阅读理解。
English has borrowed a lot of words from other languages in history. English borrowed words mainly from
French, German, Italian and Arabic.
Borrowed words from French contain words for food and eating such as restaurant, words for jobs such
as dentist and words for relaxation such as ballet. At weddings in the west, they have confetti which people
throw over the newly-weds. This is an Italian word, meaning the small pieces of colored paper. What's more,
Italy was famous for music and opera in the 18th century, so English borrowed many words for music and
opera from Italian. In the early times, Italians liked to be at war with other countries, words for military jobs,
for example, colonel, also became an English word.
One reason that so many German words in English is that the Germans were very clever at inventing things.
They invented the clock to ensure they were on time. Englishmen also use clock for this purpose in English.
Many of the words for fast food or snacks in English also come from German, including the famous hamburger.
We all know the fact that the Arabs were good traders and they brought in many Arabic words in English,
such as coffee and alcohol. We all use Arabic numbers, and zero is an Arabic English word.
English has borrowed many words from other languages and, of course, it will.
1. How many languages are talked of in the passage? [ ]
A. One.
B. Three.
C. Five.
D. Seven.
2. Ballet is a French word for _____. [ ]
A. jobs
B. food
C. music
D. entertainment
3. Which of the following is wrong? [ ]
A. There are many differences between French and English.
B. English will continue to borrow words from Italian.
C. English will never take in Chinese words.
D. A good master of English is helpful for French-learning.
