大英三第五单元答案

Unit 5 Language

Useful Information

The term …language? normally refers to human speech, spoken or written. Language forms the basis of communication among all human beings. About 95% of the world?s population speak one of the 100 most widely used languages. English and French both have more second-language speakers than native-speakers as a result of the imperial expansion of Britain and France. Partly due to the British and American pop culture, English is fast becoming the universal foreign language of Europeans.

Like all languages, English has many dialects which reflect social changes and settlement patterns that have occurred over many centuries. Although specialists disagree on the exact meaning of dialect, generally it refers to a socially or regionally restricted variety of a language. A dialect usually has its own distinctive grammatical (grammar, syntax), lexical (vocabulary) and phonetic (accent) features. In many cases, it is impossible for people speaking different dialects to understand each other. Someone speaking Cockney (English spoken in a certain area of London) might have great difficulty in understanding the English spoken by inner-city African-Americans in Chicago, for example. An accent is the distinctive manner of pronunciation and intonation typical of a given region or a social group. There are many different accents in England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Canada, and the United States. Accents in the southern hemisphere (Australia, New Ireland, South Africa) are close to British accents and are all rather similar because they emerged less than 200 years ago and are predominantly a blend of accents from south-eastern England. The accents in the United States and Canada are much older and differ more from British accents. Travelling across North America, one can hear a wide variety of accents ranging from the southern drawl to the Brooklyn accent. In very isolated rural areas like the mountains of North Carolina, accents tend to be very strong and often difficult to understand.

An accent shows where a person comes from and, to an extent, what class he or she belongs to. Received Pronunciation (RP) or BBC English (so called because it is used by BBC announcers) is the accent of the south-east of England. It has been associated with power and high social class since the fourteenth century. At that time the King, the Royal court and the government settled in London, and the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, both in the south-east, provided higher education for the whole country. People who wanted to be part of this powerful world had to use the same accent and language. In the nineteenth century RP was used in public schools, universities, the government, and the army to form small groups who would run the Empire. It was often impossible to get any kind of high position if you did not speak in the right way. Attitudes in Britain have changed and regional accents are now more acceptable. An RP accent is still important and will help people to get jobs and a position in society which might be denied to them if they spoke in a different way.

British and American English are varieties of the same language. However, they differ to some extent in pronunciation, vocabulary, spelling and grammar. In American speech, sounds are given greater length than in English. Because of this the British tend to criticize the American …drawl? while the American may mock the …clipped? sound of British speech. Everyday idiomatic expressions frequently differ. Americans may talk about a …line on the sidewalk? whereas the British will say there is a …queue on the pavement?. American spelling often seems simpler than the British version. The British write …humour? and …programme?, but Americans write …humor?

and …program? There are even some differences in grammatical usage. The American can say …I have gotten? and …different than?. On the other hand, the British insist on …I have got? and …different from? However, in the worldwide use of English as an academic language these differences are incidental and insignificant.

The language of animals has always fascinated human beings. Through the ages, people have speculated on how animals communicate among themselves. Yet most of the ways that animals communicate have been discovered only in recent years. Many animals make sounds that humans can neither recognize nor hear. Some animals communicate and mark their territory with their scents which humans are incapable of detecting. Considerable research has been carried out on the sounds whales use to …talk? to each other. The so ng of the blue whale is the loudest sound made by any living creature but it can be felt only as vibrations by humans. Some scientists believe that whales can communicate over very great distances. Various attempts have been made to teach apes to talk using sign language. Some of these apes appear to be able to hold conversations. However, there is considerable debate as to whether these animals are really …talking?, or merely responding to unconscious cues of their trainers.

Part One Preparation

1. Ways of Communication?

STEP ONE Ways of communication include: language (spoken or written), signs, facial expressions, eye contact, body language (gestures, hugs), Braille, pictures, code,

beacon, flag signals, music, dancing, etc.

STEP TWO

The following ways of expressing yourself are for your reference.

(请参照第一版第二册第5课page 53教师用书，加入8个动作图)

As an alternative of Step Two, the teacher can also ask students to act out some words like old, rat, tired, frown, slim by means of non-verbal communication. In this case, o nly the “actor” knows what exactly the word is. Before the student acts, the teacher can give some hints by telling the class the part of speech of the word to be acted. The other students are asked to guess the word.

