Text A. Learning Foreign Languages

Learning a foreign language is not an easy thing. It is a long and slow process that takes a lot of time and effort. Nowadays it is especially important to know foreign languages.

English is one of the most speaking languages in the world. Over 300 million people speak English as a mother tongue. It is the national language of Great Britain, the United States of America, Australia and New Zealand. It is also one of the official languages in Canada, the Irish Republic and the Republic of South Africa. As a second language it is spoken in India, Singapore, Pakistan and many other former British and US colonies in Africa and Asia.

Millions of people speak English as a foreign language. It is the major international language of communication in politics, science, business, education, mass entertainment and international tourism. Half of the world’s scientific literature is in English. It is also the language of computer technology. English is one of the official languages of the United Nations Organization.

English is a wonderful language. It is the language of William Shakespeare, Jonathan Swift, Walter Scott, Charles Dickens.

The great German poet Goethe said, “He, who knows no foreign language, does not know his own one”. To know English today is absolutely necessary for every educated man, for every good specialist.

Vocabulary

I. Read the text ‘Learning Foreign Languages’ and answer the questions:

1. Is it easy for you to learn a foreign language?

2. Why do people learn foreign languages?

3. Why do you learn exactly English?

4. Do many people in the world speak English as a mother tongue?

5. What language is used by scientists?

6. Do you like English? (Are you fond of English?)

II. Read the following selection without a dictionary. Try to understand it.

ENGLISH AROUND THE WORLD

"Do you speak English?" - this question is most frequently heard when people from different countries gather. Although there are almost three thou­sand languages, English is the most universal. It is the official language in over forty countries and the most used language in international business, science and medicine. Some people believe that English should be the international lan­guage, they think things would run more smoothly if everyone spoke the same language.

It is important to learn English to feel confident. English is everywhere. It is in signs, clothing, soft drinks and household products around the world. The names of pop groups, computer software and magazines are often presented in English. English words are also used as an element of magic to be included on T-shirts, sweat shirts, caps etc. Some think English is chic, English is stylish, even when the English on these designed items makes no sense. Sometimes we use English words for effect rather than as a language, for example adding "O.K!" or "No problem" to the end of our talk. I don't think whether it is good or not. It's our reality, and we live in it.

Learning English is important for you if you want to know what is going on in the world. With recent advances in technology, the world is changing rap­idly in many fields, such as business, arts and medicine. These changes will af­fect you soon and it is important for you to read and keep up with these changes. In fact, learning English is the answer to a lot of things that you need and want.

Ш. Read the selection again. Identify the key-words and write them out.

IV. Find the key sentence in each paragraph of the text “English Around the
world”.

V. Suggest a headline to each paragraph.

VI. Make up the plan of the text ‘ English Around the world ’. Retell the text ac­-
cording to your plan.

VII. It's interesting to know...

"Hooligan"

Do you know the word "hooligan"? Yes, you know the word and you don't like hooligans, of course.But do you know that Hooligan was an English surname and not a word? In 1890 there lived in London a man whose surname was Hooligan. He was a very bad man and he behaved so badly, that soon eve­rybody in London knew him and talked about him. When somebody began to behave badly, people said, "Oh, he behaves like Hooligan," and a new word was born. You can find this word not only in English but in some other lan­guages too.

"Mackintosh"

Do you know what a mackintosh is? Of course, you do. But do you know that the word "Mackintosh" is a surname.In 1823 in Scotland lived a man whose name was Charles Mackintosh. It often rained in Great Britain, and Charles Mackintosh got wet quite often.One day he rubberized his coat and it became waterproof. Many of his friends liked his coat and asked him to rubber­ize their coats too. Soon many people began to rubberize their coats and called those coats "mackintosh".

VIII. Say what you think about the following:

1. What are the reasons for an increasing influence of English on our life?

2. Can you name any words from English that have entered the Russian lan­-
guage?

3. What is English to you?

4. How much has English influenced your thinking and your culture?

5. Is it possible to learn English without the culture of English-speaking coun­-
tries?

IX. Make up a story about the English language. Use the following scheme:

the English language

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