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Reading Comprehension Tasks
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The English language is the official language of more than 60 sovereign states. It is the third most popular mother tongue in the world after Mandarin and Spanish. English is taught to students of all faculties and departments of the Belarusian State University.
In Unit 2 you will learn how many people use English in their professional activities and try to decide for yourself whether it is worth learning English.
APPROACHING THE ISSUE
| 1 Study the map and name the countries where English is used. Countries in dark colour have the majority of native speakers. |
(from: http://www.berlitz.com.cn/english-135.html)
Ñ 2 Answer the questions of the Quiz, which help you to learn more about English and decide how many words you need to know in order to communicate effectively.
Mini Quiz
What do you know about the English language?
Why has the English language become a world language?
| a) It is the simplest one. | r | c) It is the easiest to study. | r |
| b) It is the most beautiful. | r | d) Because of the massive immigration of people. | r |
How many people speak the English language today?
| a) 3 million | r | c) 100 million | r |
| b) 6 million | r | d) 1 billion or more | r |
How many people speak English as their first language?
| a) 100 million | r | c) 400 million | r |
| b) 200 million | r | d) 800 million | r |
4. How large is the vocabulary of average ( обычный ) native English speakers? How many words do they use in their everyday speech?
| a) 2,500 | r | c) 7,500 | r |
| b) 5,000 | r | d) 10,000 | r |
5. How many words, do you think, does the average vocabulary of an educated native English speaker include?
| a) 20,000 to 30,000 | r | c) 50,000 to 60,000 | r |
| b) 40,000 to 50,000 | r | d) 70,000 to 80,000 | r |
How large should an active vocabulary of a person be in order to communicate effectively?
| a) 300 | r | c) 3,000 | r |
| b) 1,000 | r | d) 5,000 | r |
How many words are there in the English language?
| a) 100,000 | r | c) 250,000 | r |
| b) 150,000 | r | d) 500,000 or more | r |
What skills in English do you think you may need for your future profession?
| a) to read on professional subjects | r | c) to do research | r |
| b) to communicate effectively | r | d) to write and do interviews | r |
What are your personal goals of learning English?
| a) to enlarge my vocabulary | r | c) to develop grammar skills | r |
| b) to improve my reading skills | r | d) to speak well enough to pass an exam | r |
Sum up the information of the Quiz and tell the group why it is advisable to learn English and what skills you may need for your future profession.
Reading for information and discussion
& 1 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 can give to professionals.
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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 people1. It represents only about 8 percent of the earth’s population, but it is a very geographically widespread language, thanks to the former British Empire2. 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.
| Lingua franca – a language that is adopted as a common language between speakers whose native languages are different. |
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. English is also the first language of organizations such as the European Union, the United Nations, the Commonwealth of Nations, and the NATO.
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 journalist, a philosopher or a businessperson, knowing English can give you a vital edge over others.
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Notes:
1 Estimates that include second language speakers vary (варьируются) greatly from 470 million to over a billion depending on how literacy (грамотность) or mastery (владение, мастерство) is defined and measured.
2 Most people on earth – about 500 million – speak Mandarin Chinese. They make up 11 percent of the earth’s population but almost all of those millions are concentrated in China.
3 Science Citation Index (Индекс цитирования научных статей) covers more than 6,500 notable and significant journals across 150 disciplines, from 1900 to the present.
VOCABULARY BOX
| 1. reason – причина, основание 2. common(language)– общий (язык) common understanding – взаимопонимание 3. widespread(language, phenomenon)– широко распространенный (язык, явление) 4. universal – универсальный 5. to conduct(business deals, research)– проводить (деловые сделки, исследование) 6. to give the opportunity – дать возможность 7. to consider – считать to be generally considered – обычно считаться, рассматриваться 8. to attend(international conferences, lectures, classes)– посещать (международные конференции, лекции, занятия) 9. a good command of English – хорошее владение английским языком 10. to be vital – быть жизненно важным 11. to employ – брать на работу, нанимать employer – наниматель, работодатель employee – сотрудник employability – трудоустройство, возможность найти работу to increase employability – способствовать трудоустройству 12. to broaden the mind – расширять кругозор 13. to enrich(sbculturally) – обогащать (кого-то в культурном отношении) 14. to give a vital edge (over others)– дать важное преимущество (над другими) |
Reading Comprehension Tasks
Ñ1 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. | r |
| 2. One third of all business deals throughout the world are conducted in English. | r |
| 3. At least 35% of the content on the Internet is in English. | r |
| 4. English is considered to be the lingua franca of the scientific community. | r |
| 5. A good command of English is an increasingly useful skill. | r |
| 6. The ability to speak English increases an individual’s employability. | r |
| 7. Multinational corporations do not employ English-speakers in their offices around the world. | r |
| 8. Learning languages broadens the mind and enriches all of us culturally. | r |
Ñ!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 | _________________________________ |
| чрезвычайно важно | _________________________________ |
| 5. (вероятность) трудоустройства человека | _________________________________ ________________________________ |
| 6. расширять кругозор | _________________________________ |
| 7. обогащать в культурном отношении | _________________________________ _________________________________ |
| 8. отставать, остаться позади | _________________________________ |
| 9. давать важное преимущество над другими | _________________________________ _________________________________ |
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