English is spoken as a first language by most people in the USA，Britain，Australia，New Zealand，Ireland and Canada. However，English is spoken all over the world. It is the main language in over 60 countries，including India，Singapore and many of the Caribbean and Pacific islands. In these places English is often a second language.
English is also an international language in many other countries，like China and Japan. People in these countries use it for business，and travelers to these countries use English when they get there to communicate. Other people may learn English because they enjoy reading books in English，listening to British or American music or watching American films.
English has changed a lot over the years and still goes on changing. It is no longer right to talk about British English or American English if the speakers come or don’t come from those countries. People in Japan and Korea，for example，may use the American spelling but may not sound like Americans.
English will probably be the most widely used language in the world by the end of the 21st century. This language no longer belongs to British，American or Australian speakers. It belongs to anyone in the world. So，as a middle school student of English today, think about how you can use this language. After you leave school, you will almost certainly need it.
【小题1】In how many countries is English spoken as a first language in the passage?

Every year in English-speaking countries, people list the most popular names. Here are some examples. In the United States at the moment, the three most popular names are Emily, Emma, and Madison. For boys, they are Michael, Joshua and Mathew. In Britain parents today might call their little girl Grace, Jessica or Ruby. If they have a little boy, they could call him Jack, Thomas or Oliver.
In China names have very clear meanings. If a girl is called Mei, her name means “beautiful”. If a boy is called “Wu”, his name means “ like a soldier”. Names in English-speaking countries are like this too. The girl’s name Joy is probably chosen because the parents with their daughter to be joyful and bring joy to others. If a girl is Ruby, it may be because of the beautiful valuable stone.
Parents often pick names that can be shortened. They might choose such names because they want to be able to speak to their child in a personal way.
For exampale, a popualr name is William. But William can be shortened to Will, Willy, Bill and Billy. The same is true of the favourite old name for a girl, Elizabeth. Elizabeth can be shortened to Beth, Liza and Liz.
Another reason children get the names is that parents want their boy or girl after someone who is famous, such as an actor, a pop star or sports star. David is a popular name in Britain, partly because David Beckham is a famous footballer.

1. 1.

   At the moment, Michael is one of the three most popular names for boys _______ while Grace for __________ in Britain.

2. 2.

   Mei means ________ and Ruby means ________ according to the passage.

3. 3.

   From this passage, we know that both parents in ________ countries and in China would like to choose names for their __________.

4. 4.

   Parents often pick names that can be _________ so that they can ____________ in a personal way.

5. 5.

   David is a popular name in Britain partly __________________ the famous football _____________, David Beckham.

　　If you can speak English, you know a lot of English words. You can read, speak and understand. But there is another kind of language you need to know—the language of the body.

　　All over the world, people “talk” with their hands, with their heads and with their eyes. When Japanese people meet, they bow (鞠躬；弯腰). When Indians meet, they put their hands together. What do American and British people do?

　　Americans are more informal than the British. They like to be friendly. They use first names, they ask questions and they talk easily about themselves. When they sit down, they like to relax in their chairs and make themselves comfortable.

　　British people are more reserved (矜持的，保守的). They take more time to make friends. They like to know you before they ask you something of your home.

　　When British and American people meet someone for the first time, they shake hands. They do not usually shake hands with people they know well. Women sometimes kiss their women friends, and men kiss women friends. When a man meets a man friend, he just smiles, and says “Hello”. Men do not kiss each other or hold hands. Even fathers and sons do not often kiss each other.

(1) People can communicate with each other using ________.

[　　]

A．only words

B．only body language

C．only the English language

D．not only words but also body language

(2) We can learn from the passage that ________.

[　　]

A．handshake and kiss can not be used in greeting

B．people can “talk” with their hands, heads and eyes

C．only a few people use body language

D．body language is more often used by people than words

(3) British people take more time to make friends because ________.

[　　]

A．they are quite conservative (保守的)

B．they don't like people to go to their homes

C．they are not as friendly as the Americans

D．they find it more interesting to stay alone

(4) When Indians meet, they ________.

[　　]

(5) In the USA and Britain, ________.

[　　]

A．men always kiss their women friends when they meet

B．people would like to shake hands whenever they meet their friends

C．women are more likely to kiss each other while men aren't

About 800 million people in the world speak English, about 15% of the world’s population.

About 400 million people speak   1   as their first language in the United States, Great Britain, Ireland, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand and so on.

About 300 million people speak English as a   2   language, for example, in many parts of India and Africa people speak one language   3   with their family and friends but use English for work. The children study their lessons in English at school.

About 100 million people speak English as a foreign language. For example, in Germany people don’t use English   4   and they don’t speak it at home. In school they study most of their lessons in their native language, German, and English is an extra (单独设置的) lesson. At work they use English for business with people from   5  .

Why do so many people speak English in the world? That’s because America is very

  6   in business all over the world. American culture is very popular too. In most countries people can   7   English through Hollywood films, TV programs and pop music. English is especially important for the world’s   8  , for science and technology; for pop music and for air travel.

However, the language spoken by the greatest number of people is  9 , which is spoken by over one   10  people; the amazing thing is that they are all nation speakers.

1．A. Chinese        B. German       C. France         D. English

2．A. second                B. first            C. native          D. new

3．A. in public       B. at school        C. at home        D. at work

4．A. all the time       B. for ever        C. in the future   D. at a time

5．A. other countries  B. America          C. Canada       D. Australia

6．A. strong           B. weak            C. popular       D. welcome

7．A. read             B. hear             C. speak                D. watch

8．A. population         B. history           C. environment     D. business

9．A. English          B. Chinese         C. Japanese         D. Russian

10．A. million          B. hundred thousand  C. billion         D. hundred million