We are living a fast life. It seems that everything has to be fast, for example,1 food, fast Internet, fast roads, fast money. Every day we try to get things done2 , but there are some moments that we have to slow down and enjoy3 lives.
We are always4 every day. I have to work eight hours5 more a day at my fulltime job. When I get home, it's always over seven o'clock. I make an effort (努力) to6 something. I try7 a bit of time for my hobby—writing. I hardly ever write and work8 weekends. Those are my days to try to recharge (休整) and reduce (减少) the stress from my work. I sleep on the sofa during the day,9 some beer in the open air or go out for a picnic if the weather is nice.
What I'm trying to say is this: if you don't take some time to slow down once in a while (偶尔) and10 your life, it will pass you by. You can be11 both in body and mind if you don't take the time to relax. So this weekend, don't make any12 . Just get up on Saturday morning13 your body says it's time to get up. Make some coffee, step outside and get14 fresh morning air, turn on the radio and prepare15 for nothing.
Everyone is born with the ability to learn. But whether or not you can do this well depends on your learning habits. Research shows that successful learners have some good habits in common.
Creating an interest in what they learn
Studies show that if you are interested in something, your brain is more active and it is also easier for you to pay attention to it for a long time. Good learners often connect what they need to learn with something they are interested in. For example, if they need to learn English and they like music or sports, they can listen to English songs or watch sports programs in English. This way they will not get bored.
Practicing and learning from mistakes
Good learners think about what they are good at and what they need to practice more. Remember, "use it or lose it"! Even if you learn something well, you will forget it unless you use it. Practice makes perfect. Good learners are also not afraid of making mistakes. Alexander Graham Bell did not invent the telephone overnight. He succeeded by trying many times and learning from his mistakes.
Developing their study skills
It is not enough to just study hard. You have to know how to study. Good learners find out the best ways to learn well. For example, they may take notes by writing down key words or by drawing mind maps. Good learners also look for ways to review what they have learned. They may do this by reading their notes every day or by explaining the information to another student.
Asking questions
Good learners often ask questions during or after class. They even ask each other and try to find out the answers. Knowledge comes from questioning. Learning is a life-long journey because every day brings something new. Everything that you learn l becomes a part of you and changes you, so learn wisely and learn well.
If we want to learn English well, we must improve our English listening, speaking, reading and writing skills. I don't think improving our reading skills is very difficult. If you want to get the most from the study of a language, you must read for pleasure: novels, plays, travel books, etc. And when you read these kinds of books, the most important is to read the book as a whole. It is not possible for you to stop to think about every word that you don't know. You can't enjoy a story if you stop many times on every page in order to look up words in the dictionary. That may even affect（影响） your understanding of the story.
When you read this kind of books, you'll usually have to rely mainly on the context (上下文) to help you. If you meet a word that you don't know, don't take too much attention to look it up. You will probably meet it once more a few pages later in a different context, and then you can guess its meaning exactly.
The methods above may help you to improve your reading skills. Have a try!
The Spring Festival is celebrated not only in China but also in other parts of the world. The traditional holiday is the most important to Chinese both at home and abroad.
The United Kingdom Celebrations for the Spring Festival in the UK started in 1980, with the first evening party held in 2002. Every New Year, people get together and have a lot of activities. They sing songs, dance to music, share photos with friends or enjoy films in a cinema.
The United States The Spring Festival has become a key time for Chinese living or working in the US. They join in a large evening party to welcome the new year. It is a good chance for people to build a circle(圈子) of friends and feel that they are not alone because they share the same culture and values(价值观).
Australia The Chinese New Year is welcomed with three weeks of celebrations across Australia. Many people come to Sydney's Chinatown or Little Bourke in Melbourne. They enjoy fireworks, lion dances, dragon boat races and many other traditional activities. The celebrations are also a bridge towards better understanding between Chinese and non-Chinese.
