This week we asked students at New Star High School about the best ways to learn more English. 【小题1】 Some students had more specific（具体的）suggestions.

Lillian Li, for example, said the best way to learn new words was by reading English magazines. She said that memorizing（记忆）the words of pop songs also helped a little. When we asked about studying grammar（语法）, she said, “【小题2】”

【小题3】 He’s been learning English for six years and really loves it. He thinks studying grammar is a great way to learn a language. 【小题4】 By watching them, he can watch the actors say the words. Sometimes, however, he finds watching movies frustrating（令人沮丧的）because the people speak too quickly.

Liu Chang said that joining the English club at school was the best way to improve her English. 【小题5】 She added that having conversations（谈话）with friends was not helpful at all. “We get excited about something and then end up speaking Chinese.” she said.

People often ask me for suggestions about how to learn English. As for it everyone is different. I’ll share some of my experience. I once took a school year English course in Wuhan University, but I mostly learned English on my own.

One thing I can tell you is that, once you’ve started learning, you should try to think in English as much as you can. If you see some things when you’re riding your bike or walking down the street, just think about “How would I say them in English?” At first, it might be with simple words or phrases, but later you should think about longer phrases and sentences. Now I’m in America, and for most of the time, I would think in English and speak it directly. It’s amazing how much this helps.

For several years after I started learning, I was often afraid of talking with others in English because I didn’t want to make mistakes. Finally I got it over. And while traveling in America, I’d try to hang out with friend who couldn’t speak Chinese, so that I’d have no choice but to speak English. And I also decided that if I said something stupid and other people laughed at me, then so be it. After that, my English started improving much more quickly.

Besides, it may be a good idea to ask your American friends to look at the way you’ re writing, and give you some suggestions for improvement.

Sometimes you may find it difficult to improve your grades. Maybe it’s time to change your study habits, and your methods to improve your grades. 【小题1】

Use notebooks properly

【小题2】 Take your time with these notes: mark key points, record questions for the next class. This method will help you keep information you might forget within days.

Find a study partner

Make friends with someone in your class during the first week of the term and make a regular study plan. Review difficult parts and explain them to each other.

Get enough sleep

Getting enough sleep is very important. 【小题3】 Try to get enough sleep as many nights as possible, and try to keep the same sleeping time every night, even on weekends.

【小题4】

There is plenty of research showing advantages for both nighttime studying and early morning studying. Your studying time is up to you. If you work late at night, make sure to give yourself time to sleep in every morning.

Make good use of your learning style

Find out your learning style, then match your study skills with that style. 【小题5】