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(阅读理解题) The other day I asked a group of my students how they like to learn English. The first person to speak up was Max. This was no surprise—unlike many Hong Kong students, Max has never been reluctant to speak. “I like to learn by speaking,” said Max. “I specially love to speak to native English speakers when I can find them. I try to talk to my friends in English, too. Um, what else? I like to watch TV and movies in English, and I like to learn new words by hearing them.” “How about you?” I asked Veronica. “Do you like to learn in these ways?” “Oh, no,” she said, “I could never learn like that. I need to have a textbook, and I like the teacher to explain everything to me. I have a notebook, and I write everything down. I like to study grammar, and I like to learn by reading. Max says he likes to learn new words by hearing them. I like to learn new words by seeing.” Veronica’s classmate Jackie was more similar to Max. She said she liked to learn by watching movies and videos. She also liked playing games, listening to cassettes, talking in pairs and practicing English outside the classroom. The last person to give his opinion was Joseph. Like Veronica, he liked to study grammar, although he didn’t feel the same need to have a teacher. He liked to learn independently to find his own mistakes, and to read books and newspapers. These four people correspond to four learner “types” that a former colleague of mine, Ken Willing, found in a study he did some years ago. Max can be classified as a “communicative” learner, Veronica as “authority-oriented”, Jackie as a “concrete” learner, and Joseph as an “analytical”one.
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