RSSЗАНЯТИЕ 13.04.2020, ПЕРВЫЙ КУРС
English Today
The English language is now the first language of about 400 million people, the native language of 12 nations and the official or semi-official language of 33 more nations. That means one in every seven people in the world speaks English. Geographically, it is the most widespread language on the Earth. At present no other language is better suited to play the role of a world language.
Nowadays, if you are interested in science, business or literature, you can always read the latest reports in English and learn the latest information. If you know English, you can enjoy foreign films and foreign music. More than that, it is very useful when you travel abroad. You can communicate better if you know English. Besides, English is easier to learn than any other languages.
The English grammar and vocabulary which is used in public speaking, radio and television, books and newspapers is known as “standard British English”. It is taught in colleges and universities and is spoken by educated people. Most people, however, use lots of words and grammatical forms which are regarded as non-standard. The clearest indication of a person’s class is often his accent. The most prestigious accent in Britain is known as “Received Pronunciation (RP)”. It is a combination of standard spoken English with an RP accent that is usually meant when people talk about “BBC English” or “Oxford English” or “the Queen’s English”.
English is the official language in the UK. But some people speak Gaelic in western Scotland, and Welsh — in parts of northern and central Wales. The study of Welsh is now compulsory in many primary and secondary schools. Television and radio services in Wales give about half of their time to Welsh language programmes. And when you travel, you can see road signs in Welsh all over Wales. Distinct forms of English which may vary from locality to locality are called dialects. Dialects have no normalized literary form. Regional versions, possessing literary forms are called variants. In Great Britain there are 2 variants, Scottish and Irish and 5 main groups of dialects. There are a number of different regional accents in the UK. “Cockney” is the way of speaking English that is typical of native Londoners. This accent is characterized by its special pronunciation and the use of rhyming slang.
Choose true, false, doesn’t say for the following statement:
The writer thinks that English is becoming a global language, dominating the world’s trade, science, media etc.
Choose true, false, doesn’t say for the following statement:
The version of English language spoken by foreigners with distinct accent is called Received Pronunciation.
Choose true, false, doesn’t say for the following statement:
It may be difficult to understand people from Whales or Scotland because of their specific dialect.
HERE IS A LIST OF 10 COMMON REASONS TO LEARN ENGLISH
WRITE A FEW SENTENSES ABOUT WHICH ONE IS YOUR PRIMARY AND WHAT PERSONAL BENEFITS DOES IT HAVE FOR YOU, OR, IF YOU HAVE YOUR OWN REASON, PLEASE DESCRIBE IT
1. English is a global language
English is the most commonly spoken language in the world. One out of five people can speak or at least understand English!
2. Studying English can help you get a job
English is the language of science, aviation, computers, diplomacy, and tourism. Knowing English increases your chances of getting a good job in a multinational company within your home country or of finding work abroad.
3. Learning English can help you meet new people
English is the official language of 53 countries and is used as a lingua franca (a mutually known language) by people from all around the world. This means that whether you’re working in Beijing, or travelling in Brazil, studying English can help you have a conversation with people from all over the world.
4. Many scientific papers are written in English
In the last century, the number of scientific papers written in English has started to outweigh the number of papers written in the native language of the researcher. In the Netherlands, for example, the ratio is a surprising 40 to 1. For this reason, having a knowledge of English is incredibly important to those working in the scientific field.
5. English is the language of the media industry
Because of the prominence of Hollywood in global media, an enormous amount of films, TV shows and popular songs are written in English. If you speak English, you won't need to rely on translations and subtitles anymore to enjoy your favourite books, songs, films and TV shows.
6. English is the language of the Internet
English is a particularly important language online with more than half the content on the internet written in English. As well as this, some of the world’s largest tech companies are based in English speaking countries.
7. Travelling is a lot easier with a good knowledge of English
Imagine you’re a Spanish person on holiday in Thailand, while your hotel receptionist might not be able to answer your question in Spanish, it’s likely they will be able to answer your question in English.
8. English is one of the most important languages for business
Whether you’re a business owner, student or employee, English is incredibly important in the business world. English is considered to be one of the most important business languages due to being the de facto language of the United States and the official language of the UK, Canada, India and South Africa.
9. With English, you can study all over the world
Since English is spoken in so many different countries there are thousands of schools and universities around the world that offer programmes in English. If you speak English, there're lots of opportunities for you to find an appropriate school and course to suit your academic needs.
10. English gives you access to multiple cultures
A good knowledge of English will allow you to access films, music and literature from hundreds of countries around the globe. Not to mention the fact that numerous books from across the world are translated into English. Few experiences will make you grow as a person more than learning the values, habits and way of life in a culture that is different from yours.
