The English people and the English language were born from the union of（）.

Interviewer-------- Why is English so important?

David------- Well, English is so important primarily because so many people speak it and use it, so it has now become the lingua franca in the world in a way that we’ve never seen before. We’ve never had a world language of this kind before. So people are learning it not just to be able tocommunicate with native speakers, but also with speakers of other language around world.

Interviewer-------And why has it become that dominant language?

David------I think the reason for that is actually very complicated, although in the twentieth century, we can just see that it’s the rise of the US military and consumer power. I mean the technology, all the big developments in technology largely came from the US. So all of these developments actually were produced within the English language, and people had to learn English in order to understand them, or to benefit from them. The Internet is only one example of that kind. Once a language has got into that position of dominance, it’s actually very different to shift it. So we could be seeing the emergence of other big languages in the world becoming more important than they have been, like Spanish, but it’s unlikely that they’re going to shift the English from its position of dominance.

36. English is important, according to David, __________________________. A). because it has become a world language B). because so many people speak and use it C). because a lot of people are learning it D). because it is the lingua franca

37. English has become the dominant language in the world________________________. A). because it has always been the way B). for a reason that is very complicated C). only in the 20th century D). for no reasons

38. English became the dominant language in the 20th century_________________________. A). in the USA

B). because of the increase in American consumer power

C). because developments in technology came mainly from USA. D). all over the world.

39. People had to learn English______________________.

A). because developments in technology were made by English speakers B). because they needed to understand the new developments in technology C). to use the Internet

D). to speak with native Americans

40. David thinks that__________________________.

A). it will be easy for another language to become dominant B). English will not always be the dominant language

C). it will not be easy for another language to become dominant D). English will be the dominant language

the irish people speak the same language as the english people do. ()

A.it is true that all English people know

B.is it true that do all English people know

C.it is true that do all English people know

D.is it true that all English people know

B

I am a writer. I spend a great deal of my time thinking about the power of language—the way it can evoke(唤起) an emotion, a visual image, a complex idea, or a simple truth. Language is the tool of my trade. And I use them all—all the Englishes I grew up with.

Born into a Chinese family that had recently arrived in California, I’ve been giving more thought to the kind of English my mother speaks. Like others, I have described it to people as “broken” English. But feel embarrassed to say that. It has always bothered me that I can think of no way to describe it other than “broken”, as if it were damaged and needed to be fixed, as if it lacked a certain wholeness. I’ve heard other terms used, “limited English,” for example. But they seem just as bad, as if everything is limited, including people’s perceptions(认识)of the limited English speaker.

I know this for a fact, because when I was growing up, my mother’s “limited” English limited my perception of her. I was ashamed of her English. I believed that her English reflected the quality of what she had to say. That is, because she expressed them imperfectly her thoughts were imperfect. And I had plenty of evidence to support me: the fact that people in department stores, at banks, and at restaurants did not take her seriously, did not give her good service, pretended not to understand her, or even acted as if they did not hear her.

I started writing fiction in 1985. And for reasons I won’t get into today, I began to write stories using all the Englishes I grew up with: the English she used with me, which for lack of a better term might be described as “broken”, and what I imagine to be her translation of her Chinese, her internal(内在的) language, and for that I sought to preserve the essence, but neither an English nor a Chinese structure: I wanted to catch what language ability tests can never show; her intention, her feelings, the rhythms of her speech and the nature of her thoughts.

41. By saying “Language is the tool of my trade”, the author means that ______.

A. she uses English in foreign trade

B. she is fascinated by languages

C. she works as a translator

D. she is a writer by profession

English is used by more people than ________language except Chinese.

A、any

B、any Other

C、other

D、all other

For any Englishman there can never be any discussion as to who is the world's greatest writer. Only one name can possibly suggest itself to him：that of William Shakespeare.

Every Englishman has some knowledge of his work. All of us use words and phrases from Shakespeare's writings that have become a part of the English-speaking people.

Shakespeare, more perhaps than any other writer, made full use of the English language. Most of us use about five thousand words in our normal employment of English; Shakespeare in his works used about twenty-five thousand!

There is probably no better way for a foreigner (or an Englishman!) to appreciate the richness and variety of the English language than by studying the various ways in which Shakespeare uses it. Such a study is well worth the effort (it is not, of course, recommended to beginners), even though some aspects of English usage, and the meaning of many words, have changed since Shakespeare's day.

1). From the first two sentences of the passage we can conclude that ________.

A. it can't be discussed about who is the world's greatest dramatist

B. Shakespeare is regarded as the greatest writer

C. Englishmen like to discuss about who is the world's greatest writer

D. it can't be discussed about who is the world's greatest poet

2). According to the passage many English words and phrases that we use today are from _____.

A. Englishmen

B. English speaking people

C. Shakespeare's works

D. ancient people

3). To learn the richness of the English language, people should ______.

A. write and read more

B. be glad to be a foreigner

C. learn from an English man

D. read Shakespeare's plays

4). The author does not suggest beginners reading Shakespeare's plays probably because _____.

A. only Englishmen can understand his plays

B. some of English usage and the meaning of many words have changed

C. the works are too difficult for a beginner

D. the works are for native speakers

5). In this passage the author wants to _______.

A. tell how great a writer Shakespeare is

B. tell that some aspects of English usage have changed since Shakespeare's day

C. tell that some English words are out of use now

D. show the richness of English language

A、living/ dying

B、living/ dead

C、alive/ dying

D、alive/ dead