English Around the World

    There are more than 3,000 languages {#blank#}1{#/blank#}（speak）in the world. Of all these languages, English is the most {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(wide) used. Recent {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(survey) show that more than 500 million people speak English as their mother tongue.

    From its roots in England, the language was spread around the world {#blank#}4{#/blank#}English traders and English governments in new lands. One of these new lands {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(become) the United States of America. The population of the United States is 309 million,{#blank#}6{#/blank#} (make) it the country with the {#blank#}7{#/blank#}large) number of native English speakers.

    About 300 million people speak English as their second language. There are even more people, like some in Europe as well as in China and Japan,{#blank#}8{#/blank#} study English as a foreign language.

    English has become the base language for international business, for the world's airlines and even for the Internet. Whatever language people speak, they need  {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(know) some English if they work in these fields.{#blank#}10{#/blank#} is clear that the English language is becoming more important.

Daniel: Good morning, madam. I'm Daniel. I'm applying for the position of manager.

Madam: Sit down, please. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} did you learn about our company?

Daniel: I got to know {#blank#}2{#/blank#} company through such famous brands as LUX, LIPTOS and WALLS. Your products impressed me deeply.

Madam: Well, please tell me {#blank#}3{#/blank#} about your past work achievement.

Daniel: All right, Madam. When {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (work) for my previous company, I succeeded in raising the yearly sales volume(销售额) {#blank#}5{#/blank#} 25%.

Madam: Oh, that is quite an achievement! Why have you decided to change jobs?

Daniel: {#blank#}6{#/blank#} I hope to change. I am looking for a more challenging position. There are no more {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (opportunity) for me to grow in my current job.

Madam: OK, I understand. But why have you made the {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (choose) to work for us?

Daniel: I have carefully studied the information about your company on the Internet and I {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (check) your company's homepage. The working conditions are so excellent here. I {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (sincere) hope to be a member of your company.

Madam: That's fine. Thanks for coming to see us. I will let you know about the job within the week.

    The young artist and potter Allan had a wife and two fine sons. One night, his older son developed a severe stomachache. Neither Allan nor his wife took the condition very{#blank#}1{#/blank#}(serious), but the boy died suddenly that night.

    Knowing the death could {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (avoid) if he had only realized the seriousness of the situation, he always felt he was guilty. Worse still, his wife left him a short time later, {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (leave) him alone with his 6-year-old younger son. Unable to stand the hurt and pain, he turned to alcohol and became {#blank#}4{#/blank#} alcoholic.

    As the alcoholism {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (progress), Allan began to lose everything he possessed and finally died alone in a small bar. Hearing of his death, I thought, "{#blank#}6{#/blank#} a complete failure!"

    As time went by, I began to revalue my {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (early) rough judgment. I knew Allan's now adult son, Ernie, one of the kindest and most caring men I've ever known. I hadn't heard him talk much about his father. One day, I worked up my courage to ask him what {#blank#}8{#/blank#} earth his father had done so that he became such a special person. Ernie said quietly, "As a child until I left home at 18, Allan came into my room every night, gave me a kiss and said, 'love you, son'."

    Tears came to my eyes as I realized that I had been a fool to judge Allan {#blank#}9{#/blank#} a failure. He had not left any material {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (possess) behind. But he had been a kind loving father, and left behind his best love.

    Once James Thornhill, a famous English painter, was asked {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (paint) some pictures on the walls of the king's palace in English. Then workers were sent for and {#blank#}2{#/blank#} big platform was made. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} the help of a worker, Thornhill started painting on the platform. They worked for a whole year {#blank#}4{#/blank#} at last the pictures were ready.

    Thornhill was happy when he looked at the pictures, for they were {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (real) beautiful. He looked at them for a long time, and then took one step back and looked again. Now the pictures were even {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (much) beautiful. He took another step, then another. Finally he was at the very edge of the platform, but he did not know it because he {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (think) of his pictures.

    The worker saw everything. "{#blank#}8{#/blank#} should I do?" he thought. "Thornhill is at the very edge of the platform. If I cry out, he will take another step, fall off the platform and surely be killed." So the worker quickly took some paint and threw {#blank#}9{#/blank#} at the picture. "What are you doing?" cried the painter, {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (run) quickly forward to his pictures.

    One Sunday morning in August, I went to a local music festival. I left it early because I had an appointment later that day. My friends walked me to the bus stop and waited with me {#blank#}1{#/blank#} the bus arrived. I got on the bus and found a seat near the back, and then I noticed an old woman with shabby clothes sitting at the front. She was pretending that a tiger toy was real and talking to it. She {#blank#}2{#/blank#} be so lonely.

    Behind her were other people to {#blank#}3{#/blank#} she was trying to talk, but after some minutes they walked away and sat near me, looking annoyed. I didn't want to be laughed at for talking to her but I didn't like leaving her on her own either.

    After a while I rose from my seat and walked to the front of the bus  I sat next to the woman and introduced myself. We had an {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (amaze) conversation. She got off the bus before me and I felt very happy the rest of my way home.

    I'm glad I made the choice. It made {#blank#}5{#/blank#} of us feel good.