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任何一门外语，开始总是快乐的，学几句再简单不过的常用语就能产生我仿佛已经会说它的错觉，然而，真正掌握它要走的路却很长，比如，英语吧，对中国学生而言，从一开始只要学会书本上简单的问候语，水果食物和一些人称，简单的语法就能考高分，到渐渐的需要背更多的单词才能读懂一篇文章，更别提考高分，但是从小生长在国外的小朋友，哪怕只有小学的水平，写出来的文章就很成熟，无论从用词还是思维，其中最大的差距就是他们每天都在学习如何用英文去表达身边的人事物，也就是练习，而我们学的东西仅仅停留在应试层面，脱离了书本，就没办法张嘴描述。
常常有学生问我，为什么买了很多词汇书，各种红宝书，绿宝书，蓝宝书，翻两遍就静静的躺在书架上，从来没背完过A字母，更不用说其他，刚上大学的时候，为了考专业四级，我也买过各种词汇书，动词搭配书，短语书，结果都差不多，没有耐心背下去，究其原因还是这类书本身并没有吸引力，有时候一本在别人看来很有趣的小说，充满故事曲折离奇的情节，我们都读不下去，何况枯燥的，只是简单罗列的词汇书，哪怕它被排版的多么生动形象五彩斑斓。
后来考专业八级的时候，我彻底放弃背单词，考前做得最多的是读精读课本，读报纸，后面可以给大家推荐一些，每天中午吃过午饭就去图书馆的阅读室，那时候人会较少，安静，读起来更容易入心，当然也会带着笔记本和中性笔，看到精彩的搭配和表达就会记下来，每天看美剧，很多人会去听新闻，但我觉得电视节目更能真正泡耳朵，毕竟新闻很多都跟观众没有切身关联，如果连中文新闻都没看过，直接听英文会有排斥心理，就算勉强听完也不会想再来一遍，所以顶多是完成任务式的，因此我倾向看剧。
一毕业就投身教育行业，做了雅思口语老师，遇到很多学员，每个人存在不同的问题，最紧迫还是词汇，想说又说不出，教给她们又记不住，反复观察还是发现根源在于：她对这些事物本身缺乏背景知识，所以生词不但形生，她脑海里连画面都没有。
因此，我自己开始真正找寻让学生不用死记硬背也能记单词的方法，看新闻是其中之一，也是今天要讲的重点。明明我刚刚还说听新闻并不能提高？只是方法不对而已，看新闻可以切实提升词汇量。
就
拿今天北京的天气来讲，沙尘暴预警，大风预警，室外能见度不足百米，很多人出现咳嗽等症状，去年严重的时候，学校工厂相继关停，室内大家用空气净化器，出门带口罩；我们每天身处其中，中文可以说一大推，那英文到底怎么讲？
我整理了BBC News 里的一些内容，看看是否看一眼就能记住一些所谓的生词难词？
城市被雾霾笼罩
1. Dust storm chokes Beijing and northern China.
(chokes: 使窒息，生活在这座城市里的人很能体会什么叫窒息）
2. A dust storm is choking a large swathe of northern China including the capital, Beijing.
(a large swathe: 一大片区域，从城市地图可以看到）
3. Air quality readings have soared.
(air quality readings: 空气质量数据; soared: 飙升了，其实就是PM2.5 爆表的意思）
4. The Chinese capital is trapped under the giant toxic cloud.
(trapped: 被困在；giant toxic cloud：有毒的云层）
5. Beijing is still blanketed under a thick layer of pollution and smog
Thick smog blankets China cities.
(blanket: 名词是毯子，当动词用就是被覆盖）
6. Heavy smog engulfs parts of northern China.
(engulf: 狼吞虎咽，吞没，洪水吞没村庄， 动物捕食都可以用这个词）
7. Parts of northern China have suffered the worst bout of smog since July, pushing pollution well past healthy levels and reducing visibility.
(bout of:发作的意思，这里可以理解为新一轮； reducing visibility：能见度降低）
8. The dust storm began moving towards Beijing in the late afternoon and envelped the city overnight.
(envelope:名词信封，这里动词指笼罩）
9. The air is so polluted. It's darkened the sky.
（darken: 使变暗，模糊）
词汇总结：choke／ trap／ blanket／engulf／suffer／ soar／envelope／darken
dust storm/ a large swathe of／ air quality readings／giant toxic cloud／reducing visibility／a thick layer of pollution and smog
雾霾成因
1. The dust is blowing in from neighbouring Mongolia and China's inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
(blow: 吹，这里指风把沙尘暴吹到北京）
2. Coal is used to power some Chinese factories and since it's cold now, more people are using it to heat their homes, so there is more pollution.
(power: 动词指提供动力；heat their homes: 指燃煤取暖）
词汇总结：blow in／power factories／heat their homes
雾霾的影响
1. Authorities are advising residents to avoid outdoor activity and for children and elderly people to remain indoors.
It has become so bad in the past few days that school children are being warned to stay inside more.
The thick smog is stopping them playing outside and doing sports.
Media reports were warning the public to avoid strenuous activity.
（四个同意句 residents： 居民，喜欢用people的同学可以学着了；elderly people：尽量不用old people；strenuous activity：剧烈运动）
2. They say it's having a big impact on their lives and they need special air filters in the classroom to make sure they can breathe clean air.
(air filters: 空气净化器； 也可以用air purifiers）
4. If they do go out, they must wear face masks.
(face masks: 口罩）
5. Beijing's skyline could barely be made out amid the dust.
(make out:辨认；amid:在..中）
6. More and more Chinese people are now taking precautions against the air pollution.
(take precautions: 采取预防措施；一般我们会用take measures才表达采取措施，但是precaution 更准确）
7. Some cities across China have been put on high alert by the government because the air has become very polluted.
(been put on high alert: 处于高度预警中，也可以是red alert）
8. Once inhaled, the tiny particles can make people more vulnerable to respiratory infections, as well as leading to increased mortality from lung cancer and heart disease.
(inhale: 吸入；particles：微粒；vulnerable to respiratory infections：容易呼吸道感染）
9. One school in capital Beijing has even sealed off their playground with an inflatable tent.
(sealed off: 封起来；inflatable tent：可充气的帐篷）
词汇总结：avoid strenuous activity／air filters／face masks／make out／precautions／been put on／inhale／particles／respiratory infections／lung cancer/seale off/inflatable tent
政府措施
1. Authorities have been attempting to halt this progress by planting more tress, reforming the coal industry and shutting factories.
(halt: 停止）
2. Near-record levels of toxic air pollution have prompted the authorities to ground planes, shut factories and close schools.
(prompt:促进；ground planes：相当于取消航班，也可以用cancel flights)
3. The government has worked very hard to tackle the country's smog problem.
(tackle: 解决，相当于：cope with/deal with/ solve)
4. The smog has lead to flights cancellation sand motorway closures, drastically reducing visibility in some areas.
(motorway closures: 高速公路封路；drastically：大幅度地降低能见度）
词汇总结：halt／prompt／ground planes／tackle／motorway／drastically
怎么样，现在有没有觉得这些词汇哪怕不会念，但是也能一眼认出，再也不用拿个本子抄几十遍上百遍，扔掉词汇书，放飞自我吧～坚持每天自己读新闻，做整理，不用太久，词汇量就会暴涨了。
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