Do you know how many languages there are in the world? There are about 5,500 languages, but many of them are not considered very_______. English is considered one of the most important languages because many people_______it, not only in the UK and the US, _______in other countries of the world. About 375 million people speak it_______their own language, and another 750 million people use it as a_______language. It is _______to say how many people are learning it. Millions of boys and girls in schools are trying to do so.

Many children in English-speaking countries _______French. French is also a very important language. Some children learn languages like German, Chinese, Japanese and Russian, among which Chinese is getting more and more popular.

Which is the best_______to learn a language? We know that we all learnt the native language well when we were children. If we learn a second language in the_______way, it may not seem so difficult. What does a small child do? He ________what people say, and he tries to guess what he hears. When he wants something, he has to________it. He is using the language, ________ and talking in it at all times. If people use a second language ________, they will learn it________ .

In school, you learn to read, to write, to hear and to________. It is best to learn all new words through the ears. You can read them, spell them and speak them later.

People from Great Britain brought the English language to North America in the 16th and 17th centuries. And in the ______ 300 years, there were so many ______ in both places that now people can easily   ______ an English person from an American in the ______ he or she talks.

Many old words ______ in England but were kept in America. For example, 300 years ago people in Great Britain got their water from something they ______ either a “faucet”， “spigot”， or a “tap”. All these words are ______ heard in different parts of America, but only “tap” is still ______ in England. Americans often make ______ new words or change old ones. “Corn” is one kind of plant in America and ______ in England.

Also, over the last three centuries the English language has ______ thousands of new words for things that weren't ______ before. And often, American and English people used two ______ names for them. A tin can is called “tin” for short in English, but a “can” in America. The word “radio” is ______ all over the world, including America. But many English people call it a “wireless”. And almost anything     ______ something to do with cars, railroads, etc. has different ______ in British and American English.

But now American and British English may be ______ closer together.   One thing is that ______ people can hear a large amount of American speech daily in ______， on television, or from travelers.   Because of this, Americans ______ to be influencing the British more and more. So some day, English may even be the same on both sides of the Atlantic.

Although the USA is by far the most powerful country of the Englishspeaking countries, the English that is taught in _____ parts of the world is British English._____，British English is the “mother” language upon which all English, written or spoken，is _____，including American English. _____， most Americans like the way the “English” speak. Many Americans，_____ some who have no British blood in _____，consider Britain as the Mother Country.Americans read English literature(文学) _____ any difficulty at all，and British readers of the early 20th century American literature have no _____either.But for the last fifty years Americans have been _____ a large number of new words and phrases，many of which have already ______ the UK and the whole Englishspeaking world.

However，there are sometimes misunderstandings.A smart English woman said to a smart American woman on a California ______.

English woman：I haven't bathed for years.

American woman：Is that so？I can't ______ it!

English woman：It's true.You see，the water at home is always so cold.

American woman：But...But surely you have hot water in England!

English woman：Of course, ______ not in the sea!

In ______ English，“bathe” means “wash, have a bath”．In British English, it means “go swimming”．There can be ______ misunderstandings over the word “pants”，______ most English people know that Americans call trousers “pants”．

American girl：I never wear pants.They don't ______me.

English girl：Really？Couldn't that be a bit embarrassing?

American girl：Embarrassing(令人尴尬的)？______？

English girl：Well, that ______ skirt you're wearing...

American girl：Oh，my! But I wear panties(女士短裤)!

In British English，“pants” are underclothes.However, young people in Britain do sometimes say “pants” ______ “trousers”．