2. Interpreting Body Language

The following interpretations are for teachers? reference:

1) nervousness, insecurity

2) indecision, hesitation

3) sincerity, openness, innocence

4) anticipation, eagerness

5) doubt, disbelief

6) relaxed, open

7) confidence, determination

8) defensiveness, relaxation

9) readiness, aggression

10) lying, doubt, rejection

11) boredom, thinking

12) boredom, absent-mindedness

13) depression, insecurity

14) superiority, confidence

Part Two Reading-Centered Activities

I. Pre-Reading

1) At the age of 19 months.

2) She was almost like a wild animal.

3) By touch and feeling.

4) Four. They are: French, German, Latin and Greek.

II. In-Class Reading

Words, Phrases and Grammatical Points

1. “I stood on the porch, dumb, expectant.” (l.5-6)

“I left the well-house eager to learn.” (l.63)

以上两句中的“dumb, expectant” 和“eager to learn” 是主语补足语，分别修饰主语I。

e.g. I) She looked sad and discouraged.

II) He watched horrified by the terrible accident.

III) She sat dumbfounded by what she had heard.

IV) She left the room angry and frustrated.

V) During his lifetime, he patented 1,093 inventions, yet he departed the world penniless.

2. Different meanings of the word “subject” (n.) (l.43):

1) the thing you are talking about or considering in a conversation, discussion, book, film, etc.

e.g. I) Our subject for discussion is homelessness.

II) The subjects covered in this chapter are exercise and nutrition.

2) an area of knowledge that you study at a school or university

e.g. I) English is one of my favorite subjects.

II) What subjects are you studying?

3) a person or animal that is used in a test or experiment

e.g. I) He was willing to be the subject of a psychology experiment.

II) All subjects were tested for perfect hearing before the experiment began.

4) A noun or noun substitute which functions as the topic of a sentence. 主语

e.g. What is the subject of this sentence?

3.In the sentence, “in time” (l.62) means sooner or later or eventually.

e.g. I) In time you?ll forget him.

II) Jarvis was a strange man, but in time I got to like him.

It can also mean “not late”.

e.g. I) We got to the station just in time to catch the bus.

II) Do you think we can get there in time for the first act?

4. “On entering the door I remembered the doll I had broken.” (l. 66)

这里on + 动名词表示“此动作一发生, 另一动作立即发生”。后面还可接名词。

e.g. I) On his stepping out of the taxi he was seized by two men.

II) One of the first things that June did on getting home was to have a good sleep.

III) The boys stood up on the entrance of the headmaster.

IV) On investigation some curious facts came to light.

课内阅读

参考译文

我是怎样识字的

海伦·凯勒

1 在我记忆中, 我一生最重要的日子是我的老师安妮?曼斯费尔德?沙利文走进我生活的那一天。至今，每当我想起这一天仍会惊叹不已，是这一天把(我过的)截然不同的两种生活连在一起。那是一八八七年三月三日，再过三个月我就七岁了。

2 在这一重要日子的午后，我呆呆地坐在我家的门廊上，内心充满了期盼。从我母亲给我的手势和屋子里众人来来往往的忙碌中我隐约猜到将有不同寻常的事发生，我便来到门口，在台阶上等着。午后的阳光透过布满门廊的那簇忍冬照射到我仰起的脸庞上。我的手指近乎下意识地抚弄着这些熟悉的叶片和花朵。它们刚刚抽叶开花，迎来南方温馨的春天。至于我面前究竟会出现什么样的奇迹，我茫然无知。几个星期来，愤怒和怨恨一直折磨着我。这种激烈的感情争斗之后则是一种极度的疲惫不堪。

3 你可曾在航海时遇上过有浓雾的时候？你仿佛被困在了触手可及的一片白茫茫中，不见天日。你乘坐的巨轮，靠测深锤或测深线的指引，举步维艰地靠向海岸，既紧张又焦急不安；而你则心里砰砰直跳，等着有事要发生。而我在接受教育之前正像那巨轮，所不同的是我连指南针或测深线都没有，更无从知晓离港湾还有多远。我的心灵在无声地疾呼：“光明！给我光明吧! ”而就在此时此刻，爱的光芒洒在了我的身上。

