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The global spread of English over the 40 years has been 1) remarkable .It is unparalleled several ways: by the increasing number of users of the language; by its depth of penetration into societies; by its 2) range of functions.

Worldwide over 1.4 billion people live in countries where English has official 3) status. One out of five of the world’s population speaks some English. And at present one in five---over one billion people---are learning English. Over 70% of the world’s 4) scientists read English. About 85% of the world’s mail is written in English. And 90%of all information in the world’s 5) electronic retrieval systems is stored in English. By 2010, the number of people who speak English as a second or foreign language will 6) exceed the number of native speakers. This trend will certainly 7) affect the language.

English has been an 8) international language for only 50 years. If the pattern follows the previous language trends, we still have about 100 years before a new language dominates the world. However, this does not meanthat English is 9) replacing or will replace other languages as many fear. Instead, it may supplement or co-exist with languages by allowing strangers to 10) communicate across language boundaries. It may become one tool that opens windows to the world, unlocks doors to opportunities, and expands our minds to new ideas.