【推荐1】Most ESL (English as a second language) students think that if you want to pass examinations, then study grammar. However, one of the speaking rules might sound strange to them. If you want to become fluent in English, then you should try to learn English without studying the grammar.

Studying grammar will only slow you down and confuse you. You will think about the rules when creating sentences instead of naturally saying a sentence like a native. Remember that only a small part of English speakers know more than 20% of all the grammar rules. Many ESL students know more grammar than native speakers. I can confidently say this with experience. I am a native English speaker, majored in English Literature, and have been teaching English for more than 10 years. However, many of my students know more details about English grammar than I do. When they sometimes ask me about grammar, I can easily look up the definition (定义) and apply it, but I can’t tell them the answer off the top of my head.

I often ask my native English friends some grammar questions, and only a few of them know the correct answer. However, they are fluent in English and can read, speak, listen, and communicate effectively.

Do you want to be able to recite the definition of a causative verb, or do you want to be able to speak English fluently?

1. What opinion do most ESL students hold?

A．Grammar matters a lot only in speaking.

B．Grammar doesn’t matter much in speaking.

C．Grammar is very important in English exams.

D．Grammar can be ignored in English learning.

2. What does the author say about studying grammar?

A．Many ESL students know little grammar.

B．Studying grammar will not make fluent English.

C．Most English speakers know 20% of all the grammar rules.

D．Students will say a sentence naturally when thinking about rules.

3. The underlined part “off the top of my head” in paragraph 2 means “______”.

A．on purpose

B．after checking

C．with difficulty

D．without thinking

4. What’s the best title for the text?

A．Grammar counts!	B．Mind your grammar!
C．Exams or no exams?	D．Fluency or grammar?

【推荐2】English is not pronounced as it is written: vowels (元音) and consonants (辅音) can often be pronounced in different ways, and there are no accents to help you with stress. For this reason, most students see pronunciation as one of the most difficult things of the language, and they expect their teacher to help them with it. Before a student can pronounce well, they must be able to pronounce each sound more or less correctly.

·Incorrect pronunciation is one of the main reasons for breakdown in communication.

·The more help students are given with their pronunciation, the more confident they feel when they speak and the more likely they are to have a go at speaking.

·There is no point in teaching students new words or phrases if they can’t pronounce them correctly.

·Although there are many irregularities, there are also rules which can help students to pronounce better. About 70% of words in English follow a regular pronunciation style.

·If students are taught to recognize phonetic symbols (音标;注音), they will be able to check pronunciation of new or unusual words in their dictionary.

·Certain English sounds may not exist in their language at all or may be similar but different. Students may tend to pronounce letters or a group of letters in the same way as in their own language.

·Teaching the 48 phonetic symbols of English altogether makes students realize that the number of phonetic symbol isn’t limitless.

·Students can be taught to see the relationship between a single letter and a sound, and how certain groups of letters produce certain sounds.

REMEMBER: Encourage your students in their pronunciation.
1. If you pronounce a word incorrectly, people will_______.

A．not get along well with you．	B．not be able to understand you．
C．teach you the correct pronunciation．	D．encourage you to pronounce correctly．

2. The author probably disagrees that _______.

A．there are pronunciation rules for most of the English words.

B．pronunciation is one of the most difficult things of the language.

C．students should learn new words before pronouncing them correctly.

D．teachers should help and encourage students in their pronunciation

3. What does this passage mainly talk about?

A．The development of English.

B．The most difficult thing of English.

C．The English teachers’ correct attitude.

D．The importance of teaching English pronunciation.

【推荐3】Although many Chinese students say that their knowledge of English grammar is good, most would admit that their spoken English is poor.     1     However, their spoken English does not have to remain “poor”. I would like to suggest that there may be some reasons for their problems with spoken English.

First,     2     Obviously the better answer is to expand their vocabulary. However, you can speak with a limited vocabulary, if your attitude is positive .Others will follow you as long as you use the words that you know.

Second,     3     Sometimes they make mistakes when they are speaking because they are shy and nervous. Yet students should remember that their goal should be FLUENCY NOT ACCURACY. Your aim in writing is to be accurate following the rules for grammar and using them to get your message across. But to talk to someone in English, as quickly and well as you can, even though sometimes you may use a wrong word or tense, but it doesn’t matter because the person you are speaking to will understand and forgive you for any mistakes he hears.

Third,     4     You have one mouth but two ears! All that hearing is necessary for you to start speaking.

Fourth,     5     Instead of actively seeking out opportunities to improve their spoken English they passively wait for speaking opportunities to come to them and wonder why their English always remains poor. If you have this proactive outlook, then, you will see English opportunities wherever you go.

A．not enough attention is paid to listening.

B．They fail to find suitable words to express themselves due to a limited vocabulary.

C．most Chinese students are reactive rather than proactive (预先主动的) language learners.

D．They are so stupid that they cannot finish their necessary homework in time.

E．Whenever I speak to some Chinese students they always say “My spoken English is poor.”

F．It is no use crying over spoilt milk.

G．They are afraid of making mistakes.