4 我感觉到有脚步由远及近。于是我伸出了手，我以为会是母亲。但有人抓住了我的手，把我拽住并紧紧地抱在了怀里。正是这个人的到来，把整个世界展示给我，并且最重要的是给我带来了爱。

5 在老师来到我家的第二天上午，她把我带到她的房间，给了我一个玩具娃娃。这娃娃

是珀金斯学校的小盲童们送给我的礼物，劳拉 布里奇曼给穿上的衣服，不过这些是我在后来才知道的。我玩了一小会儿之后，沙利文小姐慢慢地在我的手上拼出了“d-o-l-l”（娃娃）这个词。我一下子便对这种手指游戏产生了兴趣，而且试着模仿它。当我终于正确地拼出了这几个字母时，内心充满了孩子气的喜悦和自豪。我跑到楼下找到母亲，伸手拼出了“娃娃”所含的字母。当时我并不知道我是在拼一个单词，甚至还不知道有“单词”这么回事；我只是像猴子那样用手指进行模仿。在接下来的几天里，我就这样，虽然并不知词识义，却学会了拼写好些单词。这些词中有“针”、“帽”、“杯”，还有些动词，如“坐”、“站”和“走”。但是等我懂得每样东西都有名字时，已经是我和老师在一起好几个星期之后的事了。

6 一天，我正在玩我的新娃娃，这时，沙利文小姐把我的大布娃娃放在我的膝上，又给我拼了一遍“d-o-l-l”，想让我懂得“d-o-l-l”这个单词适用于这两件东西。就在当天早些时候，我曾和她因“m-u-g ”和“w-a-t-e-r”这两个词发生过争执。沙利文小姐想让我记住“m-u-g”是“大杯”，而“w-a-t-e-r”是“水”，但我却一直把这两个词的意思给弄混了。失望之余她暂时搁起这一话题，但一有机会她就马上旧事重提。我却对她一遍又一遍的努力感到忍无可忍，于是就抓起新娃娃，狠狠地砸在了地板上。当我感觉到脚边摔碎的娃娃时，产生了一种强烈的快感。在这种强烈的情感发泄之后，我没有一丝伤感或懊悔之情。我从没有喜欢过那个娃娃。在我所生活的那个无声、黑暗的世界里是没有柔情或情感的。我感觉到老师已把碎片扫到了壁炉炉床的一边，此时我有一种满足感，因为让我不快的东西已不复存在了。她给我拿来了草帽，我知道我将要走出屋子，到温暖的阳光下。一想到这（如果一种无法用言语表达的感觉也可以称为想法的话），我便高兴得又蹦又跳。

7 我们沿着小路来到了井房，井房上布满了忍冬，它的芳香深深地吸引了我们。有人正在抽水。老师把我的一只手放到了喷水口下方。凉爽的水流过我的一只手，这时她在我的另一只手上拼写了“水”这个词。开始她拼得很慢，接着拼得很快。我站在那儿一动不动，所有的注意力都集中到她手指的移动上。刹那间，我朦胧地意识到了些什么，仿佛记起了被久久遗忘的什么东西——那是一种恢复思维的激动。不知怎的语言的奥秘一下子展现在我的面前。此刻我明白了“w-a-t-e-r”指的就是从我手上流过的那美妙无比的凉爽的东西。这活生生的字眼唤醒了我沉眠的灵魂，赋予了它光明、希望和喜悦，使它获得了自由！诚然，障碍依然存在，但那是一些假以时日终究会被消除的障碍。

8 我离开井房，心中充满了求知的欲望。万物皆有名，而每个名字又引伸出一种新的概念。在我们回家的路上，我感到我触摸到的每件东西似乎都有生机。那是因为我在用刚刚赋予我的新奇的眼光看待每样东西。进门时我记起了那个被我摔破的娃娃。我摸索着来到了炉床边，捡起那些碎片，试着把它们拼接在一起，但却是徒劳无益。这时我的眼里满是泪水；因为我意识到了自己先前干了些什么，而且有生以来我第一次感到了悔恨和难过。

