1) According to Will Pidcroft, the writer of this text, can English be mastered within a very short period of time? Does he provide any evidence to support his view?
No, Will Pidcroft doesn’t think that English can be mastered within a short period of time. He says that in fact English is not that easy to learn; otherwise, he wouldn’t be working as an English teacher any more as there would be far less demand for trained English teachers.
2) Does he support the idea that a language is best learned where it is spoken?
Yes, he does.
3) What is the belief held by behaviorists in terms of language learning?
Behaviorists believe that language learning is a kind of habit formation. So they are fond of making students repeat phrases and do exercises where they continually have to change one word in a sentence. They assume that people learn things very much like parrots and chimpanzees.
4) What does Pidcroft say about one’s interest in language learning?
Pidcroft thinks that interest is a very important factor in language learning. No one can ever learn to speak English or any other language unless he or she is interested in it.
5) What distinguishes human beings from parrots and chimpanzees according to Pidcroft?
Parrots and chimpanzees make noises that are meaningless while the speech sounds human beings make are meaningful and they can relate them to their own lives. In other words, human beings use language to communicate.
2 Write down the main idea of each paragraph in the space provided 1) Para. 1:
Advertisements often give the false impression that learning English is easy and does not need much effort.
2) Para. 2:
There is no such thing as a good method that suits all students in every situation.
3) Para. 3:
People used to believe that the only way to learn a language was to spend a lot of time in a country where it was spoken. The other extreme is that some think that they can learn a foreign language at home relying solely on dictionaries.
4) Para. 4:
Teaching methods based on the behaviourist theory may not work, as human beings are not parrots or chimpanzees.
5) Para. 5:
Interest is the key to learning a language, which is a means of communication.
6) Para. 6:
To learn a language well, it is important that we have other people to talk to and listen to.
Task Two Reading Between the Lines
1 Read the following statements and then decide whether each of them is true or false based on the information in the text. Write T for True and F for False in the space provided before each statement. 1) T In order to catch the attention of potential learners, advertisements usually exaggerate(夸大)the fast pace and great ease of learning English.
2) T To be able to read the original works by great writers can be a motivation for people to learn the language of those great writers.
3) F People don’t believe what advertisements say about language learning at all.
(Lots of people must believe what advertisements say; otherwise, the advertisements would no longer exist.)
4) T Each individual teacher may have his or her unique way of teaching a language.
5) F The only way to learn a language well is to go and live in a
country where it is spoken.
(Living in a country where the target language is spoken has advantages over many other methods.)
6) F Learning a language is just like how a parrot imitates a human being.
(Language learning must be meaningful. A parrot, however, makes meaningless noises by imitating human beings.)
2 Read the following sentences carefully and discuss in pairs what the author intends to say by the italicized parts.
1) But it is difficult for anyone to explain in simple language why one method is better than another, and it is no use pretending that anyone has discovered a perfect way of teaching English in every possible situation. (Para. 2) There is no such thing as the best way of teaching English which suits all situations.
2) A large number of theorists seem to think it is a pity we aren’t, because it would make it easier to use their methods. (Para. 4)
Many behaviorist theorists wish that human beings were just like parrots or chimpanzees, so that they could use their methods of teaching on human beings with ease.
3) Human beings, unlike parrots and chimpanzees, do not like making noises unless they understand what the noises mean and can relate them to their own lives. (Para. 5)
Human beings are not like animals. When they talk, they make speech sounds that are meaningful and relevant to their lives.
Task Three Voicing Your Views 1)
2) Is Chinese as difficult for a foreigner to learn as English is for a Chinese? Give reasons to support your view.
Yes. Chinese is as difficult for a foreigner to learn as English is for a Chinese. But for learners of a foreign language that belongs to the same language family as their mother tongue, some aspects may seem easier. But overall, all languages are equally difficult (or equally easy) to learn.
3) Do you think motivation is a very important factor in learning a foreign language? Are you highly motivated to learn English? Why or why not?
Yes, it is. Motivation is always an important factor in learning a foreign language.
Teachers may ask students to select some students in their class who are very good in English and ask them to discuss if these students are motivated or not in
learning English. Teachers may guide students to list all kinds of motivations into