生活在现代社会中，掌握一门外语显得重要而且必要，对大学生来说尤其如此。当然，语言学习不能一蹴而就，应该循序渐进，并且要有一定的方法。

　　Knacks for Learning Language

　　What is language for? Some people seem to think it’s for practising grammar rules and learning lists of words — the longer the words the better. That’s wrong. Language is for the exchange of ideas, for communication.

　　The way to learn a language is to practise speaking it as often as possible. A great man once said it is necessary to drill as much as possible, and the more you apply it in real situations, the more natural it will become.

　　Learning any language takes a lot of effort. But don’t give up.①Relax! Be patient and enjoy yourself. Learning foreign languages should be fun. Rome wasn’t built in a day. Work harder and practise more. Your hardworking will be rewarded by God one day. God is equal to everyone!

　　Use a dictionary and grammar guide constantly. Keep a small English dictionary with you at all time. When you see a new word, look it up. Think about the word — use it, in your mind, in a sentence.

　　Try to think in English whenever possible. When you see something, think of the English word of it; then think about the word in a sentence.

　　Practise tenses as much as possible. When you learn a new verb, learn its various forms.

　　I would also like to learn more about the culture behind the language. When you understand the cultural background, you can better use the language.

　　［234 words］

　　行文点评

　　本文以总分结构介绍了英语学习的几个秘诀，首段以一种对语言的错误理解引出作者的观点，提出语言是为了进行沟通和交流的。下面的段落，分别围绕语言的这个目的，提出学习的方法。

　　文章语言平实，句式简单，通俗易懂。内容丰富，角度多元，并引用了适当的名言谚语，如Rome wasn’t built in a day,为文章增添了亮点。

　　好文妙译

　　学习外语的诀窍

　　语言到底是用来干什么的呢？一些人认为它是用来操练语法规则和学习一大堆单词—— 而且单词越长越好。这个想法是错误的。语言是用来交流思想，进行沟通的。

　　学习一门语言的方法就是要尽量多地练习说。一位伟人曾说，反复操练是非常必要的，你越多地将所学到的东西运用到实际生活中，他们就变得越自然。

　　学习任何语言都是需要花费很多努力的，但不要放弃。放松点！耐心点儿，从中找到乐趣！学习外语应该是乐趣无穷的。冰冻三尺，非一日之寒。更加努力地学习，更加勤奋地操练，你所付出的一切将会得到上帝的报答，上帝是很公平的。

　　经常使用词典和语法指南。随身携带一本小英文词典，当你看到一个新词时就去查阅，想想它——然后再去用它，在你的心中，在一个句子里。

　　一有机会就努力用英文来思考。看到某物时，想想它的英文单词；然后把它用到一个句子中去。

　　尽可能多地操练时态。学习一个动词时，要学习它的各种形态。

　　学习和了解更多关于语言背后的文化知识，当你理解了文化背景，你就能更好地运用这种语言了。

　　词汇斟酌

　　drill v. 操练，训练

　　reward vt. 酬劳，奖赏，报答

　　佳句临摹

　　①【注释】give up放弃

　　【临摹】You should never give up your dream.永远都不要放弃自己的梦想。

　　思如泉涌

　　The people who only learn about English take English as a subject. This is a mistake. Geography is no skill while English is. 那些对英语一知半解的人把英语当作一门课程。这是一种误解。地理不是技能，而英语却是。

　　There are tricks in every trade. 每一行业皆有其窍门。