(单词翻译:单击)
情景对话
Jana: So Peter, you also learned English as a foreign language, right?
嘉娜：彼得，你也是把英语作为一门外语来学习，对吧？
Peter: That's right, yes.
彼得：没错。
Jana: It's not your first language? So how did you do it?
嘉娜：英语不是你的母语？你是怎么学习的？
Peter: That's a good question. When I think back, I think, I try to think about the things that helped me most and I think it was a funny combination of things. I had one really interesting English teacher, she was really strict, but she was really interesting and I think she inspired me in some ways because her English was so good and I thought 'wow' that's really great. I wouldn't mind being able to be as good as her. The other thing that really helped me was reading like I really read so much in English. I think you mentioned, I remember you saying that too at some other point.
彼得：这是个很好的问题。回想一下，我想对我帮助最大的应该是各种事情有趣的事情。我的英语老师非常风趣，她很严格，不过她真的很风趣，我想从某些方面来说，是她激励了我，因为她的英语非常棒，我当时想“哇，真是太好了”。我希望我的英语能和她的一样棒。另外阅读对我帮助也很大，我读了很多英语作品。我想你之前提到过，我记得你也说过这点。
Jana: Yeah, I think so too. I read a lot, not because I wanted to learn but because I like reading and so I read in English and later on I realized I must have learned a lot of vocabulary and things that I didn't even realize I learned.
嘉娜：对，我也记得。我读了很多书，不是因为我想学习，而是因为我喜欢阅读，所以我看了很多英语书籍，后来我发现这让我学会了很多词汇和其他知识，我都没有意识到我其实是在学习。
Peter: I think yes.
彼得：对。
Jana: Just through reading.
嘉娜：通过阅读学习。
Peter: Yeah, the same thing happened to me. My home had so many books in it, I was lucky I guess in that way and at least half of them were in English and when I discovered that there were books in the house that I couldn't get into and I was really into stories and reading, I felt so angry that I couldn't get into them so I said OK I'll start try and read them and I guess it started off there because then I started reading so much and it was really good for me in the end, I think.
彼得：对，我和你情况一样。我妈妈有很多书，我想我非常幸运，其中至少有一半的书是英语书籍，我家里有那些书，可是我发现我竟然看不进去，可是我非常喜欢看故事，也喜欢阅读。所以我因为自己看不进去这些书而感到非常生气，我想“好，我要试着读这些书”，我想就是从那时开始，我阅读了大量的英语书籍，这对我非常有帮助。
Jana: So that was your motivation, you wanted to read those mysterious books?
嘉娜：阅读那些神秘的书籍是你的动力吗？
Peter: Yes and it was really good for me that way I guess.
彼得：对，我想这对我帮助很大。
Jana: That's interesting. You see people ask me how did I learn English. I didn't really have a plan, I just enjoyed English that's why I studied in my free time but I didn't think of it as something I have to do, I just did it for fun.
嘉娜：真有意思。有人问我怎么学习英语。我其实并没有计划，我只是喜欢英语，所以我在空闲时间学习，但是我不认为这是我必须要做的事情，我只是为了兴趣而学习。
Peter: I think so too for me. Also in high school I remember my classmates complaining about all the homework in English and they couldn't do it and they used to come to me for help and then I thought but hang on it's not, it doesn't feel like work to me, it just feels like something kind of fun.
彼得：我想我也是这样。我记得上高中时，同学们都抱怨英语作业，他们都做不了作业，然后他们就会来寻求我的帮助，当时我并不认为这是工作，我认为这是很有意思的事。
Jana: That's right.
嘉娜：没错。
Peter: But I can't tell you where that fun started. I guess it has something to do with being curious about things that are written or said. Do you think so?
彼得：不过我也说不清是从何时开始产生兴趣的。我想可能是因为我很好奇那些书里写了什么吧。你也这样想吗？
Jana: Yeah, I also sort of remember when I first became interested in English but later on when I met some people from different countries, I became more interested in communicating with them and, like you said, my teacher also inspired me. I enjoyed just chatting to her in English.
嘉娜：对，我记得我第一次对英语产生兴趣也是因为这样，后来我遇到了很多来自不同国家的人，我想和他们进行交流，如你所说，我的老师也激励了我。我非常喜欢和她用英语聊天。
Peter: Really?
彼得：真的吗？
Jana: Yeah, it was basically fun. It was not studying hard for me.
嘉娜：对，很有意思。对我来说，这并不是努力学习。
Peter: Yeah, I suppose it's the same for me I think. I think when I got to university and I could read and write and my listening was really good in English but I couldn't speak so well at all and then I happened to make some English friends and they couldn't speak a word of Afrikaans or any other language so I was kind of forced to communicate with them in English and that, I think that really helped me too because I was forced in a way to be able to speak my mind and in the way that they could only understand so you know.
彼得：对，我也是这样认为的。我上大学时，我可以看英语书籍，而且我的英语听力很好，可是我的口语不好，然后我刚巧交了一些英国朋友，他们完全不会南非语或其他语言，所以我只能用英语和他们交流，我认为这也对我帮助很大，我不得不让自己用英语表达出我的想法，让他们明白我的意思。
Jana: Right, that really makes it meaningful doesn't it? You really need to, you want to express yourself so you have to try hard.
嘉娜：对，这真的很有意义，不是吗？你要表达自己的想法，所以你要努力尝试。
Peter: Yeah, and I remember this frustration. They would have these arguments about things that I was interested in and I wanted to join but I couldn't and so I just decided well I have to just do this. I want to talk so I'd better do it in English.
彼得：对，我还记得当时的挫败感。他们会讨论一些我感兴趣的事情，我也想加入他们的讨论，可是我做不到，所以我决定一定要做到这件事。我也想用英语说出我的看法。
Jana: That's right. Yeah, I think I improved a lot by talking to people from different countries, not necessarily native speakers but having friends from different countries and I wanted to communicate with them so, yeah, you just do it and you learn as you go.
嘉娜：没错。我认为和不同国家的人交流可以提高英语水平，不一定和那些母语是英语的人交流，我也想和来自其他国家的朋友交流，所以要学习，去开口说话。
Peter: Yeah, I think so too.
彼得：对，我也是这么想的。
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重点讲解
重点讲解：
1. think back 回忆；回想；
例句：I keep thinking back to the day I arrived here.
我不断回想起刚到这儿那一天的情景。
2. in some ways (某个)方面；(某)点；
例句：In some ways this sort of relativism strikes a progressive and reasonable note.
在某些方面，这种相对论有其进步和合理的地方。
3. start off 从…开始；从…着手；
例句：The story starts off with a lead.
故事用一段引子开始。
4. happen to do sth. 碰巧；凑巧；
例句：We happen to hold the same view.
我们两人的想法不谋而合。
5. be interested in 感兴趣的；有兴趣的；关心的；
例句：He is interested in Eastern philosophy.
他对东方哲学感兴趣。
