Over the past 600 years, English has grown from a language of few speakers to become the dominant language of international communication. English as we know it today emerged around 1350, after having incorporated many elements of French that were introduced following the Norman invasion of 1030. Until the 1600s, English was, for the most part, spoken only in England and had not attended even as far as Wales, Scotland, or Ireland. However, during the course of the next two centuries, English began to spread around the globe as a result of exploration, trade (including slave trade), colonization, and missionary work. Thus, small enclaves of English speakers became established and grew in various parts of the world. As these communities proliferated, English gradually became the primary language of international business, banking, and diplomacy.
Currently, about 80 percent of the information stored on computer systems Worldwide is in English. Two-thirds of the world’s science writing is in English, and English is the main language of technology, advertising, media, international airports, and air traffic controllers.
Today there are more than 700 million English Users in the world, and over half of these are non-native speakers, constituting the largest number of non-native users than any other language in the world.
- English used to be a language of many speakers in the past. _________________
- Trading was the only reason that let to the spread of English in the world. _________________
- English is used in the field of science and technology. _________________
- Nowadays, fewer people speak English worldwide compared to French. _________________
Read the passage again and choose the best answer (A, B, C or D)
- The passage is mainly about _______________.
A. Non – native speakers B. The expansion of English
C. Computing D. The Norman invasion
- The word “stored” is closest in meaning to _______________.
A. spent B. bought C. saved D. valued
