1、101a Learning a Foreign Language Learning a Foreign LanguageLearning a foreign language was one of the most difficult yet most rewarding experiences of my life.Although at times learning a language was frustrating, it was well worth the effort. My experience with learning a foreign language began in
2、 junior middle school, when I took my first English class. I had a kind and patient teacher who often praised all of the students. Because of this positive method, I eagerly answered all the questions I could, never worrying much about making mistakes. I was at the top of my class for two years. Whe
3、n I went to senior middle school, I was eager to continue studying English; however, my experience in senior middle school was very different from before. While my former teacher had been patient with all of the students, my new teacher quickly punished those who gave incorrect answers. Whenever we
4、answered incorrectly, she pointed a long stick at us and, shaking it up and down, shouted, No! No! No! It didnt take me long to lose my eagerness to answer questions. Not only did I lose my joy in answering questions, but I also lost my desire to say anything at all in English. However, that state d
5、idnt last long. When I went to college, I learned that all students were required to take an English course. Unlike my senior middle school teacher, my college English teachers were patient and kind, and none of them carried long, pointed sticks! The situation was far from perfect, though. As our cl
6、asses were very large, I was only able to answer a couple of questions in each class period. Also, after a few weeks of classes, I noticed there were many students who spoke much better than I did. I began to feel intimidated. So, once again, although for different reasons, I was afraid to speak. It
7、 seemed my English was going to stay at the same level forever. That was the situation until a couple of years later when I was offered an opportunity to study English through an online course. The communication medium was a computer, a phone line, and a modem. I soon got access to the necessary equ
8、ipment, learned how to use the technology from a friend and participated in the virtual classroom 5 to 7 days a week. Online learning is not easier than regular classroom study; it requires a lot of time, commitment and discipline to keep up with the flow of the course. I worked hard to meet the min
9、imum standards set by the course and to complete assignments on time. I practiced all the time. I carried a little dictionary with me everywhere I went, as well as a notebook in which I listed any new words I heard. I made many, sometimes embarrassing, mistakes. Once in a while I cried out of frustr
10、ation, and sometimes I felt like giving up. But I didnt feel intimidated by students who spoke faster than I did because I took all the time I needed to think out my ideas and wrote a reply before posting it on the screen. Then, one day I realized I could understand just about everything I came acro
11、ss, and most importantly, I could say anything I wanted to in English. Although I was still making many mistakes and was continually learning new ways to say things, I had finally reaped the benefits of all of my hard work.Learning a foreign language has been a most trying experience for me, but one
12、 that I wouldnt trade for anything. Not only did learning another language teach me the value of hard work, but it also gave me insights into another culture, and my mind was opened to new ways of seeing things. The most wonderful result of having learned a foreign language was that I could communic
13、ate with many more people than before. Talking with people is one of my favorite activities, so being able to speak a new language lets me meet new people, participate in conversations, and form new, unforgettable friendships. Now that I speak a foreign language, instead of staring into space when E
14、nglish is being spoken, I can participate and make friends. I am able to reach out to others and bridge the gap between my language and culture and theirs.Phrases and Expressions| |at times |sometimes but not usually |有时，偶尔| | |He used to go to the theatre at times. |他以前偶尔会去看看戏。| | |At times he feel
15、s that he wants to leave his job. |有时他真想辞职。| |be worth sth./doing sth. |be rewarding enough for the time, effort, money, etc. |值得.的| | |The watch is worth more than the price. |这表的价值超出标价。| | |Doing morning exercises is worth the time. |花点时间做早操是值得的。| |not only.but also. | |不仅.而且.| | |Not only did I f
