Page 49 - In Focus (demo)

UNIT 1

C Checking details

Read the questions below and circle the correct answers according to the text.

1 Which of the following statements is true?
A There are more speakers of English as a fi rst language than speakers of English as a
second language.
B The majority of English speakers speak it as a fi rst language.
C Approximately 25 percent of people in the world can speak some English.
D Nearly 50 percent of international organizations use English as an offi cial language.

2 Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A Many former British colonies kept English as an offi cial language after independence.
B Some former French colonies also have English as an offi cial language.
C Mexican pilots speak Spanish when communicating with air traffi c controllers in
Colombia.
D Most of the world’s books are written in English.

D Making inferences

Read the questions below and circle the correct answers according to the text. (There
may be more than one correct answer.)

1 People around the world want to acquire English because . . .
A they want to understand Hollywood movies.
B air traffi c controllers need English.
C they want better jobs.
D they want to learn about American companies.
2 Which of these changes are likely to take place in the future?
A English vocabulary will grow.
B English will not be spoken at meetings of the Olympic Games Committee.
C Pilots will choose which language to speak when they are in the air.
D English will become a world language.

E Identifying opinions

Work with a partner and answer the question below. Check (✔) the boxes.

In this article, how can the author’s point of view best be described?
Paragraphs 1–4 positive neutral negative
Paragraph 5 positive neutral negative

Going beyond the text

Work with a partner or in small groups. Ask and answer the questions below.
1 Look back at the ideas you highlighted in the text. Are they the same?
2 Give at least two examples of the spread of English in your country.
3 Are there any languages that could one day compete with English?
Explain which language and why (or why not.)

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