About 800 million people in the world speak English, about 15% of the world’s population.

About 400 million people speak   1   as their first language in the United States, Great Britain, Ireland, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand and so on.

About 300 million people speak English as a   2   language, for example, in many parts of India and Africa people speak one language   3   with their family and friends but use English for work. The children study their lessons in English at school.

About 100 million people speak English as a foreign language. For example, in Germany people don’t use English   4   and they don’t speak it at home. In school they study most of their lessons in their native language, German, and English is an extra (单独设置的) lesson. At work they use English for business with people from   5  .

Why do so many people speak English in the world? That’s because America is very

  6   in business all over the world. American culture is very popular too. In most countries people can   7   English through Hollywood films, TV programs and pop music. English is especially important for the world’s   8  , for science and technology; for pop music and for air travel.

However, the language spoken by the greatest number of people is  9 , which is spoken by over one   10  people; the amazing thing is that they are all nation speakers.

1．A. Chinese        B. German       C. France         D. English

2．A. second                B. first            C. native          D. new

3．A. in public       B. at school        C. at home        D. at work

4．A. all the time       B. for ever        C. in the future   D. at a time

5．A. other countries  B. America          C. Canada       D. Australia

6．A. strong           B. weak            C. popular       D. welcome

7．A. read             B. hear             C. speak                D. watch

8．A. population         B. history           C. environment     D. business

9．A. English          B. Chinese         C. Japanese         D. Russian

10．A. million          B. hundred thousand  C. billion         D. hundred million

About 800 million people in the world speak English, about 15% of the world’s population.

About 400 million people speak   1   as their first language in the United States, Great Britain, Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and so on.

About 300 million people speak English as a   2   language, for example, in many parts of India and Africa people speak one language   3   with their family and friends but use English for work. The children study their lessons in English at school.

About 100 million people speak English as a foreign language. For example, in Germany people don’t use English   4   and they don’t speak it at home. In school they study most of their lessons in their native language, German, and English is an extra (单独设置的) lesson. At work they use English for business with people from   5  .

Why do so many people speak English in the world? That’s because America is very

  6   in business all over the world. American culture is very popular too. In most countries people can   7   English through Hollywood films, TV programs and pop music. English is especially important for the world’s   8  , for science and technology; for pop music and for air travel.

However, the language spoken by the greatest number of people is  9 , which is spoken by over one   10  people; the amazing thing is that they are all nation speakers.

1．A. Chinese               B. German             C. France                     D. English

2．A. second                B. first                  C. native                D. new

3．A. in public              B. at school           C. at home             D. at work

4．A. all the time          B. for ever             C. in the future       D. at a time

5．A. other countries    B. America             C. Canada              D. Australia

6．A. strong                 B. weak                 C. popular             D. welcome

7．A. read                    B. hear                  C. speak                D. watch

8．A. population           B. history                     C. environment      D. business

9．A. English               B. Chinese             C. Japanese           D. Russian

10．A. million        B. hundred thousand      C. billion         D. hundred million

　　If you can speak English, you know a lot of English words. You can read, speak and understand. But there is another kind of language you need to know—the language of the body.

　　All over the world, people “talk” with their hands, with their heads and with their eyes. When Japanese people meet, they bow (鞠躬；弯腰). When Indians meet, they put their hands together. What do American and British people do?

　　Americans are more informal than the British. They like to be friendly. They use first names, they ask questions and they talk easily about themselves. When they sit down, they like to relax in their chairs and make themselves comfortable.

　　British people are more reserved (矜持的，保守的). They take more time to make friends. They like to know you before they ask you something of your home.

　　When British and American people meet someone for the first time, they shake hands. They do not usually shake hands with people they know well. Women sometimes kiss their women friends, and men kiss women friends. When a man meets a man friend, he just smiles, and says “Hello”. Men do not kiss each other or hold hands. Even fathers and sons do not often kiss each other.

(1) People can communicate with each other using ________.

[　　]

A．only words

B．only body language

C．only the English language

D．not only words but also body language

(2) We can learn from the passage that ________.

[　　]

A．handshake and kiss can not be used in greeting

B．people can “talk” with their hands, heads and eyes

C．only a few people use body language

D．body language is more often used by people than words

(3) British people take more time to make friends because ________.

[　　]

A．they are quite conservative (保守的)

B．they don't like people to go to their homes

C．they are not as friendly as the Americans

D．they find it more interesting to stay alone

(4) When Indians meet, they ________.

[　　]

(5) In the USA and Britain, ________.

[　　]

A．men always kiss their women friends when they meet

B．people would like to shake hands whenever they meet their friends

C．women are more likely to kiss each other while men aren't

Canada, the second largest country in the world, lies in the north of America. The population of Canada is about 29 million and the capital is Ottawa. The country covers about 9,980,000 square kilometers and six of the world’s 24 time areas (时区) as well.
There are two official languages spoken in Canada: French and English. Many people can speak both English and French. More than 60% of Canadians speak English as their language. About 25% of the Canadians speak French. In one province of Canada where French is the common language, the programmes on TV and radios as well as the teaching in schools are all in French. Today, Chinese has become the first inofficial(非官方的) language in Canada.
Canada’s climate is not as cold all year around as some may believe. In winter, temperatures fall below freezing point throughout most of Canada. In summer, the southern provinces often experience high levels of temperatures that can reach over 30℃ regularly. The weather in Canada is just like the weather in China. It is rather cold in the north while it is fairly warm in the south. Winters in the north last long with snow for half a year. As the cold northern climate, only one-fifth of the land is suitable for farming.
As it is known to all, Canada has one-third of the world’s supply of fresh water. It has many great lakes. There are five great lakes in the south. And there are many others, especially in the north. It is also rich in natural resources, such as coal, oil, natural gas of which Canadians make use to produce energy.
People of northern Canada are called Inuit (因纽特人), who came from Asia and settled in Canada about 4,000 years ago. They used to travel around from place to place with teams of dogs which pulled their baggage. Now, they seldom move. There are about 2,500 Inuit in all. The government has started a new school project in which Inuit teach their own young children. So it is hoped that the way of Inuit life will be kept alive for more centuries.
【小题1】How many people are there living in Canada?