Shownotes Transcript
许多人都会有这么一个困惑：如何能学好英语呢？问出这个问题的时候，英语就变成了一个学科，而不仅仅是一种语言了。想想你是怎么学习中文的，就大概知道为什么英语学不好了。因为你没有把它当成一种交流工具。这期想聊一下为什么英语不好的三个主要原因，或者说，如何让你的英语有提高的三个关键点。这期语速偏慢，语言简单，适合脱离文字稿，纯听。GRE--Graduate Record Examination, is a standardized test that is an admissions requirement for many graduate schools in the United States and Canada and few in other countries, according to Wikipedia. Unlike TOEFL, a test of English, with which people are more familiar, GRE is a test in English. I know a lot about this test, and I had a lot of experiences about how to conquer that. But I can't say I am a master in GRE, I just learned a lot from this examination. And I'm still a student, just like you, who wanna know more about how to improve your English, critical reasoning, logic, and all intellectual fields. Today I'd like to share you all GRE takers or anyone interested in learning English, three key points to improve your English. I'm Yvonne, and welcome to BT English. First of all, don't memorize words only from vocabulary books. Pick up words in the reading contexts. Have you ever had this kind of confusion? I learned a new word from a vocabulary book, and I can even remember the position of the word in the book. But I just cannot recall the meaning of it. Hm, that's you, uh? Why?Think about yourself. How did you learn Chinese, our mother-tongue? You can speak Chinese even before you can read Chinese characters on paper, right? How did you get that? You learn how to speak Chinese by imitating your parents first, and then you learn more from TV, reading articles on magazine, newspapers. You never, almost never, learned Chinese by memorizing it from a dictionary. So did English. Pick up words in conversations, in articles, and in reading materials. What's important is not you can memorize the meaning of a new word in the dictionary, but you can use that word in your speaking or writing. Secondly, for the English test takers, especially for the GRE takers, do more readings. Over thousand times, I heard my students' complaints that "Yvonne, vocabulary is my enemy, that's why I can't conquer GRE". Not really. You can't go through this test not only because of a paucity of words but because of a paucity of knowledge. I didn't mean to offend you guys, but that's the truth. When you encounter "suffrage movement" in the reading comprehension part, you get confused. When you encounter "empathy" in the text completion part, you just use it as a synonym of "sympathy". You don't know anything about supernova, an exploding star, or temperance movement, a movement consisting of the largest woman movement in the 19th century America. Yes, we did know a lot about our country, but we knew little about the world history. Thirdly, learning English is a long-term project, which means it's not that obvious when you did make some progress. I think that partially accounts for the question: why so many students are crazy into memorizing words. You are lulled into a false sense of getting improved by the increased number of words you can remember. I know, in modern period, we human beings are all set in a fast freeway. We prefer fast foods, make easy money, and scroll cell phones seeking the next excitement. But you cannot learn English well in such a rush way. You need time to learn new words, and to get familiar with a new phrase. Here is my suggestion: let your interest guide you. If you are interested in literary, go grab some books or e-books of novel. If you are interested in natural sciences, come on, there are tons of documentaries on the Internet. Whatever you are interested in, go for it. You're not learning English. You are learning something you love, by the way, in English. And gradually, you know more about this world as well as about English. I would love to share my experiences and my knowledge all about how to practice English and how to conquer GRE、TOEFL、IELTS stuff thing in the following episodes, and I hope that'll be helpful. I am Yvonne, and see you next time.