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兴文县高考英语一轮复习阅读理解训练8 阅读理解, 从给的四个选项 (A、B、C和D) 中, 选出最佳选项。 English around the world Today，nearly 350 million people across every continent use the English vocabulary as a mother tongue.Three quarters of the world's mails and letters are in English.So are more than half the world's technical and scientific periodicals(期刊)—it is the language of technology from Silicon Valley(硅谷) to Shanghai.English is the medium for 80 percent of the information stored in the world's computers.Nearly half of all business deals in Europe are conducted in English.It is also the language of sports and glamour(魅力)—the official language of the Olympics and the Miss Universe competition.Five of the largest broadcasting companies in the world(CBS，NBC，ABC，BBC，CBC)transmit in English to audiences that regularly exceed one hundred million. Though English is a language as old as Greek or Chinese，its truly significant development has occurred only in the last one hundred years or so.Taking the most conservative estimates，there are three or four hundred million people using English，but not as a native language.English has become a second language in countries like India，Nigeria or Singapore where it is used for administration，broadcasting and education.In these countries，English is a vital alternative language，often unifying huge districts and diverse populations.When Rajiv Gandhi appealed for an end to the violence that broke out after the murder of his mother，he went on television and spoke to his people in English.Then English is used as a foreign language in some countries，like Holland or Yugoslavia，where it is backed up by a tradition of English teaching.It is used to have contact with people in other countries ，usually to promote trade and scientific progress.A Dutch poet is read by a few thousands.However，translated into English，he can be read by hundreds of thousands.As either a first，second or foreign language，English has been a global phenomenon. | 
