Why Foreign Languages Learning is Important for Us

Nowadays it is very important to learn foreign languages. You can't imagine an educated person, who doesn't know any foreign language. Some people learn languages because they need them in their work; others travel abroad; for the third studying languages is a hobby. Every year thousands of people go from one country to another either on business or for pleasure and the knowledge of languages helps them to communicate with people and understand them.

English occupies a special place, as it is a language spoken by many people and used in various spheres of life. English is very important for the development of international contacts. More and more contacts are established with the countries of Europe, with the USA and other English-speaking countries. Our foreign partners need specialists who have a command (to know) of one or more foreign languages and can speak them fluently.

A real professional can't do without knowing foreign languages, especially English as it is an international language. Hundreds and hundreds of books, magazines and newspapers are printed in English and read all over the world. Half of the world's scientific literature is written in English. It's the language of progressive science and technology, trade and cultural relations, commerce and business.

English is the language of international communication. The majority of international telephone calls are made in English. More than seventy per cent of international mail is written and addressed in English.

Eighty per cent of all computer texts, including all web sites, are stored in English.

English is a world language. It's the most widespread language on earth, and it is second only to Chinese in the number of people who speak it. It's spoken in the British Isles, the USA, Australia, New Zealand and much of Canada and South Africa. English is also a second language of another 300 million people living in more than 60 countries. English is indeed a world language. English is spoken by more than 400 million people. It is the official language of the UK, the USA, Australia and New Zealand. In our country English is very popular. It is studied at schools, colleges and universities.

At our university the course of English runs for three years. During the course students read and translate texts on their specialty, make up different topics and dialogues, learn professional vocabulary and study English grammar.

Learning a language is not an easy thing. It's a long and slow process that takes a lot of time and patience. But it's a must (necessity).

Exercise 1

Find in the text English equivalents of the following words and word combinations:

иностранный язык; общаться с людьми; развитие международных контактов; говорить бегло; самый распространенный язык; отнимать много времени и терпения; необходимость.

Exercise 2

Complete the following sentences:

1. Some people learn languages because…

2. Every year thousands of people go from one country to another either…

3. English is very important for…

4. It is the official language of ...

5. During the English course students …

Exercise 3

Answer the questions:

1. Why do people learn foreign languages?

2. Is English important for the development of international contacts? Why?

3. Where is English used?

4. Why is English called a world language?

5. How is English taught at universities?

6. Is it easy to learn a foreign language?