1 . The English language is the result of the invasion(入侵) of the island of Britain over many hundreds of years.The first invasions were by a people called Angles about 1, 500 years ago. The Angles were a German tribe who crossed the English Channel(英吉利海峡). Later two more groups crossed to Britain. They were the Saxons and the Jutes. Through many years, the Saxons, Angles and the Jutes mixed their different languages. The result is what is called Anglo-Saxon or old English.
The next great invasion of Britain was done by Vikings about 1, 100 years ago. Many English words used today come from these ancient Vikings.
The next invasion of Britain took place more than 900 years ago, in 1066. History experts call this invasion the Norman Conquest. The Normans were a French-speaking people from Normandy in the north of France. These new rulers(统治者) spoke only French for several hundred years. It was the most important language in the world at that time. It was the language of educated people. But the common people of Britain still spoke old English.
Old English took many words from the Norman French. Some of these include “damage”, “prison”, and “marriage”. The French language used by the Norman rulers greatly changed the way English was spoken 800 years ago. English became what language experts call Middle English. Middle English sounds like Modern English. But it is difficult to understand now. The history of the English language continues as Middle English becomes Modern English, which is spoken today.
1. Who was the first invaders(入侵者) of Britain?
| A．The Angles. | B．The Saxons. |
| C．The Jutes. | D．The Normans. |
2. How many groups of invaders are mentioned in the passage?
| A．Three. | B．Four. |
| C．Five. | D．Six. |
3. Which of the following is TURE about Middle English?
| A．It sounds like Old English. |
| B．It’s quite different from Modern English. |
| C．Few people understand it now. |
| D．It stopped developing. |
4. During the rule of the Normans, the language people spoke showed their ______.
| A．races (种族) | B．social positions |
| C．ability | D．names |
5. What is mainly discussed in this passage?
| A．The historical invasions of Britain. |
| B．Other languages that have influenced English. |
| C．The origin (起源) and development of English. |
| D．Old English and Modern English. |
