B******1
发帖数: 9094 | 1 如何提高英语阅读和写作水平? Read and write. Listen and speak. Then repeat!
Most of us want to improve our English writing skills and need some
guidelines of how to pull it off. First, let me ask you guys: do you READ
English articles on a daily basis? If your answer is yes, great! We can talk
about improving your written English. For those of you who don't read
English article that often, my sincere apology: it's very difficult to
upgrade your writing skills.
Reading and writing go hand in hand -- one helps the other. Neither is easy
as beans. For most Mainland Chinese students before coming to the U.S., the
only serious work they write in English might be either the English abstract
for his or her college graduation thesis or writing samples in a TOEFL exam
. Formal training in English writing is still confined to some elite classes
reserved to students enrolled in tutoring programs.
As to the Chinese graduate students studying in western universities, they
probably treat their Ph.D. thesis as the pinnacle of their career to use
English writing as a tool to communicate research results. Boy, I remembered
what a struggle that could be! In the twilight of my Ph.D. training when I
started writing my thesis, I was caught flat-footed because I had been a lab
rat most of my Ph.D. career and I didn't pay attention to practicing
writing while studying for the degree.
Granted, I read scientific papers on a regular basis but my focus was on the
experimental sections, not the way how to tell a good and engaging story
with logic and rationale. In scientific research, data are critical. In the
business world, as I later found out, explaining the data to a wider
audience with style is more important. Luckily, my Ph.D. supervisor was kind
enough to lend me a hand. He gave me a few proposals he wrote in the same
research field and asked me to STUDY them. So I did while burning the late
night oil. In the end, my thesis was well received by my advisory committee.
A lesson learned: Reading definitely can help you write good articles.
Since then I have formed a habit of reading English articles while writing a
few of my own on a regular basis. There are quite a few reputable English
journals that might be of interest to English learners. Popular choices are
BW, NY Times, WSJ, NW, The Economist, and Scientific American. At one time
or another, I had subscription to or access to each of them as hard copies.
Most of these journals have free online edition composed of at least part of
their publications. You can also post comments to some articles as a way to
sharpen your writing skills. When I read these journals, I always write
down words I don't know and expressions I like to use for my own writings.
In addition, I treat all the reports I need to write at work as writing
practices. Furthermore, I usually polish my work three times before the
submission.
It might sound offensive to some, but the truth is that most of English
learners only complain about their inability to write English without ANY
effort to look for help. When was the last time you asked somebody else to
proofread your writings? When did you enroll in a writing class to become
familiar with English writing customs? How often do you write a message in
English on paper or online? When was the last time you search online for
answers to "How to improve writing skills"? I can reel off a long list of
things you might want to consider if you are serious about improving
yourself. But I would rather leave that daunting task to you for a good
reason: There is tons of information out there on the web, and you have to
separate the wheat from the chaff, including analyzing this post.
I do practise what I preach. Although I did not do a formal survey, but I am
confident that I am one of only a few members on this privileged board who
write a long post (>4 sentences) in English on a regular basis. In addition,
I might be the only member who modify his or her posts when a typo is found
or a better idea is warranted. If you want to become a MBA student or a J.D.
candidate, wouldn't it be better if you start your writing drills NOW than
LATER? Even if you just want to polish your English, it won't hurt by
reading and writing in English regularly.
Don't pay lip service to hard work. You don't know who's swimming naked
until the tide goes out! Start to put your acts together NOW. Read and write
. Listen and speak. Then repeat! | j***a
发帖数: 10844 | 2 Looks nice! But too long to read..:)
I guess if everyone starts writing English here, the English written skills
will improve in no time... | c*h
发帖数: 33018 | 3 LZ刚刚改邪归正，又改正归邪啦。
LZ叫我们不懂英文的请以何堪。 | b*****1
发帖数: 3331 | | u*********e
发帖数: 9616 | 5 lz主要是写东西写得没意思，特一本正经干瘪的要命。这个和用什么语言没关系。 | g********0
发帖数: 15010 | 6 Although most what you said are true, few would pay much attention or care
about. Most people here can still make decent life with their broken English
. They had spent too long on English learning and just want to enjoy the
rest time now. They may be serious about their siblings' English skills, not
theirs.
