Section_ⅠIntroduction & Reading - Pre­reading

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　　Which English?

　　When you receive a phone call from a friend, how long does it take you to know who it is①？ A few seconds, perhaps. The quality of someone's voice and their choice of words make a person instantly② recognisable③， even though you can't see him or her④. In this sense⑤ everybody's use of language - whether English, Chinese, or any other - is different. You could say that there are as many varieties of⑥ English, or any other language for that matter⑦， as there are speakers of it.

　　English is spoken as an official language in more than⑧ 60 countries across the world and it can sound⑨ very different from place to place⑩. Pronunciation, as well as⑪ grammar and vocabulary, can change very quickly from one area to another. For example, within London the most famous dialect⑫ is cockney⑬. It is only usually spoken by people from the east of that city so⑭ it is not the only form of English you will hear⑮. You can usually tell which part of the English­speaking world someone comes from by their accent⑯， and there are some very recognisable accents all over Britain. ⑰It is also quite easy to tell British and American English apart⑱.

　　Although most people believe there is a right and a wrong way to speak English⑲， there is not really a standard form ⑳that everyone can agree on\s\up1(21(21). English spread across the world over hundreds of years because of\s\up1(22(22) trade, exploration and business, and this process produced many different Englishes. Professors of linguistics\s\up1(23(23)， writers and teachers all worry about providing a perfect model to follow\s\up1(24(24) but as it is so widely spoken\s\up1(25(25)， it has become impossible to say which English is "correct" and which is "incorrect"\s\up1(26(26). Perhaps correctness doesn't matter\s\up1(27(27) - as long as\s\up1(28(28) speakers can understand each other - \s\up1(29(29)it's communication that counts\s\up1(30(30).

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　　①When引导时间状语从句，主句中含有固定句式：It takes sb. some time to do sth. "某人花多长时间做某事"。who it is为宾语从句，用陈述语序。

　　②instantly/'Instəntli/adv.立即，马上

③recognisable/'rekəgˌnaIzəbl/adj.能辨认的，能认出的