2. It improves my speaking skills.

　　 improve 是动词，意思是“改善、使…进步(长进)”

　　 eg: Can you tell me how to improve my listening skill?

　　 你能告诉我怎样提高听力吗？

　　 I want to improve my skating skill?

　　 我想提高我的滑冰技能。

1. 辨析：study, learn

　　 (1)learn和study作“学”，“学习”讲，有时可以互换。

　　 eg: When did you begin to learn / study English?

　　 你是什么时候开始学英语的？

　　 (2)learn侧重学习的结果，因而常译作“学到”，“学会”，study则侧重学习的过程。

　　 eg: He studied hard and at last learned the language.

　　 他努力学习，终于学会了这种语言。

　　 (3)learn多用于初级阶段的学习或带有模仿性的操作技艺等；study则用于较高深或周密的研究。

　　 eg: The baby is learning to speak.

　　 这个小孩正在学说话。

　　 He is studying the problem of maths.

　　 他正研究数学问题。

2. ask sb. for sth. 向某人要某物；ask sb. to do sth. 要求某人做某事

　　 eg: She asked her classmate for the new dictionary.

　　 Tony asked his brother to clean the room.

III. 2a. 2b.

　　 Girl 1: Welcome to the English club. Today we’re going to talk about the best ways to learn English. Who has an idea?

　　 Boy 1: Do you learn English by watching English-language videos?

　　 Girl 2: No. It’s too hard to understand the voices.

　　 Boy 1: What about keeping a diary in English? Do you learn English that way?

　　 Girl 2: I think so. It helps to write English every day.

　　 Girl 3: Have you ever studied with a group?

　　 Girl 2: Yes, I have! I’ve learned a lot that way.

　　 Girl 1: Do you ever practice conversations with friends?

　　 Girl 2: Oh, yes. It improves my speaking skills.

　　 Boy 1: What about reading aloud to practice pronunciation?

　　 Girl 3: I do that sometimes. I think it helps.

　　 Boy 2: I do too. And I always look up new words in a dictionary.

　　 Girl 3: That’s a great idea!

1. You did really well on the last English test, didn’t you?

　　 你在上次英语考试中考得很好，是吗？

　　 did (do)well in / on 在某方面做得好

2. 复习“by”的用法

　　 (1)到(某时候)：

　　 Perhaps she has recovered by now.

　　 到现在她可能已经痊愈了。

　　 (2)由(某人干的)，以(某种方式)，通过

　　 Who is that book by?

　　 这本书是谁写的？

　　 We learn to swim by swimming.

　　 我们在游泳中学会游泳。

　　 (3)坐(船、汽车，飞机等)

　　 I came by bus (boat, subway). 我坐汽车(船，地铁)来的。

II. 1b. Boy 1: Hey, gang. There’s a big test on Tuesday. I really need some help. Can you tell me how you study for a big test?

　　 Voices: Sure! Yes. Sure we will.

　　 Boy 1: You did really well on the last English test, didn’t you, Mei?

　　 Girl 1: Yeah. I did OK.

　　 Boy 1: Well, how did you study?

　　 Girl 1: By making flashcards.

　　 Boy 1: Maybe I’ll try that. How did you study, Pierre?

　　 Boy 2: By asking the teacher for help. She was really happy I asked.

　　 Boy 1: That’s interesting. How do you study, Antonio?

　　 Boy 3: I like to study by listening to cassettes. But sometimes my mother thinks I’m listening to music. And then she gets mad.

　　 Boy 1: Oh, well.

I. 1a　 Check (√)the ways you study for an English test. Then add other ways you use sometimes.

　　 －－by working with friends　　　　　　　 －－by listening to cassettes

　　 －－by making flashcards　　　　　　　　　 －－by asking the teacher for help

　　 －－by reading the textbook　　　　　　　　 －－__________________

　　 －－by making vocabulary lists　　　　　 －－__________________

1. “by+动名词”常常表示手段、方式或方法，可以用来回答“how”引导的特殊疑问句

　　 eg: －How did you finish the job so soon?

　　 你是用什么方法这么快就干完了？

　　 －－By climbing on the roof.

　　 我爬到屋顶上做的。

　　 They make a living by selling souvenirs to the tourists.

　　 他们靠向游客出售纪念品来谋生。

35. 向某人道别say goodbye to sb.　 36. 考虑think about

33. 成为…高手become an expert at　　　 34. 放弃give up

31. 适应；适合fit in　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 32. 如今；现在these days

29. 嘲笑laugh at　　　　　　　　　　　　　 30. 最糟糕的是worst of all