9 那天我学会了很多新词。现在我已记不清都是些什么词了，但我还记得其中有“妈妈、爸爸、姐妹、老师”。这些词使得整个世界就像有了“亚伦的神杖，充满了鲜花”，为我绽开。在这个重要的日子快要结束时，已很难找到一个比我更加幸福的孩子。我躺在自己的小床上，回味着这一天所给予我的欣喜；渴望着新的一天的到来，这是我有生以来从未有过的期盼。

III. Post-Reading

Reading Comprehension

1. Understanding the General Organization of the Text

1) Introduction: the most important day in her life.(Para.1)

2) Her feelings before her teacher arrived/her education began.(Para.2-3)

3) The first encounter with the teacher. (Para.4)

4) How she discovered words.(Para.5-9)

A. Her initial success in learning (Para.5): she learned the spelling of a few words.

B. The difficulties encountered in learning the meanings of words and her reaction. (Para.6)

C. Her new sight: everything had a name and each name gave birth to a new thought.

(Para. 7-8)

D. Her feelings and her new outlook on life before she fell asleep that night after her trip to

the well-house. (Para.9)

2. Understanding the Details

1) A. The two lives she led before and after the teacher came.

B. The day when her teacher came to her.

C. Before the teacher came, she lived in a still, dark world in which there was no strong

sentiment or tenderness. From that day on, she began to learn not only language but also gained a new insight for life.

2) Because the day marked a turning point in her life. On that day, the teacher came to her to reveal all things to her, including love.

3) A. Here being shut in the “white darkness” refers to a feeling of being lost, like a ship at sea

almost incapable of finding her way in a white fog without sunshine. Helen Keller compares herself to a ship lost in thick fog, and is unable to find her way. Like the ship with her plummet and sounding-line, she is reaching out and crying wordlessly for light in the dark unknown world.

B. The ship.

4) She felt tense and anxious, waiting for something to happen with beating heart.

5) Both the new doll and the big rag doll.

6) The words and the real objects.

7) Words are the names of things. / Everything has a name.

8) It suddenly dawned on Helen that the word “water” referred to the wonderful cool thing

flowing over her hand and the word itself became alive.

9) Because the love from the people these words, “father, mother, sister and teacher”, stood for, could work wonders for Helen, just like “Aaron?s rod”.

On the afternoon of the 3rd of March, 1887, before the teacher came, Helen Keller felt dumb and expectant, hoping for something that would open up her world. The first thing her teacher gave her was a doll and then she spelt the word d-o-l-l on her hand. When Helen Keller finally succeeded in making the letters for doll, she felt pleasant and proud. But when her teacher tried to help her make the connection between words and objects, she became impatient. Helen Keller expressed her dislike by dashing the doll on the floor. At that point, she felt keenly delighted. When she realized that her teacher was taking her out into the sunshine, Helen Keller was very happy. In the well-house, she discovered that “w-a-t-e-r” meant the wonderful cool something that was running through her fingers. The mystery of language was finally revealed to her. And she became excited and was eager to learn. When she returned to the house and tried vainly to put the broken doll back together, she felt sad and repentant. At the close of the day, when she was lying in her crib, she felt joyful and hopeful.

4. Group Discussion

The differences between Helen?s learning process and what we usually experience

Helen Ordinary people

learn by touching, feeling, smelling, etc. learn by seeing, hearing

learn by imitating the shape, etc. learn by imitating the sound

start from spelling start by speaking aloud

……

V ocabulary

1. Understand Words in Context

Part A

1) A 2) B 3) A 4) B 5) C 6) B 7) C 8) C 9) A 10) A

Part B

1) renewed 2) apply 3) persist 4) succeeded 5) drop 6) revealed 7) wonder 8) keenly 9) vainly 10) impressed

2.

