First impressions 第一印象

　　Pronunciation is definitely the biggest thing that people notice when you are speaking English. Let us tell you a personal anecdote『故事、轶事』about this:

　　We once went to a conversation class taught by native speaker (American). Before the class started, the teacher said to us: "So, do you speak good English?". I replied "We think so", and the teacher said "It sure sounds like you do『听起来好像确实是这样』".

　　Notice that we just said three words and the teacher could already tell if our English was good or bad. Why did the teacher think our English was good? Because of the difficult words we used? No. Because we used advanced『高级的』grammar structures? No. It was our pronunciation.

　　When you meet a person, and you just say a sentence or two, do you think they will notice your poor vocabulary or bad grammar? Probably not. But they will notice if your pronunciation is good or bad. If your pronunciation is poor, they will immediately think about you as "the guy/girl who speaks bad English". Your pronunciation creates the first impression you make.

　　[BRIAN小结]

　　1、anecdote:趣闻、轶事

　　经典例句：This is a small town full of anecdotes. /这是一个充满轶事的小镇。

　　2、advanced:先进的、高级的

　　经典例句：1 million RMB can afford to an advanced car. /一百万可以买一辆高级车。

　　3、Your pronunciation creates the first impression you make. /你的发音造就你给人的第一印象。

Communication 沟通

　　Good pronunciation should be one of the first things that you learn in English. You can live without advanced vocabulary—you can use simple words to say what you want to say. You can live without advanced grammar—you can use simple grammar structures instead. But there is no such thing as "simple pronunciation". If you don't have good pronunciation, you have... bad pronunciation.

　　And the results of bad pronunciation are tragic『可怜的』. Even if you use great vocabulary and grammar, people may simply not understand what you want to say.

　　For example, if you pronounce sleep like this, and not like that, or if you pronounce ghost like this instead of this, native speakers will have serious problems understanding you! In our opinion, you should know how to say English sounds like the ee in sleep or the o in ghost, before you even learn words like sleep and ghost.

　　Here is another story about this. After coming back from a vacation in the USA, a friend of mine said:

　　"Whenever I spoke to a person in America, they kept asking me "What? What?". I would repeat my sentence again and again. Finally they would say "Ah-ha!" and then say my sentence, using exactly my words! It was very humiliating『羞辱性的』. I knew my words and grammar were good, but nobody would understand me, just because of my pronunciation. I am very motivated to learn English now."

　　[BRIAN小结]

　　1、tragic:可怜的、悲惨的

　　经典例句：Her whole life has been tragic. /她一生的命运都很悲惨。

　　2、humiliating:羞辱性的

　　经典例句：Jack was upset by this humiliating question. /杰克对这个羞辱性的提问感到气愤。

Can you communicate in English? 你能否用英文交谈？

　　Almost all English learners say "I don't need to study pronunciation. I just want to communicate in English." Many of them think that they can communicate in English because they can communicate with their teacher and other students.

　　Do not make this mistake! You have to remember that:

　　Your teacher has been listening to bad English for years. So he or she can understand it much more easily than the average person.『所以他/她比普通人更容易听懂(发音不好的人讲的英语)』

　　Other students are usually from the same country as you. Therefore, they speak English like you and they make the same mistakes. So it is easy for them to understand you.

　　The only true test is: Go to America or Britain and try to talk to "normal people"—a clerk『职员』at a supermarket『超市』, a bus driver, etc. If they can understand you, then you can say that you can communicate in English.

　　Unfortunately, many learners ignore『忽视』pronunciation. They can communicate in class, so they think that they are good enough. After a few years they go to England or the USA and nobody understands what they are saying. Remember My friend who went on vacation to America and couldn't communicate? He was the best student in his English class.

　　[BRIAN小结]

　　1、In order to communicate in English, you have to study pronunciation. /要想用英

　　语交流，你首先要学习发音。

　　2、supermarket:超市

　　经典例句：It's cheaper to buy in the supermarket than in the convinience store. /超市买东西比便利店要便宜。

　　3、ignore:忽视

　　经典例句：Nobody likes to be ignored. /没有人愿意被忽视。

Communication is not enough 只是交流还不够

　　If you can communicate in English with people from other countries, congratulations! It's a big achievement『成就』. But it may not be enough.

　　If you are at Level 2 of pronunciation skill『发音处于二级水平』, your English is understandable『可以听懂』, but you have a strong foreign accent『外来口音』which is unpleasant『令人不愉快的』to other people.

　　We have already said that your pronunciation is important because it makes your first impression. This is certainly true--nobody will say that you speak good English if you have a foreign accent. But there is more. If you have a pleasant accent, people will simply enjoy talking to you. They will want to spend time with you. On the other hand, if your accent is bad, people may be even avoiding『逃避』you (consciously or unconsciously『自觉和不自觉地』).

　　The good news is that you can work on your pronunciation until you speak "understandable and pleasant English". For example, you can learn the sounds of English, listen to recordings, watch English television, etc.

　　[BRIAN小结]

　　1、achievement:成就、完成

　　经典例句：The bridge is the his greatest achievement in life. /这座桥是他一生最耀眼的成就。

　　2、understandable:可以理解的

　　经典例句：It's understandable why Elton wants to sell his house. /爱尔顿要卖掉房子也是可以理解的。

　　3、avoid:避免

　　经典例句：He has learned how to do business with foreigners and how to avoid being cheated. /他已经学会了如何跟外国人做生意，并如何防止被骗。