Unit 1 Learning a Language
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Sit in groups of threes or fours and discuss the following questions.
1. Do you think it is necessary to learn another language besides your mother tongue? 2. How long have you learned English? Do you think English is very difficult to learn? 3. If possible, what other foreign languages do you want to learn? Why?
4. Speaking from your own experience, what effective ways would you like to suggest to help others learn English?
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Answers for reference
1. Answers may vary. However, the teacher may draw students' attention to the fact that English is becoming an international language and that there is a growing need for us to communicate in English with people from other countries.
2. Answers could vary from \to 10 years,\depending on where the students are from. Generally speaking, students growing up in cities start learning English 3-5 years earlier than those in the countryside. Those who don't enjoy learning English or are not motivated may find English very difficult to learn.
3. Possible answers may be French, German, Japanese, Spanish, etc. One may find different reasons. Some students choose to study one specific foreign language out of their love for the literature in that language; some may like to listen to music, or watch movies in that language; some want to be able to read research papers published in that language; and many others may simply want to be able to speak the target language when traveling in that country.
4. Possible useful ways may include: reading and listening as much as one can; talking to native speakers whenever possible; visiting the English Corner on campus; watching English movies; surfing the Internet, etc. Other effective ways of learning English may include: paying special attention to useful expressions and trying to use them whenever and wherever possible; learning good passages by heart; memorizing lists of words to develop vocabulary; working on a grammar book systematically to achieve accuracy and doing more writing practice.
QUOTES
Study the following quotes about language learning. Do you accept the ideas expressed in the quotes? State your reasons.
Whoever is not acquainted with foreign languages knows nothing of his own
---Goethe
Language is not an abstract （抽象的） construction of the learned（有学问的人）, or of dictionary-makers, but is something arising out of the work, needs, ties, joys, affections, tastes of long generations of humanity, and has its bases broad and low, close to the ground.
--- Walt Whitman
I haven’t conquered Spanish yet. I’m learning and understand what’s said during training. I’m progressing little. Spanish is very difficult for me, although I am getting used to it. I am making an effort. It’s complicated. But if I can conquer Spanish, it will have been a great achievement. ----David Beckham
Interpretations of the quotes
1. Goethe emphasizes the importance of learning foreign languages. Learning a foreign language is comparable to ajourney of discovery. One needs to be familiar with some foreign languages in order to understand his or her own native language. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832): a German poet and scientist, and one of the best known writers of plays and books of all time, known especially for his play Faust（《浮士德》）.
2. Whitman thinks that language is not something produced from nowhere by the intellectuals or dictionary-makers. Rather, it is something coming from the commonplace activities and emotions of many generations of human beings, including their work, needs, relationships, happiness, love and preferences. Language is broadly and deeply rooted in these common happenings.
Walt Whitman (1819-1892): a US writer known for his poetry about the beauty of nature and the value of freedom. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential US poets, and his best-known work is Leaves of Grass（《草叶集》）.
3. Here Beckham, the world-famous football star, shares with us his experience in learning a foreign language. From what Beckham says, we can see that learning a foreign language is difficult for everyone. But if we make an effort, we can conquer it. As the saying goes, where there is a will, there is a way. David Beckham (1975-) became known as a football talent at the age of 11. He joined Manchester United as a professional midfielder （中锋） in January 1993. In June 2003, he moved to Spain and joined Real Madrid. A footballer with an amazing ability to score goals and get the crowd on its feet, Beckham is now well known as one of the best football players of the world.
Listen and Respond
You will listen to what a student from Argentina （阿根廷） says about learning foreign languages. The words and phrases in the box may be of some help to you.
