What is standard English? Is it spoken in Britain, the US, Canada, Australia, India and New Zealand? Believe it or not, there is no such thing as standard English. Many people believe the English 【小题1】(speak) on TV and radio is standard English. This is because in the early days of radio, those 【小题2】 reported the news were expected to speak excellent English. However, 【小题3】 TV and the radio you will hear differences in the way people speak.

When people use words and expressions different from the “standard language”, it 【小题4】(call) a dialect. American English has many dialects, especially the mid-western, southern, African American and Spanish dialects. Even in some parts of the USA, two people from neighboring towns speak a little 【小题5】(different). American English has so many dialects because people have come from all over the world.

Geography also plays a part in 【小题6】(make) dialects. Some people who live in the mountains of the eastern USA speak with an older kind of English dialect. When Americans 【小题7】(move) from one place to another, they took their dialects with 【小题8】(they). So people from the mountains in the south eastern USA speak with almost the same dialect as people in the north western USA. The USA is 【小题9】 large country in which many different dialects are spoken. Although many 【小题10】(American) move a lot, they still recognize and understand each other’s dialects.

Originating from his 【小题1】 (curious) about Chinese porcelain (瓷器) collected in his home, Kevin Cook, a man from the United States, travelled to Jingdezhen, Xi’an, Chengdu, Dunhuang, Shanghai, Beijing and other places. It was the first time that he 【小题2】 (pay) a visit to China. He learned about porcelain craftsmanship in Jingdezhen, explored 【小题3】 origin of papermaking in Hanzhong and gained a valuable understanding of the wisdom 【小题4】 (contain) in Chinese calligraphy in Xi’an. He tried hotpot and got to know the 【小题5】 (amaze) power of herbs in traditional Chinese medicine. He visited the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, 【小题6】 he talked to designers to learn how mural (壁画) colors 【小题7】 (apply) to modern clothing design so that people could always carry a piece of history with them. He was also looking for the classic Chinese cartoon character the Monkey King and ended up being fascinated by the creative spirit of Chinese animation. Finally, he travelled to Red tourism 【小题8】 (attraction) in China and 【小题9】 (true) understood the meaning of “China Red”. 【小题10】 surprising discoveries Kevin had along the way!

Universities Show “ Red Card” to English Majors

An increasing number of Chinese universities are showing English the “red card” and sending it off the academic playing field. Just last month, five more universities announced that they would no longer offer English as a major, 【小题1】 CET-4 (大学英语四级考试) will still be required for graduation.

At first sight, it may appear that these universities are downgrading the importance of learning English. In actual fact, they are responding to the economic reality 【小题2】English majors do not have good job prospects after graduation. And the same holds true for graduates in other Arts majors.

According to MyCOS, the Beijing-based education research group, English graduates, along with those in history, literature and law, have 【小题3】(low) starting salaries and lowest employment rate. Engineering, economics and science graduates have better job prospects and make twice as much money, with IT graduates 【小题4】 (make) the most.

In 【小题5】 1980s, the Chinese government made the study of English a priority as part of its reform and opening-up policy. English majors were in high demand in business and in government because people with good English-language skills were so rare. Today, about 350 million Chinese have studied, or are studying, English. Ten million of them 【小题6】 (consider) functionally bilingual. So, when an employer looks at a graduate’s résumé , it is assumed that he or she has good English skills.

However, for those of you who truly love English, you should not be discouraged. The demand for English teachers is still high at all levels of education, 【小题7】in public schools and in private institutions.

Zhang Lu   is probably familiar to most of you as the elegant young woman 【小题8】   (see)   standing or sitting slightly behind top government officials when they meet leaders from English-speaking countries. Zhang is a translator. In 2015, she made 54 overseas trips accompanying various leaders such as Li Keqiang. Over the years, she has been the official Chinese/English translator 【小题9】major international conferences.

Zhang studied English and law at university. She 【小题10】(plan) to be a teacher, but her skills attracted the attention of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs . They offered her a job in the diplomatic service . It is not the career she had planned, but her abilities enabled her to grasp the opportunity.

So, if English is really your passion, let Zhang be your model and just choose a university that has not shown it the “red card.”