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VOA慢速英语--Train Your Brain to Think in English

时间:2019-09-04 23:56:35

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(单词翻译)

 

If you live in a place where most people speak the language you are learning1, you may use the language for several hours each day.

So, it may become part of your “inner speech.” In other words, you start thinking in that language. Your mind stops trying to translate things from your native language into the second language.

But, the majority of the VOA Learning English audience lives in places where English is not the main language.

This may be true for you. You may not have many chances to practice English. You may even be self-taught.

When you speak, your speech might be slower than you would like. This is because your mind is still translating from your first language, which can also sound unnatural2. English, like every other language, has its own sentence structure.

The good news is that thinking in English can bring you a huge step closer to fluency3! It is not very difficult, but it does take conscious effort and practice.

On today’s Education Tips, we will share some mental exercises that can help.

Think in single words

Most experts note that it’s best to start small. So, a good first step is to think in individual words.

Look around you. What do you see? In your head, try to name each object in your surroundings4.

Charles Thomas has taught English to Union members, children and teenagers for over 10 years. He has also helped open schools in several countries. He currently5 works6 for EF International Schools in Washington, D.C.

Thomas tells his students to name the things that they see around them, wherever they are.

“As you continue with this, it becomes more of a habit, so things are going to pop up into your head – computer, telephone, chair, desk. Whatever it is…wherever you are.”

Start with nouns7 and then add in verbs, he suggests.

He says you can also do this at home when you wake up and before you go to sleep.

Teacher Andrew Hinshaw also finds this exercise helpful.

He has been teaching8 English for 12 years, including in Vietnam for the U.S. Department of State. He currently teaches at the Carlos Rosario International Public Charter9 School in Washington, D.C.

Hinshaw remembers one method some of his Vietnamese students liked.

“I’ve had students tell me that they label everything in their room or their apartments so that these English words, kind of, stick in their heads.”

Describe unknown words

Another exercise that both Thomas and Hinshaw suggest is describing in your mind objects you don’t know the words for.

An example would be if you couldn't think of the word "garage,” Thomas says.

“If you’re looking at your house and you see your garage, but you can’t think of the name in English. You can say, ‘The place inside where I put my car’ or you can say, ‘It’s next to my house. I keep things there.’”

He says you can also use shorter phrases, such as “It’s similar to…” or “It’s the opposite of…”

Hinshaw says doing this can help learners of any language. As a Spanish learner, he does it himself.

Think in sentences

The next exercise is thinking in simple sentences.

For example, if you are sitting in a park, you can tell yourself things like, “It’s such a beautiful day” and “People are playing sports with their friends.”

Once this becomes easy, you can move on to more difficult sentences.

Hinshaw sometimes uses this exercise to think about what he wants to say to people in Spanish.

“I definitely10 try to say these sentences in my head or try to put the words together without thinking too much about if it’s absolutely correct.”

Describe your day

Another exercise experts suggest is to describe your daily activities. There are a few ways to do this.

Thomas asks his beginning-level students to describe their day using the simple present verb form. So, they would think to themselves things like, “I put on my shirt” and “He drives the bus.”

Other experts say you can mentally make plans in the morning when you wake up. This would require other verb tenses. So the skill level is a little higher.

For example, you might tell yourself, “When I leave the house, I’m going to get an iced coffee. Then, I’ll take the train to class. I’m studying with Paola today. She said she booked a study room at the library for 2 p.m.”

Think in conversation

Now, let’s move to thinking in conversation.

When you do this, you are imagining yourself speaking to someone else. You are asking the questions and thinking of replies.

This is a great way to practice what you might say in a real conversation.

For example, let’s say the imaginary11 person asks you a question like, “What did you think of the award show last night?” How would you answer? Imagine the conversation and practice it in your head.

You can do this out loud or in silence.

Take notes

For all of these exercises, there will of course be words and phrases that you do not know. So, at some point you will need to use a dictionary.

If your skill level is high enough, you might consider using an English-to-English dictionary.

Hinshaw suggests writing down just five to 10 new words and phrases each day.

Keeping a notebook, he says, helps you remember the situation that you needed that word or phrase for. This makes it easy to recall12 when you are in such a situation again.

Practice it daily

So, how much time should you spend on these exercises?

Thomas says do a little every day.

