Two English teachers Lynne and Greg are talking about learning English in future answering the questions of the journalist

English in the Future.

Journalist: I'd like to ask you, at what age do people start learning English these days?
LYNNE: Well, in many countries children start learning English when they go to school but I think in some countries they're starting to teach English too much younger children and I think this will become more and more common around the world.
GREG: That's certainly true 'cause I know that in some countries they're even having English lessons for six-year-old children, so they'll certainly be learning as soon as they start school, if not before.

Journalist:And do you think that English will soon be the universal language?
LYNNE: Oh, I think most adults already speak some English, even if it's only a word or two here and there, because English is very common and very useful.
GREG: Well, I think that's right. Because already there are so many words that are in English and that are used internationally, for example, "radio, television, football, computer, manager", these are all international words — English words though. So I think in years to come there'll be very few people who don't speak English.
Journalist: And, do you think, that teachers will start using English to teach other subjects, for instance, geography or science, and that it'll be used in schools all over the world?
LYNNE: Yes, I do. I think that teachers will start experimenting with that. I think in many ways it's the best way of learning English.
GREG: I'm not sure about that actually, I don't think that's right. I think some will be in English certainly, for example, lessons in science, say. But I think quite a lot won't be in English.

Journalist: Now, what about British and American life and habits, institutions, do you think that it's important to know about those?
LYNNE: I don't think that English as a language has anything to do with double-decker buses, and bowler hats, and hamburgers and yellow taxis. It's an international language and it can be used for communication between people who don't know each other's language, as a tool really. So, I don't think that the cultural roots of English are important at all.
GREG: I really do disagree there, because I think you have to understand the culture of a country, simply because there are some words that mean different things to different people depending on what country they're in, for example, the word 'tea' can be a drink to some people in one country and in another country it means an entire meal. The word 'police' means different things to different people. You always have to know a little bit about the background and the culture of a country before you can fully understand the language.
Journalist: What about in the work? How important is English there, what's its role?
LYNNE: Well, I think it's really important and more and more people will use it at work — it's easily understood wherever you come from and actually, everyone will need to use more English in their work.
GREG: I think some people will need to use more English, particularly people working in big companies who have to travel a lot and do a lot of business between countries, but for the majority of the population in any country who aren't involved in international business or moving around or travelling they'll be very happy sticking to their own language.
Journalist: And the traditional language class as we know it — do you think that that will continue or will there be other forms of teaching, such as, teaching involving television and computers?
LYNNE: Well, I think that the traditional language class will still exist. The personal contact is very important with the language teacher and of course, there is more than one person in a class, you can interact with the other students and I think that that's much more valuable often than just relating to a computer screen or listening to cassettes.
GREG: Not entirely. I think that we live in a computer age now and, it's highly likely that computers and other, videos for example — all those interactive programmes that you use with videos — will allow people to learn foreign languages in a different way on their own, so that you aren't dependent on teachers and other students.
Journalist: And finally, do you think that English will ever become more important than the language of the native speaker?
LYNNE: Well, no. I think obviously English is important, but I’m persuaded that your own language and your own culture and traditions are more important to you and I think it's good to respect those and to hold on to them.
GREG: Yes, I agree. I think it would very arrogant to think that English would be more important than your own language, 'cause your own culture and your personal identity and your national identity are, after all, far more important, aren't they?

Vocabulary:

bowler hat — цилиндр
tool — инструмент
root — источник, корень, первопричина
background — истоки, происхождение
to be involved — вовлекать, включать, предполагать
to stick to — придерживаться
to interact — взаимодействовать
valuable — ценный
to hold on to — придерживаться
arrogant — высокомерный

Дата добавления: 2014-12-23