贵州省仁怀市2017高考英语一轮复习 阅读理解专题训练（五.docVIP

贵州仁怀市2017高考英语阅读理解专题一轮训练（五） 阅读理解(原创)People in Hong Kong speak a rich mixture of languages. Hong Kong was a British colony for more than 156 years before it was returned to Chinese control in 1997. English was the only official language until 1994. Most people in Hong Kong today speak Cantonese, but Mandarin and other dialects also are heard, and English as the British used is still widely spoken and taught here. Now however, many people are choosing to learn English as it is spoken in the United States. Victor Chan, for example, has children who attend school called Nature EQ on Saturday and Sunday, and they are learning to say words the American way. Mr Chan says he wants his sons to learn American English, because he plans to send them to the United States for further study. Nature EQ is one of a growing number of schools in Hong Kong that offer American English classes. Frankie Ng opened the school 17 years ago, at that time, he had only 40 students. Today, the school has 350 students, and it does not have space for any more. Mr Ng says American English is clear and defined. He says it is easy to teach and easily understood. That, however, is not the main concern of the children. Public schools in the former British colony still teach mostly British English. But the number of private language schools teaching American English is growing. In Hong Kong’s Tseung Kwan O district, for example, the American English Workshop school had 20 students a week when it opened one year ago. Today, ithas more than 180 each week. Some observers say American English is becoming the language of international business. Increased contact with American culture, like movies, television programs, computer games and the Internet is spreading American expressions and accents in areas other than business. But for now, people hearing English in the streets of Hong Kong are mainly hearing traditional British English. “We can understand both, but for what we speak, we speak with the B