People often ask me for suggestions about how to learn English.  Everyone's different, of course, but I thought I'd share some of my experiences. I once took one semester of second-year English in Peking University, but I mostly learned English on my own.

    One thing I can tell is, once you've started learning, you should try to think in English as much as you can. When you're riding your bike, or walking down the street, just think about "how would I say them in English?" At first, it will be with simple words or phrases, but later you should be thinking about bigger phrases and sentences. Now when I'm in America, for the most time, I just think in English, and speak directly. It's amazing how much this helps.

    For several years after I started learning, I was often afraid of trying to speak English with others because I didn't want to make mistakes.  Finally I got over it. And while traveling in America, I'd try to hang out with friends who spoke no Chinese, so I'd have no choice but to use English. And I decided that if I said something stupid and other people laughed, I would take it easy and wouldn't worry about it. My English started improving more quickly after that.

    It may be a good idea to ask any of your American friends to look at the way you're writing the characters, and give some suggestions for improvement.

    Learning English is not an easy job. Almost every student sometimes asks questions like these: Can I really learn English well? Can I really learn it well enough  (communicate) with foreigners?

    The answer is yes. From some studies, we know that almost anyone can learn a foreign language well  she or he wants to. Some might learn faster and some might learn it slower. Some might learn it  and some might learn it difficultly. But anyone can learn it well if he or she has the right ways instead   the wrong ones.

    Many students have their own special  (way) in learning English. The following are some examples.

    Milie gets up early every morning and the first thing she does is to listen to an English radio program. This has really helped  (improve) her English in listening. Daniel often practices  (speak) English in class. At first he was nervous when he  (ask) to speak. After trying several times, he found  was not as difficult as he thought. He becomes more active and now he speaks English  (good) of all the students in his class. Jim likes to watch American movies. He will watch it many times if it is a good film. And he also likes to read English aloud.

Hi Brad,

    I've read many articles written by you in English Salon, from which I've learned a lot. But now I met lots of new  (挑战).

    I'm an English teacher in a middle school. Most of my students here are poor in English and they don't think it's necessary to learn it.  English has been a  (头痛) for most of them ever since last term. I try my best to  (鼓励) them, but all my efforts receive tiny effects. Lack of confidence and interest is the  (最大的) problem for them to learn English.

    I love teaching  (然而), I feel confused. What should I do? Best wishes to you.

Annie

Hi Annie,

    Thank you for writing to me. I will enjoy  (交换) ideas with you and I hope we can know each other better.

    You can't make your students learn anything well if they have no interest in it.  We all know learning another language is very difficult.  You can also tell them English is an  (国际) language. We should pay  (关注) to the fact that it's widely (说) all around the world.

    Please don't give up because your job gives you lots of  (机会) to help young people, and I am sure things will be better and better.

Brad

要点：你在英语学习中所遇到的困难、解决的办法以及学习感悟。

要求：不少于80词。

My English Study

    Language is human's greatest inventions. The ability to read and write is1 to express one's feelings. Most humans can speak very well2they are about three years old. But how can we become a better reader? Here are some ways.

    First, take it slow. Many readers feel that they read too slowly, especially compared 3 others. But the truth is that the faster you read, 4you are to understand what you're reading. The best readers can slow down when needed. If you get to the5of a passage and realize you can't understand, please read it again. I earning to read 6 will help you become faster without missing anything.

    The second way is to read aloud. When humans first began 7written words,8was unusual to read in silence. Reading aloud is one of the best ways to improve your reading ability. You may feel it9 to read to your cat or to no one at all. But once you get into the rhythm(节奏) of the author's voice, you will begin to read more accurately(精确地) and with better vocal(有声的) expression.

    Feeling it is also a good way. Can you remember the first piece of writing that take you to 10world? Learning to enter into the lives of imagined stories is important to you. As you read, allow different ideas to11. You'll appreciate novels like fine wine.

    The 12way is to write. Writing and reading go hand-in-hand: how and what you read influence how and what you write. And the best readers often make the best 13. There are many pleasures to language14can only be experienced through the practice of writing.

    The last way is to tell your friends. There is 15 magical about sharing books with friends or a book club. It's a good way to see the world from someone else's eyes. And you can understand the story that you're reading better.

    The Vieira family moved to the United States in 1981. At that time, they decided to stop speaking Spanish at home and only speak English.  This was because they were now living in an English-speaking country.

    Now the Vieira children are adults, and they sometimes travel to Spain to visit their family and friends. But they can't communicate with them. Unfortunately this is common. When people move to new countries, they often leave their own customs and mother language behind. This is a mistake because there are many benefits to knowing more than one language.

    One advantage of speaking more than one language is that you can communicate directly with more people around the world. You do not have to depend on others to talk for you, so you're more independent (独立). People who know only one language must use others to help them communicate.

    Furthermore, speaking a second language also allows people to experience other cultures and customs more effectively. Local expressions, vocabulary, and even jokes can have a powerful effect on a person's understanding of another culture. So, knowing more than one language increases your knowledge of other cultures.

    Finally, having more multi-language speakers improves relationships between countries. If people from different countries can communicate well, the world can become closer. Countries will then have more respect for each other and better understand each other.

    The benefits of knowing more than one language are clear. In fact, there are no disadvantages. It is very sad that many people don't try to learn another language. It is even worse when people let themselves forget their mother language and become silenced.