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Abstract: English is regarded as a recognized international language, which plays an important role in communication. Listening is an essential part of English, at the same time, listening is the first of four basic skills——listening,speaking,reading and writing.Therefore,improving listening is an important part of improving English. The article first discuss the importance of English listening. Then I indicate the current situation of Chinese English listening.Next,I analyze several important conditions that affecting English listening.Last,the article introduce some ways to improving listening, I hope that these suggestion can help English learners.
Keywords: English listening; ways to improving
摘要：英语作为一门公认的国际性语言，在交流中发挥着重要作用。听力作为英语必不可少的一部分，同时也是英语教学四项基本技能——听，说，读，写之首。因此，提高听力是提高英语的重要一环。本文首先分析了英语听力的重要性，之后展示了中国英语听力的现状。另外，本人指出了影响英语听力进步的几个重要因素。最后，文章介绍了一些提高听力的方法，以期给广大英语学习者带来帮助。
关键词：英语听力；提高方法
Introduction:
The article first discuss the importance of English listening. Then I indicate the current situation of Chinese English listening.Next,I analyze several important conditions that affecting English listening.Last,the article introduce some ways to improving listening,I hope that these suggestion can help English learners.
1The importance of English listening
With information technology of social life and economic globalization, the importance of English has become increasingly prominent. English as one of the most important information carrier has become the most widely used language in human lives. Listening is more important as one way of verbal communication.U.S Foreign Language Expert Rivers and Temperley said listening activities in human communication is the proportion of 45%,speaking is 30%,reading is 16%,writing is 9%,from this we know listening is the most important ways to obtain linguistic information and language experience .And in foreign language learning, listening ,speaking, reading and writing are complementary, and only through listening and reading to achieve sufficient language input in order to effectively carry out activities such as speaking and writing.
English is a language of sound, it is used to disseminate and exchange of ideas, its important uses is communication. In the communication, the first is to ask to understand each other, and then the exchange can not be otherwise. Our students complete a written exercises feel not so difficult, but when face to the same difficulty level of listening materials, they response slowly and can not understand, also can not say. This situation contact with our usual emphasis in teaching more words and grammar.Therefore, we should have a clear understanding of the importance of listening training in English teaching.
2. Current situation of Chinese English listening
Chinese traditional course of listening generally teachers sat listening materials, students do exercises and then.McDonuogh pointed out that this method is a test method, not the teaching method. In this traditional teaching mode, students had played a passive role; limited listening level is a insurmountable barrier to communication. The following is a specific description of English listening situation.
2.1Teachers paid insufficient attention to the teaching of listening.
English materials that students used widely comes with a listening exercises in each unit, most of the content around the theme of this unit. But many teachers feel that these kinds of questions don’t meet college entrance examination, and some teachers think that these listening speed fast, difficult and too time-consuming, not suitable for students, thus teaching has neglected this part. Even if using these materials, teachers limited to” the play back, so questions on the answers, only explain the hearing words and difficult sentences, thus neglecting the listening skills, strategies and emotional attitudes. English expert had pointed out current there is a phenomenon in high school English teaching that unscientific teaching method and simple process of dealing.
2.2Lack of appropriate listening materials
Currently, in high school English listening courses, the main form of listening teaching is provided by textbook materials and hearing simulation test content. The content of listening exercises matching the materials is less, and there is no gap between the difficulties of hearing, so it is hard to meet the requirements for students to improving listening. And the mock examination papers are less concerned about the fun, diversity and scientific in the process of information input. Although a wide range of listening material available on the market, most publishers only simulated to look eye on that college entrance examination, a variety of English test, ignoring of cognitive language learning law. The listening materials requirement should be implemented progressively, from simple to complex, from shallow to deep, so that students can adapt gradually.
2.3The limitations of large class teaching.
