As the English language has changed at a fast speed in this century, so has the use of the English language.

After the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) was founded in 1927, the particular style of speech of the BBC announcers was recognized as Standard English or Received Pronunciation (RP) English. Now, most people still consider that the pronunciation and delivery of BBC announcers is the clearest and most understandable spoken English.

English has had a strong relationship with class and social position. However, since the Second World War there has been a clear change of the attitude towards speech snobbery（语言上的优越）, and marks of class distinction, such as styles of speech, have been gradually got rid of, especially by the younger generation.

As the need has arisen, new words have been invented or found from other languages and introduced into English. Similarly, old words and expressions have been put aside as their usefulness has become less or the fashions have passed．This also happens to styles and ways of speech which became fashionable at a particular time.

By the end of the 1960s it became clear that it was not necessary to speak Standard English or even correct grammar to become popular, successful and rich. The fashionable speech of the day was no longer the special right of a special class but rather a defiant（不服的）expression of classlessness.

The greatest single influence of the shaping of the English, language in modern times is the American English. Over the past 25 years the English, used by many people, particularly by those in the media, advertising and show business, has become more and more mid-Atlantic in style, delivery and accent.

In the 1970s, fashion favored careless pronunciation and a language full of jargon, slang and “in” words, much of which can’t be understood by the outside world．What is considered modern and fashionable in Britain today is often not the kind of English taught in schools and colleges.

1．Which of the following is NOT true?

       A．The use of the English language has not changed much in this century.

       B．the BBC announcers speak Standard English.

       C．English has no relationship with class and social position now.

       D．Young people don’t like the special right of a special class.

2．What does the author imply by saying “there is has been a clear change of the attitude towards speech snobbery (Para 3)?

       A．People all speak English like BBC announcers.

       B．There is a great change of the attitude about how English should be spoken.

     C．Some people still believe their way of speaking is much better than that of others.

      D．Most people don’t believe their way of speaking is much better than that of others.

3．According to the author, there was a trend in the US for the young people ____.

       A．to speak Standard English.                                                             

       B．to speak English without class distinction

       C．to speak English with class distinction   

       D．to speak English with grammar mistakes

4．It can be concluded from the passage that ____.

       A．Standard English is taught only in school and colleges

       B．the young English are defiant because they refuse to speak Standard English.

       C．the English language is not influenced by American English in the last 25 years

       D．there has been a great change in the English language in this century

The view over a valley of a tiny village with thatched (草盖的) roof cottages around a church, a drive through a narrow village street lined with thatched cottages painted pink or white, the sight over the rolling hills of a pretty collection of thatched farm buildings―these are still common sights in parts of England. Most people will agree that the thatched roof is an essential part of the attraction of the English countryside.
Thatching is in fact the oldest of all the building crafts（工艺）practised in the British Isles. Although thatch has always been used for cottage and farm buildings, it was once used for castles and churches, too.　　
Thatching is a solitary（独自的）craft, which often runs in families. The craft of thatching as it is practised toady has changed very little since the Middle Ages. Over 800 full-time thatchers are employed in England and Wales today, keeping and renewing the old roofs as well as thatching newer houses. Many property owners choose thatch not only for its beauty but because they know it will keep them cool in summer and warm in winter.
In fact, if we look at developing countries, over half the world lives under thatch, but they all do it in different ways. People in developing countries are often unwilling to go back to traditional materials and would prefer modern buildings. However, they may lack the money to allow them to get the necessary materials. Their temporary mud huts with thatched roofs of wild grasses often only last six months. Thatch which has been done the British way lasts from twenty to sixty years, and is an effective defiance against the heat.
【小题1】Which of the following remains a special feature of the English countryside?

Just as the English language has changed quickly in the previous century, so has the use of it.
After the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) was founded in 1927, the particular style of speech of the BBC announcers was recognized as standard English or Received Pronunciation (RP) English. Now, most people still consider that the pronunciation and delivery of BBC announcers is the clearest and most understandable spoken English.
English has had a strong relationship with classes and social positions. However, since the Second World War there has been a clear change of attitude towards speech snobbery(自我优越感), and marks of class distinction(区别) such as styles of speech have been gradually diminishing, especially in the younger generation.
By the end of the 1960s, it had become clear that it was not necessary to speak standard English or even correct grammar to become popular, successful and rich. The fashionable speech of the day was no longer the special right of a special class but rather a defiant(反抗的) expression of classlessness.
The greatest single influence of the shaping of the English language in modern times is the American English. Over the last 25 years the English used by many people, particularly by those in the media, advertising and show business, has become more and more mid-Atlantic in style, delivery and accent.
In the 1970s, fashion favored careless pronunciation and a language full of jargon, slang and “in” words, a great quantity of which couldn’t be understood by the outside world. What is considered modern and fashionable in Britain today is often not the kind of English taught in schools and colleges.
【小题1】Which of the following is NOT true?