“So when you’re doing it every day, over and over again, little by little, that’s the key. Because, when you make things a habit, then it just pops up into your mind without thinking and then, before you know it, really, you’re thinking in English.”

I'm Alice Bryant.

Words in This Story

translate – v. to change words from one language into another language

practice – v. to do something again and again in order to become better at it

fluency – n. the ability to speak easily and smoothly13

teenager – n. someone who is between 13 and 19 years old

habit – n. a usual way of behaving

pop up – v. to appear in usually a sudden or unexpected14 way

label – v. to put a word or name on something to describe or identify it

garage – n. a building or part of a building in which a car or other vehicle is kept

absolutely – adv. completely or totally

book – v. to make arrangements so that you will be able to use or have something, such as a room, at a later time

silence – n. a period of time in which people do not talk


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 learning wpSzFe     
n.学问,学识,学习;动词learn的现在分词
参考例句:
  • When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时,常会从车上掉下来。
  • Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。
2 unnatural 5f2zAc     
adj.不自然的;反常的
参考例句:
  • Did her behaviour seem unnatural in any way?她有任何反常表现吗?
  • She has an unnatural smile on her face.她脸上挂着做作的微笑。
3 fluency ajCxF     
n.流畅,雄辩,善辩
参考例句:
  • More practice will make you speak with greater fluency.多练习就可以使你的口语更流利。
  • Some young children achieve great fluency in their reading.一些孩子小小年纪阅读已经非常流畅。
4 surroundings qrwwa     
n.周围的事物(或情况),环境
参考例句:
  • She is not very well tuned into her surroundings. 她不太适应周围的环境。
  • The rich man lives in luxurious surroundings.这位富人生活在奢侈的环境中。
5 currently SvMzI2     
adv.通常地,普遍地,当前
参考例句:
  • Currently it is not possible to reconcile this conflicting evidence.当前还未有可能去解释这一矛盾的例证。
  • Our contracts are currently under review.我们的合同正在复查。
6 works ieuzIh     
n.作品,著作;工厂,活动部件,机件
参考例句:
  • We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
  • The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。
7 nouns 8412c0b251e0c60f78bfaf0a44ac3206     
n.名词;名词( noun的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • French differs from English in having gender for all nouns. 法语不同于英语,所有的名词都有性。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Nouns join to form compounds. 名词和名词结合构成复合词。 来自《简明英汉词典》
8 teaching ngEziT     
n.教学,执教,任教,讲授;(复数)教诲
参考例句:
  • We all agree in adopting the new teaching method. 我们一致同意采取新的教学方法。
  • He created a new system of teaching foreign languages.他创造了一种新的外语教学体系。
9 charter HrvzK     
n.特许状,执照,宪章;v.特许,发给特许执照
参考例句:
  • This new law amounts to a tax evader's charter.这项新法律简直成了为逃税者开的许可证。
  • We will charter a steamer to convey the goods.我们将租一艘船运送这批货物。
10 definitely RuJzx0     
adv.一定地,肯定地;明确地,确切地
参考例句:
  • The team will definitely lose if he doesn't play.如果他不参加比赛,这个队肯定会输。
  • I shall definitely be home before six o'clock.6点以前,我一定回家。
11 imaginary Aazxr     
adj.想象中的,假想的,虚构的,幻想的;虚数的
参考例句:
  • All the characters in this book are imaginary.此书中的所有人物都是虚构的。
  • The boy's fears were only imaginary.这小孩的恐惧只是一种想象。
12 recall mtByJ     
n.回忆,召回,取消;vt.回想起,召回,与...相似,恢复
参考例句:
  • As you may recall, he was in the army then.你可能记得当时他正在从军。
  • We demand that you recall your army from our border.我们要求你们撤回在我们边境的部队。
13 smoothly iiUzLG     
adv.平滑地,顺利地,流利地,流畅地
参考例句:
  • The workmen are very cooperative,so the work goes on smoothly.工人们十分合作,所以工作进展顺利。
  • Just change one or two words and the sentence will read smoothly.这句话只要动一两个字就顺了。
14 unexpected Qkpw8     
adj.想不到的,意外的
参考例句:
  • I always keep some good wine in for unexpected guests.我总保存些好酒,用来招待不速之客。
  • His promotion was unexpected.他的升迁出人意料。

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