In our life, everyone is surely to have difficulties. It is the same with me. I still remember how worried I am about my English learning three years ago. I had difficulty follow my teacher in the English class. With my classmates often laughing at me because of my poor English, I decided to do anything. Firstly, I took a part in the English Corner that I met many friends. They shared their methods of learning English with me. Beside, I also found it useful keep English diaries. What’s more, I talked with friends on the Internet and exchanged emails with English. As a result, I made great progresses in learning English.

Xinhua Senior High

March 9，2018

How are things going with you？

Yours，

Li Hua

   When Adrian Black met his Italian partner 10 years ago, he was determined to learn her mother language. Having successfully picked up French a decade earlier when he lived in France, he felt the challenge was attainable.

Black, who is now50, explains,“I feel like French is deep down in my head somewhere, but with Italian it will take a lot more efforts for me to get to that level. I've noticed that my brain isn't as good as it was. ”

It's often said that you cant teach an old dog new tricks. Actually this saying is, for the most part, not true. It was generally believed that the adult brain was a fixed structure that, once damaged , could not be repaired. But research published since the 1960s has challenged this assumption（假设）, showing that it is actually a highly dynamic structure, which changes itself in response to new experiences, and adapts to injuries.

This research also suggests that young men can learn something new easily, but that the older they are, the harder it is for them to do so.

Some aspects of language learning become more difficult with age. Others may get easier. Picking up a new language's vocabulary is much easier for adults than learning the rules that govern its grammar. This is because new words can be easily connected with a learner's pre -existing knowledge. But older learners are less likely to have good pronunciation （发音）or accents, since the sound of a new language is picked up naturally by children.

Despite the difficulties, Black regards learning foreign languages as fun. “I'm doing it partly to keep my brain active,”he says. “When you have some success and can express yourself, it feels like you're using different parts of your brain that you weren't using before. ”

English makes you feel good

If you have read our article Why learn English, you already know that English can change your life. It can let you get smarter, make friends with more people, earn more money, etc. But have you ever _____ how it will feel to know English well？

Imagine. . .

You're flying on a plane, coming back from your vacation. You see the person beside you reading an American newspaper. Since the _____ is going to take a _____ time, you decide to have a（n）_____ . "The engines are awfully loud, aren't they？" you say. "Yeah. It looks like the airplane may _____ into pieces at any moment, " he laughs. The conversation goes on. You speak _____ and you enjoy it. A moment before the touchdown, the _____ says, "You speak just like an American. Your pronunciation, your grammar-it's _____ ！" You get off the plane _____. What a great day！

You're on a bus to school, just like every day. You ______ to spend the time reading a few pages out of a book. You take it out. The book is written in English. As you start ______ the person sitting next to you looks at the book's cover and ______ the title. The person gives you a long look of ______ and envy. A moment later, some other people in the bus start ______ you. They would like to be able to read an English book, but they can't. You feel satisfied. You' re ______ you've spent time in learning English.

You' re in an international airport. You walk quickly, and you look ______, You understand all the ______ around you, and you understand the announcements. You know that ______ there were any problems you could easily ______ with the airport's staff in English. You walk to your gate, thinking how ______ it would be if you didn't know English.

I have a warm story to share with you. A school in San Francisco not only accepted a deaf student，but also 【小题1】（teach）the entire class sign language to allow them to better communicate with him.

The moving story began in September last year 【小题2】 a woman asked the primary school in her neighborhood 【小题3】（accept）her six-year-old son，James，who has a hearing 【小题4】（disable）.The teacher，Lily，agreed almost immediately，【小题5】 on the first day of school，she noticed James 【小题6】（sit）all by himself，unable to communicate with any of his classmates.

Lily，【小题7】（determine）to find a way out，tried developing a few signs of her own. But a parent of another child came up 【小题8】 an even better idea —getting the whole class to learn sign language along with James. So they got a sign language teacher on board，and three months later，James was able to communicate 【小题9】（happy）with all his classmates about regular things like homework and 【小题10】（game）.