For our current educational situation, there are many difficulties in carrying out hierarchical teaching; most class usually is consisting of fifty students. Although students in the same class at the same age groups, due to different aspects such as genetic factors, family environment ,education conditions and the intellectual factors, students in the development process shows differences. Significant difference would brought considerable difficulties in listening “unity of teaching”. The traditional English listening teaching mode is taking the beginning and end two homes, only to take care of the middle-level students,cannot“foster good and make up for deficiencies”. This resulted in on the one hand a high level of students felt the content teachers reached shallow and slow, thus nothing to do in the classroom, often deserted, on the other hand the lower level of students often felt the content tricky, hard and speed too fast, so that they gradually lose their interest in English listening. This traditional teaching mode called“march” limited a number of students listening development.
2.4Students can not fully understand the difference between Chinese culture and Western culture
Culture bred language; language can’t exist separated from culture. Our students are in their mother tongue and culture background in a long-term, lacking the understanding of English culture background, which resulting in culture difference of Chinese and Western have a significant impact in English listening comprehension. For example, in the minds of Chinese elephant is synonymous with great, in the west it become a powerful symbol of memory because of its roads and direction in identifying talent, this resulted in “elephants never forget”“I have memory like an elephant.”Idiom.If students don’t understand this culture background; they will have a great question.
2.5The psychological barriers of students hinder the development of their listening.
Listening comprehension is a complex mental process. Psychologist tell us that when people’s emotions in state of tired or anxiety, their mind goes blank, and can’t listen in.Therefore,it is a necessary condition for students to have a good psychological quality to improving listening. But it is undeniable that, due to impact of listening test, students can’t accept listening practice in a relaxed mood. Over time, in the process of listening teaching, students are nervous, can’t be cool ,calm and focused, can’t keep a good mental state, even before staring of listening, they fall into afraidness.This is bound to set up their own barrier of information import and reduce the effectiveness of information processing, thus affect the level understanding of English listening materials.
3. Several important factors for improving English listening.
3.1 Word
The level of the listening is not completely to the times of listening, not to the content of length and easy or hard. It embodies one with English knowledge. The basis of English knowledge is word. The numbers of words play an important role in English learning. Every dialogue, language paragraph, article in listening comprehension is composed with the sentences, but the sentences are composed with the words. In the process of listening, we can imitate the sound that we listened. But if we do not grasp a number of words, we can not contract the word which it stands, and also do not know its meaning. Our students’ vocabulary is limited,so they often make some mistakes .For example: employer-employee, appoint-appointee. Therefore, to be said on theory, the number of words you grasp that decide whether you understand the listening or not mostly.
3.2 Speed
You can not ask foreign people to talk with you at speed you want as Special English. In fact, the speed of Special English is not like you think of,it has a small gap with normal speech. And the effect of speed to listening is not weak as we think. It often plays a decisive impact on listening. Because the normal speed have many differences with the slow speed. For example like linking, ellipsis, and light reading, fuzzy and so on. These are the key elements of you can understand or not. In Special English are the integrity sentences. But in fact, we can not use the official language when we are talking. In another ways, you can not have rich vocabulary, complex structure in Special English. So you must read some materials that American talked in usual like movies, songs. But you must listen the VOA Special English usually. Because it can corrects your pronunciations. If they realize that correct speech melody is as important as correct speech sounds. They will devote more time and energy to this essential characteristic of English. When they speak English like foreigners, their listening will be easily improved.#p#分页标题#e#
3.3 Grammar knowledge.
The complex sentence structure and grammar structure are different from the Chinese logic of expression, which would interfere with the understanding of the listening. At this time those who have learned to use the correct grammar knowledge can distinguish the word and meaning of the sentence from listening. For example,” No sooner had I reached there than performance began”. This inversion’s expression is different from Chinese expression, most students are limited in Chinese way of thinking, and thus they misunderstand the meaning of it. So if you want to understand the meaning of the sentences during listen, you must master some grammar knowledge to a certain degree, and can analyze the sentence structure. The ultimate aim of language technique hinder listening is to understand sentences, and article summarizes, voice, words, grammar and so on fore shadow with it. But only do have this good basis are not enough. To attend the listening the technique is the major premise during the listening to attach the information.
