CASE STUDY 1 READING FIRST You are going to read about non-English speaking countries with the highest proficiency in English as a second language. Say in which country& 1 nearly three quarters of the population can speak fluent English 2 English is used as a medium for higher education classes 3 children start to speak English even before primary school 4 people learn English to ease commercial relations 5 English language skills are improved thanks to popular forms of entertainment 6 language affinities make English easy to learn 7 foreigners do not like to be so often addressed in English 8 approximately half the population is able to speak English 9 the citizens9 proficiency in the English language has given an impulse to tourism 10 the largest percentage of inhabitants speak English A. Norway Thanks to their high-quality education system, Norwegians have reached impressive skills in English. Most universities offer a wide range of courses in English, which pupils start learning from their first year at primary school. Moreover, the majority of films and TV series are not dubbed but broadcasted in the original language. Norwegians, therefore, have started using English or at least many English words in both work and everyday life. Oslo, the capital city, is known for having a large number of people who speak English fluently. B. Denmark As in the other Scandinavian countries, the Danish educational system stresses the importance of learning English from the early years of school attendance. This approach has earned the country the fourth place on the EF English Proficiency Index, with around 86% of the Danish population speaking fluent English as a second language. This is so true that many foreigners trying to learn Danish for work or study reasons report how annoying it can get when the locals switch to English as they would prefer to practise their Danish. C. Austria According to a survey conducted in 2023 by the international education company EF, Austria has a large number of people, particularly the younger and city residents, who are proficient in English. It is estimated that around 73% of the Austrian population can communicate effectively in English, 60 TOPIC 2 " CULTURE making Austria rank third among 113 countries around the world and even ahead of Scandinavian countries. This result accounts for the attraction Austria recently holds for tourists coming from English-speaking countries like the US and the UK, who can easily deal with locals by speaking their own language in hotels, museums, restaurants, and shops. D. Singapore The city-state of Singapore in South-East Asia globally ranks second on the EF EPI 2023 and first in Asia with the highest English proficiency. Being one of its official languages, English has always been used as the medium of instruction for education and business. Based on the findings of a 2020 population census, 48.3% of Singaporeans aged 5 and older speak English. E. Netherlands At the top of the ranking list, the Netherlands is the country with the highest English proficiency worldwide. Contributing factors to the high degree of English fluency are the similarity of the two languages, the country9s small size and dependence on international trade. In fact, in order to be competitive in the global market, the Dutch have had to master the English language, which allows them to avoid misunderstandings with their foreign business partners. Adapted from: https://www.insidermonkey.com/blog/ 5-non-english-speaking-countries-that-speak-the-bestenglish-1228005/