Anyway, I look up your attitude. | p******g
发帖数: 3908 | 7 跳过前面，看最后一句就可以了 LZ说 Read and write. Listen and speak. Then
repeat!
【在 b*****1 的大作中提到】
: 求中文摘要
| I*D
发帖数: 40035 | | B******1
发帖数: 9094 | 9 如何提高英语听力水平? Make it a fun process!
Listening comprehension is another area which requires a lot of attention
from English learners. Intrinsically your ability to understand what goes
into your ears would help shape what comes out of your mouth after all the
information is processed within your brain. Therefore, there is a positive
feedback loop between the listening and speaking skills of an English
learner. For example, a good listener would easily and correctly understand
a speaker’s main point after taking heed of all the hints perceived. This,
in turn, will give the listener ample time and ammunition to contemplate a
proper response, be it a concurrence or an objection.
How to train your ears? I am a subscriber to the notion that you reap what
you sow. One of my favorite jokes is the following:
The tourist in Manhattan asks for directions: “How do you get to Carnegie
Hall?”
Helpful local: “Practice, practice, practice.”
If you are checking my post right now, I believe you would agree that
whenever you do something repeatedly your performance soars. For example,
you fingers type Pai or Ding or Re or Baozi effortlessly on the keyboard.
Having said
that, I also believe it might be hard for you to knuckle down and practice
more after so many years of practice. The reasons are plenty: No one is a
born working bee. No one wants to practice without a push or shove. Practice
is hard. There are so many temptations around us and so many fun things to
do. Practice is not fun. Wait. Did you mention practice and fun? Hmm. A
light bulb just went off in my head: why don’t we combine them together!
Indeed we should! There are many ways to do it.Do you like music? If so, why
don’t you listen to more English songs than Chinese songs? Do you like
watching movies? Why don’t you buy/rent more tapes or CD’s of English
movies? Do you like space exploration? Why don’t you watch Star Trek : The
Next Generation online? Do you like science? Why don’t you search on
YouTube.com for English presentations? Do you like jogging? Why don’t you
jog …? Wait. My ears hurt while jogging. Scratch that. The bottom line is
that you need to be creative in order to sow the seeds of practicing English
in every available time slots in your daily life if you do not want to do
it in the conventional (and possibly boring) way.
In the old days, college students only had shortwave radios as a tool to
improve their listening comprehension by tuning to VOA or BBC. With the
arrival of internet and hand-held electronic devices, current English
learners have a plethora of FUN ways at their disposal to bomb their ears
with English sound waves. Make your choice and be wise.
I admit that a bit of talent is required in every trade, including learning
English. But without practice, even a talented person would not succeed. Are
you listening? | m***T
发帖数: 11058 | 10 听：简单点儿吧，就看show，看电影就行。一遍遍地看，一个show或电影至少得三遍以
上。一般讲，第一、二遍基本上是看情节和热闹了。
说：没捷径，就是多说、多练吧 | | | p******g
发帖数: 3908 | 11 怎么看你这段话怎么就那么顺眼。。。
【在 m***T 的大作中提到】
: 听：简单点儿吧，就看show，看电影就行。一遍遍地看，一个show或电影至少得三遍以
: 上。一般讲，第一、二遍基本上是看情节和热闹了。
: 说：没捷径，就是多说、多练吧
| j***a
发帖数: 10844 | 12 随便说点我的体会吧。。。
英文的确是非常的重要。。。
和基础及学习能力，学习态度很有关。。。
在这里念过书的会好不少。。。
也有来这陪读的英文从零开始，后来相当好的。。。
也有在这里读了phd的英文还是很烂的。。。
有些人发音是按中文来的。。。
认清自己处在哪个位置，定个目标，好好努力，拿出灌水的20%的力气，其实是有很大
改善空间的。。。 | m***T
发帖数: 11058 | 13 不是因为看我比较顺眼吧？嘿嘿
【在 p******g 的大作中提到】
: 怎么看你这段话怎么就那么顺眼。。。
| j***a
发帖数: 10844 | 14 不带这样打击人的。。。
【在 m***T 的大作中提到】
: 不是因为看我比较顺眼吧？嘿嘿
| G****6
发帖数: 4291 | 15 嗯！
【在 m***T 的大作中提到】
: 不是因为看我比较顺眼吧？嘿嘿
| p******g
发帖数: 3908 | 16 因为还没看到你，所以看你打的那段字，比较了前面的，顺眼啊！ lol
我前面想做好人好事，给中文萨玛瑞的，好不容易总结了第一篇，哐当又来一篇，我想
光折磨我一个人不行。。。
【在 m***T 的大作中提到】
: 不是因为看我比较顺眼吧？嘿嘿
| B******1
发帖数: 9094 | 17 如何提高英语发音及口语水平? Become a parrot yourself.
