Directions: There are 20 blanks in the following passage. For each blank there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. You should choose the ONE that best fits into the passage and write down your answer on the Answer Sheet.

The global spread of English over the last 40 years has been remarkable. It is unparalleled in several ways: by the increasing 【B1】______ of users of the language; by its depth of penetration into societies; by its range of 【B2】______ .

Worldwide over 1.4 billion people live in countries 【B3】______ English has official status. One out of five of the world’s population speaks some English. And at present one in five—over one billion people— 【B4】______ English. Over 70% of the world’s scientists read English. About 85% of the world’s mail is written is English. And 90% of all 【B5】______ in the world’s electronic retrieval systems is 【B6】______ in English. By 2010, the number of people who speak English 【B7】______ a second or foreign language will exceed the number of native speakers. This 【B8】______ will certainly affect the language.

English is used for more 【B9】______ than ever before. Vocabularies, grammatical forms, and ways of speaking and writing have emerged influenced by technological and scientific developments, economics and management, literature and entertainment. 【B10】______ began some 1,500 years ago as a crude language, originally spoken by little known German tribes who invaded England, now covers the globe.

When Mexican pilots land their airplanes in France, they and the ground controllers use English. When German physicists want to alert the international scientific 【B11】______ to new discoveries, they first publish their findings in English. When Japanese executives 【B12】______ business with Scandinavian businessmen, they negotiate in English. When pop singers write their songs, they often use English. When demonstrators want to alert the world to their problems, they 【B13】______ signs in English.

Three factors continue to 【B14】______ to this spread of English: English usage in science, technology and commerce; the ability to integrate vocabulary from other languages; and the 【B15】______ of various English dialects.

In science, English 【B16】______ German after World War II. With this technical and scientific dominance came the beginning of overall dominance by the language, first in Europe and then globally.

Today, the information age has replaced the industrial age and has compressed time and distance. This is transforming world economies from industrial production to information-based goods and services. Ignoring geography and 【B17】______, the information revolution is redefining our world. In less than 20 years, information processing, once 【B18】______ to the printed work, has given way to computers and the Internet. Computer-aided communication is closing the 【B19】______ between spoken and written English. It encourages more informal conversational language and a 【B20】______ for diversity and individual style.