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I
remember the first day at school in Form One, I stood in the
hall listening to the principal giving a speech to all new
Form One students. I was standing there agape, because I had
no idea what the principal was talking about. I could not
understand one single word of her speech. Does that sound
familiar to you? Don't worry! That is common among students
in Hong Kong, who are being brought up in a Chinese-speaking
environment. Let me now share some don'ts with you on listening
to English.
| Don't
be afraid |
The more you fear listening to English, the more you are
unwilling to get opportunities to listen. |
| Don't
be shy |
Try
to grasp opportunities to listen to English, for example,
watch English TV programmes, have conversation with English-speaking
friends or teachers, and listen to English channels on
the radio. Even if you cannot follow what is said, ask
for clarification if you are chatting with your friends. |
| Don't
get nervous |
If you cannot understand what is said in a TV programme
or on the radio, just continue to listen. The more you
practise, the more you will improve in listening. |
| Don't
panic |
Remember
that there are various accents, and if you cannot listen
clearly to a particular accent, it doesn't mean that you
will get poor grades in listening. |
Listen
to the audio clip Fear
of Water and see how the speaker gradually
master the English language.
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