Here are a few tips we’ve put together to help you learn English well.
Speak, speak, speak!
Practise speaking as often as you can—even speaking to yourself is good practice. Try recording yourself whenever you can. Compare your pronunciation with the master version, see how you can do better and have another try. If you do this several times, you will find that each version is better than the last.
Why not learn with someone else?
It helps if you can learn with someone else. If you can persuade a friend or family member to study with you, it will make you keep working. Agree times to meet and set goals for the week, and test each other regularly.
Don’t get stuck by a word you don’t know
Practise improvising (即兴的) ways of getting your meaning across while speaking spontaneously (本能), even if you don’t know the exact words or phrases. Think of things you might want to say whenever you have spare time. A basic example is the use of tenses. If you don’t know the past tense but want to talk about yesterday, use the verb in the present tense and use the word for “yesterday”. Use facial expressions, hand movements, anything to get your meaning across.
Language learning is also about intuition (直觉)
Guesswork is important in learning a new language. When listening to recorded material, you aren’t expected to understand everything first time round. If you play the same piece several times, you will most probably understand something new each time. Learn to make maximum use of all the clues you can pick up. For example, what do the speakers sound like? Happy? Angry? Calm? Etc.
Build up your vocabulary
A wide vocabulary is the key to successful language learning but don’t try to learn too much at once. It’s best to study frequently, for short periods of time. Take a maximum of six or seven items of vocabulary and learn them. Put them into sentences to fix them in your mind, then come back to them later. Much of the vocabulary in the course is presented by topic.
And above all, have fun!
61. Why should one have himself recorded when practicing speaking?
A. To encourage others to start. B. To record his own progress.
C. To improve his speaking. D. To compare himself with others.
62. Which of the following is the most important in learning English?
A. Speaking. B. Pleasure. C. Intuition. D. Vocabulary.
63. It is important in Tip 3 that is helpful when you are learning English.
A. body language B. a good memory C. a good friend D. a proper dictionary
After my dad died on Aug.30, 2001, my mother made sure we marked each anniversary. At first, my brothers and sister and I would travel hours to get home, but eventually we got to the point where just one or two of us would make it back to go to Mass with her and spend the day together.
The great love of her life, the man who broke up with her right before her college graduation, only to return two years later claiming he’d traveled the world and hadn’t found anyone to compare with her, remained a daily presence in her life. She spoke about him so often and kept his memory so alive that people were sometimes surprised to learn that he was gone. She took over the garden where he’d planted and made it her own.
When the 10th anniversary of his death approached, my mom began talking about it and planning for it weeks in advance. The date on her kitchen calendar was circled and marked R.I.P. (Rest in Peace). Of course she wanted all of us there and settled the dates for our coming back.
On Monday — the day before the anniversary — she went to morning Mass and walked downtown for lunch with friends, and later told my sister on the phone that she felt Dad still so close that as she was walking back home, she heard someone yell and thought, “Oh, there’s Dick.”
That evening she went out to water flowers, just as my father, 10 years before, had gone out to the garden to pick vegetables before he died. A neighbor heard the tin watering can strike the ground as she fell and hit her head. My mother died within hours, on Aug.30, 2011, the 10thanniversary. She needed to mark that anniversary, she wanted us all home and my dad had waited long enough.From the second paragraph we know that the author’s father______.
| A．traveled around the world and left her mother |
| B．left her mother first but returned two years later |
| C．had a quarrel with her before her graduation |
| D．was not the right man her mother wanted at that time |
We can infer from the passage that the author’s mother _____.
| A．knew her last day was coming on Aug.30 |
| B．kept everything of her father’s home |
| C．missed Father though he had passed away |
| D．remained a daily presence in his life |
Which of the following statements is true EXCEPT that _____.
| A．Mother died the day before the anniversary of Father’s death |
| B．Mother died in the garden as Father did ten years ago |
| C．Mother died because she fell to the ground accidentally |
| D．Mother died on the same date when Father did ten years ago |
What does the writer imply in the underlined part of the last sentence?
| A．She wanted us to stay at home. | B．Mother missed us very much. |
| C．Mother expected us to get back. | D．That day was her last day. |
Actually we have known a lot of examples and meaningful words to support the fact that we should try our best to ease the bad impression of others. Just like the old saying goes, we should give a better assumption to the one than we think he was. But many of us always fail to do this.
Take the situation of my class for example. Right at the beginning of the first semester when we were freshmen we all showed great favor to each other. And when there was an activity that needed some people to join, we would be willing to attend whether it was interesting or not. And we were really like brothers and sisters, and our class was just like a family, a warm family. But now, I feel tired of those meaningless activities not only because of the boring activities themselves but also the cool response of our classmates.
I think the reasons why the passion of most classmates is so low may be as follows:
To start with, many of us take part in more than one organization, which will certainly make us tired. Also, in the study fields, many of us may find that our courses are sometimes difficult to understand or comprehend, especially the specialized subjects. Moreover, “history” teaches us that if one does not study hard, it is possible to fail in the exams. So it is a big and good excuse to say that “I do really want to attend, but I have a lot of homework to do, so...”
Last but not least, some people believe that some of our leaders should not be regarded as a leader, maybe I should say we, as leaders, lost the reputation, support and trust of yours. At least I am the warm-hearted one, although I cannot promise you that your advice will be adopted surely, at least I will spare no effort to “give” you the right to be heard, and to serve you.