There are a few points I would like to shed light on how to improve your
oral English skills.
First I will talk about Accent. This is probably the hardest part to improve
, mainly because old habits die hard. It is imperative to learn how to speak
English right in elementary school and in high school since that is the
very foundation, on which your future skills of spoken English are built. As
a Beijinger, I was lucky in that regard. Throughout grade school and
college, my English teachers taught me standard English and proper
pronunciation.
For those of you who were not as lucky as I, you have to improve yourself
one word at a time. Learn how to SOUND the vowels and consonants right. Then
learn how to combine them together. These are the baby steps leading to the
path of perfect spoken English.
Another trick, or training in my eyes, is to imitate English speakers whose
style of giving a speech you like the most. Mr. Obama might be your choice.
Ms. Hillary Clinton might be mine. If you learn from Mr. Ryan, I have no
objection. In my case, I listen to NPR –National Public Radio– whenever I
have a chance. By listening to English broadcast, not only would you keep
abreast with the current news and analysis, you would also pick up a few new
phrases here and there. This is an upgrade version of listening to VOA or
BBS. In addition, you could learn how to present an argument, how to be
objective when commenting, and how to pronounce the word right. In fact,
when I am driving the car alone, instead of listening to music, I tune to
NPR radio and use my own voice to follow, “word-for-word”, the
broadcasting news or comments.
Of course, if you have an American friend, or a British one, you can
practice oral English by talking to him or her. As a matter of fact, I knew
a few people even tried out the online dating service as a way to practice
English. I think that was morally wrong and I would not go that far for
safety and privacy reasons. But internet definitely provides a lot of
opportunities for Chinese to improve their oral English.
The key is to open your mouth daily and learn how to SOUND each word/
sentence right. For example, in the TOEFL test, if you have an accent as
close to the native speaker as possible, you would get a better score.
Furthermore, by learning the way the Americans present their viewpoints from
radio prograsm or TV shows, you would have a better chance to organize your
thoughts within, for example, the 45 sec of preparation time in TOEFL, then
speak clearly, confidently and concisely. Keep working on the way you speak
and you will become a fluent English speaker and likely a top scorer in
TOEFL in due time if that is your short term goal.
If you are a professional working in a U.S. corporation, mingling with your
colleagues would be another way to practice your oral English. At first,
you might feel like the Grandma Liu in a Chinese novel. But if you are hide
-tough and open your mouth shamelessly all the time, your English will
improve gradually. Asking for feedbacks after your oral presentation at the
company is also an important way to polish your oral English.
Finally, you need to improve your oral English not only for a better chance
to get into a top-notch business school or law school, but also for a better
preparation for the challenge you might face beyond business/law schools.
Enjoy the process during the exciting journey! | p******g
发帖数: 3908 | 18 别这么说，果断排他BSO啊
【在 j***a 的大作中提到】
: 不带这样打击人的。。。
| B******1
发帖数: 9094 | 19 No more long English posts from me . . . today. I have used up my quota. | N***M
发帖数: 4295 | 20 我居然三大段都看完了
今天的英文能力又上了一个台阶
嗯 | | | N***M
发帖数: 4295 | | N***M
发帖数: 4295 | 22 还有英文到了一定程度就要polish了
怎么用词更地道更准确更能表达细微的字里行间的意思
我认为这是最难的一步 | s***e
发帖数: 5242 | 23 呵呵您生了吗？
【在 u*********e 的大作中提到】
: lz主要是写东西写得没意思，特一本正经干瘪的要命。这个和用什么语言没关系。
| u*********e
发帖数: 9616 | 24 生了个小瘦子。你家老二多大啦？
【在 s***e 的大作中提到】
: 呵呵您生了吗？
| B******1
发帖数: 9094 | 25 Dude, a message is dry compared with a massage for sure. Show me your
interesting, non-orthodox English/Chinese writing. Otherwise, you are a
great talker but a little doer. Consider this reply as a challenge to you.
