Question

Ex 13. Read the article and match the sentences a-f to the gaps 1-6in the article.
ENGLISH IS CHANGING INNIT?
Millions of people around the world are learning English but how many of them realize that the English they are learning is constantly changing? New words are entering the language, existing words are developing new meaningand other words are falling out of use. 1___So what drives these changes and should we try to stop them?
New technology needs new words
Not surprisingly, technology is responsible for a lot of new words. Twenty years ago, no one knew what a “blog” was but when people began writing web logs online, the phrase was quickly shortened to “blog” and the writer was calleda “blogger”. And nowadays, internet users are constantly warned about the dangers of “phishing”, where criminals try to get your credit card and bank details by sending fraudulent emails. 2___Criminals use emails to catch victimsjust like fishermen use worms to catch fish.
New ways of communicating create new language
The arrival of texting on mobile phones created a quick and easy way to stay in touch with friends. It also created the need for a very short form of English – a text message is only 160 characters long. Instead of writing “see you later”, teenagers started to write “c u l8r” and when they found something funny, they wrote “lol, instead of “laugh out loud”. At the moment it is still wrongto use this language in essays, job applications and so on. 3___It will all change soon, I think, lol!
The influence of teenagers
Teenagers use their own slang because it indicates that they belong to a group, that they are different from other people. Modern teens use “sick” to mean “great” and “Wassup?” (What’s up?) to mean “Hello” but ask a typical middleaged person what these phrases mean and they would probably have no idea. 4___A school in Manchester recently banned slang in the classroom and exam grades increased dramatically!
Human beings are lazy
We all prefer things to be simple rather that complicated. A common phrase like “I don’t know” is often shortened to “dunno”. In a similar way, some young people now use “innit?” (short for “isn’t it?”) to replace all question tags, for example “He’s gone home, innit?” 5___ Most adults see this as bad English and some complain loudly. But language has always evolved and although we all need to know the right language for each situation, surely it’s better to enjoy the way English changes rather than complain about it?
Global culture is changing English
Globalization has been an effective way of spreading English around the world. But now many people believe that non-native speakers of English are creating their own form of the language, which has been named Globish. With its limited vocabulary and simple sentences, this form of English enables a Spanish businessman to communicate easily with a Chinese student, for example. Some people believe Globish will be the most commonly spoken language in the world one day. 6___ So if we could travel into the future, would we find people all over the world speaking a common language? Probably not but at least communication might be simpler one day….innit?
a) It’s quicker and easier than using the right question tag.
b) But how long will it be before text speak is standard English?
c) The word is a variation of “fishing”.
d) Even the grammar of English is changing slowly.
e) Perhaps it already is!
f) Some people are taking a stand against teen text speak and slang.

Ex 14. Read the article again. Mark the statements as true or false.
1. New words enter English every year.
2. Phishing emails are sent by fishermen.
3. Teenages invented the phrase “lol”.
4. Banning slang had a positive effect on a school’s exam results.
5. Most people know the appropriate language to use in each situation.
6. People who speak English as a second language are creating their own form of English.
7. Globish is quite a new language created for international communication.
8. More words are becoming shorter.

Answer 1

Ответ:

1.True

2.False

3.False

4.True

5.True

6.True

7.False

8.True