language.
III. Choose the appropriate words in brackets to complete the sentences.
1. The English language has borrowed a lot of words (of/from) Latin.
2. The pupil was not sure (of/from) the word spelling.
3. Could you hand (in/out) these gifts to the children after dinner?
4. Mrs Thompson looked through my notes and handed them (back/out) to me.
5. They have never been (in/to) Japan.
6. Our physics teacher gave us test papers and asked us to hand them (in/out) on Wednesday.
7. Rose prefers travelling by train (to/for) travelling by plane.
8. "Rebecca, Mr Brian needs a Russian-English dictionary. Can you hand it (out/over)?"
9. What has happened (to/with) him in Africa?
10. The details of the future project are not clear. Would you like to talk them (in/over) now?
IV. Complete the sentences. Use Present Perfect.
1. Betty (begin) learning German.
2. He ever (be) to Greece?
3. Jack never (speak) to Americans.
4. Joanne Rowling (write) the books about Harry Potter.
5. Boris (come) back?
6. Lizzy (not ring) her granny yet.
7. I just (do) my homework.
8. Mike and Kate (not eat) their porridge yet.
9. You (see) this film?
10. The girls already (take) their dog for a walk.
