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
外语
How did English Become a Global Language? 1 The rise of English is a remarkable tale as Professor David Crystal reminds us in hi
How did English Become a Global Language? 1 The rise of English is a remarkable tale as Professor David Crystal reminds us in hi
admin
2012-07-29
67
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, short book "English as a Global Language. "
2 It is certainly quite a theme. 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 ears, was probably spoken by about as few people as currently speak Cherokee, the language of a small North American Indian tribe—and with as 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 David 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 1950’s. 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, it 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 reinforcer of American cultural and linguistic dominance.
7 One of his most interesting passages concerns the role played by the League of Nations, and later the United Nations, in spreading English as an international language in the aftermath of the two world wars.
8 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 languages 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 ______
选项
答案
F
解析
本段简单介绍了英语两千年的历史,从无到有,从一个小语种成为一个世界性的大语种的过程。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/TKmd777K
本试题收录于:
职称英语卫生类A级题库职称英语分类
0
职称英语卫生类A级
职称英语
相关试题推荐
•Youwillhearateachertalkingaboutacampingtrip.•Foreachquestion,fillinthemissinginformationinthenumberedspa
Whatisthewriter’smainpurposeinwritingthistext?AftermeetingEukhtuul,Samanthafelt
Whatisthewriter’smainpurposeinwritingthistext?Whatdoesthewritersayabouttheapartments?
Accordingtothefirstparagraph,whichofthefollowingisNOTaproblemofaging?Theexpression"iftheycanaffordtoretir
AAddressingaVarietyofBehavior-affectingFactorsBImportanceofImmunizationCRelationshipwithOtherHealthServicesD
AAddressingaVarietyofBehavior-affectingFactorsBImportanceofImmunizationCRelationshipwithOtherHealthServicesD
Thespecial-effectsrevolutionbeganinthemid-1980swithStarWars.Bythestop-motionprocess,manyseparateshotscanbeco
Twoeventshavehighlightedthetensionsinrecentyears.
AssoonasLindawentintothedepartmentthatsoldraincoats,shesensedtherewassomethingunusualintheatmosphere.Fir
随机试题
在考生文件夹下打开文档WORD.DOCX,按照要求完成下列操作并以该文件名(WORD.DOCX)保存文档。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)19:30一21:30在校国际会议中心举办题
经营实力分析不包括()
治疗急性呼吸衰竭最基本最重要的措施是
与制酸药合用不符合用药目的的是
位于腹膜后的脏器是
申请投资主办人注册的人员应当具备的条件有()。Ⅰ.已取得证券从业资格Ⅱ.具有2年以上证券投资、研究、投资顾问或类似从业经历Ⅲ.具备良好的诚信记录及职业操守Ⅳ.最近3年内没有受到监管部门的行政处罚
"Forestsarethelungsofourland,"saidFranklinDelanoRoosevelt.Twentyyearsago,theworld’slungswerediseased.Roughly
[A]Americans’abilitytotakethemortgageinterestdeductionranksuptherewiththerighttobeararmsandwatchfootballgame
YouwillhearaninterviewfocusingonLenovo’sbusiness.Foreachquestion(23-30),markoneletter(A,BorC)forthecorrec
Thefollowingareessentialrequirementsforwhichjobs?Writethecorrectletter,A,BorC,nexttoquestions11-15.
最新回复
(
0
)