Standard English is the formal（正式的） English that you need to use when you write in coursework or in the exam. Standard English is the form of English you learn in school. All written English should be standard—that means it should be clear enough for anyone in Britain to understand it. Standard English developed as the main form of printed English in the 15th Century. At the time, every region of Britain used to spell words differently, but printers needed a fixed spelling.  Printers like Caxton chose the East Midlands dialect form which was used in London and the South East. Soon Standard English replaced（取代） all written dialect forms – the other forms of English spoken around the country. It also replaced French and Latin in law and in academic（学术的） work. In the 18th Century, people wrote dictionaries and grammar books which standardized spelling — Dr Johnson’s Dictionary of 1755 fixed many of the spellings we still use today. All written English should be Standard English — any grammar rules you learn are for Standard English and you will definitely need to learn them to avoid making mistakes in your work. The rules of Standard English mean using the correct forms of words with the correct spellings.
Avoid slang words（俚语）—words that your teachers or friends wouldn’t understand. You’ll lose marks if the examiners can’t understand what you say or write. Don’t use dialect words. Every region has words or phrases that are only used there. Don’t use them in your coursework, because you won’t be understood. Make sure you revise grammar and punctuation（标点） you have learned, and learn the list of commonly misspelled words you have made. Clichés are ideas or sayings which have been used so often that they’ve become boring and unoriginal. Phrases like, “As good as it gets” “At the end of the day” “In the fullness of time” are all clichés. So are images like, “as fierce as a lion” “as cunning as a fox”. If you use them you will sound boring and unimaginative— that could mean you lose marks for writing and speaking style. So avoid clichés.
1. What three things do you have to think about when using English? 
a. no slang word or dialect     b. no grammar and spelling mistake.  c. no phrase    
d. no cliché    e. no punctuation
A. abc.                  B. bcd.            C. ade.       D. abd.
2. What is standard English?
A. the English spoken by British people.
B. the English spoken by American people.
C. the English used in London.
D. the English spoken by British people in 15th Century.
3. What is the cliché according to the passage?
A. the English full of slang words. 
B. the boring ideas or sayings because of being used often.
C. the long phrases which are used often.
D. all the English which is used outside of London and the southeast of Britain.
4. Why do we need to use Standard English?
A. Because no one can understand dialect words.
B. Because there are many kinds of English in the world, we need Standard English to make communication easier.
C. Because local dialect belongs to certain region, not every one can understand it.
D. Because standard English has been used for a long time.
5. Which statement is true?
A. Written English should be formal and standard.
B. Standard English means people should use the words from Dr Johnson’s Dictionary.
C. All the spoken English should be Standard English.
D. Standard English replaced all written dialect forms in the 18th century.

Just as the English language has changed quickly in the previous century, so has the use of it.

After the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) was founded in 1927, the particular style of speech of the BBC announcers was recognized as standard English or Received Pronunciation (RP) English. Now, most people still consider that the pronunciation and delivery of BBC announcers is the clearest and most understandable spoken English.

English has had a strong relationship with classes and social positions. However, since the Second World War there has been a clear change of attitude towards speech snobbery(自我优越感), and marks of class distinction(区别) such as styles of speech have been gradually diminishing, especially in the younger generation.

By the end of the 1960s, it had become clear that it was not necessary to speak standard English or even correct grammar to become popular, successful and rich. The fashionable speech of the day was no longer the special right of a special class but rather a defiant(反抗的) expression of classlessness.

The greatest single influence of the shaping of the English language in modern times is the American English. Over the last 25 years the English used by many people, particularly by those in the media, advertising and show business, has become more and more mid-Atlantic in style, delivery and accent.

In the 1970s, fashion favored careless pronunciation and a language full of jargon, slang and “in” words, a great quantity of which couldn’t be understood by the outside world. What is considered modern and fashionable in Britain today is often not the kind of English taught in schools and colleges.

1.Which of the following is NOT true?

A．The use of the English language has not changed much in the previous century.

B．BBC announcers speak standard English.

C．English has no relationship with classes and social positions now.

D．Young people don’t like class distinction.

2.What does the author imply by saying “there has been a clear change of attitude towards speech snobbery”?

A．Everyone speaks English as the BBC announcers do.

B．There has been a great change of attitudes towards the status of English.

C．Most people don’t believe the way of speaking by BBC announcers is much better than that of other people.

D．It is necessary to speak standard English with correct grammar.

3.According to the author, there was a trend in the US for young people ________.

A．to speak standard English

B．to speak English with grammatical mistakes

C．to speak old English

D．to speak English without class distinction

4.It can be concluded from the passage that________.

A．standard English is taught only in schools and colleges

B．there has been a great change in the English language in the previous century

C．the English language has not been influenced by the American English in the last 25 years

D．young people are defiant because they refuse to speak standard English