雅思口语练习中的背景知识阅读

 　　IELTS: Reading without Speaking?

　　Numerous IELTS programs that are offered through out Asia and most often in China are divided into four major areas which mirror the actual IELTS examination: Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking. In most cases these classes use different teachers and certainly different text books for each module¹. The majority of programs use brute² memorization to prepare for the exam. The classes are structured to utilize³ the students past educational processes i.e. memorize or fail, to “teach” the students. The words are more important than the method. As in the traditional Chinese educational system the student’s capacity for memorization is challenged. The result rather than the method are stressed. The exam becomes the reward, not the knowledge that should be gained from the class.

　　So here rises the problem. Can the reading module portion of the IELTS exam be taught independently from the speaking part? There are pros⁴ and cons⁵ to this question. Do we as westerners teach reading to our children with speaking to them? The answer is obvious NO!! So why should we as educators teach the youth of China or for that matter the world, how to pass a reading exam without saying a single spoken word. Sounds rather stupid doesn’t it. But in fact many western educators are expected to teach their class to pass a test in reading sans oral interaction. The spoken word is over looked in favor of the written word. Read and recite. Read and repeat. Read and regurgitate.But NEVER read and tell me what you think about what you read. Never read and let’s discuss. Never read and give me your opinion. WHY? Is the examination overshadowing the learning process? Simply “YES”.

　　From day one of a prototypical IELTS reading class, the students are given outdated⁶ textbooks that are aimed at educating a non-native speaker how to read, and understand a text that has little or no relevance⁷ to real life or real life experiences. Again the student is “taught” to read and understand some texts that a native speaker may have difficulty in understand, not because of the complexity⁸, but because, let’s face it, it’s boring and does not relate to anything we can talk about. I am a great sports fan. I enjoy reading about all sports International football, F1 racing⁹ or track and field. That inrestes me. So why don’t we find things for the students that interests them and then TALK about them before trying to answer the questions about the article. Stress the understanding of what the article is saying and talk about it. NOT read and answer. TALK about it. Maybe the student’s grammar is poor, maybe their pronunciation is poor, but still let’s talk about what we just read. Certainly we can not please every student, but articles from the local English language newspaper will initially¹⁰ suffice, if there is no newspaper, then the WWW. Any news site will give the student more reading material than they will ever need to know. Day to day news will not only teach a student how to read, it will educate them in relevant topics they can discuss. It may be the weather, a major news story, or some very simple 2 paragraph item about a “talking dog”. It may sound stupid, but current events will further discussions. AND discussions will improve both understanding and communication skills.

　　If you as an IELTS student want to improve you reading comprehension, spend 15 minutes EVERY night reading a new article on the internet. You chat and play games for endless hours on your computer. Try something unique, use it to learn something. If you attend any sort of conversational¹¹ English classes, go to your class and ask your teacher to discuss something that you read on the www. I have asked thousands of students, “well what did you do last night” and the most popular answer: “I played on my computer”. So take some of that play time and convert it to learning time; then TALK about it. In my opinion the key to reading and understanding is for YOU as the student to choose an interesting article, read it, write about it and TALK about it. Do not memorize each word, skim the article, and then ask yourself: what did I read. Not word by word, but what did the article really talk about. Ask your teacher to explain any ideas you do not understa12 I said IDEAS, not words. You can find the meaning of words in your dictionary, you need to learn the ideas from some one who understands concepts, not just words. Understanding the ideas and talking about them is the clue. SO.. The next step is yours.

　　本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑。

 

1 module   

n.组件，模块，模件；(航天器的)舱

参考例句：

• The centre module displays traffic guidance information.中央模块显示交通引导信息。
• Two large tanks in the service module held liquid oxygen.服务舱的两个大气瓶中装有液态氧。

2 brute   

n.野兽，兽性

参考例句：

• The aggressor troops are not many degrees removed from the brute.侵略军简直象一群野兽。
• That dog is a dangerous brute.It bites people.那条狗是危险的畜牲，它咬人。

3 utilize   

vt.使用，利用

参考例句：

• The cook will utilize the leftover ham bone to make soup.厨师要用吃剩的猪腿骨做汤。
• You must utilize all available resources.你必须利用一切可以得到的资源。

4 pros   

abbr.prosecuting 起诉；prosecutor 起诉人；professionals 自由职业者；proscenium （舞台）前部n.赞成的意见( pro的名词复数 )；赞成的理由；抵偿物；交换物

参考例句：

• The pros and cons cancel out. 正反两种意见抵消。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• We should hear all the pros and cons of the matter before we make a decision. 我们在对这事做出决定之前，应该先听取正反两方面的意见。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 cons   

n.欺骗，骗局( con的名词复数 )v.诈骗，哄骗( con的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The pros and cons cancel out. 正反两种意见抵消。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• We should hear all the pros and cons of the matter before we make a decision. 我们在对这事做出决定之前，应该先听取正反两方面的意见。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 outdated   

adj.旧式的，落伍的，过时的；v.使过时

参考例句：

• That list of addresses is outdated,many have changed.那个通讯录已经没用了，许多地址已经改了。
• Many of us conform to the outdated customs laid down by our forebears.我们许多人都遵循祖先立下的过时习俗。

7 relevance   

n.中肯，适当，关联，相关性

参考例句：

• Politicians' private lives have no relevance to their public roles.政治家的私生活与他们的公众角色不相关。
• Her ideas have lost all relevance to the modern world.她的想法与现代社会完全脱节。

8 complexity   

n.复杂(性)，复杂的事物

参考例句：

• Only now did he understand the full complexity of the problem.直到现在他才明白这一问题的全部复杂性。
• The complexity of the road map puzzled me.错综复杂的公路图把我搞糊涂了。

9 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

10 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

11 conversational   

adj.对话的，会话的

参考例句：

• The article is written in a conversational style.该文是以对话的形式写成的。
• She values herself on her conversational powers.她常夸耀自己的能言善辩。