Last week, our forum(论坛)asked if you had any funny or strange stories about using English. We didn’t expect to get so many posts! Here are some of our favorites, to remind us that some of the English we learn in the classroom is rather different from the English in the outside world.
Yancy | People say that the British always play safe with what they eat. Not true! I went to a summer school in Manchester and my English teacher was called Maggie. One day, a different teacher took our class. He told us that Maggie couldn’t teach that day COZ she had a frog in her throat. Poor Maggie-but why did she try to eat such a big frog? 135 comments |
Sophie | When I first visited New York, I went to a downtown shopping centre to buy some winter boots. At the information desk at the entrance, I asked a lady where the shoe shop was. She said that it was on the first floor. So I went up to the first floor, but I couldn’t find any shoes. I decided to leave. When I was looking for the exit, I saw that shoes were actually sold downstairs on the ground floor, not the first floor. Why did she give me the wrong information? 128 comments |
Zheng Xu | The British must have really high standards. I was part of a student exchange programme between a university in England and my university in China. I spent days preparing and writing my first English paper. I knew I had done a good job and was looking forward to getting a positive comment. When I got the paper back, I found my teacher had written the comment “Not bad!” Not bad? But there weren’t any errors in my paper. 85 comments |
A.She didn’t play safe with what she ate. |
B.She has drawn a picture of frog on her face. |
C.She ate a big frog and her throat was blocked. |
D.She couldn’t speak clearly because her throat is dry. |
A.Both of them have difficulty in learning English. |
B.They didn’t know the words’ different meanings in other countries. |
C.The spellings are too complicated for both of them to understand. |
D.The speakers spoke so fast that Sophie and Zheng Xu couldn’t follow. |
A.In a novel. | B.In a magazine. | C.On the Internet. | D.In a diary. |
Experts analyzed how language can affect children’s lives and the role it plays in everyday life They also determined which languages tend to lead to the best career opportunities as an adult. “We believe that language learning is hugely beneficial for children’s development and it is a real investment for the future,” said Antonella Sorace, professor of developmental linguistics (语言学) at Edinburgh University. The study involved a survey of 2,001 parents with children under the age of 18, as well as another survey of more than 500 business leaders.
So which languages took the top spot? Results indicated that children should be learning French, German, and/or Chinese if they want to be successful within the next ten years. Mastering a second language opens the door to new markets for businesses and allows them to create new relationships with potential partners. Besides being able to speak another language, the academic and interpersonal skills that can be acquired from learning a new language are important as well. “Children who are exposed to different languages become more aware of different cultures, other people, and other points of view. They also tend to be better than monolinguals (只用单语的人) at multitasking and are often more advanced readers,” said Sorace.
A vast majority of parents surveyed in this study (85 percent) believe it is important for their children to learn a second language, and about one in four believe it will increase their child’s career opportunities and improve their chance of being employed. The future employment markets are in need of space tour guides, robot coaches, front-line e-commerce workers, nurses etc. No matter what a child choose to be, multilinguals and cross-culture talents will probably have a good chance to take the lead. However, 45 percent of parents surveyed admit that their child or children cannot speak a second language.
If you want your child to stand out from the crowd, follow the habits of parents of successful people-give children chores, set high but realistic expectations, get yourself educated, make time for bonding, accept and recognize their feelings—and, of course, make sure they learn one of the three success languages!
【小题1】Who might be a person that took part in the survey?A.A young technician with no child. | B.A farmer with a 19-year-old child. |
C.A librarian with a 16-year-old child. | D.A middle-aged reporter with no child. |
① Developing one’s strong will.
② Improving the ability to observe things.
③ Acquiring academic and interpersonal skills.
④ Having access to new markets for businesses.
⑤ Forming new relationships with potential partners.
A.①③⑤ | B.③④⑤ | C.①②④ | D.②③④ |
A.About 500. | B.About 600. | C.About 700. | D.About 800. |
A.To present some parents’ opinions. | B.To offer readers some suggestions. |
C.To explain some concepts. | D.To tell readers a story. |
We all know what a brain is. A doctor will tell you that the brain is the organ (器官) of the body in the head. But a brain can mean so much more.
To tease is to make fun of someone. But a brainteaser is not one who makes fun of someone else’s brain. A brainteaser is a puzzle that makes you think.
To understand the next brain expression you first need to know the word “drain”. As a verb, to drain means to remove something by letting it flow away. So, a brain drain may sound like a disease where the brain flows out the ears. But a brain drain is when a country’s most educated people leave their country to live in another.
Next, we have a brainchild. A brainchild sounds like a really smart kid. But it isn’t. A brainchild is an idea that one has without any help from others. If you have a really great idea, it is your brainchild — no one else’s.
However, if many people are responsible for a great idea, you can say they brainstormed it. It is a process of thinking creatively about a difficult topic. For example, business leaders may use brainstorming to create new products.
But if you can’t find a solution to a problem, you may have to rack your brains. In this way, you may find a solution. Sometimes, you have to rack your brains, trying to remember someone’s name.
Now, if people are brainwashed, it does not mean their brains are nice and clean. To brainwash means to make someone accept new ideas by using repeated pressure in a forceful way. Keep in mind that brainwash is never used in a positive way.
【小题1】What can we learn about a brain drain?A.It refers to a brain disease. | B.It means a very difficult puzzle. |
C.It may put a country at a disadvantage. | D.It means something that flowed away. |
A.They got the idea quickly. | B.They thought up the idea together. |
C.They thought poorly about the idea. | D.They didn’t know how to use the idea. |
A.Think hard. | B.Become smarter. |
C.Create new things. | D.Touch your head. |
A.He thinks very clearly now. | B.He looks at things passively. |
C.He is under a lot of pressure. | D.He is forced to accept new things. |
Have you ever found yourself in a group of people with similar ways of thinking and interests to yours? They understand you. They really get you. They may even be wearing similar clothing to yours. We have a great expression for this: Birds of a feather flock together. This means people of the same kind or with the same tastes and interests often find each other.
We have many similar expressions, and many of them use the word “mind” or “brain.” If someone thinks like me, I can say we are like-minded. I can also say we are of the same mind. There is also something called a hive mind. In a beehive; the bees all work together to reach the same goal. People who are part of a hive mind have similar thoughts, ideas, and opinions.
If you are a spiritual kind of person, you can call them your kindred spirits (灵魂伴侣). If you are more of a science person, you can say you are on the same wavelength. And if you are a person who likes to make things, you can use the expression: cut from the same cloth. All these expressions mean the same thing — you feel a strong connection to someone and feel very similar to them.
We have another expression that can also be used in this situation. But we only use it when we have a similar idea with another person: Great minds think alike. If you often listen to VOA Learning English, you belong to a community of like-minded people: People who want to practice their English.
【小题1】Which suits the saying “Birds of a feather flock together”?A.Birds are always migrating in large groups. |
B.Artists may spend time with other artists. |
C.People who can fly tend to work together. |
D.Birds in nature are well protected recently. |
A.Words like mind or brain are popular. |
B.Similar interests matter for people. |
C.Working together helps reach goals. |
D.People think and feel in similar ways. |
A.Great minds think alike. | B.Cut from the same cloth. |
C.On the same wavelength. | D.A powerful hive mind. |
A.To explore words and expressions in English. |
B.To illustrate the differences among people. |
C.To prove English plays important roles in life. |
D.To show keeping words in mind is important. |
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