Many people think that learning English in Britain will naturally make rapid progress. However, the fact is that many partners who come to the UK for a one-year master's degree finally find that their English improvement is very limited. Faced with the high tuition and living expenses, I can't help but feel that the final result is far from what I expected. So, how to improve your English to the maximum extent within the limited time for studying abroad? Here, I only rely on the experience of myself and my classmates around me to sum up some practical suggestions, hoping to help you practice English. In view of the average reading ability of students in China, the focus here is on improving English listening and speaking ability.
Abandon Chinese and embrace English.
First of all, from the attitude, we should abandon our dependence on Chinese and speak English confidently. Many students in China are worried that they will make mistakes, either because the words are uncertain or because there are mistakes in grammar. I remember when I first came here, I often realized that there was something wrong with the tense after I finished a sentence, and immediately said it nervously to correct it. After all, there is no concept of tense in Chinese, so there will always be tense mistakes when switching to English thinking mode at first. In fact, many people you meet at school are relatively tolerant of foreign students, especially China students. They fully understand the difficulties of China students in English. Whenever I say shyly that my English is not good, the other party often smiles and says, "I don't understand a word of Chinese!" " "Therefore, even if there are mistakes, there is no problem. If you are lucky enough to be pointed out, it will be beneficial and harmless to your own promotion.
Seize every opportunity to communicate with the teacher.
Generally speaking, postgraduate courses are mainly lectures and seminars. If it's a lecture, just listen silently and take notes. However, in the first few classes, due to the lack of practice in the whole English class before, it is likely that I have a little knowledge, or I can only concentrate on listening for a while and then start to wander. It is suggested to prepare well before class, especially to master relevant professional vocabulary. Mastery here means not knowing the meaning when you see a word, but knowing the correct pronunciation of the word. So you can react quickly when the teacher mentions this word in class.
If it is a seminar, you may need to force yourself to attend more. In fact, this kind of course is not only for China students, but also for many foreign students. It's just that many of them will face fewer language problems, so it sounds logical to say a few words casually. If you want to speak at the seminar, you still need to prepare before class and listen carefully to others. A little idea can be expressed without a long speech, even if it is just a sentence or two to express your views. Slowly, you can learn to prove your point through more arguments.
Studying in the UK, of course, requires regular communication with your tutor. Although my tutor at King's College is amiable, I will be too nervous to speak when I first face him. But after meeting several times, the communication was much smoother. You can also report any difficulties to your tutor. Tutors can help you academically and in life.
Attend academic language courses at school.
The language course mentioned here is not a language course taken in advance when the IELTS score is unqualified at the time of application. Generally speaking, because the students come from all over the world, some students are not good at academic English, such as standardized papers and writing terms. Therefore, the school's English learning center will regularly provide free academic English courses, such as citing norms in papers and how to restate others' views; For example, how to avoid plagiarism, what is the anti-plagiarism system Turnitin that British universities try to use; Another example is how to make a standardized PPT and how to explain it with PPT. I attended several times at King's College and found it very useful. Some courses need to be reserved in advance. You may wish to pay attention to the English learning centers in your respective schools.
Integrate into students' extracurricular activities
Many partners may know that Britain has a strong bar culture. Therefore, it is also a good choice to go to the small bar to chat with classmates after class. Some students who are usually bored will also become talkative in bars. You can take this opportunity to know more about your classmates. Of course, it is not recommended that you cultivate the bad habit of drinking, especially girls must pay attention to personal safety. Generally speaking, international students are not advised to drink. Drinking more and drinking less is a personal choice. For example, don't drink on an empty stomach, don't drink too fast, don't mix drinks, and don't rest immediately after drinking, so I won't go into details here. At the graduate stage, everyone generally knows about their drinking capacity, except for some parties, most of them will not let themselves get drunk. You will find that those who are drunk and yelling in the middle of the night downstairs are often undergraduates who have just reached the legal drinking age.
Boldly join the school club.
English schools have many clubs for you to choose from. Basically, you can think of almost everything. You can learn about various clubs in the school through the website of the Student Union and the welcome activities. Clubs are a good place to exercise. One of my classmates joined the school swimming club. When she first joined, she didn't even know every training plan, just swam behind others. Later, with the increase of training, I participated in extracurricular activities such as competitions and gradually became familiar with them. Unlike in class, you can meet students of different grades and majors in the club. * * * The same hobby will make everyone have more * * * the same language. Of course, you need to express it actively.
Watch local TV programs
If your dormitory or the house you rent has a TV, you can make good use of this resource. Of course, you will find that you don't understand it at first, but you will get used to it after watching it too much. TV programs are especially helpful for you to adapt to British pronunciation. Even if there is no TV, BBC and itv will provide free programs online. In Britain, some videos on Youku and Sohu can't be watched because of copyright protection. At this time, some students will struggle to turn back to the wall to watch TV dramas and animations. Here, I advise you to watch the BBC documentary when you are free. After returning home, you will have plenty of time to watch TV series on Youku.
I want to find an enthusiastic roommate.
If you are lucky enough to meet an enthusiastic foreign roommate, congratulations. I once met a Bulgarian girl. She went to undergraduate and high school in England, so her English is very good. Besides, I am a part-time English teacher, so she will take the initiative to correct my expression in communication. In addition to talking about daily life and academic troubles together, she even patiently helped me revise my resume and cover letter in the process of finding an internship later, which benefited me a lot. Of course, a good roommate is very rare.
Take the initiative to communicate in language.
Everyone may have heard of language exchange. In fact, many foreign students have a strong interest in Chinese. Even many students have the experience of studying in China. Once in an academic language class, a Dutch classmate asked me if I was interested in language exchange. He wanted to improve Chinese and teach me English at the same time, and I agreed at once. As a matter of fact, he used to communicate in Taiwan Province Province for a year and a half, so he already knows some simple Chinese conversations. But after coming to England, there were few opportunities to practice Chinese. So we meet once a week and talk briefly for half an hour. Obviously, he is much better prepared than me and always comes with questions. He will take out his Chinese textbook and ask questions if he doesn't understand. I will try my best to answer them in English or simple Chinese. In addition to improving English and getting to know the local customs of the other country, this kind of communication is also full of fun to listen to this boy who is 1.9 meters tall, blond and has a Taiwan Province accent speaking English.
Find a part-time job
In fact, it is not easy for China students to find a part-time job in Britain. First of all, everyone's English may not be qualified for the work of ordinary part-time cafes. In addition, the working hours of student visas also stifle many opportunities. Furthermore, with the recession of the British economy in recent years, the competition in the part-time market is also very fierce. But if you are lucky enough to find a part-time job (not counting washing dishes in China restaurants), you should practice your oral English while making money.
In fact, there are many ways to improve English in a corrupt country. Even in the supermarket, this is a good way to say hello to the clerk. The key is to see if everyone can seize the opportunity and break through themselves.
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