1) unconsciously 2) expectant 3) eventful 4) immeasurable 5) imitation/imitating 6) continually 7) tenderness 8) impatient

Translation

1. Seeing all the people walking to and fro outside the office, I became more worried.

2. In time he will see who is his true friend.

3. That scientist?s experiment gave birth to a new drug.

4. He had been shut in by illness during much of the winter.

5. They would practice spoken English at the first opportunity.

6. Everything she valued might be swept away overnight.

7. Towards the close of the term, all the students are busy preparing for the finals.

8. It is a very cold winter and we long for it to be over.

After-Class Reading

PASSAGE I

课外阅读

参考译文

外国口音

第一节

对我来说，我的确倾向于以口音来判断我所遇到的人。我并不是说自己是势利小人，只喜欢有上流社会口音的人；但是，跟一个新结识的人在一起，我从来都不会感到自在，只有在我能够根据他们说的话判断出他们是哪里人之后，感觉才会不同。如果是个英国人，我还能判断出："啊，他是利物浦人"或者"他可能上过公立学校"，我就会觉得更自在。这样我就知道该和他谈些什么以及他能够告诉我些什么。

（如果）对方是外国人，也一样。就个人而言，我喜欢外国人说话带点明显的口音，这样我就知道自己是在和法国人、加纳人、波兰人或别的什么国家的人交谈。所以对我来说，外国人花大力气改掉自己的本族语口音，想方设法去说标准英语，似乎是毫无意义的。如果对方很明显是法国人，我就知道没有必要（与他）谈论板球或开爱尔兰人的玩笑。坦率地说，我觉得外国口音更吸引人。我无法解释为什么，但如果说话者带有外国口音，那么他们的话则更为动听，即便他是在说最最普通的事。

第二节

尽管如此，（口音）得有个限度，要能让人听懂。如果口音太重，你非得费劲地去弄明白对方想要说什么，那么就会妨碍谈话的进行；而且交谈无法连贯，（因为）你得设法把对方的声音整理成能够明白的话语。我所指的并非是这么重的口音。而是那种让你马上明白对方是哪国人，但又不妨碍你听懂他的话的那种口音。我认为大多数外国人都有这样的口音，真的。老实说，只有极少数听觉特别灵敏、模仿能力极强的人才能说还算纯正的英国英语。即使能够那样，他们的英语听起来也会很好笑，因为他们可能学了非常明显的（英语）地方口音，甚至是上流社会的口音，这与他们自己的气质特点完全不相称。但是大多数学英语的外国人都非常热衷于去掉自己的外国口音，并且为此浪费了很多时间。

第三节

换一个角度来看，我得理解他们，甚至钦佩他们，因为我自己法语说得还可以，如果别人以为我是法国人，我就感到很开心，如果别人一听就知道我是英国人，我也会感到很泄气。同样的，对我来说，带英国口音的法语实在是太难听了，而且当我听自己的同胞在糟蹋法语时，总是感到很不自在。所以我想外国人听到自己的同胞说蹩脚英语时，也会有同感的。然而，法国朋友告诉我，略带英国口音的法语丝毫不会令他们感到难受，相反，还相当动听呢。我还听说佩特拉·克拉克之所以能在法国成为成功的歌手，部分原因是因为她的英国口音。所以我想最著名的说英语的法国人之一就是那位演员，叫莫里斯·谢瓦利埃，他靠一口夸张的法语口音成就了一番事业，其实若他愿意，他完全可以不带那么重的口音。

我把他和我的一个显然很有语言天赋的法国朋友进行对比，我的这个法国朋友和我一起在英国的时候，总被人误认为是受过良好教育的英国人。因为他说话样子，我的英国朋友便以为他对英国生活的某些方面非常了解，而这些事只有在英国住久了才会了解的。因而夜里

从酒吧回来以后，他经常得让我解释一些事情给他听。我不知道他花了多少时间纠正口音，但或许他更应该花时间扩大词汇量和加强对英国的了解。既然英语是这样一种国际性的语言，我认为我们应该接受更多的口音，而学习者更应该注重（语言）结构和词汇的学习而不是口音（的纯正）。

