Learning foreign languages is important nowadays. I think that any educated person must learn foreign languages. But I prefer English to other foreign languages. Why? English is becoming a global language. A half of billion people in the world use English at home or work. English is the language which is known for the most part of our fine, magnificent and surprising world. English is so widespread that it has become the standard language for all kinds of international communication.
A lot of problems of the 21st century, such as the problems of war and peace, ecology, can not be solved without speaking the same language.
The English language is now the first language of about 350 million people, the native language of 12 nations and the official language of more than 33 nations. It means that one of seven people in the world speaks English.
English is also the international language of businesspeople, pilots and air traffic controllers, sportsmen, scientists and students. If you want to be a stewardess, a pilot or an air control officer you have to learn English, the language of international communication. Every year thousands of people from Russia go to different countries as tourists or to work. They can’t go without knowing the language of the country they are going to. A modern engineer or even a worker cannot work with an imported instrument or a machine if he is not able to read the instruction how to do that.
Some people learn English because they need it in their work; others to travel aboard and for lots of people learning English is just a hobby.