寒假即将到来，如何在课堂之外学好英语呢？英语学习可是不可一日不听、不说、不读、不写的哦！

　　If you want to learn English well, it is very important to practise it as often as possible. When you are studying in a school, you have some good opportunities (机会) for this. But what can you do outside school?

　　Here let us consider 4 skills you need to develop in order to use a language well:

　　1. LISTENING

　　Listening to English is one of the most important things you can do to improve your English. Do not try too hard to understand everything. Just listen and you will soon understand. You have several possibilities:

　　a. English songs—Listening to English songs can be useful in helping you to “feel” the language. It does not matter if you do not understand everything.

　　b. TV programs—you have a big choice of TV programmes: films, chat shows, documentaries, news, etc. In many parts of the world you can watch English-language programs, for example: BBC, CNN.

　　c. Radio programs—This is another excellent way to practise your English. Here are 2 stations that you can listen to worldwide: BBC World Service, Voice of America.

　　d. Films—You can watch English films at the cinema or on video at home. Watching on video is a very good method because you can replay the parts that you do not understand.

　　2. SPEAKING

　　You should make a big effort to find somebody for conversation practice. In a large city, it should not be difficult to find people who speak good English. You can put an advertisement. There may even be some English or American pubs or clubs where people speak English. You may find an English person to talk with you. While outside the big cities, you need to be more imaginative. Perhaps you can use the telephone or even the Internet equipped with an Internet phone.

　　3. READING

　　Reading is an excellent way to enlarge your vocabulary and training your comprehensive ability. Try to read something that is slightly above your level and understand the meaning of a new word from the context. If you really cannot understand, use a dictionary and record the word.

　　What can you read? Some publishers produce “simple” books for beginners. They are short, simplified stories and usually have notes. You can also read English newspapers such as China Daily, Beijing Review, etc.

　　4. WRITING

　　Practise writing letters in English to a pen-pal is a good way to improve your writing level. Today, with the Internet, this is very easy. Because you can exchange letters by e-mail. Put it into practice!

　　(文/刘耀辉; 英语辅导报冀教高一版 04~05学年度第21期；版权归英语辅导报社所有，独家网络合作伙伴新浪教育，未经许可，不得以任何形式进行转载。)