【練習(xí)】

Now, it is clear that the decline of a language must ultimately have political and economical causes: it is not due simply to the bad __1

influence of this or that individual writers. But an effect can become __2

a cause, reinforce the original cause and producing the same effect __3

in an intensified form, and so on indefinitely. A man may take drink __4

because he feels himself to be a failure, and then fail all the most __5

completely because he drinks. It is rather the same thing that is happening to the English language. It becomes ugly and inaccurate　because our thoughts are foolish, but the sloven of our language __6

makes it easier for us to have foolish thoughts. The point is that the　process is irreversible. Modern English, especially written English, __7

is full of bad habits which spread by imitation and which can be　avoided if one is willing to take the necessary trouble. If one gets　rid of these habits one can think more clearly, and think clearly is a __8

necessary first step towards political regeneration: so that the fight against bad English is not frivolous and is not the exclusive concerning __9

of professional writers. I will come back to this present, and I hope __10

that by that time the meaning of what I have said here will have become clearer.

（責任編輯：liushengbao）