Pre-reading

 

1. Discussion Point

Answer the questions using the list on p. 30:

 

1) Which language in the world is spoken by most people?

2) Which language has the largest vocabulary?

3) Which is the oldest written language?

4) Which sub-continent has the largest number of languages?

5) Which language has no irregular verbs?

6) Which language has the most letters in its alphabet?

7) In which language is the largest encyclopedia printed?

 

Is it … Spanish - Cambodian – English – Egyptian – Esperanto - Mandarin Chinese – Indian?

2. Work in pairs. Do you think the following statements are true or false?

8) English was already an important world language four hundred years ago.

9) It is mainly because of the United States that English has become a world language.

10) One person out of seven in the world speaks perfect English.

11) There are few inflections in modern English.

12) In English, many words can be used as nouns.

13) English has borrowed words from many other languages.

14) One-third of the world’s population speaks English.

15) German is a promising language in the world.

16) In the future, all other languages will probably die out.

 

Reading

 

1. Scanning. Read the article on “English as a World Language”. Find out the answers to the true/false statements.