只有通过运用搭配和惯用表达(idiomatic expression),你才不会陷入死记硬背的处境。例如,当要背诵 coffee(咖啡)这个词时,记忆 a cup of coffee(一杯咖啡),He's sipping a cup of coffee.(他在啜饮一杯咖啡。)这样你学到的不只是coffee 一词,还有 a cup of coffee。sip(啜饮,比 drink 来得更斯文)等等很多知识点。
要主动学英语,前提是要对英语有兴趣,可如果真的不喜欢英语怎么办?
我记得有一句名言:
If you're not happy, pretend to be happy. Sooner or later, you'll become very happy.
(如果你不高兴,假装变得高兴,假以时日,你就会真的变高兴了。)
同样,
If you're not interested in learning English, pretend to be interested, and then later on, you'll become really interested in learning it.
(如果你对英语没兴趣,就假装有兴趣,假以时日,你就会真的对它有兴趣了。)
如何培养对英语的兴趣呢?先归零,从学发音开始,用短短几个月重复学习元音和辅音,当发音标准后,信心就来了,这时就从简单的英文句子开始。
Learn to say something in English. Short sentences are very important to you. If a sentence
is very short, well, it will save you a lot of time because you can memorize it easily.
(学习用英语说一些事。短句子对你来说是很重要的。一个句子如果很短,它能节省你很多时间,因为你可以很轻松地记起来。)
当熟悉句子后,下一步就是把书本丢开,自己扮演对话的两个角色。以以下的对话为例:
A: Wow, look at the girl sitting in the corner. She is really beautiful.
B: Uh-huh, I know.
A: Why do you know?
B: Well, she's my girlfriend.
A:哇,看坐在角落头那儿的女生,她真漂亮。
B:当然,我知道。
A:你为什么会知道?
B:这个嘛,她是我女朋友。
在不断的重复扮演 A、B 两个角色后,你就可以学着扩展:
A: Hey, there is a girl in the corner. She is so beautiful.
B: Yea, you can say that again.
A: How do you know it?
B: Well, she's my girlfriend.
A:嘿,角落里坐着一位女生,她真漂亮。
B:当然,你说得没错。
A:你怎么知道?
B:这个嘛,她是我女朋友。
对话意思相似,却跟书本不尽相同,因为里边加了自己的内容。这样学习就能真正学到知识,更能培养兴趣。不过,这样的兴趣不一定会持久,此时你就要到英语角(English corner)等
学英语的人群中,你会发现 There are some people over there speaking English.(那儿有些人在说英文。)Join them! You can just sit there, listening to them.(加入他们!你可以就坐在那儿就好,听他们说。)那些优秀的人会给你激励,会成为你的榜样和标杆(role model),以他们为原动力,你回家后继续加强,兴趣也会越来越浓厚,不知不觉水平就会不断提高。用这几个方法,不断增长你的原动力(incentive),不断对英语产生激情(passion)。You'll have a passion for this language, and you will keep on going. Before you know it, you'll be able to speak it very fluently.(你会对这个语言产生激情,而且能持续下去。不久,你就能把这个语言说得非常流利了)。