Unit 1

Some Strategies for Learning English

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Lead In

Background
Text Reading Skills 1. 2. 3. 4. Questions to the Text Discourse Analysis Language Points Classroom Activity Writing Fun Time

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Why learn English ?

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Learning to speak English well may be the best thing you can do to improve your life. That's right. Do you think it would be fun to have access to information that other people can't get? Talk and write letters to interesting people that others can't communicate with? Impress people around you whenever you opened your mouth? Make big jumps in your career, leaving others miles behind? You can get all this if you speak English well.

Get access to knowledge

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Most pages on the Web. That's over a billion (1,000,000,000) pages of information! It's amazing that learning just one language gives you access to almost all knowledge on the Internet. Books on any subject, from all over the world. Read books by British or American authors, and books translated from other languages. Whatever you're interested in, you can read about it in English! The press. Only English-language magazines and newspapers can be bought in every part of the world. You don't have to search for Time, Newsweek, or the International Herald Tribune! Science. English is the key to the world of science. In 1997, 95% of the articles in the Science Citation Index were written in English. Only about 50% of them were from English-speaking countries like the USA or Britain. News reports. Watch international television networks, such as CNN International and NBC. They broadcast news much faster, and more professionally, than smaller, national networks. And you can watch them everywhere in the world.

Communicate with people

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About 1,500,000,000 people in the world speak English. Another 1,000,000,000 are learning it. 75% of the world's letters and postcards are written in English. Almost all international conferences and competitions are conducted in English. For example, the Olympics and the Miss World contest. Diplomats and politicians from different countries use English to communicate with each other. English is the main language of organizations like the United Nations, NATO, and the European Free Trade Association.

 Useful Expressions

/ Cram

Strategic plan
Means of communication Prolonged effort A good command of Eng. Sustainable development A letter of complaint

for a

test

 Useful Expressions

Bound book

Constant rain

Commit to flames
Have some acq. with

Commit a crime

Air / sea route Enlarged meeting

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Idiomatic usage
Additional tax On campus Dancing partner A reliable source of Inf. Tell apart Assign a day

 Useful Expressions

Pen pal
Cultural difference

In summary/ To sum up
Word processing Capital accumulation Be absorbed in

Reading
Some Strategies for Learning English

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As we are at the start of the course, this seems a good moment to offer some advice on how to make the task of learning English easier.

Learning English is by no means easy. It takes great diligence and prolonged effort. Nevertheless, while you cannot expect to gain a good command of English without sustained hard work, there are various helpful learning strategies you can employ to make the task easier. Here are some of them.

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1. Do not treat all new words in exactly the same way. Have you ever complained about your memory because you find it simply impossible to memorize all the new words you are learning? But, in fact, it is not your memory that is at fault. If you cram your head with too many new words at a time, some of them are bound to be crowded out. What you need to do is to deal with new words in different ways according to how frequently they occur in everyday use. While active words demand constant practice and useful words must be committed to memory, words that do not often occur in everyday situations require just a nodding acquaintance. You will find concentrating on active and useful words the most effective

route to enlarging your vocabulary.

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2.

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Watch out for idiomatic ways of saying things. Have you ever wondered why we say, I am interested in English, but I am good at French? And have you ever asked yourself why native English speakers say, learn the news or secret, but learn of someones success or arrival? These are all examples of idiomatic usage. In learning English, you must pay attention not only to the meaning of a word, but also to the way native speakers use it in their daily lives.

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3.

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Listen to English every day. Listening to English on a regular basis will not only improve your ear, but will also help you build your speaking skills. In addition to language tapes especially prepared for your course, you can also listen to English radio broadcasts, watch English TV, and see English movies. The first time you listen to a taped conversation or passage in English, you may not be able to catch a great deal. Try to get its general meaning first and listen to it over and over again. You will find that with each repetition you will get something more.

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4. Seize opportunities to speak. It is true that there are few situations at school where you have to communicate in English, but you can seek out opportunities to practice speaking the language. Talking with your classmates, for example, can be an easy and enjoyable way to get some practice. Also try to find native speakers on your campus and feel free to talk with them. Perhaps the easiest way to practice speaking is to rehearse aloud, since this can be done at any time, in any place, and without a partner. For instance, you can look at pictures or objects around you and try to describe them in detail. You can also rehearse everyday situations. After you have made a purchase in a shop or finished a meal in a restaurant and paid the check, pretend that all this happened in an English-speaking country and try to act it out in English.

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5. Read widely. It is important to read widely because in our learning environment, reading is the main and most reliable source of language input. When you choose reading materials, look for things that you find interesting, that you can understand without relying too much on a dictionary. A page a day is a good way to start. As you go on, you will find that you can do more pages a day and handle materials at a higher level of difficulty.

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6.

