研究生英语阅读教程(基础级2版)课文及翻译
[9] So, a curse for the indigenous peoples of Australia and something of a blessing for those in South Africa...
[10] How then should we think of English in our globalizing world with its endangered diversities? The answer, it seems to me, is crystal clear. Like many things, English is at times (often) a blessing and at times a curse—for individuals, for communities (society), for nations, and even for unions of nations. The East Asian symbolism of yin and yang might serve (illustrate) well here: There is something of yang in every yin, of yin in every yang. Although they are opposites, they belong together: in this instance (case) within the circle of communication. Such symbolism suggests (shows) that the users of the world's lingua franca should seek to benefit as fully as possible from the blessing and as far as possible avoid invoking the curse. (1, 292 words)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr. Tom McArthur is founder editor of the Oxford Companion to the English Language (1992) and the quarterly English Today: The International Review of the English Language (Cambridge, 1985— ). His more than 20 published works include the Longman Lexicon of Contemporary English (1981), Worlds of Reference: Language, Lexicography and Learning from the Clay Tablet to the Computer (1986), and The English Languages (1998). He is currently Deputy Director of the Dictionary Research Center at the University of Exeter.
EXERCISES
I. Reading Comprehension
Answer the following questions or complete the, following statements.
1. It can be inferred from Glanville Price's statement that he is ______.
A. happy that English is everywhere in Britain and Ireland
B. worried about the future of the remaining Celtic languages
C. shocked by the diversity of languages in Britain and Ireland
D. amazed that many people in the UK still speak their Aboriginal languages
2. Cumbric is used as an example of ______.
A. a local dialect
B. a victim of the English language
C. a language that is on the verge of extinction
D. a language that is used by only a limited number of people
3. Which of the following is the major concern of the book Linguistic Imperialism?
A. English teaching overseas.
B. British government's language policies.
C. Dominance of English over other languages.
D. The role of English in technology advancement.
4. Both Price and Phillipson are ______.
A. government officials
B. advocates of linguistic imperialism
C. in support of language policies carried out by the British Council