首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
自考
How did English Become a Global Language? (1)The rise of English is a remarkable tale as Professor David Crystal reminds us
How did English Become a Global Language? (1)The rise of English is a remarkable tale as Professor David Crystal reminds us
admin
2013-09-17
36
问题
How did English Become a Global Language?
(1)The rise of English is a remarkable tale as Professor David Crystal reminds us in his attractive book.
(2)When Julius Caesar landed in Britain more than 2, 000 years ago, English did not exist. Five hundred years later, English, virtually incomprehensible to modern eras, was probably spoken by about as few people as currently speak Cherokee, the language of a small North American Indian tribe—and with little influence. About 1, 000 years later, at the end of the 16th century, and after the Norman Conquest, the Reformation and the arrival of commercial printing technology, English was the native speech of between 5 million and 7 million people. And yet now look at it. As the second millennium approaches, English is more widely scattered, more widely spoken and written than any other language has ever been. In the title of the book, it has become a truly global language. According to Crystal, about 2.09 billion people, well over one-third of the world’ s population are routinely exposed to it.
(3)As he rightly points out, what is impressive about this staggering figure is:" Not so much the grand total but the speed with which expansion has taken place since the 1950s. In 1950, the case for English as a world language would have been no more than plausible. Fifty years on and the case is virtually won. "
(4)So what happened?
(5)Someone once said that a language is a dialect with an army and a navy. In other words, when the British navy set out to conquer the world, is set out an "army" of English speakers. As the British Empire spread throughout the world, English became the basis of law, commerce and education. The British Empire was succeeded by another(the American), which shared virtually the same linguistic heritage. American English, which has become the rocket-fuel of the English language, has magically found its way into areas undreamed of 40, let alone 400 years ago.
(6)The most valuable part of Crystal’ s study is the section devoted to a speedy analysis of the cultural basis of this global reach, notably the influence of broadcasting, press, advertising, popular music and film. He is also up-to-date and informative in his identification of the World-Wide-Web as a powerful enhancer of American cultural and linguistic dominance.
(7)What does the future hold? To this question, Crystal proposes the recognition of a new form of English—WSSE(World Standard Spoken English)—which almost by definition rules out the possibility that English would fragment into mutually unintelligible language as Latin once did. "English, in some shape or form, will find itself in the service of the world community forever, " Crystal writes.
A. The Future of English
B. The Speed of the Spread of English
C. The Role Played by Culture and the Net
D. The Role Played by Military Expansion
E. The Role Played by Education
F. The 2, 000 Years of English
Paragraph(6):
选项
答案
C
解析
本段主要讲述了文化、网络以及传媒对语言的发展和传播所起的作用,很容易选出正确答案。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/T4AR777K
本试题收录于:
英语(二)题库公共课分类
0
英语(二)
公共课
相关试题推荐
Curiosityisnotonlyapossiblemotivation,itisalsoagreathelpinyourlearninglanguages.Rememberthatalanguageisnot
Thethreatofaglobaloutbreak(疾病大爆发)ofbirdflumakesiturgentfortheinternationalcommunitytocooperateeffectively.Weal
Itisnoteasytodecidewhetherareportistrueornot.OnereportofanunidentifiedobjectcamefromaBritishaeroplaneon
ThereportcametotheBritishonMay21,1941.TheGermanbattleshipBismarck,themostpowerfulwarshipintheworld,wasmovi
ThereportcametotheBritishonMay21,1941.TheGermanbattleshipBismarck,themostpowerfulwarshipintheworld,wasmovi
GPSChildLocatorLetsParentsKnowTheirWhereaboutsChildrenmaynotlikeitbutaBritishtechnologyfirmhasinventedan
GPSChildLocatorLetsParentsKnowTheirWhereaboutsChildrenmaynotlikeitbutaBritishtechnologyfirmhasinventedan
BritishColumbiaBritishColumbiaisthethirdlargestCanadianprovince,bothinareaandpopulation.Itisnearly1.5time
随机试题
Bezold三征指的是
为昏迷患者插胃管,为提高成功率,当胃管插至15cm时将患者头部托起,使下颌靠近胸骨柄,其目的是增大
某男性工人,从事含氟塑料生产工作。突然自觉头晕、乏力、低热、胸闷,呼吸困难,到医院就诊。采集病史时应注意询问从事以下何种工种
下列关于质量检测的主要方法和抽样方式的内容,正确的是()。
在下列哪种情形下,用人单位支付劳动者的工资可以低于最低工资标准()
人民警察使用武器造成犯罪分子或者无辜人员受伤的,应当及时抢救受伤人员,保护现场,并立即向当地公安机关或其所属公安机关报告。当地公安机关或者该人民警察所属机关接到报告后,应当及时通知()。
食物中毒:豆角
海底:隧道:汽车
某高校为了使学生更好地进行职场定位和职业准备,提高就业能力,该校学工处将于2013年4月29日(星期五)19:30—21:30在校国际会议中心举办题为“领慧讲堂——大学生人生规划”就业讲座,特别邀请资深媒体人、著名艺术评论家赵蕈先生担任演讲嘉宾。请根据上
请在“答题”菜单下选择“电子表格”命令,然后按照题目要求再打开相应的命令,完成下面的内容,具体要求如下:注意:下面出现的所有文件都必须保存在考生文件夹下。打开工作簿文件EXCEL.XLSX,将工作表sheet1的A1:D1单元格合并
最新回复
(
0
)