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Have you had enough(or enuf)trouble spelling English words to make you want to scream(or skreem)? You are not alone. Generations of scholars since the 17th century have protested against the________ in English spelling.

Part of the problem is caused by the_______ origins of English words. German, Latin, French and Greek are al common sources, and each follows a different set of________ for spelling. In fact, even within any one of these languages, it is________ to guarantee consistency(一致性). As these systems were________ over time, the English spelling system we see today came into being.

Some English learners know that memorizing the Latin roots of English words is a great way to________ their vocabulary, but most Latin-rooted words entered English from French after the Norman Conquest(诺曼征服)of the 11th century. The Normans used French as the language of the court, throwing Old English, a Germanic(日耳曼语的)language, out of________ usage for around 300 years.

By the time English was again_______ at the court, it was a French-influenced language(Middle English). There was actually no________ form of spelling. In Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales(《坎特伯雷故事集》), the same word was spelled differently. This was not his fault. He was simply following the spelling of the time.

Standardization did not come until the 15th century. The use of the printing press(印刷机)and, for the first time, the mass distribution(大量流通)of books________ the spelling of words. The spelling system we use today is based on the pronunciation of that time.

Now the story gets a bit________. Between 1450 and 1750, English pronunciation went through what experts call the Great Vowel Shift(主要元音转移). However, _______ the nature of how English words are pronounced has evolved, the spelling system has remained largely unchanged.

Supporters of English spelling reform argue that________ words with more phonetically accurate letter combinations will promote literacy(读写能力). Others don’t think so. They say that the spelling system we use today leaves plenty of________ to unlocking the history of the language, helping readers understand the origins of words. What do you think? Should English try to “________” the spelling of words?