Read the interview with a young man from Ukraine about learning English in his country. Match the questions (1-8) to the answers (A-F). There is one extra question

1) When do children start learning foreign languages in Ukraine? ___ D ___

2) In how many countries is English the official language? ______

3) Why do people learn foreign languages in Ukraine? ______

4) What is a distinguishing feature of English? ______

5) Is English an easy language to learn? ______

6) What do you think is the most difficult about English? ______

7) Why are foreign languages important for specialists? ______

8) What kind of foreign language do specialists have to know? ______

A

English belongs to a group of Germanic languages. Thus German is relatively close to English. At the same time England had numerous contacts with France, so French had tremendous influence on English. Today a person who knows both English and French will easily find numerous similarities in these languages. Those who already know English will have fewer difficulties learning French.

B

Specialists have to know that kind of English which will help them to solve their professional problems. They need English for specific purposes. It has been established that there are important differences between, say, the English of commerce and that of engineering. That is why a great deal of English courses for specific groups of learners have been developed. Nowadays there are English courses for Biology, Geography, Law, History, Mathematics, Medicine, Economy, and other sciences.

C

Ukraine is integrating into the world community and the problem of learning English for the purpose of communication is especially urgent today. In our country people learn English to be able to exchange the latest information concerning science, technology and commerce with their colleagues; to be able to read foreign newspapers and books. People who travel a lot also need English. Even in the countries where English is not an official language people will generally be able to understand it.

D

Much depends on the parents. Some children start to learn foreign languages very early, in kindergartens for example. They are taught ABC English there: they sing songs, recite nursery rhymes and learn to construct some phrases. Others start learning languages at school.

E

Basically English is an easier language to learn than almost any other language. Its grammar is not difficult at all.

F

The richness of the vocabulary makes English a difficult language. Moreover, spelling and pronunciation make trouble. Another thing is that Ukrainian and English are very different. It is not easy for a Ukrainian to learn how to use definite and indefinite articles properly because there are no articles in Ukrainian.

G

Specialist should know foreign languages to communicate with their colleagues at the conferences, through books and journals or the Internet. Today it is not enough for a professional to know only one foreign language. That is why many young people who begin to think about their future early start learning several languages. For Ukrainian specialists it is good to know not only English, but German and French as well. Undoubtedly, English is number one language that specialists should learn.

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