Improving Your Motivation for Learning English提高英语学习积极性

苗淑华

In this article， we share our techniques for improving your motivation for learning English as a foreign language. We used them all the time when we were learning English and we still use them when we need to boost our motivation in areas other than English.

在本文中，我们会分享提高英语这门外语的学习积极性的技巧。当我们学习英语的时候，我们一直在使用这些技巧，当我们需要在英语以外的领域提高我们的积极性时，我们仍然要用它们。

Imagine Yourself in the Future

想象一下未来的你

Imagine you can talk to native speakers just like you talk in your first language. Imagine other people wanting to speak English as well as you do. Imagine the possibility of writing e-mail to people from all over the world.

想象一下，你可以像用母语说话一样和以英语为母语的人士交谈。想象一下其他人和你一样把英语说得那么好。想象一下给世界各地的人写电子邮件的可能性。

It is helpful to read an article about the advantages of knowing English well. You should know that it is possible to learn English really well. Just look at other people who have done it.

讀一篇关于学好英语的好处的文章是很有帮助的。你应该知道学好英语是可能的，看看其他已经做到了的人。

Remember that You Are Already Good

记住，你已经很好了

You already know some English （youre reading an article in English right now）. Thats a big success！Now its time for more successes. Time to start using powerful methods of effective learning. Time to gain an impressive knowledge of English.

你已经懂一些英语了（你现在正在读一篇英文文章）。这是一个巨大的成功！现在是取得更多成功的时候了;是开始采用高效学习方法的时候了;是获得令人印象深刻的英语知识的时候了。

Remember There Is a Lot That You Dont Know

记住，还有很多你不会的

You are good， but your English probably isnt perfect. You probably cant understand English-language TV， read books in English， talk to native speakers easily， write letters without mistakes， etc.

你很好，但你的英语可能不太好。你可能看不懂英语电视、读不懂英语书、不容易和英语母语者交谈、写不了没有错误的信等等。

You should never think your English is perfect. Even if you are the best student in your class， always try to find your weak areas and work on them. When youve learned to speak English well， your problems will be quite small： punctuation2， rarely used grammar structures， rare words， understanding “street language”. Right now， your problems are probably more basic： mistakes in pronunciation， small vocabulary， grammar problems with the present perfect tense and conditional structures.

你千万不要以为你的英语很好。即使你是班上最好的学生，也要努力找出薄弱环节并加以改进。当你学会说好英语后，标点符号、很少使用的语法结构、很少使用的单词、理解“街头语言”都不成问题。现在，你的问题可能更多的是基础知识方面：发音错误、词汇量小、现在完成时态和条件句等语法问题。

Use English Whenever You Can

尽量多用英语

Probably the most important way to improve your motivation is to use English.

也许提高学习英语的积极性最重要的方法就是使用英语。

Using English is fun. It is simply very enjoyable to use your English to read a good book， understand a song， watch an interesting movie， get an answer to a computer problem， exchange e-mails with a native speaker， etc. The more you use English， the more you will want to use it.

使用英语很有趣。仅仅读一本英语好书、听一首歌、看一部有趣的电影、回答一个电脑问题、和一个英语母语者交换电子邮件等等，都是非常有趣的。你用英语越多，就越想用英语。

This is great， because using English is learning English. When youre reading an interesting article or watching an exciting movie， you are using your English， but you are also learning new words and phrases. When youre writing a message on an English-language discussion forum3， you are using your English， but you are also practising your writing.

这很好，因为使用英语就是学习英语。当你读一篇有趣的文章或看一部激动人心的电影时，你在用英语，但同时你也在学习新的单词和短语。当你在一个英语论坛上发布一条信息时，你正在使用英语，但同时也在练习写作。

But using English can also improve your general attitude4 to English and increase your motivation to study English in other ways. For example， if you see that your knowledge of English pronunciation helps you understand a movie or speak more clearly， you will be motivated to study pronunciation even more. If you see that checking your sentences in a search engine lets you write error-free e-mail messages， you will want to keep doing that.

