Varieties of English

From around 1600, the English colonization of North America resulted _13_ the creation of a distinct American variety of English. Some English pronunciations and words "froze" when they reached America. In some ways, American English is more like the English of Shakespeare than modern British English is. Some expressions that the British call "Americanisms" are in fact original British expressions that were preserved in the colonies while lost for a time in Britain (for example trash for rubbish, loan as a verb instead of lend, and fall for autumn; another example, frame-up, was re-imported into Britain through Hollywood gangster movies). Spanish also had an influence _14_ American English (and subsequently British English), with words like canyon, ranch, stampede and vigilante being examples of Spanish words that entered English through the settlement of the American West. French words (through Louisiana) and West African words (through the slave trade) also influenced American English (and so, to an extent, British English).

Today, American English is particularly influential, due to the USA's dominance _15_ cinema, television, popular music, trade and technology (including the Internet). But there are many other varieties of English around the world, including for example Australian English, New Zealand English, Canadian English, South African English, Indian English and Caribbean English.

II. Выберите предложение, которое наиболее подходит к каждому абзацу текста и заполните пропуски:

• The more he practices, the better he plays.

• In other words, you have to build up language habits in English just as you build up language habits in your mother tongue.

• It's up to you.

• We can understand and read many words and structures that we cannot use in speaking and writing.

• Forming a habit, any kind of habit, requires much practice.

On learning english

Learning English is like learning to swim or learning to play ball. We learn to swim by swimming, to play ball by playing ball, and to speak English by speaking English. A good ball-player spends hours, days, months, and even years practicing. _1_ He has to learn to meet the situations of the game as they arise and react to them immediately. And so it is when we are talking.

The ideas we wish to express come instantly to our mind, but there is no time for us to stop and think of how to put together the words we need. Acquiring the ability to use a language automatically, that is without stopping to think, is a process of habit formation. Every language has patterns that are fundamental._2_

Every language has a body of common words used by all the speakers of that language and thousands of other words that are used less frequently. _3_ Every language has many ways of saying the same things.

Learning English efficiently requires that you put your mind on what you are doing and have the intention and the will to learn. The time you have is so short that you cannot afford to waste it by giving less than your full co-operation in class and in home study. _4_

Good luck to you then, in your learning of English!_5_ Nobody can learn to swim for you. Nobody can learn English for you. You learn for yourself, and you will master the language if you really want to. Language is not to be taught, language is to be learnt.