2010年12月英語四六級(jí)考試閱讀提高練習(xí)(25)

　　Very soon there will be powerful new models of English offered to the world—models which can claim to have arisen without the attentions of native speakers, to have none of the mystique, and yet to be usable as the principal language of external and public affairs. These models will derive authority from an impressive group of scholars and administrators who must never be overlooked—the thousands of experts on English and the teaching of it who are not themselves native speakers. In Practice

　　Practicality is a key feature of anyone's choice of a language model. Quite apart from the various reasons advanced above, the learner may in an actual situation have a very restricted choice of language models, in the available teachers and in access to materials. Recorded material and radio and television transmissions offer alternatives, but they may confuse as much as extend the choice available to the learner.

　　Teachers and learners just have to make the best of what is available to them at the time and in the place where they are working. The sustained efforts of authors, scholars and publishers are key factors in the strong presence of British English abroad, and in the maintenance of that presence.

　　Pronunciation is a good case with which to illustrate this point. Throughout the world, learners of British English are aiming at a pronunciation that few of their teachers use—the Received Pronunciation (RP) associated with the public schools. The reason is that RP is the variety of English which is best documented and most readily available in teaching materials. Because of its origins, it is unassailable as a model and contributes to the elitist atmosphere of the British variety of English.

　　But if we put these compelling arguments to one side, and view it dispassionately, RP is not a very useful model of pronunciation. It has some very complex sound combinations, particularly diphthongs, and it is not very closely related to the spelling system. Unlike other varieties, RP speakers make much the same noise saying poor, paw, pour, and pore, and do not distinguish between ion and iron. So it is not the linguistic features of RP that give it such an appeal, but its social status and, above all, its availability in the classroom.

　　1. GA (general American pronunciation) is becoming more and more popular with British youth.

　　2. British native speakers are ignorant of cultures in other countries.

　　3. The English language is diverse in grammar, vocabulary, or pronunciation.

　　4. English is learned to communicate with native speakers.

　　5. RP is appealing in that its status is peculiar.

　　6. It is not troublesome at all to substitute qualified English teachers for native speaking teachers.

　　7. Choice of a language model is determined by its popularity.

　　8. Native speakers of English have an innate advantage in______communication.

　　9. Competitors of English speakers may well take advantage of the weakness—most British people do not know______.

　　10. New models of English are likely to emerge without the ______.

　　1. NG 2. N 3. Y 4. N 5. Y 6. Y 7. N

　　8. international 9. what they are missing 10. attentions of native speakers