Most people have the chance to learn English during their school years. However, they didn’t realize then what benefits (преимущества) the knowledge of English could give to professionals. Read the text and decide if it is worth learning English. What are your personal reasons for learning English?

Reasons to Learn English

Now English is one of the most common languages in the world, which is spoken by perhaps 400 million people. It represents only about 8 % of the earth’s population, but it is a very geographically widespread language, thanks to the former British Empire. English is almost the universal language of science, business, and international politics. Whenever people with different languages come together, they usually use English to communicate:

● Up to half of all business deals throughout the world are conducted in English.

● Half of the world newspapers are in English, and about 75 % of the world mail correspondence is in English (the USA alone accounts for 50 %).

● At least 35 % of Internet users are English speakers, and about 70–80 % of the content on the Internet is in English (although reliable figures on this are hard to establish).

● Popular music worldwide is dominated by English (estimates of up to 95 % have been suggested).

● English is also the language of the Film Industry and American television is watched almost everywhere.

English also opens doors to the academic world. Many Western universities are becoming highly international, the common working language of visiting scholars, students and professors from all around the world is English. Of course, if the best program in your field is in England or the USA, the English language will give you the opportunity to study with the top scholars.

English is generally considered the lingua franca of the scientific community. For example, roughly 80 % of all the journals are published in English. Two-thirds of all scientific papers are published in English, and the Science Citation Index reports that as many as 95 % of its articles were written in English, even though only half of them came from authors in English-speaking countries.

Publishing in foreign journals and attending international conferences are some of the key steps to success in academia.

Journalists and writers around the world think that a good command of English is an increasingly useful skill. Even if you are writing your articles and doing interviews in your own language, with good English you can get background material from international wire services, papers, and magazines from around the world. You can interview foreign diplomats, businessmen, and maybe even get sent to cover overseas stories.

The knowledge of the English language is vital in many professions. The ability to speak English increases an individual’s employability – which is a big plus in today’s competitive times. Multinational corporations employ English-speakers in offices around the world.

All these facts and figures prove the importance of knowing English for future research and professional career. Besides, learning languages broadens the mind and enriches all of us culturally.

Thus, if you do not want to get left behind when it comes to English, use this opportunity to learn English! Whether you are aiming to be a sociologist or a philosopher or a businessperson, knowing English can give you a vital edge over others.

Reading Comprehension Tasks

1 Are these sentences true (T) or false (F) according to the text? Correct the

false ones.

1. English is the most commonly used language among foreign language speakers.                                                                                            

2. One third of all business deals throughout the world are conducted in English.

3. At least 35 % of the content on the Internet is in English.

4. English is considered to be the lingua franca of the scientific community.

5. A good command of English is an increasingly useful skill.

6. The ability to speak English increases an individual’s employability.

7. Multinational corporations do not employ English-speakers in their offices around the   world.

8. Learning languages broadens the mind and enriches all of us culturally.

2 Find equivalents to the following Russian word combinations in the text and write them down:

1) распространенный язык

2) даст возможность учиться у ведущих ученых

3) посещение международных конференций

4) хорошее владение английским языком все чаще становится полезным навыком

5) (вероятность) трудоустройства человека

6) расширять кругозор

7) обогащать в культурном отношении

8) отставать, остаться позади

9) давать важное преимущество над другими

3 Find in the text the answers to the following questions.

1. How many people in the world speak the English language today?

2. Why is it said that English opens doors to academic world?

3. What is a lingua franca?

4. Why is English considered a lingua franca of the scientific community?

5. Why is a good command of English considered a useful skill for journalists?

6. How can you prove that knowledge of English increases an individual’s  employability?

4 Make up sentences using the table.

5 Which three reasons of learning English mentioned in the text do you think are the most important?

a) Write them down.

I think it is necessary / important to learn English because

first(ly), it is ________________________________________________________

second(ly), _________________________________________________________

third(ly), ___________________________________________________________

b) Write some other reasons important personally for you and explain why.

Personally, for me it is important to know English better because ________________­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ __________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

I believe that a good command of English will increase my employability because

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

c) have you decided on developing your skills in English? Now decide on the ways

to reach your goals in learning English. You may begin as follows:

In order to (для того, чтобы) learn English (better), I’m going to ______________

__________________________________________________________________

In order to improve my English, I’m going to ______________________________

__________________________________________________________________

For ideas: to attend classes regularly (not to skip classes), to be active in class, to work hard between the sessions, to do home assignments, to read and translate the texts, to learn words, to do one’s best.

GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY FOCUS

Join the sentences using the appropriate words because (потому, что), therefore (поэтому), in order to (для того, чтобы). Different variants are possible.

1. The British Empire expanded across almost a quarter of the world’s surface. English has become used in many countries.

2. The ability to speak English increases an individual’s employability. Today multinational corporations employ English-speakers in offices around the world.

3. The knowledge of English increases career opportunities. You can get professional information first hand.

4. English is the lingua franca of the scientific community. Roughly 80 % of all journals are published in English.

5. The number of people learning the English language is growing. The knowledge of English is vital in many professions.

6. The students are studying English. They want to become highly qualified specialists.

7. You want to improve your English. You should work hard.