哥伦布英语 第 21 课：English in the World 世界上的英语

Some people say that the English language no longer belongs to the English,
and it belongs to the world. 有人说英语已不再属于英国人了，它属于全世界。

It is estimated that the number of people who use English exceeds 750 million. 据估计，使用英语的人超过七亿五千万，

Among these, about 350 million are native speakers, while the rest use it as an official language. 其中大约有三亿五千万是以英语为母语的人，而其余的人将英语作为官方语言使用。

If we add to this number the people who have acquired the language to some extent, the total is close to one billion. 如果我们再加上已经掌握英语到一定程度的人，这个总数将接近十亿。

English plays an increasingly important role in the world as a medium for
conducting international business and diplomacy, 英语，作为进行国际业务和外交的工具，在世界上起着越来越重要的作用。

as well as in science and medicine, the Internet, air and sea communications,它还在科学、医药、互联网、空中及海洋通信、

international sports events, radio and TV programs, pop songs and movies. 国际体育赛事、电台电视节目、流行歌曲及电影中发挥着越来越重要的作用。