16、ind the game very boring, but I also felt it was meaningless. |我觉得这场比赛非常枯燥而且没什么意义。| | |Not only the story is interesting to us but also the English is good for us to learn. |这故事不仅有趣，而且其英语地道，值得一学。| |far from |not. at all; rather than |一点都不| | |The composition is far from perfect. |这篇作文太糟了。| | |I know
17、 he was hurt, but he was far from being the person who was hurt most. |我知道他受了伤害， 但他还不是受伤害最深的人。| |a couple of|two; a small number of |两个；一些，几个| | |I will need a couple of minutes to complete the report to my boss. |我还需要几分钟时间完成给老板的报告。| | |I met him a couple of times last year. |去年我遇见过他几次。| |get/have/o
18、btain access to |have the right to have or use sth. |有权享用；可以使用| | |People living here have access to that swimming pool for free. |住在这里的人可以免费去那个游泳池游泳。| | |If I could get access to the head offices, I could tell the management my new ideas about how to improve this company. |如果我可以到总部办公室去，我就能向管理部门提出改善
19、公司状况的新主意。| |participate in |take part in |参加| | |We are expected to participate actively in English class. |我们要积极参与英语课的活动。| | |She participated in several sports in senior middle school. |在高中时，她参加过好几项运动项目。| |keep up with |keep the same speed as |赶上；不落后| | |The small child had to run in order to keep
20、 up with his brother. |这小孩为了赶上他哥哥只好跑了起来。| | |Im having trouble keeping up with the rest of the class. |我要赶上班上其他人还有困难。| |feel like sth./doing sth. |want to have or do sth. |想要；想做| | |I feel like a cup of tea. |我想要杯咖啡。| | |I just dont feel like doing anything tonight. |今晚我什么事情都不想干。| |give up |stop doi
21、ng or stop trying to do sth. |停止，放弃| | |My teacher told me not to give up no matter how difficult things become. |老师要我无论如何困难都不要放弃。| | |Ive given up trying to get her to change her mind. |我已不再争取让她改变主意。| |think out |consider all the aspects and details of sth. before doing it |仔细考虑；推敲；琢磨| | |I need ti
22、me to think things out. |我需要时间好好想一下。| | |She hadnt thought out what she was going to say at the party. |她还没有想清楚自己在聚会上要说些什么。| |come across |meet, find, or discover sb. or sth. by chance |偶然遇到；偶然发现| | |Ive never come across anyone like her father before. |我从来没有遇到像她父亲那样的人。| | |While I was cleaning the
23、house, I came across some old baby pictures of my father that I had never seen before. |在打扫房间时，我偶然发现了几张我父亲还是婴儿时的老照片，这些照片我过去从未见过。| |reap the benefit(s) |get sth. as a reward for sth. done |获得益处，得到好处| | |Only a part of the people have reaped the benefits from the new policy. |只有一部分人从新政策中受益。| | |But th
24、e teenagers should reap the benefits of a more personal, better-run service. |然而青少年应该享受到更加个性化、实施质量更好的服务。| |trade for |exchange for |用.换.| | |I traded my old car for a new one. |我把旧车换成了新车。| | |In order to pay off his debts, he had to trade his piano for money. |为了还债，他只好把钢琴拿去换钱。| |give sb. insight(s)
25、into |give sb. a deep understanding of sth. |深刻理解| | |The discussion gave us a real insight into the causes of the present economic crisis. |这场讨论使我们对当前经济危机的原因有了真正的认识。| | |The story gave us insight into his determination to win and his desire to become the best. |这件事使我们对他决心获胜、渴望完美的心情有了深刻的认识。| |now th
26、at |because of sth. or as a result of sth. |既然，由于| | |Now that you have come, you may stay here. |你既然来了，就留在这里吧。| | |Now that we know each other better, we get along fine. |既然大家相互了解更深了，相处也就融洽了。| |instead of | |而不是；代替| | |They raised prices and cut production instead of cutting costs. |他们又是提价，又是减产，却没有
27、降低成本。| | |He took English as his major instead of Japanese. |他选择学英语，而没选日语。| |reach out to |communicate with; contact |接触，联系| | |Online learning helps us reach out to new friends. |网络学习使我们接触新朋友。| | |I realized at the same time he was reaching out to me；he was also asking for help. |我同时也察觉到他正在联系我；他在寻求
28、帮助。 学习一种外语Learning a foreign language was one of the most difficult yet most rewarding experiences of my life.学习外语是我一生中最艰苦也是最有意义的经历之一。Although at times learning a language was frustrating, it was well worth the effort.虽然时常遭遇挫折，但却非常有价值。New Words| |reward |vt. |give sth. in return for good and valuabl
29、e doings |奖赏；回报| | | |He was rewarded handsomely for his efforts. |他的努力得到了可观的回报。| | | |It is often necessary to reward people for their hard work, if you want them to continue working hard for you. |如果你想要人们继续努力工作，就有必要奖励他们的工作。| | |n. |C, U sth. as a return for good and valuable doings |奖赏；回报| | | |As
30、 a reward for passing the exams, she got a new bike from her parents. |因为通过了考试，父母奖励给她一辆新自行车。| | | |She got no reward for all the hard work she did. |她辛苦的工作并没有得到嘉奖| |rewarding |a. |giving sb. satisfaction, pleasure, or profit |值得做的，有益的，有意义的| | | |Doing exercise can be very rewarding for everyone. |锻炼身体对每个人都会有好处。| | | |She finds her career very rewarding. |她觉得自己的工作很有意义。| |frustrate |vt. |1. cause sb. to have feelings of disappointment |使沮丧，使灰心| | | |The lack of evidence in this case is frus
copyright@ 2008-2022 冰豆网网站版权所有
经营许可证编号:鄂ICP备2022015515号-1
升级会员 