Be active to show your talents and abilities and to create a better image of our class. Most important of all, work painstakingly for a better condition that we should have reached.Which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．Students’ passion for activities was high at first but disappeared gradually. |
| B．Students’ passion for activities grew gradually because they were interesting. |
| C．Students were too busy to take part in activities after their classes. |
| D．Students were unwilling to participate in activities because of their leaders. |
We can infer from the passage that the writer must be ______.
| A．a supporter of activities | B．a responsible teacher |
| C．a top student in class | D．a devoted class leader |
The writer hopes that all the members of the class will ______.
| A．develop better talents and skills | B．improve their abilities and creativity |
| C．work together to make a better class | D．adopt others’ advice patiently |
It’s not just women who wear skirts. In Scotland, men wear a kind of skirt called kilt. The kilt is their national dress and an important part of their tradition.
A kilt is a colored skirt reaching down to the knees. It has checks（格子）on it with different colors, like red and blue.There are many stories about it. One story is that kilt was invented in the 1720s by an English factory owner, Thomas Rawlinson.
Thomas Rawlinson had a number of Scottish workers in his factory and he thought their clothing got in the way of their work.
Today, most Scotsmen look the kilt as formal dress. They usually only wear them at wedding or big dinner.
| A．Each family in Scotland has it’s own colors. |
| B．There are only a few men who still wear a kilt every day. |
| C．How did the Scots start to wear skirts ? |
| D．It was important for Scots to wear skirts at any time. |
E.So he cut their long clothes into shorter skirts.
F.Wearing skirts is very beautiful for women.
G.Men can wear them, too.
Miss Gogers taught physics in a New York school. Last month she explained to one of her classes about sound, and she decided to test them to see how successful she had been in her explanation. She said to them, “Now I have a brother in Los Angeles. If I was calling him on the phone and at the same time you were 75 feet away, listening to me from across the street, which of you would hear what I said earlier, my brother or you and for what reason?”
Tom at once answered, “Your brother. Because electricity travels faster than sound waves.” “That's every good,” Miss Gogers answered; but then one of the girls raised her hand, and Miss Gogers said. “Yes, Kate.”
“I disagree,” Kate said. “Your brother would hear you earlier because when it's 11 o'clock here it's only 8 o'clock in Los Angeles.” Miss Gogers was teaching her class_________.
| A．how to telephone | B．about electricity |
| C．about time zone(时区) | D．about sound |
Miss Gogers raised this question because she wanted to know whether______.
| A．it was easy to phone to Los Angeles | B．her student could hear her from 75 feet away |
| C．her students had grasped（理解）her lesson. | D．sound waves were slower than electricity |
Tom thought that electricity was _________.
| A．slower than sound waves | B．faster than sound waves |
| C．not so fast as sound waves | D．as fast as sound waves |
Kate thought Tom was wrong because _______.
| A．clocks in Los Angeles showed a different time from those in New York |
| B．electricity was slower than sound waves |
| C．Tom was not good at physics at all |
| D．Tom's answer had nothing to do with sound waves |
Whose answer do you think is correct according to the law of physics?
| A．Tom's | B．Kate's | C．Bath A and B | D．Neither A nor B |
I want to let you know about an event that changed my life many years ago. We were living in College Station, Texas and my wife and I were on our way home from Houston, Texas one Sunday morning. We decided to stop at a local gas station to get something to eat since we had enough time.
When we finished, we got back into our car and before I started it, we noticed a homeless man standing in front of the building. His clothes were worn and it looked as if he didn’t have any money. It was cold and I was sure he wanted something to drink. However, it was not this that moved(感动) me.
A dog was also walking up to the front of the building. Being a dog lover, I noticed that the dog was a mother and that she had just had some puppies(小狗). She was hungry and weak and I felt so bad for her. I knew if she didn’t eat soon, she and her puppies would not live on.
People walking by didn’t even notice her. She might not have been as pretty and clean as most, but she still deserved(值得) better. But we still did not do anything, someone else did. The homeless man, who I thought could not afford anything to eat, went back into a store and bought dog food with all the money he had.
I know that this story isn’t as inspirational as most stories, but it plays a great part in our lives. You see, that was Mother’s Day weekend. And a lot of people forget that some animals are parents too.From the passage we can know that______.
| A．the author didn’t like dogs |
| B．the dog was not pretty enough to be loved |
| C．the author wanted to help the dog but he was unable to |
| D．the dog and her puppies were in danger of dying of hunger |
Which of the following moved the author?
| A．Most people walking by the dog didn’t notice her |
| B．The homeless man wore worn clothes on the cold day |
| C．The homeless man bought food for the dog with all of his money |
| D．The homeless man had not any money to buy any food for himself |
The author did the following except that he_______.
| A．had pity on the dog that was in danger |
| B．bought dog food with all the money he had |
| C．was a person who treasured dogs very much |
| D．went home from Houston one Sunday morning |
According to the passage, we know that the homeless man was _______.
| A．kind and helpful | B．brave and kind |
| C．clever and helpful | D．clever and brave |
The best title for this passage would be_______.
| A．My Memory | B．My wife and I |
| C．Animals Are Parents Too | D．A Mother Dog and Her Puppies |