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The Popularity of English

I. Present status of English
— English as a native/first language
— English as a lingua franca: a language for communication among people whose (1) are different
— Number of people speaking English as a first or a second language:
— 320-380 million native speakers
— 250- (2) million speakers of English as a second language
II. Reasons for the popular use of English
— (3) reasons
— the Pilgrim Fathers brought the language to America
— British settlers brought the language to Australia
— English was used as a means of control in (4)
— Economic reasons
— spread of (5)
— language of communication in the international business community
— (6) in international travel
— use of English in travel and tourism
— signs in airports
— language

[填空题]
I. Present status of English
— English as a native/first language
— English as a lingua franca: a language for communication among people whose (1) are different
— Number of people speaking English as a first or a second language:
— 320-380 million native speakers
— 250- (2) million speakers of English as a second language
II. Reasons for the popular use of English
— (3) reasons
— the Pilgrim Fathers brought the language to America
— British settlers brought the language to Australia
— English was used as a means of control in (4)
— Economic reasons
— spread of (5)
— language of communication in the international business community
— (6) in international travel
— use of English in travel and tourism
— signs in airports
— language

[填空题]American English has spread in popularity mostly due to business, Hollywood, the Internet, and education. Many countries still (36) British English the "real thing" when it comes to studying English in the classroom, but it seems that American English is being used more by second-language English speakers on the street and in their (37) lives. The founder and co-editor of the journal World English agrees, "American English is (38) faster than British English", and this spreading has even had some (39) in England itself.
Several factors can (40) for the wider use of American English. In 1993, the United States (41) 75 percent of the world’s television programming with (42) sending television shows like "Sesame Street" and "E. R." to every corner of the world. Hollywood (43) also accounted for a huge share of the movie market in Europe, Asia, and South America. Another key factor is that Americ