1 . Simple ways to improve your written English

Many people think it is really difficult to improve (提高) their writing in English. Don’t worry, though. Here are some simple steps that you can take to improve your written English.

● Increase your vocabulary.

To express yourself clearly, you need a good active vocabulary. That’s not just being able to know lots of words — it means actually being able to use them correctly.     1    

Tip: When you learn a new word, try to learn all the forms of that word.

●     2    

People often say that we learn to write best by reading. Reading in English is useful in many ways. It is a great way to get an idea of the different styles of writing and see how to use words properly.

Tip:     3     Learning shouldn’t be boring. Read each text several times to make sure you understand how to use new words and expressions in the text.

● Improve your grammar.

Grammar is very important because it improves the quality (质量) of your writing.

Tip:     4     The first time, look for general mistakes and the second time look for mistakes with the grammar point you are studying at the moment.

● Just do it!

The best way to improve your writing is to get a pen and paper and write. Be prepared to write several versions (版本) of each text.     5    

A．Know your readers.

B．Read widely and often.

C．Always check your writing twice.

D．Remember, practice makes perfect!

E．Choose books or articles that interest you.

F．Use simpler language and shorter sentences to show your ideas.

G．Do this by learning new words with example sentences, not just word lists.

2 . How to Improve Vocabulary Fast

Your vocabulary refers to the words in a language you are familiar with. We should learn some ways to expand it.

Read every day.     1     Choose reading material that is slightly above your level and keep a dictionary with you to look up words you do not know.

    2    If you do not meet with an unfamiliar word in your daily reading, use your dictionary to search for one.

Learn the correct definition and pronunciation for each new word. Pronunciation is as important as definition because in order to add a word to your active vocabulary, you must be able to use it in speech.

Elaborate (详尽阐述) on the meaning of the word. If you have just learned the word “stubborn”, think about the neighbor who will not lend you his car.     3    

Use your new word in speech and in writing. E­mail your sister about how your cat is stubborn about sleeping on your pillow.     4    But the more you use it, the more fluent you will become in its use. Soon it will be a regular part of your active vocabulary.

Tell everyone you are trying to increase your vocabulary. Encourage them to ask you what your latest word is.     5     The more you explain the meaning of a word to someone, the more likely you are to remember it.

A．Find a new word every day.

B．The vocabulary can be increased.

C．Your vocabulary contains the words you understand.

D．The more often you read, the faster your vocabulary can grow.

E．Or let them ask for the definition of a new word you have used.

F．The first time you use a new word in speech it may seem strange.

G．Imagine him shaking his head, and think of him as “stubborn in his refusal”.

3 . Throughout the world, parents talk differently to babies than they do to adults. With their young kids, parents use baby talks, featuring long pauses and a roller coaster of pitch（音高）changes.

While parents may feel a bit silly using baby talks, they shouldn’t in fact. Babies not only prefer listening to them, but they also learn new words more easily from them. By highlighting the structure of speech, such as the differences between the vowels（元音）“a” and “o”, baby talks help babies translate sounds into meaningful units of language.

Actually, the timbre（音色）plays a role. The timbre of an instrument clearly affects how we experience music, but its role in language is less obvious. Looking into the timbre of baby talks, researchers made some surprising discoveries. In a new study published in Current Biology, researchers reported for the first time that mothers shifted their overall vocal timbre when speaking to their babies, as if they were changing their voice into a different instrument to address these unique little listeners.

In the Princeton Baby Lab, where researchers study how children learn, they recorded English-speaking mothers while they talked with their 7-to-12-month-old babies and while they spoke to an adult experimenter, and found that adult-directed and baby-directed speech had consistently different timbres.

Most surprising, in a second sample of non-English-speaking mothers, researchers found that this timbre shift was also highly consistent across nine diverse languages. This suggests these timbre shifts may represent a universal form of communication with babies.

