Question

In the English language there are striking similarities to many of the characteristics present in Spanish, French, and German. So what are the things that make English so difficult for foreign people to learn?

English doesn’t necessarily have more regular consonant(辅音) or vowel(元音) sounds than other languages, but how the stress is placed on some of those consonants or vowels makes it such a difficult language for learners. There are hard and soft consonants like “c” taking on a “k” sound or an “s” sound depending upon the situation. There are silent letters in some words and then some consonants that take on an entirely different sound ( like “th” ) when combined. The changes in the pronunciation of words make English much more difficult to learn.

Another thing that makes English difficult to learn has to do with verb tense. Some languages have very limited changes in verb tense, sometimes just present and past, which makes it relatively simple to grasp. English, on the other hand, is a bit more difficult in this area. For example, in different situations it may be proper to use any of the following tenses: present, past, future, past perfect or present perfect. The verb “choose” can be used in the following forms depending on tense: choose, chose or chosen. This can be very difficult for a foreigner to grasp.

Slang(俚语) is more widely used in American English than proper grammar. In the US just knowing the language as it’s generally taught isn’t enough. In every single region or even close neighborhoods, the same slang terms make an almost entirely different language. In some areas there are repeatedly used terms that wouldn’t even be found in the Webster’s Dictionary. They are created by locals and only locals understand them. This can make it very difficult for someone not familiar with the language to get used to it, especially if they don’t remain in one area for a very long period.

1.The purpose of this passage is to ________.

A. tell us how to deal with slang terms in English

B. encourage us to speak formal English

C. tell us why English is very difficult to learn

D. give advice on how to learn English well

2.According to the passage, the letter “c” in English ________.

A. is often silent

B. has at least two sounds

C. never takes on an “s” sound

D. is always stressed

3.Compared with other languages, ________.

A. English has very limited changes in verb tense

B. English has relatively simple verb tense to grasp

C. English has more forms of verbs according to the tense

D. English has three more verb tenses

4.It can be inferred from the passage that ________.

A. pronunciation is the most difficult thing in English learning

B. all the slang terms should be added to the Webster’s Dictionary

C. if you want to learn English well you first should learn some slang terms

D. people may understand the local language after living in a place for years

Answer 1