Question

As the English language has changed at a fast speed in this century, so has the use of the English language.

After the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) was founded in 1927, the particular style of speech of the BBC announcers was recognized as Standard English or Received Pronunciation (RP) English. Now, most people still consider that the pronunciation and delivery of BBC announcers is the clearest and most understandable spoken English.

English has had a strong relationship with class and social position. However, since the Second World War there has been a clear change of the attitude towards speech snobbery（语言上的优越）, and marks of class distinction, such as styles of speech, have been gradually got rid of, especially by the younger generation.

As the need has arisen, new words have been invented or found from other languages and introduced into English. Similarly, old words and expressions have been put aside as their usefulness has become less or the fashions have passed．This also happens to styles and ways of speech which became fashionable at a particular time.

By the end of the 1960s it became clear that it was not necessary to speak Standard English or even correct grammar to become popular, successful and rich. The fashionable speech of the day was no longer the special right of a special class but rather a defiant（不服的）expression of classlessness.

The greatest single influence of the shaping of the English, language in modern times is the American English. Over the past 25 years the English, used by many people, particularly by those in the media, advertising and show business, has become more and more mid-Atlantic in style, delivery and accent.

In the 1970s, fashion favored careless pronunciation and a language full of jargon, slang and “in” words, much of which can’t be understood by the outside world．What is considered modern and fashionable in Britain today is often not the kind of English taught in schools and colleges.

1．Which of the following is NOT true?

       A．The use of the English language has not changed much in this century.

       B．the BBC announcers speak Standard English.

       C．English has no relationship with class and social position now.

       D．Young people don’t like the special right of a special class.

2．What does the author imply by saying “there is has been a clear change of the attitude towards speech snobbery (Para 3)?

       A．People all speak English like BBC announcers.

       B．There is a great change of the attitude about how English should be spoken.

     C．Some people still believe their way of speaking is much better than that of others.

      D．Most people don’t believe their way of speaking is much better than that of others.

3．According to the author, there was a trend in the US for the young people ____.

       A．to speak Standard English.                                                             

       B．to speak English without class distinction

       C．to speak English with class distinction   

       D．to speak English with grammar mistakes

4．It can be concluded from the passage that ____.

       A．Standard English is taught only in school and colleges

       B．the young English are defiant because they refuse to speak Standard English.

       C．the English language is not influenced by American English in the last 25 years

       D．there has been a great change in the English language in this century

Answer 1

ADBD