Being able to identify baby talks across multiple languages could give us rich information about the amount and type of language children hear at preschool across different cultural environments. This could help researchers and educators predict and improve outcomes such as vocabulary and success at school.

Parents should feel self-conscious about their own baby talks: with them they’re helping their baby learn.

1. What is the advantage of parents’ using baby talks?

A．It is good for babies to change pitch.

B．It helps translate sounds into different languages.

C．It makes babies learn more language.

D．It helps babies improve their language ability.

2. What did the study find?

A．Mothers usually changed their timbre when talking with their babies.

B．Mothers avoided using the sound like instruments to talk with babies.

C．Non-English-speaking mothers spoke to babies with consistent timbre.

D．English-speaking mothers were good at changing timbre to speak with adults.

3. What is paragraph 6 mainly about?

A．The aim of the research.

B．The process of the research.

C．The effect of parents’ timbre shifts.

D．The meaning of studying baby talks.

4. What may be the author’s suggestion to parents with babies?

A．Teaching babies to talk early.

B．Practicing mothers’ timbre often.

C．Using baby talks to communicate with babies.

D．Being conscious of babies’ emotional need.

4 . As I was thinking about language learning the other day, the image of baking bread came into my mind. I compared some of the exercises and drills that we put ourselves through in order to learn a language to the various ingredients (原料) that go into baking a loaf of fresh bread.
Real language learning takes place in human relationships. No one sits down and eats a cup of flour, even if he is hungry and in a hurry. You don't become bilingual (双语的) by learning lists of vocabulary. You don' t become a speaker of a language by memorizing grammatical rules. You become bilingual by entering a community that uses that other language as its basic means of communication.
I am not suggesting that we can make bread without ingredients. Flour is necessary, as are yeast (酵母), salt, water and other ingredients. Vocabulary is part of any language and will have to be learned. Grammatical rules exist in every language and cannot be ignored. But merely combining the appropriate ingredients in the recommended proportions does not result in bread. At best, you only end up with a ball of dough (面团).
In order to get bread, you have to apply heat to the dough. And in language learning, that heat comes from the community. Anyone who has learned a second language has experienced that heat. It creeps up your neck when you ask the babysitter, “Have you already been eaten?” when you meant to say, ‘‘Have you already eaten?” When you try to say something quite innocent and the whole room bursts into laughter, you are experiencing the heat that turns raw dough into good bread.
Remember the old saying, “If you can’ t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen". This is where language learning often breaks down because we find the heat uncomfortable and we stop the baking process. In other words, we can't stand the heat, so we get out of the kitchen.
However, the language learner who stays in the kitchen—in the heat—until the combined
ingredients are thoroughly transformed will enjoy the richness of a quality loaf of bread. He is glad that he did not "get out of the kitchen” at the important moment when the oven seemed too hot.
Now the baker enjoys good bread, seated at the table with family members and guests. However, he does not focus on "bread" but rather on enjoying the whole feast: fine salads, pastas, fresh vegetables, rich desserts and so on. And the language learner has arrived when he no longer needs to focus on language. Language merely becomes one element in the "feast" of membership in his chosen community.
1. The passage is mainly about ________.

A．how to bake bread with various ingredients

B．how to become bilingual by communicating with others

C．what an important role “heat” plays in learning a language

D．what a high quality of bread you may achieve in the kitchen

2. According to the author, you can possibly become a speaker of a language by ________.

A．bearing millions of words and expressions in your mind

B．combining the appropriate “ingredients” in the recommended proportions

C．mastering a large vocabulary and grammatical rules

D．saying something innocent to be laughed at by others

3. The author gave the underlined example to show that ________.

A．you are sure to make some mistakes when you enter a community

B．you should combine the ingredients in the recommended proportions

C．you many experience “heat” from the community in language learning

D．being bilingual calls for your courage, confidence and perseverance

4. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT the necessity of baking bread and learning language?

A．Excellent Skills.	B．Various ingredients.
C．Appropriate proportions.	D．Uncomfortable heat.