Monday-Sunday, BJT (GMT+8) 1:15, 6:15, 17:15 on CCTV NEWS, the English Channel of China&s national TV station.
About Learn to Speak Chinese
Contact InfoTEL:(86)-10-EMAIL:
On TV Now: 成长汉语
Editor's Picks
Latest Lessons on TV
Hot Sale DVD
[an error occurred while processing this directive]　　UNIT 7 Learning to Speak
　　How We Learn to Speak
　　No two human beings are exactly alike. Each one of us is different, yet we all have many features in common. One of these features is that when we are born we all absolutely depend on others for all of our needs: food, shelter, clothes, protection and love. Many important things happen during childhood, but central to the process of growing from a baby with little personality into an individual with is the development of communication.
　　词汇讲解：
　　exactly：准确的，细致的;
　　have sth. in common：相同;
　　absolute：完完全全的，绝对的;
　　personality：性格，个性;
　　unique qualities：独一无二的性格特征;
　　The first way a baby communicates its needs is by crying, but eventually babies realise that there are other and better ways of communicating. The baby listens to all the meaningless sounds around it, and it gradually gets used to the voices it hears. Day by day, week by week, and month by month, it learns to imitate those sounds, and so another language speaker is born. This, of course, is an extremely simple description of the very complex process of learning a language, but it is, nonetheless, true.
　　词汇讲解：
　　imitate：模仿，模拟;
　　When did you become a language speaker? Most children usually start talking when they are around one year old. For some it happens before then, while for others it occurs sometime between their first birthday and eighteen months. Those children who learn to talk earlier than others are a source of immense pride to their parents. On the other hand, if children are slow to start talking, parents can worry that something is wrong. Experts declare that being a late starter is not a cause for concern or a sign that a after all, Einstein was three or four before he started speaking, and there was nothing lacking in his brain power! All normal children learn to talk, but at different rates.
　　In the first few months of life, babies make noises that are nothing like words, but by six months they are making nonsense noises that are beginning to sound like speech. After another six months, children will be making mama noises, and they will also try to repeat sounds that they hear. When they make these noises or say these ‘words', people do things for them: they smile and pick them up, or they get attention and a cuddle. They are starting to realise that language is a very useful tool indeed.
　　词汇讲解：
　　cuddle：拥抱;
　　After another half year, most children can say up to 8 or 10 words. At this age, children on average can understand 5 words for every one word they can say. Around this age, children start to use two words together as if they were one word, daddy car for example, which in adult language could mean either Daddy is in the car or it is daddy's car. If it is the first meaning, the child will stress the second word, car, and if it is the second meaning, the word daddy will be stressed. By the time they blow out the two candles on their next birthday cake, they will be able to utter approximately 40 words, and two years later, they will be able to handle between 200 and 300 different words. By the age of 5, the child will understand nearly 2,000 words. Then it will be time for primary school and during this period of early schooling, the child's vocabulary will grow by roughly another 1000 words each year.
　　词汇讲解：
　　utter：发声;
　　approximately：大概;
　　roughly：大约。
　　Learning a language is a very complicated process, but all human beings are born with language ability. The precise language they learn to speak depends on which language they hear all around them. When babies are making nonsense sounds, some people say that they are trying out all the possible sounds in all the world's languages before identifying those sounds that they hear around them. When they have narrowed down all possible sounds to the ones they hear every day, then those are the sounds they will produce and master, and the other sounds will disappear. An example may help to clarify this: some Chinese people find it hard to hear the difference between [1] and [r], lock and rock for instance, and speakers of Japanese sometimes have this problem, too. However, a study showed that newborn Japanese babies could indeed hear the difference between [1] and [r], even though their parents could not. Surprisingly, though, the babies lost this ability around the age of six months, and could then only hear the sounds their parents could hear and say.
　　词汇讲解：
　　precise：纯粹的，具体的;
　　Learning a language takes persistence. It requires practice, practice, practice. Above all it needs time. And if babies can do it, then so can you. Enjoy the adventure!
　　词汇讲解：
　　persistence：坚持。
　　Summary Completion
　　练习：Complete the summary of the passage using words from the box below. There are more words than gaps.
　　BEFORE you fill in the gaps:
　　● Decide if the missing word is a noun, adjective, verb or adverb.
　　The skill of learning to speak is one which is 1) ________ to all cultures. As soon as they are born, babies cry in order to 2) ________ their needs to their parents and those around them. The 3) ________ of gradually listening to and learning to produce sounds is universal, but there is considerable individual 4) ________ in the age at which speech first occurs, although the average is at 5) ________ twelve months. However, an early or late beginning to language production is no indication of 6) ________, and nor is the 7) ________ at which language is learned.
　　communicate approximately variation nonsense
　　process attention adventure tool
　　speech intelligence complicated common
　　imitate average speed
【】【】【】【】
　　经过对历年真题的分析，本书按照真题的词频顺序，将IELTS词汇分为基础词汇、核心..
定价：￥36.80
优惠价：￥36.80
&&&&本书是中国目前惟一一本破译官方题库的口语书。对于雅思考生而言，这注定是一本意..
定价：￥59.80
优惠价：￥59.80
　 　 　 　 　Copyright ©
() All Rights ReservedLearn English with us - Speakspeak
is a place where you will improve your English. We have:
Thanks for visiting Speakspeak – we’re glad you want to learn English with us!
New exercises
Uncountable vs. countable ‘Business English’ nouns: exercise This exercise tests your ability to recognise nouns as either countable or uncountable by using much or many with the...
Have something done: exercise English grammar practice exercise, upper-intermediate level.
This exercise gives you practice using the structure have something done. Exercise instructions: L...
Supposed to: exercise English grammar practice exercise, upper-intermediate level.
This exercise gives you practice using supposed to. Instructions: – Use supposed to + the verb given in br...
Latest posts
Prohibit and forbid: the same meaning, but . . . Prohibit and forbid have the same meaning, but we use them differently. Examples Children are forbidden to chew gum at school. The dissident was forbid...
Forget or leave something? We use forget to say we accidentally left something behind. We usually say leave if we mention the place. Oh no! I’ve forgotten my book. Oh no! I’ve left my book...
take something with a pinch of salt to not automatically believe something, not immediately assume that someone is telling the truth You should take what she says with a pinch of salt – she’s always e...
This is one of my students. And he has a typical grammar problem: “Help – I don’t know if this word is countable or uncountable!” Actually, it’s not just one of my students – m...
See also . . .