PASSAGE II

课外阅读

参考译文

不只是鹦鹉学舌

1 科学家们已经教鹦鹉学英语了。那又怎么样呢？但这次这只鹦鹉似乎不仅会说话，而且还明白这些话的意思。亚历克斯是一只灰色的非洲鹦鹉，住在美国印第安纳州的普度大学。他掌握了大约四十个词，以此来辨认、要求、有时甚至是拒绝五十多种玩具。他似乎能熟练地把词作为抽象的符号加以运用——换句话说，他似乎会用初级语言。

2 许多鸟交流时采用简单、固定不变的符号。有些鸟，例如鹦鹉，能通过相互模仿或是模仿其它鸟类而掌握大量的用语。但是，使某一个声音只用来表示某个物体或特性，此前尚无证据表明任何鸟类能够实现这一大飞跃。

3 亚历克斯却可以。他的训练员，艾琳·佩铂伯格博士利用鹦鹉天生的好奇心教他使用不同玩具的名称。训练员和一名助手边玩玩具，边就这些玩具互相提问。鹦鹉要想加入进去一起玩的话，就必须赢得训练员的注意。

4 （表现）结果十分惊人。亚历克斯很快就学会了运用表示形状、颜色和材料的词来确定要索取的东西（例如，三角的绿纸，或是五角的黄木头）。训练员要求他反复地说这些词，直到说对了为止，然后才把那件东西奖给他玩。佩铂伯格博士认为不能奖给他食物，这点很重要，因为那样会使他把字当成得到食物款待的手段，而不是表示物体的符号。

5 亚历克斯每周接受两次这样的测试，通常他能搞对80％的物体。他犯的错往往是一些小疏漏（例如他忘了说某样东西的颜色），而不是具体的错误。为了了解他是否真正掌握颜色和形状等概念，训练员给他看全新的组合。当第一次看到一块蓝色的皮革时，他会说"蓝色皮革"，尽管他以前看到的蓝色物体都是钥匙或木制品。这表明他已意识到词汇就像积木一样，可以进行不同的搭配。

6 但是，仅有形容词和名词与掌握一门语言还相差甚远。科学家们一直都在寻找证据，证明亚历克斯懂得更复杂的概念。一个令人意想不到的突破在他学会说"不"时实现了。这个词是他从训练员及其助手之间的谈话中学会的，似乎至少明白这个词的一个含义——拒绝（例如，当佩铂伯格博士想和他玩，而他不想玩时）。如果问他眼前有几件东西时，他能够数到五。

7 偶尔有线索表明, 他掌握了更为高级的概念, 但佩铂伯格博士对此却很谨慎。公众对于黑猩猩能使用手势语的反应最近从兴奋转为批评，无人再敢做出过分的断言了。这并不是说人们怀疑猿猴没有能力积累大量的手语词汇。辩论的焦点在于猿猴是否能懂得句法。

8 证明猿猴能懂得句法的例子既少而且又有争议。比如说，华休，它是第一只也是最著名的能说话的大猩猩，曾指着一只天鹅，用手语表示说"水鸟"。果真是这样表示的吗？哥伦比亚大学的赫伯特·特勒斯博士指出，她或许只是连续很快地表达了"水"和"鸟"两个概念而已。

9 其他持怀疑态度的人士争辩道，这样的猿猴，若在他的一生中都不能纯偶尔地表达几句符合语法的话，那倒要令人惊讶了。更严厉的批评认为，猿猴其实是在对他们的训练员们不自觉的暗示做出反应。

10 这种不自觉暗示被称作"聪明的汉斯效应"，这是为了纪念十九世纪德国一匹名马。汉斯似乎会用自己的蹄子敲击数学加法的答案。其实这匹马并不会做数学题，只是他会对人群给他的微妙暗示做出反应，这些暗示告诉他什么时候该停下来。当人群不知道答案时，汉斯也就不会做加法了。

11 佩铂伯格博士认为她的实验不会重复这种效应，因为口语比手势语更难以给提示。她认为要探测动物智力极限，会说话的鹦鹉要比打手语的猿猴是更好的研究对象。她会把亚历克斯（或更佳的对象，年青的鹦鹉）和儿童进行比较，看他探知概念的顺序是否和儿童的一样，并准确地知道儿童在哪些方面超过他。

Part Three Further Development

1. Enriching Your Word Power

1) A 2) A 3) B 4) B 5) C 6) B 7) C 8) C

9) A 10) B 11) C 12) A

2. English or Englishes?

STEP ONE

1) neighbour (color, honor, favor, humor, labor, etc.) 2) centre (theater, meter, etc.) 3) sceptics 4) tyre 5) catalogue (dialog, monolog) 6) cheque 7) analyses (specialize, emphasize) 8) plough 9) programme 10) travelling

STEP TWO

The English language is like a very large family with many members. There is American English, British English, Australian English, etc. None of these is better than or superior to another. They are all equally good for communicating ideas, emotions and opinions.

