Learning Foreign Languages

Learning foreign languages is of vital importance in everyday

Life. Do you agree? Why do people learn foreign languages?

I definitely do, foreign languages are of paramount importance for everyday life. Learning at least one foreign language is a must in most countries of the world. There are several ways how I can prove this. Firstly, speaking a foreign language aids communication and global understanding.

The world is no longer a combination of separate countries, it’s rather a complex of interrelated parts, connected economically and sometimes politically. In international communication, foreign languages are necessary for international commerce as well as for different types of cultural exchange such as diplomacy, arts and so on. Owners and top executives of most companies think their businesses could benefit from better language skills. Therefore, knowing a foreign language gives more opportunities of finding a better-paid and rewarding job.

Secondly, learning a foreign language is educational as it helps develop the human brain. In 2004, a study by University College London examined the brains of 105 people who could speak more than one language. The study found that people who learned a second language when younger had denser grey matter (where information is processed) than those who learned one later.

Most schools around the world teach at least one foreign language. In 1995 the European Commission’s White Paper on Education and Training emphasized the importance of schoolchildren learning at least two foreign languages before upper secondary education.

English is the language of international communication and

The most spoken language in the world. Do you agree?

I couldn’t agree more, and there are several reasons why I think so. First, there have long been a need for an international language – a language of international communication. At present, the language of international

communication, a ‘global language’ is English.

In addition, the language has occupied a primary place in international science and business. Through the global influence of native English speakers in cinema, airlines, broadcasting, science, and the Internet in recent decades, English is now the most widely learned second language in the world. Many students worldwide are required to learn at least some English, and a working knowledge of English is required in many fields and occupations. The current status of the English language compares with that of Latin in the past. Second, English is the dominant language in the United Kingdom, the United States, many Commonwealth nations, and other former British colonies.

In many other countries, where English is not a major first language, it is an official language. It is now the third most spoken native language worldwide (after Chinese and Hindi), with some 380 million speakers. An equal number of people use it as their second or foreign language.

Translate the following sentences into English.

1. Изучение иностранных языков стало обязательным в современном мире, являющемся комплексом взаимосвязанных частей, поскольку знание иностранного языка способствует коммуникации и глобальному взаимопониманию. 2. На многих должностях и во многих профессиях требуется хотя бы рабочее знание английского, так как руководители многих компаний считают, что их компании могут выиграть от лучшего знания языка. 3. Знание иностранного языка дает больше возможностей найти более высокооплачиваемую и интересную работу.

4. Английский – доминирующий язык в ряде стран, таких как Великобритания, США, страны Британского Содружества и других, и наиболее изучаемый второй язык в мире. 5. Английский язык занял первое место в международной науке и бизнесе, а также в международной компьютерной коммуникации.

1. Learning a foreign language is a must in the modern world, which is a complex of interrelated parts, because knowing a foreign language aids communication and global understanding. 2. A working knowledge of English is required in many jobs and occupations, as top executives of many companies think their businesses could benefit from better language skills. 3. Knowing a foreign language gives more opportunities of finding a better-paid and rewarding job. 4. English is the dominant language in a number of countries, such as the United Kingdom, the USA, the Commonwealth nations and so on, and the most widely learned second language in the world.

5. English has occupied a primary place in international science and business, as well as in the computer communication.

Из пособия “ЕГЭ. Английский язык. Устные темы” Занина Е. Л. (2010, 272с.) – Part one. English examination topics.

Forms 9/11.