Clearly the purpose for including English as a subject in the curriculum will vary from place to place, but in their general rationale, statements of educational policy usually invoke the importance of its role as a means of international communication. Since, as we have seen, this takes the form of different global registers whereby experts communities conduct their internal affairs, in science, technology, business, and so on, it would seem reasonable to suggest that one way of defining purpose would be in reference to these specialist domains of use. English is included in the curriculum because it promises to provide its learners with the necessary qualification they need to be members of these expert communities.
From: WIDDOWSON, H.G. Defining Issues in English Language Teaching.
Oxford: OUP, 2003, p. 56.
01) Select the CORRECT alternative.
According to the text, ...
A( ) English has spread as an international language because of political circumstances.
B( ) international communication is the fundamental reason to include English in the curriculum.
C( ) expert communities are mainly made up of native speakers of English.
D( ) knowledge of English is the only qualification necessary to be a member of an expert community.
E( ) specialists in science, technology, and business have control over the varieties of English.
02) Which question can CORRECTLY be answered according to the text above?
A ( ) How many global registers are there?
B ( ) Where can learners obtain information about the specialist domains of use?
C ( ) How can we specify objectives for teaching English?
D ( ) Which are the most important expert communities?
E ( ) Who formulates the statements of educational policy?
03) Select the alternative which best completes the text above.
A ( ) Standard English, then, is not simply a means of communication but the symbolic possession of a particular community, expressive of its identity, its conventions, and values.
B ( ) If, however, English is to be an international means of communication, the evolution of different and autonomous Englishes would seem to be self-defeating.
C ( ) Learning the language used for medicine is an entry condition on membership of the medical community, and in many parts of the world the language happens to be a register of English.
D ( ) Registers relate to domains of use, to areas of knowledge and expertise which cross national boundaries and are global of their very nature.
E ( ) This promise is in some ways a delusion, but nevertheless it is represented as a primary objective and motivation for millions of English learners all over the globe.
GABARITO:
01 -B
02 -C
03 -E
