Z

首先咱们理解一下雅斯这类的口语考试主要考察什么？主要有底下三方面：

1．回答的内容，要切题，要言之有物。Topic development.
2．语言的掌握，语法要正确，句型要有变化，要生动。Language use.
3．说话要流利，发音要准确，语调、节奏要合乎英语习惯。Delivery.

两个月内在以上那一方面比较能有大的改进？我估计1和3两项可能容易一点。关于1，可以买些有关雅斯的书，看雅斯一般的口语题目都涉及哪方面的题材，可以针对那些题材去多看原文的材料，并且开口试着说。另外也练习如何组织答案。关于3，可以多做练习，并注意检查一下自己的语调、节奏，务必模仿母语国人说话的样子，这方面短时间内可能见效。至于流利程度，那就不是一日之功了。

回来说说第2点，我觉得这方面不是很快能见效的，那是需要长时间积累的。国人对传统的语言“知识”的考法，一般能对付过去。但真正在写作或说话时，能把语言知识自如运用的人少之又少，一般人对这类考查语言“使用 use”能力的新型考试都头疼。“使用”技能只能靠长时间的练习，见过马戏班子的学徒或是运动员怎么练功吗?!

能熟记新概念3，是可以增加你的英语内容，也就是满足第1点的一半练习。但我不知道它是否贴近口语雅斯的题材。

老师我想问下,我刚刚考完雅思,其他几门还凑合了可口语只有四4,两个多月后还要考一次,不知道这两个月口语该怎么准备,背新概念三还有帮助么?

Hello Coin. Thank you very much for your post which I’m sure speaks for many of us. And let me tell you, the problems that you mentioned are exactly the ones that prompted me to do the programs on Sina UC in the first place. You, and millions of other Chinese, are the victims of a flawed educational system with an assessment scheme that misguided generations of English learners.



I do not want to sound too critical of the current testing system because it is indeed hard to have good language assessments that can effectively measure an individual’s speaking and writing competencies. Fairness, costs, and the ease of test administration, among other factors, have combined to form an insurmountable barrier for the test designers of yesterday. Even today, when one looks at the newest generation of 4-skill (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) English tests such as the ILETS and the TOEFL iBT, one cannot help but notice the high price of the tests. Will there be a day when CET or the college entrance exam reaches the quality and rigorousness levels of TOEFL and yet is administered at a cost that is affordable to tens of millions of Chinese? I am sure that day will come. But before it does, I’m afraid more school children will fall victim to the current testing system as you and I did a generation ago.



This is the first point I wanted to make. In other words, tests forced us to memorize vocabulary without knowing really how to use the words or phrases. It did not matter whether one knew or not how to “use” the vocabulary. After all, getting the correct answer of a multiple choice question does not require one to actually know how to use a word or phrase. It has been proven time and again that these tests can be “beaten” by test takers who go to cram schools like the New Oriental School. You could get a high TOEFL (the old version) score without actually being able to speak or write English.



Therefore, it is fair to say that most of us really didn’t finish the job of learning English. Like a swimming student, we have listened to the coach giving us instructions on how to swim at poolside. And we have been tested on paper on the knowledge of swimming—and we have passed the test. But we have never been in water, actually learning to swim. Your difficulty in “organizing” (to borrow your expression) the words you have learned is perfectly understandable because only now you are in the water, trying to swim. If you realize and agree to what I have said above, you will be at peace with yourself. Instead of thinking you have spent a lifetime learning English, try to tell yourself you are only “beginning” to learn English. I know it is sad to admit that all your past efforts were merely geared toward the tests and that they were mostly wasted efforts as far as “learning English” is concerned.



Let’s talk about your question regarding listening comprehension. To be honest with you, I don’t know what is keeping you from not understanding what you hear. Perhaps you can try memorizing words in phrases and short sentences. I am sure if you have sentence or phrase patterns in your head, you will be able to recognize them when you hear them spoken next time. Knowing individual words only and having to parse sentences real time as you listen to someone talk is just an impossible task!



Please come to my weekly program. Together let’s try to learn to swim, in the water!

谢谢你的工作!祝你一切顺心!

Mr.Z:
Firstly,I'd like to thanks for your job,which has helped many people undoubtedly.I think it's not a view only from me.
Then,I want to talk with you some question of studying English on myself.We are of an age,so maybe I can say that we have the same studying experience before you left china.Looking back my bitter past, I feel that I don't have pass grade in English studying except for catching hold of thousands of words and with time wearing away,I feel I can't organize them gradually.
Next,I'd like to know why I have no methods to improve my hearing although I had done a lot of hearing exercises.So far,the special VOA is still difficult to me.I think it should not be that case.But unfortunately,it's the case.Can you give me a hand.Incidentally,I had ever passed the CET-band six exam,but absurdly I didn't understand one sentence in the hearing part.
though I have a soft spot for English, I find English discourage me over and over.
Best regards to you and your family.
coin.

I have a program on Wednesday evenings on UC. Perhaps you can come and check out the program, although it is not for oral practice per se. But it might be helpful in that you can learn some new words and expressions while reviewing the ones that you already know and may have forgotten. More importantly, it will give you a taste of how native speakers use their language and show you how to think in English. This, I’m sure, will help you develop true oral skills. Thanks for writing to me and good luck to you.

大学毕业后英语用得少,单词快忘光了,现在想提高口语,请问我该如何跟你学呢?

第一次来，路过，留下脚印。
frankly speak,i do feel Mr.z is a good tearcher,becoz you have sacrificed so much on teaching us learning English as a volunteer ,,,adjudging from your talk and other ppl's comments on you.

:admire you so much ,and u should deserve much more respects

Thank you Lotus. Perhaps we need to come to the root of the problem first. Please read my newest blog entry titled “为什么口语老是学不好”. As for a study plan, I would need to know more about your situation before giving you specific advice. Please feel free to give me a holler.