人教全日制普通高中英语（必修）高三UNIT8-1

Learning¹ a language is obviously² more than just memorising words, phrases and structures. When we learnt our mother tongue, we did not receive much formal instruction. Few parents give language lessons to their children! Instead we learnt or acquired our mother tongue by communicating with the people around us. But how was it possible for us to learn all the sounds, words, grammar rules and structures through this communication? And, perhaps most puzzling of all, how were we able to make sense of what we heard and distinguish³ the mistakes and errors from "good" language?
 
       Language experts have different answers. Some believe that we are equipped with a special ability to learn language and that our brain adjusts itself to the language we hear around us. Others think that we learn language in the same way we learn other things, such as walking or solving problems, and that what we are born with is a general ability to learn and adapt, not a language-specific part of the brain. Regardless of their theories, these language experts do agree that life is a very successful language school: virtually⁴ everyone learns to use a language and has mastered the basics by the age of five.
 
       Learning a foreign language is different from learning one's mother tongue. The learning usually takes place in school and there are often few opportunities to communicate with other speakers of the language. As a consequence, some students think that learning a foreign language is slow and difficult. However, we actually learn a foreign language much faster than we do our mother tongue. That may not seem true to you -- think of all the hours of hard work you have spent learning English! But once you consider the situation further, you will re, alise that this is indeed the case. When you were learning your mother tongue, you spent all your waking hours communicating with the people around you; in other words, you were studying the language all day long! You did this for five years, so that is an awful lot of hours. We only spend a few hours a week and in a few years' time we can speak a foreign language. We also have textbooks, teachers and classmates to instruct and assist⁵ us in the process, and we can learn more about study methods and skills. That means we can be much more efficient.
 
       Then why are some people better at learning a foreign language than others? Research has shown that successful language learners do share quite a few characteristics. The data suggests that what successful language learners have in common is, among other things, that they are interested in understanding their own thinking, curious about the world, willing to take chances and confident in their ability. Successful language learners also use different ways of learning and plan their studies in order to deal with academic challenges.
 
       Successful language students gain confidence and are able to relax and enjoy the learning because they plan and evaluate their learning. With greater control and a stronger sense of achievement, active learners are able to acquire new skills faster and put what they know to better use. As a result, they do better in areas such as reading comprehension, vocabulary learning, writing and speaking. The less anxious and more relaxed the learner, the better their language acquisition⁶. Self-confident, secure⁷ students are more successful language learners. They are more willing to take risks and to place themselves in new learning situations. If they were not, they would not be ready to experiment with new forms and to make mistakes, both of which contribute to their increased ability to learn.
 
       The purpose of learning is important, too. Not all of us want to be translators or interpreters. Most simply want to learn English for everyday use. Some people probably have more interest and greater ability than others, but that does not mean that we cannot find ways to improve. It takes patience to learn a language. If we want to become successful language learners, we should try to adopt some of the study habits and characteristics described above. If we develop our study skills, we may find that learning a foreign language does not have to be twice as hard as learning our mother tongue, but can in fact be twice as easy and a lot of fun.

1 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

2 obviously   

adv.显然；明白地

参考例句：

• Obviously they were putting him to a severe test.显然他们是在给他以严峻的考验。
• Obviously he was lying.显然他是在撒谎。

3 distinguish   

vt.区别，辩明，识别，辨认出；vi.区别，辨别，识别

参考例句：

• It is not easy to distinguish cultured pearls from genuine pearls.辨别真正的珍珠与养殖的珍珠不容易。
• Some people find it difficult to distinguish right from wrong.一些人认为很难辨对与错。

4 virtually   

adv.实际上，事实上

参考例句：

• The job was virtually completed by the end of the week.到周末时这项工作差不多完成了。
• He was virtually a prisoner.他实际上是个囚犯。

5 assist   

vt.协助，帮助，促进；vi.帮忙，参加

参考例句：

• He asked us to assist him in carrying through their plan.他要我们帮助他实施他们的计划。
• We'll assist at your wedding.我们将出席你们的婚礼。

6 acquisition   

n.取得，学到，养成（习惯），获得的东西

参考例句：

• The children progressed in the acquisition of basic skills.孩子们在掌握基本技术方面取得了进步。
• He devotes his time to the acquisition of knowledge.他把时间都花在求知上。

7 secure   

adj.无虑的，安心的，安全的；adj.牢靠的，稳妥的；vt.固定，获得，使...安全；vi.(海上工作人员)停止工；vi.(船)抛锚，停泊

参考例句：

• He found a secure foothold and pulled himself up.他找到了一个稳固的踏脚处并爬了上去。
• Extra men are needed to secure the camp against attack.需要增加兵力以保护军营免受攻击。