In the English language there are striking similarities to many of the characteristics present in Spanish，French，and German.So what are the things that make English so difficult for foreign people to learn?
English doesn't necessarily have more regular consonant(辅音) or vowel(元音) sounds than other languages，but how the stress is placed on some of those consonants or vowels makes it such a difficult language for learners.There are hard and soft consonants like “c” taking on a “k” sound or an “s” sound depending upon the situation.There are silent letters in some words and then some consonants that take on an entirely different sound (like “th”)when combined.The changes in the pronunciation of words make English much more difficult to learn.
Another thing that makes English difficult to learn has to do with verb tense.Some languages have very limited changes in verb tense，sometimes just present and past，which makes it relatively simple to grasp.English，on the other hand，is a bit more difficult in this area.For example，in different situations it may be proper to use any of the following tenses: present，past，future，past perfect or present perfect.The verb “choose”can be used in the following forms depending on tense: choose，chose or chosen.This can be very difficult for a foreigner to grasp.
Slang is more widely used in American English than proper grammar.In the US just knowing the language as it's generally taught isn't enough.In every single region or even close neighborhoods，the same slang terms make an almost entirely different language.In some areas there are repeatedly used terms that wouldn't even be found in the Webster's Dictionary.They are created by locals and only locals understand them.This can make it very difficult for someone not familiar with the language to get used to it，especially if they don't remain in one area for a very long period.
1．The purpose of this passage is to________.
A．give advice on how to learn English well
B．tell us why English is very difficult to learn
C．encourage us to speak formal English
D．tell us how to deal with slang terms in English
2．According to the passage，the letter “c” in English
______.
A．is always stressed
B．never takes on an “s” sound
C．has at least two sounds
D．is often silent
3．Compared with some other languages，________.
A．English has more changes in verb tense
B．English has more regular rules of pronunciation
C．English verbs have fewer forms
D．English has more vowel sounds
4．From the passage we know that slang________.
A．is spread all over the world
B．can only be found in American English
C．is commonly used by some particular groups
D．has meanings that can only be found in dictionaries
5．It can be inferred from the passage that________.
A．pronunciation is the most difficult thing in learning English
B．all the slang terms should be added to the Webster's Dictionary
C．if you want to learn English well you first should learn some slang terms
D．people may understand the local language after living in a place for years