阅读理解。
English is now the first language of about 400 million people, the mother language of 12 countries and the
official language of thirty-three more countries. That means one in every seven people in the world speaks
English.
English has become the new Latin (拉丁语) of the century. One must know English is a part of the
twenty-first century. In Italy, for example, English is a must for many technical (技术的) jobs. In China, English
is the most important foreign language learned at school.
Now no other language on the earth is better suited to play the role of the world language. Because English is
easier to learn than any other language, and it easily borrows local words and phrases from other countries to
expand (丰富，扩大) its vocabulary.
English is so widely used that it has become the standard language for all kinds of international
communication. Now 75% of the world's mail is in English. 60% of the world's telephone calls are made in
English. 60% of the world's radio stations are broadcast (广播) in English and over half of the world's books
and magazines are written in English. In a word, English is now the world's first language.
1. _____ countries speak English as their mother language.[ ]
A. 11
B. 12
C. 33
D. 45
2. "English has become the new Latin of the century" means _____. [ ]
A. English has a long history
B. English is as important as Latin
C. English has borrowed lots of words from Latin
D. English is as difficult to learn as Latin
3. If you want to ask for a technical job in Italy, you must be able to _____. [ ]
A. speak Latin
B. speak French
C. speak English
D. speak Italian
4. _____ of the world's magazines are written in English. [ ]
A. More than 50%
B. 75%
C. 60%
D. Less than 50%
5. The writer thinks English is now _____. [ ]
A. a native language
B. the world language
C. an official language
D. the Latin language
