4．Slang （俚語(yǔ)） is very informal language which is often used by young people．It's hard to keep up to date with it as new words and phrases appear and develop．Living in a multicultural society has an effect on language，especially on the young，whose friends are often from a mix of backgrounds．TV and music also have a big influence．A complete list of slang is difficult to make．By the time it is finished，the list will be out of date．However，here are a few examples：
"Safe"， " sorted"， " sound" or "cool" all means "That's good" or "I understand"．
Instead of using different tag questions （附加疑問(wèn)句） like "…isn't it？"， "…can't you？" or "…don't they？"，people use "innit"．For example， "He can dance really well，innit？" （=He can dance really well，can't he？） or "They always say that，innit？" （=They always say that，don't they？）
Instead of saying "very"， "really" or "completely"，people use "well"．For example， "I'm well tired．" or "You got it well wrong!"
"Whatever" means "I don't care"．For example，A： "But the teacher says we can't leave until we've finished．" B： "Whatever．I'm going．"
"He's fine" or "He's fit" both means "He's good-looking"． "Fine" and "fit" can describe a boy or a girl．
Not everybody uses slang and not everybody likes it．A school in the north of England recently told its pupils to stop using slang words such as "hiya" （hello），cheers" and "ta" （both mean "thank you"） if they want to get a place at university or a good job．
When British people use language like this，it's no surprise that some say they can't understand native speakers．But perhaps learners don't need to worry so much．Research shows that most of the English spoken around the world today is between non-native speakers of the language．
So，how important is it to understand these slang words and expressions？If you watch films or TV in English，read magazines in English，chat online in English or are interested in English lyrics （歌詞），then understanding slang can be very useful．You probably won't see much slang in your English examination，though．
（1）Why is it hard to make a complete list of slang？
A．Many slang words are outdated．
B．It is mostly used by young people．
C．Modern slang changes very quickly．
D．It is from different cultural backgrounds．
（2）Which of the following means "I understand"？
A．Sorted．
B．Innit．
C．Whatever．
D．Cheers．
（3）What can be inferred about slang from the text？
A．It prevents language from developing．
B．It is also spread through TV and music．
C．It is more popular in the UK than in the US．
D．It has found its way into formal written English．
（4）What can be concluded from the text？
A．Many UK schools are encouraging students to use slang．
B．It is possible for English learners to master some British slang．
C．Knowing little slang doesn't greatly affect how one communicates．
D．More English is spoken by native speakers than by non-native speakers．