The dominance of one variety is often related to the number of speakers, economic power and the media. These factors affect how well the variety is known and not the quality of the language itself. For example, British English is less dominant now because Britain is no longer the world power it used to be. American English is more prevalent now because the United States has a larger population than Britain and it is still a super-power. The American film industry has contributed greatly to the popularity of American English but it does not mean that American English is superior to Australian English, for example. Perhaps someday another variety of English might become more prevalent than American English.

Language is a tool for communication among human beings. The aim is to learn the language as well as possible. Whether we learn one variety as opposed to another does not mean that we are superior human beings, that the variety itself is better, or that we speak better English.

3. Experience in English Learning

Step Two

1) (Refer to the students? book.)

2) Yes, I agree we should go over what we have learned in time and regularly. As the saying goes, strike the iron while it?s still hot. We have to turn our short-term memory into long-term memory.

3) Yes, I believe it?s true. According to some psychologists, when you meet an object on thirteen different occasions, you?ll never forget it. So we have to review our lessons regularly. It?s also true with vocabulary learning. Some language professors believe that if we see a word at least six times, each time in a different context, the word will be ours.

4) It depends. Some people can memorize words well in the morning when their minds are fresh. But it doesn?t apply to everyone. However, I agree that words should be learned in association with other words. For example, words belonging to the same semantic field should be learned together.

5) I agree that background knowledge is indispensable to reading comprehension. When we read the title or the first sentence, we?d better predict what we?re going to read with the help of our background knowledge, which facilitates comprehension.

6) Not necessarily. If we concentrate on every word and read slowly, we may forget what we have read previously and become frustrated.

4. Beliefs about Language Learning

Categories:

A. Role of talent in language learning: 1), 8)

B. Role of practice: 2), 4), 9)

C. Contribution of the learning environment: 5), 10)

D. Attitudes towards errors and mistakes: 6), 9), 10)

E. The role of grammar learning: 11)

F. Role of native speakers: 7), 12)

G. Role of formal instruction: 3)

H. Role of vocabulary learning: 13)

Reasons why I agree or disagree:

1)I don?t agree with this statement because it shows a very negative approach. Some people are

more talented than others, but everyone can learn. You might have to work harder.

2)I agree that the only way to learn a foreign language is to keep using it. I need to play with the

language to develop a feel for how it works. The language must become a part of me rather than remain an external mechanical system. I can?t manipulate the lan guage according to a set of instructions.

3)I agree that taking a course is a way to learn a foreign language, but there may not always be

one available. I can study on my own with tapes and books.

4)Yes, I agree that speaking with other learners can be useful. Every time I pronounce a word or

an expression I find it helpful. My classmates often correct me.

5)I disagree that you have to live in an English-speaking country in order to speak a language

well. I know many people who speak excellent English and they have never been abroad. But it doesn?t mean environment is not important. Being in an English-speaking country, you can not only be exposed to the language but also learn the culture of the community.

6)I agree that I will learn English better if my teacher corrects my mistakes. If I make grammar

or spelling mistakes in my compositions, I want to know them, so I can improve. But I feel embarrassed when a teacher corrects a mistake in class. Sometimes I am so embarrassed that I forget what I said.

7)I agree that it is difficult to find a native speaker to practice with on a regular basis. There are

so many students and so few foreigners. I go to English Corner and often find that there are too many people around the few native speakers.

8)I agree that some people have a gift for learning languages. I have noticed several of my

classmates who learn much more quickly than I do. It is discouraging sometimes.

9)I disagree that the only way to learn a new language is by speaking even if you make many

mistakes. I think it is better to wait until you learn more, otherwise you will lose self-confidence.

