关于英语阅读,我有一个“奇谈怪论”:培养学生阅读能力的关键在于教师自己要对阅读感兴趣,自觉地进行持续性性阅读。一个好的老师除了教学基本功扎实以外,常怀感同身受之心是很重要的,这样的老师真实、自然。如果你养成了阅读习惯,酷爱阅读,学生能够从你的授课中强烈感觉到。“己所不欲勿施于人。”如果连你自己都做不到的事情,学生又如何做得到呢?
同样道理,关于英语口语我的观点是:要想你的学生对口语高度重视,教师自己必须有浓厚兴趣,亲自实践,率先垂范,否则你空讲大道理是徒劳无益的。“桂林市英语角”是我和桂林市几个英语爱好者于九十年代初创立的,那里至今依然活跃,每逢周末的上午,许多英语学习者无论是刮风下雨都要去哪里操练英语口语。1996年以前我在一所中学当英语老师,我经常带我的学生去英语角练习口语。当他们看到我和其他人用英语比较自如进行交谈时,我想他们心里是服了。教师与其苦口婆心说一百遍不如亲自做一遍给他们看。我工作的第一所学校坐落在一个美丽的公园里。我在教初高中英语的同时,还兼任两个班的的美术课。我会经常带学生们走出课堂进行素描和色彩写生。学生们别提有多么高兴了。实践性强的科目有一点是相通的,那就是教师要做表率作用。教师率先垂范,学生才会刻苦、用心训练。
在谈到阅读的重要性时,有一个人说了一句很精彩的话:“读乃写之始,写是读之成。”受这个观点的启发,我认为“听乃说之始,说是听和读之成。”我们的听力训练是为后续的口语打基础,做好铺垫;一个人说的质量如何取决于他在听和阅读方面下功夫的程度。如果他的听力理解水平较高,他在听对方话的时候,不管是字面意思还是字里行间、弦外之音都可以有很到位的把握,不会误解对方的意思。“读”在说方面所起的主要作用是使说话言之有物,能够吸引人。一个口才好的人不仅是语言表面的漂亮,而且是条理的清晰,逻辑的缜密,这些素质要靠大量有效的精读、泛读才能够做到。
“雅思”(IELTS)有一道口试题,要求考生“Describe a story or a novel that was particularly interesting to you.”考生在表述时必须包括以下内容:
●What the story/novel is
●What it is about
●Why you find it interesting
从“雅思”提供的“sample answer”我们可以看出一个考生是怎样具体描述《教父》如何吸引他的,他的遣词造句简约、地道,思想观点层层递进,有序展开。我相信作为英语老师的我们都读过《教父》这本小说。我们不妨设想一下,如果有人让我们说这个话题,我们说的质量会怎么样。先别说用英语介绍读后感了,就是让你用汉语说,你可以做到观点、脉络清晰,言之有物吗?可见,英语口语能力的确包括说话者的知识面和思想水平。如果你仅仅是语言基础较好,思想文化素养方面“贫血”,你的英语口语只不过是一个空壳而已。
现在让我们来欣赏一下这个“sample answer”。有比较,才有鉴别。人比人,气死人;水平和水平比,立马见高低。请特别注意划线部分的词和句,并请扪心自问:如果要你说这个话题你会不会用上这些词句,或者是否有可能使用的表达方式更加精彩?
I would like to talk about my favorite classic novel called The Godfather, which is written by a well-known Italian author, Mario Puzo. I came across this novel when I was trying to find a dictionary at a bookstore. It was published in hard-cover version and there was a colourful illustration on the front which caught my eye.
At first, although I was not much impressed by the novel’s preview,I still bought it and started to read the story right after getting home. Surprisingly, the more I read “The Godfather”, the more it appealed to me. This novel told the story of an Italian imaginary character named Vito Corleone, who was a mafia boss in America after World War I. What attracted me in this story was the way the author described Vito’s tricks to survive in a chaotic society.
Thanks to this novel, I learned a ot about the course of American history in that lawless period. After finishing this book, I read some more novels by Mario Puzo and they were all fascinating. I realize that reading books is a good way to gain knowledge; therefore, everyone should get into the habit of reading.
原文始发于(李陆桂Englishlearner):大白话杂谈系列(4)︱英语口语除了多练以外,还有一点很重要
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