Singapore The family dinner on New Year's Eve is an important tradition for Chinese whether they were born in Singapore or moved there from China. They place traditional food on a table as an act of remembering their past. Then the whole family enjoy their dinner together. They usually hold it at home because having it in a restaurant takes away the meaning of the tradition.
China is a country with many colorful days and festivals. The Dragon Head-Raising Festival is one of them. This special day is on the second day of the second month in the Chinese lunar calendar.The dragon is important in Chinese culture. We Chinese people call ourselves "the descendants (后代) of the dragon".On the day in ancient times, people put ashes in the kitchen.
This was to "lead the dragon into the house". People believed that with the help of the dragon, they could have a good harvest (收成) in autumn.Also, people eat special food on that day.For example, people eat "the dragon's beard" noodles and dumplings called "the dragon's ears".
Today, many customs have disappeared.It was said that a haircut during the first lunar month may bring bad luck to the uncles of a family—mother's brothers.
A.The food is usually named after the dragon. B.But one that remains is the haircut. C.It stands for the start of spring and farming. D.So many people have their hair cut at the Dragon Head-Raising Festival. E.So people celebrate the Dragon Head-Raising Festival with many customs about the dragon. F.The customs have a history of thousands of years. |
famous usual excite call five he taste watch eat thousand |
The Dragon Boat Festival, alsothe Duanwu Festival, is one of the most important festivals in China. It is a day to memorize Qu Yuan, who threwinto the Miluo River and lost his life. He has been dead for over 2,000 years. It's said that in order to save Qu Yuan, people beat drums to drive fish away, and threw zongzi into the river, hoping that the fishthe rice instead of Qu Yuan's body.
Forof years, people have spent the festival by having zongzi on theday of the fifth lunar (阴历的) month. On that day, people make zongzi, which ismade of rice. In southern part of China, zongzi is made of meat. Materials （材料）such as beans, pork and salted duck eggs are often added to the rice. It is wrapped with reed leaves(芦苇叶) . After that, it is boiled（煮沸） in salt water for hours. Zongzidelicious. We can also eat eggs together with zongzi.
Of course, the festival is alsofor its dragon boat races, especially in the southern provinces where there are many rivers and lakes. The activities are. Many people likethem.
Many students ask Diana, the language Doctor, for advice about how to improve their English. Here are three basic questions.
The first question is about understanding English films and songs. Lin Tao from Hubei wrote, "I like watching English films and listening to English songs, but I don't understand very much. What can I do?"
Watching films and listening to songs are great ways to learn English! Watch and listen several times, and guess the meaning of the new words. Each time you will learn something new. I also advise you to talk about the films or songs with your friends.
The second question is about speaking. Wang Fan from Jilin wrote, "Our school has a teacher from the US. I am shy and I am afraid to speak to her. What should I do?"
You can say, "Hello! How are you?" "Do you like China?" These are good ways to start a conversation. And before you begin, you should smile at her! Remember this: Do not be shy. Just try.
The third question is about vocabulary. Zhang Lei from Anhui wrote, "I write down new words, but I forget them quickly. How can I remember them?"
Do not worry. It is natural to forget new words! I suggest you write four or five words a day on pieces of paper and place them in your room. Read the words when you see them, and try to use them.
who | What problems do they have in learning English? |
Lin Tao | He can't understand English movies and songs very much. |
Wang Fan | 1)He is to speak to teachers. |
Zhang Lei | 2)He new words quickly. |
假设你是李华。你校英语社团正在开展中国传统节日宣传活动，请你用英语写一篇发言稿，介绍一个你最喜欢的中国传统节日，内容包括你最喜欢的中国传统节日是什么，在这个节日里人们通常都做些什么，以及你喜欢这个节日的原因。
提示词语：play, relax, enjoy
提示问题：
●What is your favourite Chinese traditional festival?
●What do people usually do during this festival?
●Why do you like this festival?
Hello, everyone. Today I'd like to introduce my favourite Chinese traditional festival.
……
Thank you!
