设定合理学习目标，开启新年新征程

Start New Year by Setting Reasonable Learning Goals

慢速 | 四级（高考）偏难 | 825词 | 6min33s

刘立军供稿

Part I. QUESTIONS

Listen to the news and choose the best answer to each question you hear.

Q1. According to Eli Hinkel, why is it difficult for English learners to sound like native speakers after a certain age?

A. They lack motivation to improve their pronunciation.

B. Their brain loses some ability to control mouth muscles.

C. They are too focused on grammar and vocabulary.

D. They are influenced by their native language culture.

Q2. What does Eli Hinkel think about having an accent in English learning?

A. It indicates poor language skills.

B. It should be completely eliminated.

C. It is a natural part of the brain's aging process.

D. It prevents learners from being understood.

Q3. What advice does Marla Yoshida give to English learners about improving pronunciation?

A. Try to sound exactly like a native speaker.

B. Give up if progress is slow.

C. Focus only on grammar and vocabulary.

D. Set reasonable goals and work on specific areas.

Q4. What can we infer from the passage about improving English pronunciation?

A. It is an easy and quick process.

B. It requires reasonable goals and continuous effort.

C. It is impossible for non-native speakers.

D. It is only important for English teachers.

Q5. What is the main idea of the passage?

A. The difficulty of sounding like a native speaker in English.

B. The importance of setting goals in language learning.

C. The benefits of having an accent in English teaching.

D. The process of improving English pronunciation.

Part II. TRANSCRIPT

Start New Year by Setting Reasonable Learning Goals

For VOA Learning English, this is the Education Report.

Learning a new language is a long, difficult process.

This process can become easier if you set goals. Goals help guide language learners and give them reasons to continue studying a language.

However, if you set unreasonable goals, then you will probably become discouraged.

Many English learners set difficult, even unreasonable goals. For example, here at VOA Learning English, we often read emails with comments like: “My goal is to sound like a native speaker.” or “My goal is to lose my accent.”

The problem with the goal of sounding like a native speaker is that it is not a reasonable goal for many people.

Why it is difficult to sound like a native speaker

When English learners begin studying English after a certain age, they are not able to sound exactly like a native English speaker. That is the opinion of Eli Hinkel, a professor at Seattle Pacific University.

She says that people who have not reached puberty still have enough muscle and brain plasticity to allow their brain to control their mouth muscles. Puberty is the period of life when a child becomes an adult.

puberty n. 青春期

(Q1) After your physical growth has stopped, the brain loses some of its ability to change the way it controls the muscles of the mouth. This is what results in an accent, according to Hinkel.

(Q2) In other words, having an accent is a natural part of the aging process of the brain.

It’s OK to have an accent

Just because you might not sound like a native speaker does not mean that you should give up trying to improve your pronunciation.

And just because you have an accent does not mean that your language skills are poor.

Hinkel suggested that English learners should not be too disheartened about their accents.

“So, there is really no connection between the quality of one’s language and the accent.”

She adds that there are even benefits to having an accent.

Eli Hinkel is a native Russian speaker. But she works as a professor in a Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) program. She believes her accent helps her when she is teaching students.

“I teach MA TESL courses. So, my students think that I really, really know what I’m talking about... accent goes a great deal toward that.”

Practical tips

Another teacher says sounding like a native speaker is not necessary.

Marla Yoshida is a Teaching English as a Foreign Language teacher at the University of California, Irvine. She says that improving your pronunciation is definitely possible - if you choose a reasonable goal.

“You can reach a stage where your pronunciation is easy for people to understand, where it never causes a problem... you go into Starbucks and say your name, and they understand ... you give your order and they understand. So, that’s a reasonable goal: being understood easily. Where sounding like a native speaker is wonderful if you can do it... it’s not necessary.”

So, what can English learners do to improve their pronunciation?

Marla Yoshida says that, like when you decide to diet, (Q3)you are more likely to have success if you set reasonable goals. She suggests working on specific areas of pronunciation that you can improve, instead of trying to sound like a native speaker.

“Work consciously, if you are an adult, to change the way you pronounce. It’s kind of like a diet. If you set a more reasonable goal... then, the diet might succeed. In the same way, pronunciation ... if you have a more reasonable goal, like... ‘I have trouble with the r and l sounds, so first I’m going try those. And then, when I’m comfortable with those, then I’ll move on to some other sound that causes problems.’ It takes time, but it is possible.”

Yoshida added that English learners should understand that improving their pronunciation can take a long time. She said that learners should not be tricked by people who claim to be able to help people get rid of their accents:

(Q4-1) “It is good to realize that it is not a fast process. Everyone has been speaking their native language for years and years and years. And it’s hard to change. Habits of how you move your mouth are really hard to change. So, don’t expect miracles. Sometimes, people see advertisements for software or courses that say ‘get rid of your accent in only five lessons’ - or something... It’s not going to happen! There are no miracles.”

miracle n. 奇迹；不平凡的事

So, what can you do?

Start by setting a reasonable goal. Choose one or two sounds that are difficult for you to pronounce. Then, work to improve those sounds. When you have improved, study other sounds. (Q4-2) Progress might be slow for you, but don’t give up!

Next week, we will give you examples of exercises that you can do to start improving your pronunciation.

Part III. KEY

Q1. B.【解析】细节题。根据“After your physical growth has stopped, the brain loses some of its ability to change the way it controls the muscles of the mouth. This is what results in an accent, according to Hinkel.” ，可知Hinkel认为，当身体发育停止后，大脑失去了一些控制口腔肌肉方式的能力，这就是产生口音的原因，使得成年后英语学习者很难说一口地道母语。因此答案是B。

Q2. C.【解析】细节题。根据“In other words, having an accent is a natural part of the aging process of the brain.”，可知Hinkel认为有口音是大脑衰老过程的自然产物。因此答案是C。

Q3. D.细节题。根据“you are more likely to have success if you set reasonable goals. She suggests working on specific areas of pronunciation that you can improve, instead of trying to sound like a native speaker.”，可知Marla Yoshida建议制定合理目标，在自己可以改进的发音的特定领域下功夫，而不是试图听起来像母语者。因此答案是D。

Q4. B.【解析】推理题。根据文章内容，如“Progress might be slow for you, but don’t give up!”以及“It is good to realize that it is not a fast process.”等表述，我们可以推断出改善英语发音需要设定合理目标并持续努力，因此答案是B。

Q5. B.【解析】主旨题。文章开篇就点明“Learning a new language is a long, difficult process. This process can become easier if you set goals”，学习一门新语言是一个漫长而艰难的过程。如果你设定目标，这个过程会变得更容易，随后围绕英语发音学习展开，通过两位专家的观点，论证了在语言学习中制定合理目标的重要性，因此答案是B。

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