阅读理解

　　Among the four skills in learning English, which one of these is the “odd-man-out”?The answer is speaking．The other three you can do alone on your own．But you can’t really speak alone!Speaking to yourself can be“dangerous”because men in white coats may come and take you away!

　　Where can you find people to speak English?And how can you practise speaking when you are alone?

　　At school If you pay to go to a language school, you should use the opportunity to speak．If your teacher asks you to speak in pairs or groups with other students, try to say as much as possible．Don’t worry about your mistakes．Just speak!

　　Conversation Clubs Many cities around the world have conversation clubs where people can exchange one language for another．Look in your local newspaper to find a conversation club near you．They are usually free although some may charge a small entrance fee．

　　Shopping Even if you don’t want to buy anything, you can ask questions about products that interest you in a shop．“How much does this cost?”“Can I pay by cheque?”Often you can start a real conversation-and it costs you nothing!

　　Café and Bars There are often American, Britain, Irish and Australian bars in many large cities．If you can find one．You’ll probably meet many people speaking English as a first or second language．

　　Language is all around you Everywhere you go, you find language．Shop names, street names, advertisements, notices, and car numbers…When you walk down the street, practise reading the words and numbers that you see．Say them to yourself．It’s not exactly a conversation, but it will help you to“think”in English．But don’t speak too loud．

　　Songs and Video Repeat the words of an English-language song singing with the music until it becomes automatic．It’s good practice for your memory and for the mouth muscles that you need for English．

　　Above all, speak as much as possible!Make as many mistakes as possible!When you know that you have made a mistake, you know that you have made progress!

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