10)I don?t know whether I agree or disagree that it is not good to listen to my classmates? bad

English. Sometimes I think my English gets worse when I talk with them, but other times I feel I learn from their mistakes.

11)Learning grammar is certainly a good way to learn a foreign language, but it may not be the

best way.

12)I disagree. Based on my own experience with foreign students and foreign experts, they are

very kind and patient. Of course you should be thoughtful enough not to take too much of their time, especially when they are busy.

13)I agree that learning new vocabulary is really the key to successful language learning. But I

disagree that knowing a lot of words always enables you to speak very well. Some people speak well and clearly with quite a small vocabulary.

6. Should learners aim to speak English with a native-speaker pronunciation?

6. Language Learning Strategies

Effective strategies for listening: 2), 3)

2) If you don?t understand something, it is useful to try to guess from the context. That is what you have to do in a real situation. I find it gives me more self-confidence, especially if I guess right.

3) I try to use my knowledge to deduce what the next key word means. In this way, I am building on my knowledge. It is usually helpful.

Effective strategies for reading: 2), 4)

2) I try to use the context to work out unfamiliar word s. I don?t like using my dictionar y all the time. But sometimes I do not feel sure of myself.

4) I like to try to guess the context by looking at headings, pictures and topic sentences. I find I can read faster that way.

Effective strategy for speaking: 3)

3) When I am speaking I concentrate on the words I want to use rather than my pronunciation. If I worry too much about my pronunciation, I stumble and make mistakes.

Effective strategies for writing: 2), 3), 4)

2) I always try to use words I have just learned when I am writing a composition. I find it helps me to remember them.

3) I find it helps me when I make an outline before I write a composition. If I do that, I have a clear idea of what I want to write.

4) I like to read a lot in English and I am certain that reading improves my writing because I learn new words and phrases by reading.

Part Four Writing and Translation

2. Translation Practice

1) 他钦佩布朗太太，这使我感到很惊奇。

2) 暴风雨持续了一整天；就在这段时间里船破裂了。

3) 虽然那个学生在做试验前已仔细阅读过说明书，但由于他死搬硬套，未能得到满意的

结果。

4) 我知道萨拉会将那好消息告诉她姐姐的，她姐姐又很可能将它告诉她的同学。

5) 史密斯先生很有教学经验，他将在春天来和我们一起工作。

6) 邮递员早晨六点三十分来。这个时候我通常还在睡觉呢。

2. Writing

Should Learners Aim to Speak English with a Native-Speaker Pronunciation?

Sample 1

In my opinion, there is no point in aiming to speak English with a native-speaker pronunciation. For most people, it is a waste of time.

First, language is a tool for communication among human beings. If people we meet understand what we are saying, that is all that is necessary. We do not need to imitate native speaker?s pronunciation. In any case, there are many types of accents, so which one should we choose to imitate?

Second, the most important thing is how well we organize what we want to express. Our ideas should be clear and easy to understand. To do so, we should be able to use right words and correct grammar.

Third, given the fact that we live in China, it seems a little bit pointless for us to try desperately hard to get rid of our national accent in order to speak BBC English.

Finally, each of us has our own style when we speak. If we can give free rein to personal style, the English-speaking world will become more colorful and more interesting.

In a word, I prefer to speak with my characteristic and recognizable pronunciation, so long as listeners can understand me. (198 words)

Sample 2:

Yes, I think it is important to aim for native-speaker pronunciation. First of all, I think perfection is always a good goal in any aspect of language-learning. We aim for perfect grammar, so why not perfect pronunciation?

Second, the purpose of learning a language is to communicate with native-speakers or people from other parts of the world. The better my pronunciation is, the more easily they will be able to understand me. And I want people to understand me without any difficulty at all.

Third, English is now an international language and I would like to be part of that community. If my pronunciation is like a native-speaker?s, I will blend into the community more naturally. I?ll feel pleased if I am taken for a native speaker. Even if I can?t speak so well, I don?t like to spoil the language by terrible pronunciation.

So learners should aim to speak English with a native-speaker pronunciation. (155 words)