5. What type of developing countries would be most likely to use English?

A. Those geographically close to the United States.

B. Those interested in the culture of the United States.

C. Former colonies of Great Britain.

D. Countries where international conferences are held.

[答案解析]

本文介绍了英语的发展变化情况，说明了英语最后成为世界语言的原因及英语在当代社会中的重要性。

4. What forms an adequate working knowledge of English?

A. The ability to read a newspaper.

B. It is difficult to judge because it differs for each situation.

C. Being a multilingual.

D. Being a native speaker.

3. According to the passage, what is the main reason for the widespread use of English?

A. It was popular during Shakespeare’s time.

B. It is used in former British colonies.

C. It serves the needs of its native speakers.

D. It is a world language that is used for international communication.

2. Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A. Some 260 million people in the world have an adequate working knowledge of English.

B. There are some 260 million native speakers of English in the world.

C. It is almost impossible to estimate the number of people with an adequate working knowledge of English.

D. People learn English for a variety of reasons.

1. What would be the best title for this passage?

A. The Difficulties of Learning English

B. International Communications

C. The Standard Varieties of English

D. English as a World Language

5. B。推断题。根据 …not objectively true, do not exist可知有些人不赞成神话故事的原因是这些故事是编出来的，远离现实。故选B。

(3)

The number of speakers of English in Shakespeare’s time is estimated(估计) to have been about five million. Today it is estimated that some 260 million people speak it as a native language, mainly in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. In addition to the standard varieties of English found in these areas, there are a great many regional and social varieties of the language as well as various levels of usage that are employed both in its spoken and written forms.

In fact, it is impossible to estimate the number of people in the world who have acquired an adequate(足够的) working knowledge of English in addition to their own languages. The purpose for English learning and the situations in which such learning takes place are so varied that it is difficult to explain and still more difficult to judge what forms an adequate working knowledge for each situation.

The main reason for the widespread demand for English is its present-day importance as a world language. Besides serving the indefinite needs of its native speakers, English is a language in which some of important works in science, technology, and other fields are being produced, and not always by native speakers. It is widely used for such purposes as meteorological and airport communications, international conferences, and the spread of information over the radio and television networks of many nations. It is a language of wider communication for a number of developing countries, especially former British colonies. Many of these countries have multilingual populations and need a language for internal communication in such matters as government, commerce, industry, law and education as well as for international communication and for entrance to the scientific and technological developments in the West.

4. B。推断题。有些人认为神话不现实，都是教孩子一些不存在的东西，会对孩子有不好的影响。作者用虚拟语气作了一个假设，如果这些观点站得住脚的话，可能会出现这样的情况：the world should be full of mad men attempting to fly from New York to Philadelphia on a stick or covering a telephone with kisses in the belief that it was their beloved girl-friend. 可见持这种观点的人实际上是对神话的一种误解。

3. A。细节题。根据Familiarity with the story by repetition turns the pain of fear into the pleasure of a fear faced and mastered.可以得出此答案。

2. B。细节题。根据 this arises(出现) from the child having heard the story once. 可推知此题答案为B。

1. C。细节题。根据 It is always much better to tell a story than read it out of a book, and, if a parent can produce what, in the actual situation of the time and the child, is an improvement on the printed text, so much the better. 可推知此题答案为C。