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Unit 2
第二單元
English Around the World
世界英語
Reading
閱讀
THE ROAD TO MODERN ENGLISH
通向現代英語之路
At the end of the 16th century, about five to seven million people spoke English.
在16世紀末，大約有五至七百萬人講英語。
Nearly all of them lived in England.
幾乎所有這些講英語的人都住在英格蘭。
Later in the next century, people from England made voyages to conquer other parts of the world and because of that,
在其后的一個世紀中，英格蘭人為征服世界航海到了世界其他一些地方，
English began to be spoken in many other countries.
結果世界的其他地方的人們也開始說英語了。
Today, more people speak English as their first, second or foreign language than ever before.
今天，把英語作為自己的第一語言、第二語言或外語來使用的人比以往任何時候都多。
Native English speakers can understand each other even if they don't speak the same kind of English.
以英語作為母語的人，即使他們所講不是同一種英語，他們也能彼此聽懂。
Look at this example:
請看看這個例子：
Would you like to see my flat?
來看看我的公寓嗎？
Yes, I'd like to come up to your apartment.
好的，我來看看你的公寓吧。
So why has English changed over time?
那么，隨著時間的推移英語為什么發生了變化呢？
Actually all languages change and develop when cultures meet and communicate with each other.
實際上，當不同文化相互交流滲透時，所有的語言都會有所發展和變化。
At first the English spoken in England between about AD 450 and 1150 was very different from the English spoken today.
開始，英格蘭人在大約公元450年到1150年之間所說的英語與我們今天所說的英語很不一樣。
It was based more on German than the English we speak at present.
當時的英語更多的是以德語為基礎的，不像我們現在說的英語。
Then gradually between about AD 800 and 1150,
后來，大約在公元800年至1150年之間，
English became less like German because those who ruled England spoken first Danish and later French.
英語慢慢變得不那么像德語，因為統治英格蘭的那些人開始是說丹麥語，后來說法語。
These new settlers enriched the English language and especially its vocabulary.
這些新來的定居者豐富了英語語言，尤其是豐富了英語詞匯。
So by the 1600's Shakespeare was able to make use of a wider vocabulary than ever before.
所以到17世紀初的時候，莎士比亞能夠得以使用比以往任何時候都豐富的詞匯。
In 1620 some British settlers moved to America.
1620年一些英國定居者來到了美洲，
Later in the 18th century some British people were taken to Australia too.
后來到了18世紀的時候，一些英國人還被帶到了澳大利亞。
English began to be spoken in both countries.
英語也就開始在這兩個國家使用。
Finally by the 19th century the language was settled.
最后到19世紀的時候，英語這種語言就變得穩定了。
At that time two big changes in English spelling happened:
當時，英語的拼寫發生了兩個很大的變化：
first Samuel Johnson wrote his dictionary and later Noah Webster wrote The American Dictionary of the English Language.
先是塞繆爾·約翰遜編寫了他的英語詞典，后是諾亞·韋伯斯特出版了《美國英語詞典》。
The latter gave a separate identity to American English spelling.
后者使得美式英語的拼寫有了其獨特的個性。
English now is also spoken as a foreign or second language in South Asia.
現在英語在南亞地區也被作為外語或第二語言使用。
For example, India has a very large number of fluent English speakers because Britain ruled India from 1765 to 1947.
比如，印度就有很多人說英語說得很流利，因為在1765年到1947年之間英國統治著印度。
During that time, English became the language for government and education.
在此期間，英語成了印度政府和教育所用的語言。
English is also spoken in Singapore and Malaysia and countries in Africa such as South Africa.
在新加坡和馬來西亞的人們現在也在說英語，非洲的一些國家比如南非也說英語。
Today the number of people learning English in China is increasing rapidly.
當今，在中國學英語的人數正在快速增加，
In fact, China may have the largest number of English learners.
事實上，中國可能是學英語人數最多的國家。
Will Chinese English develop its own identity?
中國式英語是否也能發展成一種具有自己獨特個性的語言？
Only time will tell.
這還有待時間去證明。
