VOA慢速：15岁青少年如何学英语

How 15-year-olds Learn English

常速/CET-4偏难/723词/5min48s

刘立军 供稿

Part I. QUESTIONS

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

Q1. What was the primary method used by researchers to gather information for the “How 15-Year-Olds Learn English” study?

A. Analyzing social media posts of teenagers.

B. Observing English lessons and conducting interviews.

C. Distributing questionnaires to students and teachers.

D. Reviewing the content of English language textbooks.

Q2. What is the main focus of the OECD’s 2025 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) in relation to English learning?

A. To evaluate the effectiveness of digital learning tools in English education.

B. To assess the overall English language skills of 15-year-olds.

C. To measure the English language skills of students from 22 countries.

D. To investigate the disparities in English education across different regions.

Q3. How does the text describe the impact of digital exposure on students’ actual English learning?

A. It significantly enhances their ability to write and speak English.

B. It completely replaces traditional classroom learning methods.

C. It is directly correlated with higher English test scores.

D. It leads to a false sense of proficiency in English among students.

Q4. What can be inferred about the role of traditional teaching methods in English classrooms, as suggested by the study?

A. They continue to be used despite digital exposure.

B. They are being replaced by digital platforms and tools.

C. They are ineffective and need to be modernized.

D. They are complementary to digital learning tools.

Q5. According to the study, which aspects of English do students struggle with the most, and why?

A. Reading and listening, due to a lack of engaging content.

B. Writing and speaking, because they lack real-life practice.

C. Grammar and vocabulary, as they prefer digital communication.

D. Pronunciation and fluency, influenced by foreign accents.

Part II. TRANSCRIPT

How 15-year-olds Learn English

Today’s English students have a lot of exposure to the language outside of the classroom. By using the Internet, social media, and other digital technologies, they can watch videos, hear music, and play video games in English.

But teachers are not so sure that digital exposure results in better English-speaking abilities. That is the finding of a new study on how teenagers learn English. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, or OECD, a group that studies economic activities in large economies, supported the study.

The study is called “How 15-Year-Olds Learn English.” It provides case studies of teaching teenagers English from five countries: Finland, Greece, Israel, the Netherlands and Portugal. (Q1) The researchers gathered information by visiting schools and observing English lessons in each country. They also interviewed teachers, students and school administrators.

administrator n. （公司、机构的）管理人员，行政人员

The study findings will be used to support the OECD’s 2025 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), said Catalina Covacevich. She was one of the study’s main researchers. PISA studies the school systems of about 90 countries by measuring the performance of 15-year-olds in reading, writing and math. (Q2) In 2025, PISA will aim to measure 22 of those countries’ English language skills for the first time.

“It’s an obvious statement that English transcends classroom walls,” Christa Rawkins told VOA. She was another one of the researchers for the study.

transcend v. 超出，超越（通常的界限）

Teens spoke “about the ways they used English with people on those sorts of social networking sites and other media. But it was rarer that they were talking about sitting down to learn English via those platforms.”

Some students in Greece said it is easier to search for English-language information on the Internet because more of it is available. In the Netherlands, 15-year-olds described watching English YouTube videos. In a written opinion study, half of students in the Netherlands reported always using English when using digital tools.

Teachers, however, are unsure whether digital tools are improving students’ English knowledge. While teachers said using English platforms might increase students’ motivation to learn and help them get used to the language, the platforms “are not necessarily teaching them English,” Rawkins said.

(Q3) One teacher in Finland, for example, said students might get the false idea that they do not need to study English because of how often they use English outside of school.

“They think they know it better than I do because they use it in computer games and it’s present in their lives all the time,” the teacher said, “They think they don’t have to listen to me in English classes, I feel that is a challenge.”

Rawkins said there is a “slight disconnect” between the kind of English students are learning outside of school “and the kind of English they’re being asked to learn and study in classrooms.” Students might feel that “studying English at school is just about studying grammar whereas outside of school they can communicate and interact in the language,” the report said.

“A large part of OECD’s work with PISA,” the researchers said, “is examining inequities in education.” Rawkins said there can be large inequities that arise from the kinds of out-of-school exposure kids get to English. Kids from wealthy families are able to travel to English-speaking countries or attend summer camps where they can speak English to international friends, for example. Some students can pay for private lessons.

inequity n. 不公正的事；不公正；不公平

“Kids living in cities were more likely to be using English out and about in their daily lives compared to their counterparts in more rural areas,” Rawkins added.

There has been a big change in how students are exposed to English outside of school. (Q4) But within the classroom, things “hadn’t really changed.” The report noted how digital technologies are used within the classroom, but traditional teaching methods, like textbooks, were still used in every school observed.

(Q5) Teachers in all five countries said their students struggled the most with writing and speaking English rather than in reading and listening. Researchers noted that students might feel a lack of self-confidence when it comes to speaking. They might also be less likely to speak and write English outside of school.

“Outside school they’re doing a lot of reading and listening to English because that’s what the majority of their exposure is, particularly when it comes to digital technologies,” Rawkins said. “They’re not doing so much speaking or writing.”

I’m Dan Novak.

Part III. KEY

Q1. B. 细节题。根据文本中的描述：“They also interviewed teachers, students and school administrators.”以及“The researchers gathered information by visiting schools and observing English lessons in each country.”可知，研究者通过访问学校、观察英语课堂以及进行访谈来收集信息。因此答案为B。

Q2. C. 主旨题。文本中提到：“In 2025, PISA will aim to measure 22 of those countries’ English language skills for the first time.”这表明PISA项目在2025年的主要目标是首次评估22个国家学生的英语语言技能。因此答案为C。

Q3. D. 细节题。文本中提到：“One teacher in Finland, for example, said students might get the false idea that they do not need to study English because of how often they use English outside of school.”这表明接触数字媒体可能会让学生对自身的英语熟练度产生错误认知。因此答案为D。

Q4. A. 推理题。文本中提到：“But within the classroom, things ‘hadn’t really changed.’ The report noted how digital technologies are used within the classroom, but traditional teaching methods, like textbooks, were still used in every school observed.”这表明尽管数字技术在课堂上得到了应用，但传统的教学方法如教科书等仍然在研究人员调研的所有学校课堂中使用，因此答案为A。

Q5. B. 细节题。文本中指出：“Teachers in all five countries said their students struggled the most with writing and speaking English rather than in reading and listening.”以及“They’re not doing so much speaking or writing.”这说明学生在写作和口语方面遇到了最大的困难，因为他们在现实生活中缺乏练习。因此答案为B。

（封面图片来自摄图网，版权归摄图网所有）