Active Skills for Reading 1 (Unit 8: Language and Communication)


CHAPTER 1 - Which English Will We Speak?

Reading Skill - Identifying Main Ideas

When we read, we try to make connections between what we are reading and what we already know. It is easier to make those connections if we know the main idea of the text.

A. Skim each paragraph of the passage. Then match each paragraph to its main idea.

  1. Paragraph 1
  2. Paragraph 2
  3. Paragraph 3
  4. Paragraph 4
  5. Paragraph 5

  1. There are many varieties of English.
  2. The future of English is uncertain.
  3. English is widely used and growing in countries like China and Russia.
  4. The first group consists of countries with native English speakers.
  5. Countries like India and Malaysia use their own variety of English in everyday life.

B. Skim the passage again quickly. Then complete the sentence below.

The main idea of this passage is that

  1. the most important type of English continues to be British English
  2. there are many types of English, and they will continue to change
  3. English will not be the international language for much longer

C. Now read the entire passage carefully.

English is called an international language, but there are actually quite a few varieties of English that exist around the world. English originated in England, but soon English spread to other countries, and different varieties of English began to exist. Today, the countries in which English is spoken can be divided into three groups.

The first group is made of those countries where English is the primary language. These are countries like England, Canada, the United States, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. There are more than 380 million native1 speakers of English in these countries alone.

There is a second group of countries that have their own varieties of English. Their histories have been directly influenced by one of the early English-speaking societies. They use English in various important ways within their own government and everyday life. India, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Kenya are examples of this group. The total number of speakers in this group is in the hundreds of millions.

In a third group of countries, English is widely used as a foreign language. However, citizens use their native language within their own government and in everyday life. Some countries in this group are China, Russia, Japan, Korea, Brazil, Indonesia, and many Western European countries. Some people calculate the number of speakers in this group to be as many as one billion-and it is growing fast.

This changing situation raises many questions. Will another language replace English as the international language? If not, will,people continue to use the English of countries such as England or the United States as models? Will new varieties of English develop in countries such as China or Brazil? Or, in the future, will a new international variety of English develop that doesn't belong to any one country, but to an entire area like Asia or Europe?

1 Your native language is the first language you learned to speak.

Chapter - 1: Before You Read - Languages Without Borders Chapter - 1: Reading Comprehension - Check Your Understanding

Bình luận


Các task khác trong bài học