但是使用英語也可以提高你对英语的基本态度，增加你学习英语的积极性。例如，如果你发现你的英语发音知识有助于理解一部电影或（英语）说得更清楚，你将更有动力学习发音。如果你发现在搜索引擎中检查句子可以让你写没有错误的电子邮件，你会愿意继续这样做的。

Talk to People About English

用英语与人们交谈

This is a very simple method， but it is very effective.

这是一种非常简单的方法，但非常有效。

You usually talk about things which interest you. But the opposite is true， too. If you start talking about a boring subject， you will begin to get interested in it.

你通常会谈论感兴趣的事情，但反过来说也对。如果你开始谈论一个无聊的话题，你会开始对它感兴趣。

Imagine you are studying a subject that you hate. You are bored and tired， but you have to pass the test tomorrow. If there are people near you， you have two choices： You can tell everybody how much you are suffering5 or you can tell those people about the things youve learned. If you choose the first option， you will only feel worse.

想想你正在学习一门讨厌的学科。你很厌倦、很累，但是你明天必须通过考试。如果你身边有人，你有两个选择：你可以告诉每个人你有多痛苦，或者可以告诉他们你学到的东西。如果你选择第一个选项，你只会感觉更糟。

If you choose the second choice， and start a conversation on the “boring” subject， you will begin to look at it in a totally different way. Suddenly it will become a subject worth talking about—an interesting subject.

如果你选择第二个选项，开始关于“无聊”这个话题的对话，你将开始以完全不同的方式来看待它。突然间，它将成为一个值得谈论的话题——一个有趣的话题。

How can you begin such a conversation？ If youre studying English， you can surprise another person by talking to him/her in English. Say （in English）： Hi， Im studying English and I hate it. Or you can say （in your first language）： Hey， Ive learned 50 English words today. Do you know whats the English word for...？ If there are no people near you， you can telephone or send an e-mail message to your friend.

你怎么能開始这样的谈话呢？如果你在学英语，你可以用英语和他人交谈，给他/她一个惊喜。（用英语）说：嗨，我在学英语，我讨厌它。或者你可以说（第一语言）：嘿，我今天学了50个英语单词。你知道……用英语怎么说吗？如果附近没有人，你可以打电话或发电子邮件给朋友。

What will your friends say？ Probably they wont be very interested， but it doesnt matter！The important thing is this： After talking about English， you will study it with more passion. Try it.

你的朋友会怎么说？也许他们不会很感兴趣，但没关系！重要的是：讲完英语后，你会更有激情地学习它。试试看吧。

Find a Friend Who Is Learning English

找个学英语的朋友

If you can find a friend who is learning English and is on a similar level of skill， you will be in an excellent situation：

如果你能找到一个学习英语的朋友，并且他有着相似的技能水平，那么你将处于一个非常好的境地：

○you will have someone to talk about English with. These conversations will increase your interest in English.

●将有人和你谈论英语，这些对话将增加你对英语的兴趣。

○learning English will be easier， because you will be able to discuss your problems with your friend.

●学习英语会更容易，因为你可以和朋友讨论你的问题。

○you will study English more， because you will want to be better than your friend.

●你会学习更多的英语，因为你想比你的朋友学得更好。

Remember That Learning English Requires Action

记住学习英语需要行动

We have said this many times. One small action is more powerful than reading hundreds of articles. Yes， we know it is very hard to do things， even if they are good for us. We humans are lazy. That is why not many people speak English well.

我们已经说过很多次了。一个小行动比阅读数百篇文章更有力。是的，我们知道事情很难做，即使它们对我们有好处。我们人类是很懒惰的。这就是为什么没有很多人英语说得好的原因。

Still， we hope you can do the things we talk about in our English learning method—not only read about them. You will be successful only if you change something about your life.

尽管如此，我们还是希望你能用我们的英语学习方法按我们所说的做——不仅仅是阅读一下。只有改变你的生活，你才会成功。

Dont put it off. Begin now.

不要拖延。现在就开始。

1. motivation [     ] n. 动机;积极性

2. punctuation [     ] n. 标点;标点符号

3. forum [     ] n. 论坛，讨论会

4. attitude [     ] n. 态度;看法;意见

5. suffer [     ] vt. 遭受;忍受;经历;vi. 遭受，忍受;受痛苦