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Write regularly. Writing is a good way to practice what you already know. Apart from compositions assigned by your teacher, you may find your own reasons for writing. A pen pal provides good motivation; you will learn a lot by trying to communicate with someone who shares your interests, but comes from a different culture. Other ways to write regularly include keeping a diary, writing a short story and summarizing the daily news.

Language learning is a process of accumulation. It pays to absorb as much as you can from reading and listening and then try to put what you have learned into
practice through speaking and writing.

Multiple Choice
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1. In the first sentence, by no means means ____. A) without method B) not at all C) absolutely D) above all 2. According to the author, in order to have a good command of English one must ____. A) employ as many learning strategies as possible B) expect to gain an easier task C) exert oneself constantly D) sustain oneself

3. In the authors opinion, if you cannot memorize all the new words you are learning, it is because _____. HOME A) you are forgetful B) you are not working hard enough C) you are not interested in memorizing English words D) you are trying to memorize too many new words at a time

4. As for words which do not often occur in everyday situation, you just need to be able to ____. A) recognize them B) nod at them C) concentrate much on them D) practice using them constantly

HOME 5. If you listen to the tape again and again, you may ____. A) want to retell the general meaning of what you hear from the tape B) feel so bored that you cannot understand what you hear from the tape C) understand what you hear from the tape better and better D) repeat the exact words you hear from the tape 6. According to the text, which of the following is NOT one of the possible activities for you to practice speaking English at school? A) To talk to native speakers on campus. B) To speak English to the waitress in English as you pay for a meal in a restaurant. C) To rehearse aloud by yourself. D) To talk with your classmates in English.

7. In the eyes of the author, one should start from ______ in wide reading. A) interesting materials HOME B) books with very few pages C) materials not too difficult D) both A and C 8. A pen pal provides good motivation for your writing because he or she ____. A) lives far away from you B) knows China a lot so that you can have a lot to talk about C) also keeps a diary D) may inform you of many interesting things in his or her culture

Multiple choices on words & phrases

( B )1. Do you think that the end justifies the ? A. way B. means C. method D. manner ( D ) 2. The branches could hardly the weight of the fruit. A. retain B. remain C. maintain D. sustain ( B ) 3. He across the room to answer the telephone. A. sprang B. bounded C. jumped D. leaped ( D ) 4. Everything in the universe undergoes development and change. A. continuous B. continual C. continued D. constant ( A ) 5. Showing some sense of humor can be a(n) way to deal with some stressful situation. A. effective B. efficient C. favorable D. favorite

 ( A ) 6. Im pleased to have the to visit your country. A. opportunity B. occasion C. possibility D. fate ( A ) 7. It was in the United States that I made the of Professor Jones. A. acquaintance B. association C. recognition D. acknowledgement ( D ) 8. These tables showing the ups and downs of the world economy in the 1980s were compiled careful observation and detailed studies. A. at the bottom of B. in exchange for C. in the name of D. on the basis of ( A ) 9. energy under the earth must be released in one form or another, for example, an earthquake. A. Accumulated B. Gathered C. Assembled D. Collected ( D ) 10. The airport authorities decided to the waiting area to meet the number of passengers. A. magnifyamplifying B. amplifymultiplying C. enlargemagnifying D. enlargeincreasing

Fill in the blanks. 1.In addition to an album, I gave him a pen and a pencil. 2.He sought out his friend in the crowd. 3.You must commit the poem to memory. 4.You cant depend on her: for instance, she arrived late yesterday. 5.Would you please explain the theme in detail?

Questions to the Text

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1. How many strategies you can find in the text? And which do you think is the most one suitable for you? 2. Can you work out a plan for you future English learning?

Discourse Analysis

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A strategy refers to a set of carefully planned methods for achieving something that is difficult and may take a long time. In introducing some strategies, the author adopts the structure of ProblemStrategy within a paragraph to show us the problems in English learning and then proposes strategies to solve the problems. Please scan the text for some examples of the ProblemStrategy structure.

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Problems

Strategies

Its impossible to memorize all the new words youre learning

Deal with active and passive vocabulary differently

You dont know the idiomatic usage of some words

Watch out its usage in daily life

First listening maybe a failure

Listen to it over and over again

No speaking chances in school

Seize every opportunity to speak

Text Analyzing
Paragraph 2 Paraphrase the sentence.
Although you have to work hard continually in order to be good at English, you can also make use of some learning strategies to help you attain your goal.

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For Paragraph 3
1. What does the author mean by a nodding acquaintance?
This phrase is used as a metaphor. An acquaintance refers to someone we know slightly but who is not a close friend. So we only nod as a greeting when we see him or her. This interpersonal relationship is used to interpret the attitude we should hold to words that do not often occur in everyday situations.
2. Paraphrase the sentence.

