Unit 1

Mrs Smith complained to me that she often found it almost impossible to communicate with her 16-year-old daughter.

Mrs Smith complained to me that she often found it almost impossible to communicate with her 16-year-old daughter.

2) I firmly believe that reading short English novels is a relaxed and pleasant way to expand your vocabulary.

I firmly believe that reading short English novels is a simple and enjoyable way to enlarge your vocabulary.

I don't think we have done enough to protect the environment from pollution.

I don't think we have done enough to protect the environment from pollution.

Besides writing compositions every week, our English teacher also assigned us eight books to read in the summer vacation.

Besides writing compositions every week, our English teacher also assigned us eight books to read in the summer vacation.

We know from reliable sources that a native English speaker will teach us oral English next semester.

We know from reliable sources that a native English speaker will teach us oral English next semester.

6) Watching English movies often will not only improve your listening, but also help you develop your oral skills.

Watching English movies often can not only improve your listening, but also help you develop your oral skills.

If you have any questions about these learning strategies, please feel free to ask me. I will explain it in more detail.

Please feel free to ask me if you have any questions about these learning strategies. I will explain them in more detail.

That Canadian girl is good at seizing every opportunity to speak Chinese. This is why she mastered spoken Chinese in less than three years.

That Canadian girl is good at seizing every opportunity to speak Chinese. This is why she mastered good spoken Chinese in less than three years.

College English Intensive Reading, 3rd Edition, Volume 1 Text Translation

Unit 1

At the beginning of the course, it seems timely to make some suggestions on how to make the task of learning English easier.

Some Strategies for Learning English

Learning English is not easy at all. This requires hard work and long-term efforts.

Although you can't expect to master English without continuous efforts, there are still various useful learning strategies that can make this task easier. Here are some of them.

1. Don't treat all new words in exactly the same way. Have you ever complained about your poor memory because you can hardly remember all the new words you have learned? Actually, the responsibility is not in your memory. If you cram too many new words into your mind at once, some new words will be squeezed out. What you need to do is to treat new words in different ways according to the frequency of their daily use. Positive words need to be practiced frequently, useful words must be remembered, and words that don't often appear in daily situations can be recognized only by seeing them. You will find that focusing on positive and useful words is the most effective way to expand your vocabulary.

2. Pay close attention to authentic expression. Have you ever wondered why we say "I am interested in English" as "I am interested in English" and "I am good at French" as "I am good at French"? Have you ever asked yourself why native English speakers say "know the news or secrets" and "know someone's success or arrival" means "know someone's success or arrival"? These are examples of idioms. When learning English, you should not only pay attention to the meaning of words, but also pay attention to how native English speakers use them in daily life.

3. Listen to English every day. Listening to English often can not only improve your listening, but also help you develop your oral skills. Besides the language tapes specially prepared for the course, you can also listen to English radio, watch English TV and English movies. The first time you listen to a recorded English dialogue or paragraph, you may not understand it. Try to understand the main idea first, and then listen again and again. You will find that every time you repeat it, you will understand more things.

4. seize the opportunity to say. Admittedly, there are not many occasions when you have to communicate in English at school, but you can still find opportunities to practice speaking English. For example, talking with your classmates may be a relaxing way to get some practice. You can also talk with native English speakers at will on campus. Perhaps the easiest way to practice speaking English is to read aloud, because it can be done anytime and anywhere without a companion. For example, you can look at the pictures or objects around you and try to describe them in detail. You can also retell the daily situation. After shopping in the store or paying the bill after dinner in a restaurant, pretend that it all happened in an English-speaking country and try to act it out in English.

5. Read widely. Extensive reading is very important because reading is the most important and reliable source of language input in our learning environment. When choosing reading materials, look for things that you think are interesting and can be understood without relying too much on dictionaries. It's a good idea to read a page every day at first. Next, you will find that you can read more pages every day and handle more difficult materials.

6. Write often. Writing is a good way to practice what you have learned. Besides the composition assigned by the teacher, you can also find your own reasons for writing. Having a pen pal can provide good motivation; You will learn a lot by communicating with people who share your interests but come from different cultures. Other writing methods usually include keeping a diary, writing short stories or summarizing the daily news.

Language learning is an accumulation process. It will be of great benefit to absorb as much as possible from reading and listening, and then try to apply what you have learned through speaking and writing.