English as a Foreign Language

　 Who taught you to speak English? Your parents, while you were a young child? Your teachers at school? Perhaps even the BBC as a grown-up. Whoever it was, somehow you have developed an understanding of what is rapidly becoming a truly global language.

　 There are now about 376 million people who speak English as their first language, and about the same number who have learnt it in addition to their mother tongue. There are said to be one billion people learning English now and about 80% of the information on the Internet is in English.

　 Is this a good thing, or a bad thing? Should we celebrate the fact that more and more of us can communicate, using a common language, across countries and cultures（文化）？Or should we worry about the dangers of ‘mono-centralism’, a world in which we all speak the same language, eat the same food and listen to the same music?

　 Does it matter if an increasing number of people speak the same language? On the contrary（相反），I would have thought－although I have never accepted the argument that if only we all understood each other better, there would be fewer wars. Ask the people of India（where many of them speak at least some English）and Pakistan（the same situation with India）…

　 If we all speak English, will we then all start eating McDonalds burgers? Surely not. If English becomes more dominant（占主导地位的）, it will kill other languages ? I doubt it. When I travel in Africa or Asia, I am always surprised by how many people can speak not only their own language but often one or more other related languages, as well as English and perhaps some French or German as well.

　 When we discussed this on Talking Point a couple of years ago, we received a wonderfully poetic email from a listener in Ireland. “The English language is a beautiful language. Maybe it’s like a rose,” he said. “But who would ever want their garden just full of roses?”

　 Well, I love roses, and I think they make a beautiful addition to any garden. But the way I see it, just by planting a few roses, you don’t necessarily need to pull out everything else. If more and more people want to plant English roses, that’s fine by me.

67．By saying “Ask the people of India…and Pakistan”（in Paragraph 4）, the author is trying to show that _____.

A．speaking the same language doesn’t necessarily bring peace

B．wars can destroy the relationship between two countries

C．English doesn’t kill other languages

D．English is widely used in the world

68．What does “garden” in the last two paragraphs stand for?

A．Language　　　　　　　 B. Family　 　　　　　　　 C. The world　　　　　　　 D. The Earth

69．The author would probably agree that ______.

A．it’s very hard to plant many kinds of flowers in a garden

B．it’s good for people from other countries to learn English

C．more and more people like to plant roses in their gardens

D．English is easier to learn than other languages

70．This passage is mainly about ________.

A．why English has become a global language

B．how many people in the world speak English

C．how people in the world learn English as a foreign language

D．whether we need to worry about English being a world language

阅读理解

　　Who taught you to speak English? Your parents, while you were a young child Your teachers at school? Perhaps even the BBC as a grown－up. Whoever it was, somehow you have developed an understanding of what is rapidly becoming a truly global language.

　　There are now about 376 million people who speak English as their first language, and about the same number who have learnt it in addition to their mother tongue. There are said to be one billion people learning English now and about 80% of the information on the Internet is in English.

　　Is this a good thing, or a bad thing? Should we celebrate the fact that more and more of us can communicate, using a common language, across countries and cultures(文化)? Or should we worry about the dangers of “mono－culturalism”, a world in which we all speak the same language, eat the same food and listen to the same music?

　　Does it matter if an increasing number of people speak the same language? On the contrary (相反), I would have thought－although I have never accepted the argument that if only we all understood each other better, there would be fewer wars. Ask the people Of India (where many of them speak at least some English) and Pakistan (the same situation with India)…

　　If we all speak English, will we then all start eating McDonalds burgers? Surely not. If English becomes more dominant(占主导地位的), it will kill other languages? I doubt it. When I travel in Africa or Asia, I am always surprised by how many people can speak not only their own language but often one or more other related languages, as well as English and perhaps some French or German as well.

　　When we discussed this on Talking Point a couple of years ago, we received a wonderfully poetic e－mail from a listener in Ireland. “The English language is a beautiful language. Maybe it's like a rose,” he said. “But who would ever want their garden just full of roses?”

　　Well, I love roses, and I think they make a beautiful addition to any garden. But the way I see it, just by planting a few roses, you don't necessarily need to pull out everything else. If more and more people want to plant English roses, that's fine by me.

1．By saying “Ask the people of India… and Pakistan” (in Paragraph 4), the author is trying to show that ________.

[　　]

A．speaking the same language doesn't necessarily bring peace

B．wars can destroy the relationship between two countries

C．English doesn't kill other languages

D．English is widely used in the world

2．What does “garden” in the last two paragraphs stand for?

[　　]

3．The author would probably agree that ________.

[　　]

A．it's very hard to plant many kinds of flowers in a garden

B．it's good for people from other countries to learn English

C．more and more people like to plant roses in their gardens

D．English is easier to learn than other languages

4．This passage is mainly about ________.

[　　]

A．why English has become a global language

B．how many people in the world speak English

C．how people in the world learn English as a foreign language

D．whether we need to worry about English being a world language

    Policymakers need to step up efforts to cut smoking rates in Asia to prevent an “epidemic(流行病)” of tobacco - related lung disease, medical experts said at a conference in Mumbai.

    Many Asian countries have seen a sharp increase in tobacco use in the last decade, particularly among the young and in urban areas as a result of economic growth. A rise in smoking by women has also been noted.

    But ignorance of the health risks remains, especially among the rural poor, while overall tobacco use is adding an economic burden to countries in terms of health care and insurance costs plus lost productivity through illness.

    Matthew Peters, head of thoracic(胸腔的)medicine at Sydney’s Concord Hospital, told the 14th World Conference on Tobacco or Health that there were “real and material health care benefits”  for countries to encourage people to quit.

     “Stopping smoking is a very simple way” of cutting tuberculosis(肺结核) rates, he said, adding that quitting also meant the region’s poor, who are most affected by the disease, could use the money that previously went on tobacco for food and clothing.

    “These benefits are real. They are seen quickly and have effects on the most important health risks in this region. . . and the especially complex issue of economic deprivation(贫困) and nutrition, ” he added.

    Many at the conference expressed concern about the increases in smoking and tobacco use in Asia, as big tobacco companies look to the region for new markets with more people giving up smoking in developed countries. Health professionals want antismoking legislation(法规)，including bans on tobacco advertising.

    Some 1. 25 billion people worldwide use tobacco in some form every day. China and India account for more than half of that total, according to the World Lung Foundation statistics presented at the conference.

56. We can learn from the second paragraph that _______.

A. more and more people in Asian countries smoke

B. the young smoke more than the old in Asia

C. fewer people smoke in urban areas in Asia

D. there are more women smokers than men smokers

57. What do “real and material health care benefits” refer to?

A. The benefits that countries can get by encouraging people to smoke.

B. Cutting down the cost of health care and getting better food and clothes.

C. Good economy from tobacco, better food and clothes.

D. Health risks and the economic burden.

58. Why do big tobacco companies look to Asia for new markets according to the passage?

A. Because the largest population is in Asia and its economy is growing fast.

B. Because Asians concern about the danger of increases in smoking.

C. More and more people are giving up smoking in developed countries.

D. Health professionals want to ban tobacco advertising.

59. How many people use tobacco in China and India every day according to the World Lung Foundation statistics?

A. About 1. 25 billion.

B. More than 2. 50 billion.

C. About 0. 51 billion.

D. More than 0. 625 billion.