订阅
报纸
纸质报纸 电子报纸
手机订阅 微商城
英语
学习
双语学习 热点翻译 英语视频
实用英语 报纸听力 TEENS对话
教育
资讯
最新动态 活动预告
备课资源 语言文化
演讲
比赛
精彩演讲
活动动态
用报
专区
高中   初中
小学   画刊
   电子版首页   |   高一   |   高二   |   高三   |   初一   |   初二   |   初三   |   小学   |   画刊   |   教育报   |   二十一世纪英文报

EU challenges all citizens to learn foreign languages

本文作者: 21ST
  据英国《独立报》近日报道,欧盟委员会对每个欧盟国家进行了一项外语能力普查。结果显示,平均56%的欧洲人至少精通一门外语。而在英国大约有三分之二的人不会讲外语,这大大低于欧盟国家平均水平。

  ALMOST two in three Britons are unable to speak any language other than English. This is the worst record in Europe, a survey by the European Commission has found.

  According to The Independent, about 700 people were interviewed in every European Union (EU) country last year for the report "Europeans and their Languages".

  The study found that 62 per cent of respondents from the UK admitted they could not speak a language other than their mother tongue. This compared with an average of 44 per cent across the EU and just 1 per cent in Luxembourg, the top-ranking country.

  Tamzin Caffrey of the UK's National Centre for Languages said Britons could lose out because of laziness.

  "There is sometimes a very arrogant attitude that people from other countries will learn to speak English so we don't need to bother to learn to speak their languages,"Caffrey said. "Britons are missing out on fabulous opportunities to interact with other cultures on holiday or on business because they don't speak the language."

  The survey also confirmed that English was the most widely-spoken foreign language throughout Europe, with 51 per cent of EU citizens able to hold a conversation in English, including 13 per cent for whom it was their mother tongue. A total of 14 per cent know either German or French along with their mother tongue.

  The EU recognizes 20 official languages on its territory. Irish will become the 21st EU language on January 1, 2007. After the accession of Romania and Bulgaria ?scheduled for 2007 ?EU will have 23 official languages. The Commission said governments must make the learning of foreign languages obligatory and train more foreign language teachers.

  But the report warned that there was a growing divide between multilingual and monolingual Europeans.

  "A multilingual European is likely to be young, well-educated or still studying, born in a country other than the country of residence, who uses foreign languages for professional reasons and is motivated to learn." the report concluded. "Consequently, it seems that a large part of European society is not enjoying the advantages of multilingualism."
Loading ...
订阅更精彩
相关文章


 主办
联系我们   |    诚聘英才   |   演讲比赛   |   关于我们   |   手机访问
中报二十一世纪(北京)传媒科技有限公司版权所有,未经书面授权,禁止转载或建立镜像。
主办单位:中国日报社 Copyright by 21st Century English Education Media All Rights Reserved 版权所有 复制必究
网站信息网络传播视听节目许可证0108263   京ICP备2024066071号-1   京公网安备 11010502033664号
关闭
内容