Some people say that the English language no longer belongs to the English,
and it belongs to the world. It is estimated that the number of people who use
English exceeds 750 million. Among these, about 350 million are native speakers, while the rest use it as an official language. If we add to this number the people who have acquired the language to some extent, the total is
close to one billion.
English plays an increasingly important role in the world as a medium for conducting international business and diplomacy, as well as in science and
medicine, the Internet, air and sea communications, international sports events, radio and TV programs, pop songs and movies.
estimate 估计 exceed 超过 native 本族的，本国的 official 官方的
acquire 掌握 to some extent 达到某种程度 billion 千万 increasingly 越来越多地 medium 工具，手段 conduct 实行，执行
international 国际的 diplomacy 外交 medicine 医药 communication 通信 event 事件
世界上的英语
有人说英语已不再属于英国人了，它属于全世界。据估计，使用英语的人超过七亿五千万，其中大约有三亿五千万是以英语为母语的人，而其余的人将英语作为官方语言使用。如果我们再加上已经掌握英语到一定程度的人，这个总数将接近十亿。
英语，作为进行国际业务和外交的工具，在世界上起着越来越重要的作用。它还在科学、医药、互联网、空中及海洋通信、国际体育赛事、电台电视节目、流行歌曲及电影中发挥着越来越重要的作用。
10 A Friend
When you read an English book, you often come across new words. You might try
to guess what the words mean from the words you know, but when you cannot
guess the meanings of new words at all, what should you do?
You have a good friend then. From him you can learn what a word means, how to
pronounce a word, how to use a word, and so on. This friend can always be with
you, and you can always ask him to help you. Do you know who this friend is?
It is a dictionary. You can learn some important things about words from it,
so you must know how to use it.
come across 碰到 guess 猜测 朋 友
当你读英语书时，你经常会碰到新单词。你可能试着从你知道的词中猜这些词的意思，但是当你无法猜出这些词的意思时，你该怎么办呢？
这时你有一个好朋友。从他那里你可以学到单词的意思、发音及用法等。这个朋友可以经常伴你左右，你可以经常请他帮忙。你知道这个朋友是谁吗？
他就是字典。你可以从他那里学习有关词汇的众多重要知识，所以你必须学会如何使用字典。
11 “I Have Never Heard You in Carmen”
Mark Twain was once invited by a friend to go to the opera. The friend
was
very rich. He and his wife had their own box at the theatre. During the opera
the friend's wife talked all the time. She also talked rather loudly. She talked so much that it was often difficult for Mark Twain to listen to the opera. Toward the end of the opera she turned to Mark Twain and said, \
dear Mark Twain, I do want you to be with us again next Friday night. I'm sure
you will like it — the opera will be Carmen.\
\heard you in Carmen.\
Carmen 《卡门》（歌剧名） invite 邀请 opera 歌剧 box 包厢 theatre 剧场，戏院
“我还从未听过你唱卡门”
有一次，一个朋友邀请马克?吐温去看歌剧。这个朋友很有钱。他和他的妻子在剧院有自己的包厢。看歌剧时，朋友的妻子一直在说话。她说话的声音还挺大。她的话那么多，马克?吐温根本听不清歌剧。 歌剧临近结束时，她转而对马克?吐温说：“噢，我亲爱的马克?吐温，
我真的想让你再和我们一起度过下周五。我保证你会喜欢的——下周的歌剧是《卡门》。”
“非常感谢，”马克?吐温说。“想来会很好。我还从未听过你唱《卡门》。”
12 Learning English in England
I came to England last summer. I have been in England for eleven months. I am
going to finish my studies in England soon, and will leave for China next month.
At first it was very difficult for me to communicate with other people in English. Now I can speak English much better, and even understand English
television, because I have studied hard and my teachers and classmates have
helped me a lot.
I have lots of English friends now. Some of them have even invited me for
dinner at their houses. They are interested to learn about China and Chinese