You are mistaken if you think all Chinese people speak in the same way. Have you ever seen a person from Shanghai try talking to 1________ from Guangzhou? It is quite likely 2________ both of them may feel puzzled! The Chinese language, 3________ a whole, uses the same set of characters, but even the same characters can have 4________ pronunciations. That is 5_______ it is difficult for people to understand each other. Luckily, the widespread use of Putonghua in China has made a great contribution 6________ people’s communication, though people from different areas tend to speak with various accents.

People in Northern Europe are much luckier. Even though people from Sweden, Denmark and Norway have their own official languages, it is very convenient for them to communicate with one another. Do you know 7______? That is because their languages are quite similar, though not 8________ small distinctions. Thus, they can communicate easily in their mother tongues.