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We should often practice the use of active words, those which frequently occur in everyday use, and learn by heart those useful words, while we only need recognize those words which occur less frequently in everyday situations.

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For Paragraph 4
1. Translate the sentence into Chinese.

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2. Analyze the structure of the sentence.

not onlybut also the way in which native speakers use it in their daily livesin which

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For Paragraph 6
1. Translate the sentence into Chinese.

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2. Analyze the structure of the sentence.

It is truebut although/though but

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For Paragraph 7
Paraphrase the sentence.
As you go on working like that, you will gradually improve your reading skills and be able to read more difficult materials with more pages.

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Summary Writing

English as an international language is of vital importance for everybody to learn. Learning English is () _______________. Besides () by no means easy ________________ sustained hard work , we need employ some learning strategies to ( _________________ ) facilitate our learning . () We should deal with new words in different ___________________________________ ways _____ . Active words demand constant practice while passive words only need to be recognized. As we try to understand the meaning of a word, we are also reminded of () their idiomatic usage . _________________ Listening, speaking, reading and writing are the four basic skills that ( ) ____________________________ In order to improve the four we are constantly trying to acquire . skills, we are suggested to listen to English every day, () __________________________ , read widely () materials at a proper seize every opportunity to speak ________________ level of difficulty ______________ and write regularly. Listening and reading () provide us with language input and we are expected to () _________________________ put what we have learned into practice ________________________________ through speaking and writing.

Translation

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1.. Mrs. Smith complained to me that she often found it simply impossible to communicate with her 16-year-old daughter. 2. , (simplified). I firmly believe that reading simplified English novels is an easy and enjoyable way of enlarging our vocabulary. 3. . I dont think were doing enough to protect our environment from pollution. 4. . In addition to/Apart from writing compositions on a weekly basis, our English teacher assigned us eight books to read during summer vacations.

Translation

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5. . Weve learned from reliable sources that a native English speaker is going to teach us spoken English next term/semester. 6. ,. Seeing English movies on a regular basis will not only improve your ear, but will also help you build your speaking skills. 7. , , If you have any questions about these learning strategies, please feel free to ask me. And Ill explain them in greater detail. 8. . The Canadian girl is good at seizing every opportunity to speak Chinese. Thats why she has gained a good command of spoken Chinese in less than three years.

Cultural Tips

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In the United States coffee is the usual drink at all hours of the day. American coffee is usually lightly roasted and often served very weak. Italian-style coffees--expresso and cappuccino--are often available, but one has to ask for them. Next after coffee, Americans are likely to drink cola drinks, such as Coke or Pepsi, or other soft drinks. These include root beer (a sweet, gassy, non-alcoholic drink made from herbs), fruit juices, or iced tea (cold tea served with lemon or sugar). Beer--always served ice cold--is the most popular alcoholic drink.

 Ordering Coffee

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When you order coffee in an American restaurant, the waiter will often inquire, "Regular?" This means with milk or cream in it. In an American home, your hostess might ask, "With or without?", meaning with or without milk or cream. The word regular may also mean non-decaffeinated to some people.

 Ordering Beer

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In an American bar, people don't order beer by asking for a pint or half pint as is done in a British pub. When the bartender asks, "What'll you have?", Americans ask for a glass of draft beer ("I'll have a draft") or a bottle of a specific brand ("I'll have a bottle of Budweiser"), or say something like, "Two beers, please."

 Tip

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In America, a restaurant or bar bill is called a check, rather than a bill. So at the end of your meal you would ask, "May I have the check, please?"

Writing skills
Connectives an uninflected function word that serves to conjoin words or phrases or clauses or sentences 1 and, bothand, neithernor, not onlybut also, as well as, but, however, while(), still, yet, or, eitheror, otherwise, so, for, therefore, thus 2that, whether, if, before, after, as , as soon as, once, since, ever since, till, until, when, whenever, while, because, since, now that, sothat(), suchthat, so that, in order that, as if, as though, though, although, even though, no matter who/whoever/unless, as/so long as, in case()


1She thought I was talking about her daughter,______in fact I was talking about my daughter. A.whom B.where C.which D.while whileD 2He hasnt yet arrived. He may,______, come later. A.but B.though C.or D.however howeverhowever D 3 I dont like fish______ chicken. I dont like fish______ I like chicken very much. A.and; and B.and; but C.or; but D.or; and orAB C

4Good technique in medicine means less pain and fewer deaths and,_____ ,it is our duty to master it. A.altogether B.therefore C.otherwise D.however B 5Mother was worried because little Alice was ill, especially______ Father was away in France. A.as B.that C.during D.if Cduringthatif Mother was worriedA 6______ you dont like him is none of my business. A.What B.Who C.That D.Whether you dont like him C. That 7The day breaks______ the birds are singing. A.because B.as C.since D.for ABCThe day breaks()the birds are singing() for

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