Successful Language Learners
Some people seem to have a knack for learning languages. They can pick up new vocabulary, master rules or grammar, and learn to write in the new language more quickly than others. They do not seem to be any more intelligent than others, so what makes language learning so much easier for them? Perhaps if we take a close look at these successful language learners, we may discover a few of the techniques which make language learning easier for them.
First of all, successful language learners are independent learners. They do not depend on the book or the teacher; they discover their own way to learn the language. Instead of waiting for the teacher to explain, they try to find the patterns and the rules for themselves. They are good guessers who look for clues and form their own conclusions. When they guess wrong, they guess again. They try to learn from mistakes.
Successful language learning is active learning. Therefore, successful learners do not wait for a chance to use the language; they look for such a chance. They find people who speak the language and they ask these people to correct them when they make a mistake. They will try anything to communicate. They are not afraid to repeat what they hear or to say strange things; they are willing to make mistakes and try again. When communication is difficult, they can accept information that is inexact or incomplete. It is more important for them to learn to think in the language than to know the meaning of every word.
Finally, successful language learners are learners with a purpose. They want to learn the language because they are interested in the language and the people who speak it. It is necessary for them to learn the language in order to communicate with these people and to learn from them. They find it easy to practice using the language regularly because they want to learn with it.
What kind of language learner are you? If you are a successful language learner, you have probably been learning independently, actively, and purposefully. On the other hand, if your language learning has been less than successful, you might as well try some of the techniques outlined above.
1. Paragraph 1__________
2. Paragraph 2__________
3. Paragraph 3__________
4. Paragraph 4__________
A. Ways to Learn a Language Successfully
B. Learning a language Purposefully
C. Learning a Language Actively
D. Learning a Language Independently
E. Learning from Mistakes
F. Learning to Think in the Target Language
5. Successful language learners derive conclusions___________
6. Independent Language learners rely on themselves___________
7. Active language learners seize every opportunity______________
8. The author wrote this text_________________
A. to discover sentence patterns and grammatical rules
B. to expand vocabulary
C. to use the target language
D. to encourage unsuccessful language learners to learn independently, actively and purposefully
E. from clues
F. to say strange things
KEY：ADCBEACD
Car Crime
A million motorists leave their cars filled up with petrol and with the keys in the ignition every day. The cars are sitting in petrol stations while drivers pay for their fuel. The Automobile Association(A.A) has discovered that cars are left unattended for an average three minutes and sometimes longer as drivers buy drinks , sweets, cigarettes and other consumer items .With payment of credit cards becoming more and more common, it is not unusual for a driver to be out of his car for as long as six minutes, providing the car theft with a golden opportunity.
For more than ten years there has been a big rise in car crime than in most other types of crime. An average of more than two cars a minute are broken into or stolen in the UK. Car crime accounts for almost a third of all reported offenses with no signs that the trend is slowing down.
Although there are highly professional criminal involved in car theft, almost 90 percent of car theft is committed by the opportunists. Amateur thieves are aided by our own carelessness. The A.A. recommends locking up whenever you leave the car and for however short a period. A partially open sunroof or window is a further come-on to thieves.
There are many other traps to avoid .The A.A. has fond little awareness among drivers about safe parking. Most motorists questioned made no efforts to avoid parking in quiet spots -just the places thieves love. The A.A. advises drives to park in places with people around -thieves don't like audiences.
练习
1． Paragraph 2 _________________.
2． Paragraph 3 _________________.
3． Paragraph 4 _________________.
A) Safe parking
B) Increase in car theft
C) Opportunities for non-professionals
D) Anti-theft organizations
4． Most car thefts should be blamed on_______________.
5． In the past decade there has been a big _____________.
6． Most of the car thefts are found to be committed by_______________.
7． A piece of advice for drivers is that they should _______________.
A) the carelessness of the drivers
B) increase in the number of cars stolen
C) non-professional thieves
D) lack of parking space
E) lark their cars in safe place
Keys : B C A A B C E