According to US research, it can take up to ten years to become a near-native English speaker. Asian and Spanish students took between five and ten years to reach native speaker performance in English-only schools. Fluency obviously doesn’t happen overnight. But time can definitely make you a better speaker.
After testing his own memory, German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus discovered that humans forget most of what they learn in the first 20 minutes.
So cramming right before a speaking exam is not likely to be as effective as practicing regularly over time. The more you practice, the more familiar new words will become. In the classroom, studies have also shown that repeating oral tasks improves a speaker’s performance.
One of the best repetition exercises is the 4/3/2 technique. Speakers give the same talk to three different listeners with a progressive decrease in delivery time, starting at four minutes, then three, and finally two minutes. This exercise has been proven to help learners speak faster. It can also result in less hesitation and more grammatical accuracy. While time dose make a difference when it comes to speaking perfect English, it would not hurt to brush up on your other language skills.
Studies have also shown that reading can increase your speaking vocabulary. After one month of an extensive reading program, a 27-year-old student of French became more familiar with 65 percent of the new words.
Aside from choosing the right learning methods, having certain personality traits may also help. US linguistics expert Stephen Krashen believes those with high motivation, self-confidence and a low level of anxiety are better equipped for speaking success.
Krashen says students who don’t have these qualities are more likely to have a “mental block”. “Even if they understand the message, the input will not reach the part of the brain responsible for language acquisition,” he writes in his book Principles and Practice in second Language Acquisition.
【小题1】According to the passage, if you want to be a near-native speaker, you need _____.

According to US research, it can take up to ten years to become a near-native English speaker. Asian and Spanish students took between five and ten years to reach native speaker performance in English-only schools. Fluency obviously doesn’t happen overnight. But time can definitely make you a better speaker.

After testing his own memory, German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus discovered that humans forget most of what they learn in the first 20 minutes.

So cramming right before a speaking exam is not likely to be as effective as practicing regularly over time. The more you practice, the more familiar new words will become. In the classroom, studies have also shown that repeating oral tasks improves a speaker’s performance.

One of the best repetition exercises is the 4/3/2 technique. Speakers give the same talk to three different listeners with a progressive decrease in delivery time, starting at four minutes, then three, and finally two minutes. This exercise has been proven to help learners speak faster. It can also result in less hesitation and more grammatical accuracy. While time dose make a difference when it comes to speaking perfect English, it would not hurt to brush up on your other language skills.

Studies have also shown that reading can increase your speaking vocabulary. After one month of an extensive reading program, a 27-year-old student of French became more familiar with 65 percent of the new words.

Aside from choosing the right learning methods, having certain personality traits may also help. US linguistics expert Stephen Krashen believes those with high motivation, self-confidence and a low level of anxiety are better equipped for speaking success.

Krashen says students who don’t have these qualities are more likely to have a “mental block”. “Even if they understand the message, the input will not reach the part of the brain responsible for language acquisition,” he writes in his book Principles and Practice in second Language Acquisition.

1.According to the passage, if you want to be a near-native speaker, you need _____.

2.The author put forward the 4/3/2 technique just to show that _____.

3.The example of a 27-year-old student of French in the passage mainly means that _____.

4.The underlined phrase “linguistics expert” means a person who is quite expert at _____.

According to US research, it can take up to ten years to become a near-native English speaker. Asian and Spanish students took between five and ten years to reach native speaker performance in English-only schools. Fluency obviously doesn’t happen overnight. But time can definitely make you a better speaker.
After testing his own memory, German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus discovered that humans forget most of what they learn in the first 20 minutes.
So cramming right before a speaking exam is not likely to be as effective as practicing regularly over time. The more you practice, the more familiar new words will become. In the classroom, studies have also shown that repeating oral tasks improves a speaker’s performance.
One of the best repetition exercises is the 4/3/2 technique. Speakers give the same talk to three different listeners with a progressive decrease in delivery time, starting at four minutes, then three, and finally two minutes. This exercise has been proven to help learners speak faster. It can also result in less hesitation and more grammatical accuracy. While time dose make a difference when it comes to speaking perfect English, it would not hurt to brush up on your other language skills.
Studies have also shown that reading can increase your speaking vocabulary. After one month of an extensive reading program, a 27-year-old student of French became more familiar with 65 percent of the new words.
Aside from choosing the right learning methods, having certain personality traits may also help. US linguistics expert Stephen Krashen believes those with high motivation, self-confidence and a low level of anxiety are better equipped for speaking success.
Krashen says students who don’t have these qualities are more likely to have a “mental block”. “Even if they understand the message, the input will not reach the part of the brain responsible for language acquisition,” he writes in his book Principles and Practice in second Language Acquisition.