【在 u*********e 的大作中提到】
: lz主要是写东西写得没意思，特一本正经干瘪的要命。这个和用什么语言没关系。
| b*****n
发帖数: 10665 | 26 ding~!~
talk
easy
the
abstract
【在 B******1 的大作中提到】
: 如何提高英语阅读和写作水平? Read and write. Listen and speak. Then repeat!
: Most of us want to improve our English writing skills and need some
: guidelines of how to pull it off. First, let me ask you guys: do you READ
: English articles on a daily basis? If your answer is yes, great! We can talk
: about improving your written English. For those of you who don't read
: English article that often, my sincere apology: it's very difficult to
: upgrade your writing skills.
: Reading and writing go hand in hand -- one helps the other. Neither is easy
: as beans. For most Mainland Chinese students before coming to the U.S., the
: only serious work they write in English might be either the English abstract
| m***T
发帖数: 11058 | 27 恭喜您今天前进了一大步！
【在 N***M 的大作中提到】
: 我居然三大段都看完了
: 今天的英文能力又上了一个台阶
: 嗯
| s***e
发帖数: 5242 | 28 赞！
下个月2岁，也很瘦。
【在 u*********e 的大作中提到】
: 生了个小瘦子。你家老二多大啦？
| s*****p
发帖数: 5342 | 29 mark上
talk
easy
the
abstract
【在 B******1 的大作中提到】
: 如何提高英语阅读和写作水平? Read and write. Listen and speak. Then repeat!
: Most of us want to improve our English writing skills and need some
: guidelines of how to pull it off. First, let me ask you guys: do you READ
: English articles on a daily basis? If your answer is yes, great! We can talk
: about improving your written English. For those of you who don't read
: English article that often, my sincere apology: it's very difficult to
: upgrade your writing skills.
: Reading and writing go hand in hand -- one helps the other. Neither is easy
: as beans. For most Mainland Chinese students before coming to the U.S., the
: only serious work they write in English might be either the English abstract
| u*********e
发帖数: 9616 | 30 http://www.bigsoccer.com/community/threads/beckham-in-the-media
http://www.bigsoccer.com/community/threads/eddie-johnson%E2%80%
Dude, you need to be witty to be popular (or not-so-popular) on discussion
board.
Also, I have to disagree. To me, some witty words are as effective as
massage to get the POINT.
【在 B******1 的大作中提到】
: Dude, a message is dry compared with a massage for sure. Show me your
: interesting, non-orthodox English/Chinese writing. Otherwise, you are a
: great talker but a little doer. Consider this reply as a challenge to you.
| | | B******1
发帖数: 9094 | 31 Dude, not many readers on THIS board are soccer fans to begin with. Soccer
or topics thereof are dry and boring to most of them no matter how you dress
up the topic. For instance, do you seriously believe the female audience
here will click the links provided by you? Even for a Soccer-mom, her duty
is more on the well-being of her kid than news or rumors in the soccer world.
Remember, my topics under this thread are about English learning, not soccer
playing. I would suggest that you talk about the same topic: English
learning, and prove your perceived superior ability to present a story.
Because you referred to two English posts written by you, presumably you are
proud of your English skills. Now it is the chance for you to share your
success in this aspect and enlighten other struggling English learners like
me.
In addition, I may be notorious to some people, but I never chase any "fame"
on this board. As a general rule, I present my viewpoints logically and
wait to see other's response thereto. As to the witty words, you probably
missed a lot from my posts because the radar or glasses you used have a
different receiving frequency from that of my signals!
【在 u*********e 的大作中提到】
: http://www.bigsoccer.com/community/threads/beckham-in-the-media
: http://www.bigsoccer.com/community/threads/eddie-johnson%E2%80%
: Dude, you need to be witty to be popular (or not-so-popular) on discussion
: board.
