Successful Language Learners
Some people seem to have a knack for learning languages. They can pick up new vocabulary, master rules or grammar, and learn to write in the new language more quickly than others. They do not seem to be any more intelligent than others, so what makes language learning so much easier for them? Perhaps if we take a close look at these successful language learners, we may discover a few of the techniques which make language learning easier for them.
First of all, successful language learners are independent learners. They do not depend on the book or the teacher; they discover their own way to learn the language. Instead of waiting for the teacher to explain, they try to find the patterns and the rules for themselves. They are good guessers who look for clues and form their own conclusions. When they guess wrong, they guess again. They try to learn from mistakes.
Successful language learning is active learning. Therefore, successful learners do not wait for a chance to use the language; they look for such a chance. They find people who speak the language and they ask these people to correct them when they make a mistake. They will try anything to communicate. They are not afraid to repeat what they hear or to say strange things; they are willing to make mistakes and try again. When communication is difficult, they can accept information that is inexact or incomplete. It is more important for them to learn to think in the language than to know the meaning of every word.
Finally, successful language learners are learners with a purpose. They want to learn the language because they are interested in the language and the people who speak it. It is necessary for them to learn the language in order to communicate with these people and to learn from them. They find it easy to practice using the language regularly because they want to learn with it.
What kind of language learner are you? If you are a successful language learner, you have probably been learning independently, actively, and purposefully. On the other hand, if your language learning has been less than successful, you might as well try some of the techniques outlined above.
1. Paragraph 1__________
2. Paragraph 2__________
3. Paragraph 3__________
4. Paragraph 4__________
A. Ways to Learn a Language Successfully
B. Learning a language Purposefully
C. Learning a Language Actively
D. Learning a Language Independently
E. Learning from Mistakes
F. Learning to Think in the Target Language
5. Successful language learners derive conclusions___________
6. Independent Language learners rely on themselves___________
7. Active language learners seize every opportunity______________
8. The author wrote this text_________________
A. to discover sentence patterns and grammatical rules
B. to expand vocabulary
C. to use the target language
D. to encourage unsuccessful language learners to learn independently, actively and purposefully
E. from clues
F. to say strange things
KEY:ADCBEACD

TV Shows and Long Bus Trips
Long bus rides are like televisions shows. They have a beginning, a middle, and an end---with commercials thrown in every three or four minutes. The commercials are unavoidable. They happen whether you want them or not. Every couple of minutes a billboard glides by outside the bus window. "Buy Super Clean Toothpaste." "Drink Good'n Wet Root Beer." "Fill up with Pacific Gas." Only if you sleep, which is equal to turning the television set off, are you spared the unending cry of "You Need It! Buy It Now!"
The beginning of the ride is comfortable and somewhat exciting, even if you've traveled that way before. Usually some things have changed---new houses, new buildings, sometimes even a new road. The bus driver has a style of driving and it's fun to try to figure it out the first hour or so. If the driver is particularly reckless or daring, the ride can be as thrilling as a suspense story. Will the driver pass the truck in time? Will the driver move into the right or the left-hand lane? After a while, of course, the excitement dies down. Sleeping for a while helps pass the middle hours of the ride. Food always makes bus rides more interesting. But you've got to be careful of what kind of food you eat. Too much salty food can make you very thirsty between stops.
The end of the ride is somewhat like the beginning. You know it will soon be over and there's a kind of expectation and excitement in that. The seat of course, has become harder as the hours have passed. By now you've sat with your legs crossed, with your hands in your lap, with your hands on the arm rests---even with your hands crossed behind your head. The end comes just at no more ways to sit.
1. According to the passage, what do the passengers usually see when they are on a long bus trip?
A) Buses on the road.
B) Films on television.
C) Advertisements on the board.
D) Gas stations.
2. What is the purpose of this passage?
A) To give the writer's opinion about long bus trips.
B) To persuade you to take a long bus trip.
C) To explain how bus trips and television shows differ.
D) To describe the billboards along the road.
3. the writer of this passage would probably favor
A) bus drivers who weren't reckless
B) driving alone.
C) a television set on the bus.
D) no billboards along the road.
4. The writer feels long bus rides are like TV shows because
A) the commercials both on TV shows and on billboards along the road are fun.
B) they both have a beginning, a middle, and an end, with commercials in between.
C) the drivers are always reckless on TV shows just as they are on buses.
D) both traveling and watching TV are not exciting.
5. The writer thinks that the end of the ride is somewhat like the beginning because both are
A) exciting.
B) comfortable.
C) tiring.
D) boring
KEY: CADBA