English is a language spoken all around the world. There are more than 42 countries where most people speak English. In total (总计), for more than 375 million people, English is their mother tongue. An equal (相同的) number of people learn English as a second language. These people will perhaps speak the language of their own country at home with their family, but the language of the government, schools, newspapers and TV is English. This situation is found in countries such as India，Pakistan, Nigeria and the Philippines.
However, the number of people who learn English as a foreign language is more than 750 million. In China students learn English at school as a foreign language, except for those in Hong Kong, where many people speak English as a first or a second language.
English is the working language of most international organizations, international trade (贸易) and tourism. Businessmen and tourists often come to China without being able to speak Chinese. Chinese businessmen, taxi drivers and students talk with them using English. English is also the language of global (全球的) culture, such as popular music and the Internet. You can listen to English songs on the radio or use English to communicate with people around the world through the Internet.
短文注释：
1．more than 超过，多于
2．mother tongue 母语
3．the number of ……的数量
4．except for 除了
5．Businessmen and tourists often come to China without being able to speak Chinese.
很多来中国的生意人和游客都不会说英语。
