2006年VOA标准英语-South Korea Puts a Theme Park Twist on Tea

By Kurt Achin
Seoul
08 May 2006

 
"Fun Museum in South Korea's "English Village" 
  
Students all across Asia work hard to learn English. They know fluency¹ will likely be a key factor in snaring² the best-paying and most prestigious³ jobs. In South Korea, which is an exporting powerhouse, local authorities in one district say they are "creating global Koreans" with a teaching approach that supplements learning with laughter.

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Have your passport ready - you are about to enter a tiny piece of South Korea where speaking Korean is strongly discouraged.

A make-believe immigration checkpoint is your first stop at "English Village," near the city of Paju, in South Korea's Gyeonggi province.
 

Band plays in the streets of South Korea's "English Village"   
  
Once inside, you are likely to see spontaneous street performances or be greeted by specially⁵ designed cartoon characters - all part of a teaching philosophy aimed at convincing young South Koreans that "foreign" equals "fun."

The village's architecture is like that of an ambitious theme park.

Giant fairy-tale castle structures surround quaint⁶ European row houses and spotless streets. There is a concert hall, theater, and even a city hall, surrounded by restaurants and coffee shops staffed by English-speaking foreign teachers.
 

Students participate in English class in South Korea's "English Village"   
  
Students aged⁴ about 13 or 14 are sent here for immersion⁷ programs lasting⁸ a week, with special summer programs of two to four weeks. From nine to nine each day, they are immersed in games, artistic⁹ projects and tasks designed to get them to interact with native English speakers.

One of the most popular activities is making videos, using inexpensive digital cameras and editing software. The students narrate¹⁰ their films in English.

There are plenty of places for the kids to practice speaking: they can withdraw play money at a pretend bank, then use it to tip their waiter at a restaurant.

There is also a health clinic, where a patient played by a foreign teacher helps the children understand basic symptoms in English.

Walk into just about any activity room, and there are kids enthusiastic about speaking English.

Jeffrey Jones, an American business executive who has long worked in South Korea, is the director of English Village. He says the project started with a phone call from Gyeonggi Governor Sohn Hak-kyu.

"He said, I've promised the electorate¹¹ during my campaign that I'd build an English village," said Jone. "I said, 'what's that?' He said, 'I don't know what it is, but I want to do it - can you help me?'"

Jones says they decided¹² to make learning English fun, instead of just rote¹³ learning from books.

The result, says Sohn, provides a boost to self-confidence that classroom study rarely offers.

"Everyone in Korea [feels] afraid of meeting foreigners, engaging foreigners," said Sohn. "But as you can see, the young girls who spend here only three days are not afraid of engaging foreigners, they are not afraid of answering questions."

Sohn says that confidence will pay dividends¹⁴ in the future, because the better Koreans can speak English, the easier it is for them to handle international business.

 
South Korea's "English Village" 
  
Sohn says the English Village also aims at narrowing what he calls South Korea's "English divide" between families who can afford private tutoring and trips abroad for their children, and those who cannot. A week at the camp, all-inclusive, only costs about $80 per student, with the rest paid for out of public funds.

The fun continues at English Village. The Paju facility, which opened in March, is the second of two English Villages in Gyeonggi province. A third is planned. And its creators think the idea will create a new way of learning all across South Korea - replacing rote learning with recreation.

1 fluency   

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。

2 snaring   

v.用罗网捕捉，诱陷，陷害( snare的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• They have the ability to perform mucosal biopsies, cautery and even snaring polyps. 他们能够学习肠粘膜活检、烧灼、甚至肠息肉套扎术。 来自互联网

3 prestigious   

adj.有威望的，有声望的，受尊敬的

参考例句：

• The young man graduated from a prestigious university.这个年轻人毕业于一所名牌大学。
• You may even join a prestigious magazine as a contributing editor.甚至可能会加入一个知名杂志做编辑。

4 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

5 specially   

adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地

参考例句：

• They are specially packaged so that they stack easily.它们经过特别包装以便于堆放。
• The machine was designed specially for demolishing old buildings.这种机器是专为拆毁旧楼房而设计的。

6 quaint   

adj.古雅的，离奇有趣的，奇怪的

参考例句：

• There were many small lanes in the quaint village.在这古香古色的村庄里，有很多小巷。
• They still keep some quaint old customs.他们仍然保留着一些稀奇古怪的旧风俗。

7 immersion   

n.沉浸；专心

参考例句：

• The dirt on the bottom of the bath didn't encourage total immersion.浴缸底有污垢，不宜全身浸泡于其中。
• The wood had become swollen from prolonged immersion.因长时间浸泡，木头发胀了。

8 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

9 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

10 narrate   

v.讲，叙述

参考例句：

• They each narrate their own tale but are all inextricably linked together.她们各自讲述自己的故事，却又不可避免地联系在一起。
• He once holds the tear to narrate a such story to mine.他曾经含着泪给我讲述了这样的一个故事。

11 electorate   

n.全体选民；选区

参考例句：

• The government was responsible to the electorate.政府对全体选民负责。
• He has the backing of almost a quarter of the electorate.他得到了几乎1/4选民的支持。

12 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

13 rote   

n.死记硬背，生搬硬套

参考例句：

• Learning by rote is discouraged in this school.这所学校不鼓励死记硬背的学习方式。
• He recited the poem by rote.他强记背诵了这首诗。

14 dividends   

红利( dividend的名词复数 )； 股息； 被除数； （足球彩票的）彩金

参考例句：

• Nothing pays richer dividends than magnanimity. 没有什么比宽宏大量更能得到厚报。
• Their decision five years ago to computerise the company is now paying dividends. 五年前他们作出的使公司电脑化的决定现在正产生出效益。