: Also, I have to disagree. To me, some witty words are as effective as
: massage to get the POINT.
| u*********e
发帖数: 9616 | 32 I don't believe anyone else would click the link other than you. You ask me
an example of English writing and I provide two. Whether it sounds fun to
you is not my concern. I post on English discussion board full of native
English speakers and got my point accepted by people whose soccer knowledge
and wise mind I highly regards.I guess that proves your English doesn't have
to be perfect but the way you say it should be fun to read for your
audience.
I bet your words are quite witty and I must miss them. Just did not find the
response from others, unfortunately.
Just a suggestion, it is a great way to learn how to get your point to
people by reading sports journalism. You have to portrait the intense motion
in words with strong emotion. Very good way to get response from the reader
, same as theatre review.
I think Economics article is dry and boring but to each their own.
Soccer
dress
world.
soccer
fame"
【在 B******1 的大作中提到】
: Dude, not many readers on THIS board are soccer fans to begin with. Soccer
: or topics thereof are dry and boring to most of them no matter how you dress
: up the topic. For instance, do you seriously believe the female audience
: here will click the links provided by you? Even for a Soccer-mom, her duty
: is more on the well-being of her kid than news or rumors in the soccer world.
: Remember, my topics under this thread are about English learning, not soccer
: playing. I would suggest that you talk about the same topic: English
: learning, and prove your perceived superior ability to present a story.
: Because you referred to two English posts written by you, presumably you are
: proud of your English skills. Now it is the chance for you to share your
| p******g
发帖数: 3908 | 33 我点了，个人观点，我喜欢你写的，不是每段话都要用论文辩证逻辑来写的。。
me
knowledge
have
the
【在 u*********e 的大作中提到】
: I don't believe anyone else would click the link other than you. You ask me
: an example of English writing and I provide two. Whether it sounds fun to
: you is not my concern. I post on English discussion board full of native
: English speakers and got my point accepted by people whose soccer knowledge
: and wise mind I highly regards.I guess that proves your English doesn't have
: to be perfect but the way you say it should be fun to read for your
: audience.
: I bet your words are quite witty and I must miss them. Just did not find the
: response from others, unfortunately.
: Just a suggestion, it is a great way to learn how to get your point to
| B******1
发帖数: 9094 | 34 A perfect slam dunk would be a foul on a soccer field, wouldn't it? Why?
The rules are different. If you ask a scientist to write a scientific
article for an audience of soccer fans, you are asking for a mission
impossible. It's akin to casting pearls before swines.
Tailor your way of presentation to the audience you are facing. I doubt that
most English learners are trying to improve their images at a sports forum.
Knowing your audience may be the pre-requisite for any writer before he or
she types the first letter for the script. That said, by directing the
readers of this thread to your links might not help them learn the trick
to do what they want to do: improve their English at their jobs. Most
likely their jobs require formal presentations and substantial communication
(written or oral) focusing on their trades/professions. Mindful of that
backdrop, it is my opinion that the logical reasoning should dictate the
strength of an argument or an article. That is the way to get your points
across.
As to the witty part, it's only a tool which serves the main goal of
preaching a method or proving a point. Do not put the cart before the horse.
me
knowledge
have
the
【在 u*********e 的大作中提到】
: I don't believe anyone else would click the link other than you. You ask me
: an example of English writing and I provide two. Whether it sounds fun to
: you is not my concern. I post on English discussion board full of native
: English speakers and got my point accepted by people whose soccer knowledge
: and wise mind I highly regards.I guess that proves your English doesn't have
: to be perfect but the way you say it should be fun to read for your
: audience.
: I bet your words are quite witty and I must miss them. Just did not find the
: response from others, unfortunately.
: Just a suggestion, it is a great way to learn how to get your point to
| m***T
发帖数: 11058 | | I*D
发帖数: 40035 | | p******g
发帖数: 3908 | 37 一天一读，我今天又上升一个层次
【在 m***T 的大作中提到】
: 快速提高英语水平的好贴子呀!
| Y*****2
发帖数: 38613 | | T***D
发帖数: 726 | 39 为提高英文水平，本版强制英文回帖。。。
水量必大减 |
|
