Раздел 2. Задания по чтению
Прочитайте тексты и установите соответствие между текстами и их заголовками: к
каждому тексту, обозначенному буквами А-G, подберите соответствующий заголовок,
обозначенный цифрами 1-8. Используйте каждую цифру только один раз. В задании
есть один лишний заголовок. _________________________
1. International language 5.
2. English was not for everyone 6.
3. American English 7.
4. Necessary for communication 8.
Former British colonies
The Norman conquest of England
Efficient ways to learn English
English-speaking countries
A. The problem of learning languages is very important today. Foreign languages are socially
demanded especially at the present time when the progress in science and technology has led
to an explosion of knowledge and has contributed to an overflow of information. The total
knowledge of mankind is known to double every seven years. Foreign languages are needed
as the main and the most efficient means of information exchange of the peoples.
B. Today English is the language of the world. Over 300 million people speak it as a mother
tongue. The native speakers of English live in Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand and the
United States of America. English is one of the official languages in the Irish Republic,
Canada, the South African Republic. As a second language it is used in the former British
and US colonies.
C. English is not only the national or official language of some thirty states which represent
different cultures, but it is also the major international language for communication in such
areas as science, technology, business and mass entertainment. English is one of the official
languages of the United Nations Organisation and other political organisations. It is the
language of literature, education, modem music, international tourism.
D. What did the Norman Conquest do to England? It gave it French kings and nobles who
brought with them the French language. After the Norman Conquest there were three
languages in England. There was Latin, the language of the church in which all learned men
wrote and spoke. Then there was French, the language which the kings and nobles spoke and
wrote. Finally, there was the English language which remained the language of poor people
who did not understand French or Latin but spoke only English.
E. So far there is no universal or ideal method of learning languages. Everybody has his own
way. Sometimes it is boring to study grammar or to leam new words. But it is well known
that reading original books in English, listening to the BBC news, communicating with the
English speaking people will help a lot. When learning a foreign language you leam the
culture and history of native speakers.
F. The conquest of England by the Normans began in 1066 with the battle of Hastings, where
the English fought against the Normans. The conquest was complete in 1086.
Who were these Normans who conquered England? They were Vikings or 'Norsemen', men
from the North. Some 150 years before the conquest of England they came to a part of
France, opposite England, a part which we now call Normandy.
G. The beginning of 1600thwas the English colonization of North America and the creation of
an American dialect. Some pronunciations and usages didn’t change when they reached the
American shore. In certain respects, American English is closer to the English of
53
Shakespeare than modem British English is. Some "Americanisms" are actually originally
British expressions that were preserved in the colonies while lost at home (e.g., fall as a
synonym for autumn, trash for rubbish, loan as a verb instead of lend).
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