Language（语言）students often think they have memory（记忆力）problems. They worry because they can't remember words. In fact, the problem usually isn't with their memory. The problem is with how they study.
To remember words better, you need to understand how memory works. There are two kinds of memory: short-term and long-term. When you se, hear, or read something, it goes fist into short-term memory. But short-term memory lasts for only a few seconds. You will only remember something longer if it goes into long-term memory. Your long-term memory is 1like a very big library with many, many books. And like a library. it's organized（有条理的）. When you put away a book or memory. you can't just leave it anywhere. You have to choose a place where you can find it again.
How can you do this with vocabulary? The answer is to work with the word and think about the word in new ways. You can do this by writing new sentences that include it. Even better, you can invent a little story about the word, with people or places that you know Another way is to make a picture in your mind with the word. For example。if the word is "height", you can think of the tallest person you know and try to guess his or her height. All of these activities are good ways to think about words. They make the meaning of words stronger in your long-term memory. And they give a way to find a word when you need it.