Portuguese 葡萄牙语（的）；葡萄牙人（的） mother tongue 母语
Spanish n. & a. 西班牙语（的） broaden vt. 放宽，变宽；扩大
confident a. 确信的，自信的；有信心的
cope v. deal successfully with a difficult situation （成功地）应付，对付 communicate v. 交流意见（或感情、消息等）；沟通 frequently ad. 常常地，频繁地
obtain v. rather fml become the owner of, esp. by means of effort or planning; get 较正式目（尤指通过努力或计划）获得，得到；买到 remarkably ad. 显著地，引人注目地
catch on (to sth.) ：begin to understand (sth.) （开始）明白，了解（某事） rhythm n. 节奏；韵律
regarding prep. Fml 【正式】（尤用于商业书信中）关于，有关 plus n. 受欢迎的或有利的附加物，有利条件
accustomed a. in the habit of; used to 习惯于?的
get accustomed to： become in the habit of; become used to 习惯于?的 process n. 步骤，程序
enjoyable a. （事情、经历等）使人快乐的，有乐趣的
Script
Hello, I'm Alberto. I'm a student of English, French, Portuguese and Italian. I would also love to learn Chinese and German in the near future. My mother tongue is Spanish and I have a degree in Political Science. I love to learn new languages, because I think it broadens my mind. Even though I still have some difficulty with verb tenses, I'm confident that with time and practice I'll cope with them.
I believe learning a new language besides your mother tongue can be useful, especially in a world where distances are shortened and people from different countries communicate with each other more frequently.
Learning a new language can be a good experience, but only if you keep in mind that nothing is obtained without some effort. In my opinion, the best way to learn a language is to read a lot. It doesn't matter what you read, but that you do it. Even if you don't understand everything, your reading comprehension skill will improve remarkably. Also, if possible, watch a lot of television in that language, or listen to CDs. Maybe at first you won't understand a word, but later you'd catch on to the rhythm of the language.
Good dictionaries are necessary, and books regarding vocabulary can be a plus. The Internet is also a useful tool.
The language you choose to learn might seem a little difficult at first, or even totally strange, but you'll get accustomed to it. Remember that the learning process is long, and that it never ends. However, it is also highly enjoyable.
TASK ONE Focusing on the Main Ideas
Answer the following questions according to the information contained in the listening passage. 1. What does Alberto mainly talk about in this monologue（独白）？ 2. Is he very interested in language learning? Why?
3. Does he think it is very useful to do a lot of reading when learning a language? Why?
TASK TWO Zooming In on the Details
Listen to the recording again and fill in each of the blanks according to what you have heard.
1. Alberto has started learning ____________, ___________, Portuguese and __________, and he would also love to learn __________ and __________ in the near future.
2. He loves to learn new languages, because he thinks it broadens ___________.
3. According to Alberto, learning a new language besides one's __________ can be useful,
especially in a world where distances ___________________ and people from different countries communicate with each other ______________________.
4. He recommends（推荐） three good ways of language learning. They are: a. ________________________;
b. watch a lot of television in that language; and c. ________________________.
5. He also mentions three other things that are helpful for learning a language. They are: a. ________________________; b. vocabulary books; and
c. ________________________.
6. Finally Alberto says learning a language might seem a little ________________, or even strange, but one will get used to it. Though the learning process is long and it _______________, it is also ____________________________.
TASK ONE:
Focusing on the Main ideas
1. In this monologue Alberto tells us that he likes to learn new languages and why he likes to do so. He also shares with us some ways which he thinks are helpful in learning a new language. 2. Yes, he is. He is very interested in language learning because he thinks it helps broaden his mind.
3. Yes, he does. He thinks that as long as one keeps on reading, one's reading comprehension skill will improve remarkably.
TASK TWO:
Zooming In on the Details
1. English French Italian Chinese German 2. his mind
3. mother tongue are shortened more frequently 4. read a lot listen to CDs
5. good dictionaries the Internet
6. difficult at first never ends highly enjoyable
Read & Explore
A Language Teacher's Personal Opinion
一名语言教师的个人看法
【1】Every day I see advertisements in the newspapers and on the buses claiming that it is easy to learn English. 我每天都会在报纸上、公共汽车上看到各种广告，声称轻轻松松就能学好英语。According to these advertisements, with very little effort on the student's part, he will be able to speak the language fluently in three months or even ten days. 这些广告称，学生不必费什么力气，要说一口流利的英语只需短短3个月，甚至10天就行。There is often a reference to William
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