18.English and its history
All through history,people from many different countries and cultures have lived together in Britain.(61)The English language is made up of the grammar and vocabulary these people brought to Britain.That is why English has so many difficult rules that confuse people.
(62)古英语 is very different from the English we speak nowadays.
(63)事实上,we would not be able to understand it if we heard it today.Before the middle of the 5th century,people in Britain all spoke a language called Celtic.Then two Germanic groups from the European mainland-the Angles and the Saxons-occupied Britain.Old English consisted of a mixture of their languages.(64) At the end of the 9th century,the Vikings,people from Northern European countries such as Denmark and Norway,began to move to Britain.They brought with them their languages,which also mixed with Old English.By the 10th century,Old English had become the official language of England.
(65) When we speak English today,we sometimes feel puzzled about which words or phrases to use.This is because English has many words and phrases from different languages,but with similar meanings.For example,the word sick came from a word once used by the Angles and the Saxons,while ill came from a word once used by the Norwegians.
61.英语是由语法和词汇构成的.
62.Old English
63.In fact
64.在九世纪末
65.今天当我们讲英语的时候.