Unit 2

WHY LEARN ENGLISH?

The English language is the official language of more than 60 sovereign states. It is the third most popular mother tongue in the world after Mandarin and Spanish. English is taught to students of all faculties and departments of the Belarusian State University.

In Unit 2 you will learn how many people use English in their professional activities and try to decide for yourself whether it is worth learning English.

APPROACHING THE ISSUE

1 Study the map and name the countries where English is used. Countries in dark colour have the majority of native speakers.

(from: http://www.berlitz.com.cn/english-135.html)

2 Answer the questions of the Quiz, which help you to learn more about English and decide how many words you need to know in order to communicate effectively.

Mini Quiz What do you know about the English language?

1. Why has the English language become a world language?

a) It is the simplest one.		c) It is the easiest to study.	
b) It is the most beautiful.		d) Because of the massive immigration of people.	

2. How many people speak the English language today?

a) 3 million		c) 100 million	
b) 6 million		d) 1 billion or more	

3. How many people speak English as their first language?

a) 100 million		c) 400 million	
b) 200 million		d) 800 million	

4. How large is the vocabulary of average (обычный) native English speakers? How many words do they use in their everyday speech?

a) 2,500		c) 7,500	
b) 5,000		d) 10,000	

5. How many words, do you think, does the average vocabulary of an educated native English speaker include?

a) 20,000 to 30,000		c) 50,000 to 60,000	
b) 40,000 to 50,000		d) 70,000 to 80,000	

6. How large should an active vocabulary of a person be in order to communicate effectively?

a) 300		c) 3,000	
b) 1,000		d) 5,000	

7. How many words are there in the English language?

a) 100,000		c) 250,000	
b) 150,000		d) 500,000 or more	

8. What skills in English do you think you may need for your future profession?

a) to read on professional subjects		c) to do research	
b) to communicate effectively		d) to write and do interviews	

9. What are your personal goals of learning English?

a) to enlarge my vocabulary		c) to develop grammar skills	
b) to improve my reading skills		d) to speak well enough to pass an exam	

3 Sum up the information of the Quiz and tell the group why it is advisable to learn English and what skills you may need for your future profession.

reading for information and discussion

 1 Most people have the chance to learn English during their school years. However, they didn’t realize then what benefits (преимущества) the knowledge of English can give to professionals.

Read the text and decide if it is worth learning English. What are your personal reasons for learning English?