1. 1.

   According to the passage, if you want to be a near-native speaker, you need _____.

   1. A.
      long-term speaking practice and much reading
   2. B.
      speaking practice for ten years only
   3. C.
      long-term speaking practice, much reading and certain qualities
   4. D.
      cramming new words every day
2. 2.

   The author put forward the 4/3/2 technique just to show that _____.

   1. A.
      you should speak to 3 different people
   2. B.
      you should speak to 3 different people at 3 different times
   3. C.
      it can prevent you from making grammar mistakes
   4. D.
      it is really a good way to make you a better speaker
3. 3.

   The example of a 27-year-old student of French in the passage mainly means that _____.

   1. A.
      reading can enlarge your vocabulary for your speaking
   2. B.
      reading can make you memorize just 65 percent of the new words
   3. C.
      the 27-year-old student of French is very clever
   4. D.
      in one month, you can improve your speaking ability
4. 4.

   The underlined phrase “linguistics expert” means a person who is quite expert at _____.

   1. A.
      languages
   2. B.
      spoken language
   3. C.
      scientific research
   4. D.
      teaching English

Every English learner hopes to find a patient native speaker who will politely correct mistakes and teach him some useful new vocabulary. But native speakers can be hard to find. If you’re having trouble communicating in English, American situation comedies are one good way to help.
They can not only give you a lot of information about American culture, but also offer some useful daily expressions. Watching them will help you enlarge your vocabulary and teach you correct language usage in different situations. Best of all, situation comedies are a fun way to learn.
The Apprentice
The American reality (现实) TV show is hosted by the famous businessman Donald Trump. It’s based on the idea of the final job interview for the final job. The show picks 16 people to compete for a job with Trump’s business. Those who fail their weekly tasks have to meet with Trump. They have to explain why they should not be fired (解雇).
The Apprentice is useful for English students who want to learn how to make up a persuasive (令人信服的) argument. For example, rather than say “I think I did a good job”, one may also learn to throw off the possibility of uncertainty by saying, “I did a good job.”
Desperate Housewives (DH)
Desperate Housewives is set in an invented American town, Wisteria Lane. It follows a group of middle-aged women as they go through their daily family lives. But in fact, those women live a life of lies, secrets, criminal (犯罪的) acts, and mystery.
This program is good at expressing the funny life of American neighbors. And, it’s the perfect comedy series for foreign learners wanting to see how to hold a relaxed daily conversation.
Another reason for watching DH is to learn some expressions American families use that are not in your English language textbooks. For example, the mothers often use words such as “sport” and “you guys” to speak about their kids. 　　

1. 1.

   According to the passage, The Apprentice and DH are introduced because _____

   1. A.
      they are now the most popular programs
   2. B.
      they are helpful in English learning
   3. C.
      they are advertised for English beginners
   4. D.
      they are enjoyed by most young people
2. 2.

   Through watching the two American comedy series, English learners can do the following EXCEPT _____

   1. A.
      communicate with native speakers
   2. B.
      know about American culture
   3. C.
      pick up English daily expressions
   4. D.
      learn more English words
3. 3.

   In the author’s opinion, learning English through TV series is _____

   1. A.
      common
   2. B.
      difficult
   3. C.
      enjoyable
   4. D.
      possible
4. 4.

   We can learn from the passage that The Apprentice _____

   1. A.
      tells a story of school life
   2. B.
      is about real life
   3. C.
      has 15 actors
   4. D.
      is about some businessmen
5. 5.

   Which of the following statements about DH can we get from the introduction?

   1. A.
      The story happens in a village of America
   2. B.
      The housewives join in the same job interview
   3. C.
      The women in the American town lead a life full of sadness
   4. D.
      It does well in describing an interesting neighborhood in America

Sam、David、Elisa、Ezra和Terry想通过选修某一门课程解决各自的问题。阅读下面六门选修课程的介绍（A、B、C、D、E和F），选出可以解答各自疑问的最佳选项。选项中有一项是多余选项。

Sam: How can I develop the characters so as to make my story interesting?

David: When writing an essay, how can I make my points in a more organized manner?

Elisa: When I deliver a speech, how can I attract and hold the attention of the audience?

Ezra: How is our knowledge of the world formed in early childhood?

Terry: My English vocabulary is limited. How can I enlarge it more effectively?