The fear of Americanization of the planet is a more ideological paranoia than reality. There is no doubt that, with globalizatio

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问题     The fear of Americanization of the planet is a more ideological paranoia than reality. There is no doubt that, with globalization, English has become the general language of our time, as was Latin in the Middle Ages; and it will continue its ascent, since it is an indispensable instrument for international transactions and communication. But does this mean that English necessarily develops at the expense of the other great languages? Absolutely not. In fact, the opposite is true. The vanishing of borders and an increasingly interdependent world have created incentives for new generations to learn and assimilate other cultures, not merely as a hobby, but also out of necessity, because the ability to speak several languages and navigate comfortably in different cultures has become crucial for professional success.
    Consider the case of Spanish. Half a century ago, Spanish speakers were an inward- looking community; they projected themselves in only very limited ways beyond their traditional linguistic confines. Today, Spanish is dynamic and thriving, gaining beachheads or even vast landholdings on all five continents. That there are between 25 and 30 million Spanish speakers in the United States today explains why the two recent U.S. presidential candidates—the Texas governor George W Bush and the vice-president A1 Gore—campaigned not only in English, but also in Spanish.

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答案 对全球美国化的恐惧是一种思想意识上的多疑,这种“美国化”并不是实际情况。毫无疑问,随着全球一体化,英语已经成为我们这个时代的通用语言,就像中世纪的拉丁语一样;因为英语是国际事务和国际交流中不可缺少的工具,所以它的地位将继续提高。但这就意味着英语必须以牺牲其他主要语言为代价而发展吗?绝对不是。实际上,情况恰恰相反。国界的消失以及一个日益相互依赖的世界已促使新生代去学习和吸收其他文化——这不只是作为一种爱好,还是出于需要,因为能够讲好几种语言、能轻松自在地生活于不同文化的能力对你的事业取得成功已经变得十分重要。 想一想西班牙语这个例子。半个世纪以前,讲西班牙语的人只是一个倾向自我交流的群体;表达他们自己的方式也被他们的语音束缚得很有限。如今,西班牙语充满活力、生机勃勃,已在五大洲站稳脚跟,或者说五大洲中讲西班牙语的人已经很多了。现在,美国有2500万~3000万人讲西班牙语,这一事实解释了最近的两位美国总统候选人——德克萨斯州州长乔治W.布什和副总统埃尔?戈尔——不仅用英语而且还用西班牙语唇枪舌剑的原因。

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