You are going to read an article about Esperanto. For
questions 31-36, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best
according to the text.
Breaking down the language barrier?
A look at Esperanto
We are supposed to live in a 'globalised' world, or so we
are increasingly taught in school. Many of us share elements of a globalised
culture, at least, perhaps watching Japanese movies, listening to K-pop, or
eating Indian food. Why is it, then, that so many of us tussle with the basics
of global communication in this age of instant messaging, email and video
conferencing? English may certainly be the (self-appointed) lingua franca of
the globalised world, with millions of students struggling daily to learn its
phrasal verbs and idioms. But English is the mother tongue of only a relatively
small percentage of the global population, so wouldn't it be easier if we all
spoke a simpler language? Perhaps what is needed is an international language.
What is interesting is that, over a hundred years ago, a Dr
Ludwig Zamenhof published a book about a new language that he had developed,
with the intention of providing an appropriate international means of communication.
He called this language 'Esperanto', and it is said that hundreds of thousands
of people have learned to speak it, with about one thousand today even using it
as their first language. It is claimed to be easy to master and, more
significantly, as an artificial language, it is appreciated as being devoid of
any of the ideological or political connotations that accompany languages of
former colonial powers, such as English. It is said to be learnt much faster
than English, with a one[1]symbol-one-sound
writing system (making spelling easier) and a grammar with a limited number of
rules. Vocabulary even borrows a number of words that are already shared
internationally, such as telefono (telephone) and matematiko (mathematics). In
short, Esperanto may well be the answer that second-language learners have been
seeking.
The problem is that it is likely that, before reading this
article, you might never have heard of Esperanto, and you would almost
certainly not be alone on that point. The main criticism of Esperanto is that,
despite its lofty ideals, the language never really caught on among the global
population in the way its creator intended. Whether there was a vested interest
in preventing the language from spreading is hard to say. The key factor is
that the language does, in fact, look rather similar to Romance languages such
as French, Spanish or Italian, at the expense of other popular languages such
as Arabic or Mandarin. As such, the 'international' language is perhaps not
international enough, and may even be considered as maintaining a primarily
Western point of view, something the creator of Esperanto initially set out to
mitigate.
As mentioned, Esperanto is what is known as an 'artificial language'.
Those involved with the development of its vocabulary and structures were well
aware that the language they were creating had few ties with languages of the
past, and so one of the basic features of any other language - that of a
cultural heritage - can be considered missing for speakers of Esperanto.
However, advocates of Esperanto would counter this criticism by claiming that
all languages can be considered as artificial, in the sense that the creators
of any language were human. What Esperanto lacks in culture, it makes up for in
efficiency, and as language learners in the busy modern world are constantly
under pressure of time, it is possible that, for some, it is worth developing
communicative efficiency at the expense of a certain prestige. In addition, as
Esperanto itself is now a over a century old, one might argue that this
language, too, has built up a history of its own, one shared by the thousands
who speak it and use it as an international means of communication.
Whether we consider the Esperanto experiment a success or
failure, one thing is for certain: an international language should reflect all
aspects of global society, while at the same time be easy to learn, free from
ambiguity, and neutral in terms of ideology. Critics of Esperanto claim its
failure in each of these aspects, while proponents of the language assert that
it has succeeded in areas where English might have failed. While there may not
be enough global uptake of Esperanto to eventually topple English from its perch,
there is no doubt that it has provoked increased interest in the debate on
language in the shadow of globalisation, and this debate is far from over.
31.- What is the main point the writer is making in the
first paragraph?
A) English has difficult features, but can still be an
effective global language.
B) Schools tend to exaggerate the extent of globalisation in
the world today.
C) Global communication is less straightforward than it
should be.
D) World culture continues to become increasingly
globalised.
32.- What does the writer suggest is the main reason why
Esperanto appeals to learners?
A) Its spelling accurately reflects its pronunciation.
B) its grammar and vocabulary are relatively simple.
C) It is becoming increasingly widely spoken.
D) It lacks associations with a specific culture.
33.- How does the writer explain the fact that Esperanto has
been less successful than initially hoped?
A) Esperanto is too closely associated with European
languages.
B) Many learners find English more interesting than
Esperanto.
C) Speakers of Arabic and Chinese find Esperanto difficult.
D) Esperanto has not been promoted widely enough.
34.- How does the writer suggest that Esperanto is now
changing?
A) It can no longer be considered artificial.
B) It is developing its own culture.
C) Its vocabulary is rapidly expanding.
D) Its prestige is beginning to increase.
35.- The writer concludes that...
A) Esperanto is in some ways superior to English.
B) Esperanto meets all the criteria for an international
language.
C) it is hard to predict what the future fate of Esperanto
will be.
D) Esperanto has prompted useful discussions about language.
36.- What does 'it' in the last sentence of the last paragraph
refer to?
A) Esperanto
B) uptake
C) perch
D) English
O’Dell, Felicity (2015) Reading and Use of English Test 1 Part 5. 2nd edition. Cambridge University Press: Dubai. Pages 27 and 28.
