I. Match the words from the box with their definitions.(10 points)
simplify
world language
derivative
flexible
purist
compound
inflection
mother tongue
bilingual
die out
Chief, main language
Language that one first learned as a child, one’s native language
Able to speak two languages
The changing or the ending of the word (-ed, -ing)
Adaptable, able to change
To make simpler
A word formed from two existing words or combining forms (flowershop, self-made)
A word derived from another word (introduction, introductory and introduce)
A person insisting on the correctness of form or purity of style or content
To become extinct after a period of gradual decline
II. Choose the most suitable word to fill in the gap: (10 points)
1. English has become a world language because it is used as a mother tongue outside England – in the USA, for example, or a language in a bilingual society (India, Nigeria). 2. English is used for many – administrative, professional, educational. 3. It is thought that English is spoken as a first or second language in about 50 countries and that it is being learnt by about 300 million people worldwide. 4. It is suggested that before the end of the 21st century 50 percent of all the conversations in the world will be in English. 5. English is the most language. It is the language of business, technology, sport, aviation. 6. English is one of the major languages in the world due to its basic – simplicity of form (verbs have few inflections and adjectives don’t change according to the noun), flexibility (the same word can operate as many different parts of speech). 7. English is called a hoover of other languages because of the of vocabulary (the free admission of words from other languages). 8. The global spread of English is remarkable. The number of users of the language is increasing, its depth of into societies is impressive and the range of functions is wide. 9. Three factors continue to contribute to the spread of English: its usage in science and technology, the ability to vocabulary from other languages, the acceptability of various English dialects. 10. The spread of English will no doubt continue, though it doesn’t mean that all other languages will .
III. Fill in the preposition in the phrases below.(6 points)
1. to be bilingual English and Spanish 2. the free admission of words other languages 3. to contribute the formation of the language 4. purist the English language 5. resist the arrival of English one’s mother tongue 6. a mother tongue (за пределами) England
IV. Decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F).(14 points)
1. English was already an important world language four hundred years ago. 2. It is mainly because of the United States that English has become a world language. 3. There are hundreds of millions of people for whom English is a foreign language. 4. English is spoken as a second language in Belarus. 5. In countries like India or Nigeria, where hundreds of languages exist, English works as a lingua franca. 6. English is spoken as a first language in Australia, Canada, Ireland, Jamaica, the US, New Zealand. 7. There are few inflections in modern English. 8. English has become a very flexible language. 9. Many people in Kenya, Sri Lanca, South Africa speak English as a second language, a language used in government, business, education. All of the countries are now British colonies. 10. In English, many verbs can be used as nouns. 11. English has borrowed words from many other languages. 12. In the future, all languages will die out. 13. Purists of the French, Russian, Japanese languages welcome the creeping of English into their native languages. 14. English has become a world language because of the expansion of the British Empire and the enormous economic power of the USA.
V. Match the items on the left with their equivalents in American English.(10 points)
