Part II Reading Task

Comprehension

Content Question

Pair Work

1.        It has borrowed and is still borrowing massively from other languages. Today it has an estimated vocabulary of over one million words.

2.        They don’t like borrowing foreign words. They try to ban words from English.

3.        Old English or Anglo-Saxon English.

4.        The Germanic tribes brought it to the British Isles in the 5th century.

5.        They are usually short and direct.

6.        They use words derived from Old English.

7.        An English judge in India noticed that several words in Sanskrit closely resembled some words in Greek and Latin. A systematic study later revealed the Indo-European parent language.

8.        Greek, Latin, Sanskrit, English, etc.

9.        There were three languages competing for use in England.

10.    Words from Greek and Roman classics came into the English language.

11.    The great principles of freedom and rights of man were born in England, then the Americans carried them forward.

12.    No. English is and has always been the tongue of the common people. There should not be any fence around it to protect its so-called purity.

Text Organization

Working On Your Own

1.          

Part One: Massive borrowing from other languages is a major feature of the English language.

Part Two: the history of the English language from the Indo-European parent language to modern English.

Part Three: Tolerance, love of freedom, and respect for the rights of others---these qualities in the English-speaking people explain the richness of their language.

2.          

Paras. 10-11: Germanic tribes came to settle in Britain and brought Anglo-Saxon words---Old English.

Para. 12: The Christian religion enriched English with words from Greek and Latin.

Para. 13: the Vikings from Scandinavia came with words from Old Norse.

Para. 14: the Norman Conquest---French influence.

Para. 15: The European renaissance and the printing pressbrought many new words from Latin and Greek.

Para. 16: The American revolution---the emergence of a new variety---Amercan English.

Language Sense Enhancement

1.          

(1)     judge

(2)     resembled

(3)     systematic

(4)     descended

(5)     lost to us

(6)     come up with

(7)     assume

(8)     established

(9)     drifted

(10) became known as

Vocabulary

I

1.          

1)        Strictly speaking

2)        drifted

3)        resembles

4)        invaded

5)        is conquered

6)        fascinating

7)        snack

8)        put; into practice

9)        source

10)    climate

11)    surrendered

12)    were; aroused

2.          

1)        an absolute necessity rather than a luxury.

2)        is a valuable addition to the football team.

3)        will get out of control, if the firemen do not arrive within ten minutes.

4)        Alternative but to go via Vancouver to get to Seattle.

5)        Declared all beef imports will be banned for the next six months as an emergency measure to stop the spread of mad disease.

3.          

1)        systematic; have invented; to a very real extent; mysteries

2)        to establish; to be modified/modifying

3)        tolerance towards; strike out; enrich

II.    Synonyms

1.          

a)        wish

b)       wish

c)        want

d)       want/wish

2.          

a)        skin

b)       hide/skin

c)        hide

d)       skin

e)          

3.

a)        raise/rear

b)       raise

c)        rear/raise

d)       raise

4.         

a)        royal

b)       kingly/royal

c)        sovereign

d)       royal/kingly

III.          Usage

1.        Indeed

2.        though

3.        Frankly

4.        Moreover

5.        To my knowledge

6.        however

7.        nevertheless

8.        Yet

9.        instead

10.    in other words

Comprehensive Exercises

I.        cloze

1.          

(1)     fascinating

(2)     tolerance

(3)     invented

(4)     addition

(5)     ban

(6)     corrupt

(7)     out of control

(8)     influenced

(9)     elite

(10) came up with

(11) establishing

(12) Massive

(13) sources

(14) enrich

2.          

(1)     early

(2)     similar

(3)     source

(4)     observation

(5)     examine

(6)     features

(7)     declared

(8)     stronger

(9)     accident

(10) sprung

II.    Translation

1.          

1)        Many small businesses have sprung up in the city since the new policy went into effect.

2)        On hearing the news, she smiled briefly, and then returned to her habitual frown.

3)        He paused for effect, then said: “We can reach/enter these markets through new channels.”

4)        The addition of a concert hall to the school will help it nourish young musical talents.

5)        We have no way to protect our personal liberties until we have established a sovereign state. / We can’t protect our personal liberties unless we, first of all, establish a sovereign state.

2.          

Though how the English language came into existence remains a mystery to many people, linguists believe that English and most other European languages have descended from a common source: the Indo-European parent language. English was first spoken by the Anglo-Saxons who invaded England in the fifth century. They passed onto us the basic vocabulary of English. In over fifteen centuries of its development, English has enriched itself by massive borrowing. As British immigrants landed in America and established the United States as an independent nation, a new variety was added to the English language: American English. Though some people worry that the language is running out of control, many native speakers of English take pride in the tolerance of their language.