3.4 Culture factors.
Language is not only a part of culture, but also an important carrier of culture. Each linguistic group has their own culture. The customs, religious beliefs, and ways of thinking of different countries all have their profound cultural background and details. For example, the knowledge of linguistics, cultural backgrounds and the ways of thinking. Once the western educator pointed out that only know the language, but do not know the culture, he just is a blockhead who speaks fluently. Our Chinese students’ grow in Chinese culture since we born, so we do the listening we always unconscious use our culture, experience to understand, not to understand which language we learned. It will hold a prejudiced opinion. For example ‘man: Would you mind me smoking? Woman: No, please.’ It is not hard for students to understand. But they perhaps do not know the truly implication. Man in China don’t need woman’s permit when they smoke, but in western it is courtesy that the man ask for the woman’s opinion when he want to smoke. Therefore, the course to improve English listening is a combination course in different country’s’ culture. We should also improve the ability of analysis of problem and enrich the knowledge of the backgrounds. If one learner know more about the cultural customs of the foreign countries, he can find listening course easier relatively.
4. Ways to improving English listening
4.1culturing interest in English listening
As students’ living environment less contact with English, repeats in process of listening, so that students feel dull and boring. Therefore in the teaching process, the focus is to stimulate the interest of students and create a teaching atmosphere of exciting, to improve learning motivation and enhance learning effect. Once students have a strong interest in English listening, change from passive to active, accept the teaching of English teaching. So students will seriously explore the characteristics of English listening, find problems in the English listening learning, and seek the solutions to problems.
To raise students interest in English listening, we need take efforts in the entire listening process, design the entire hearing process. First of all, guidance before listening, it is significant to improve students English listening. If the guidance is successful, not only stimulate students interest, but also reduce the difficulty of listening comprehension. Secondly design of the task in the process of listening. According to the content of materials and actual level of students, set different listening tasks.Last, design task upon listening. To sum up on the listening materials, this phase is to combine students listening ability with other language ability.
4.2Concerned about the correct pronunciation
Skilled accurate grasp of speech is the basis for listening comprehension, only pronunciation and decent is correct, we can understand what people said. If the pronunciation is wrong, students will make mistakes at a family word, thus can’t communicate with people.Therefore, learners should start from correcting pronunciation, learn the correct pronunciation, lay the foundation for future standard of English. Some students don’t understand the pronunciation of letters and letters combinations rules, and the English running words, lose of blasting, the weak reading,assimilation,stress,rhythm and other knowledge, and don’t familiar with characteristic of spoken English, can’t rule out the interference of homonyms and near-tone, these will resulting in slow progress of English listening. Such as sheep pronounced ship, fill pronounced fail, and close pronounced clothes.So, when hearing the pronunciation of fail and clothes, we could regard them as fill and close.
4.3Grasp the rich vocabulary and background knowledge of western culture.
First, the number of vocabulary is foundation of English knowledge. If can’t master a certain vocabulary, even imitate content in the process of listening, but can’t links it with the words, so students can’t understand its meaning, which affect the overall level of listening comprehension.Second,learning English must master certain background and culture knowledge. The living habits and linguistic habits from different ethnic are vary, this leads to existence of language barrier of people from different ethnic. Because students lack of knowledge of culture background, they often feel that they can hear the words but can’t understand their meanings.Therefore, in the process of teaching, teachers require students to firmly grasp the grammar and vocabulary, use grammar flexible, learn knowledge of western culture and expand knowledge, so that eliminating barriers to culture background, to improving level of English listening.
4.4Combination of listening and speaking, reading, writing.
Using the form of combination of listening and speaking, and carrying out export activities of the language materials. Take a form of “Bilateral activities”, means activities between teachers and students or among students, which obtain several ways such as questions and answers, repeating, talking, discussing and speech. This large-capacity and multi-subject oral practice is good for helping training context and knowing about phoneme.
Reading of the text materials help to improve capacity of voice debating, form language sense and expand reading area. Raising the reading speed, is good for training quick thinking, grasping the listening comprehension skills. It is good for forming good listening habits via reading of fast speed, large-capacity and multi-subject.
Dictation means asking students to record the content of listening in form of writing. The training methods used are listening the sentence, paragraph text. This not only helps to enhance students sense of language, but also fully co-ordinate the operation of organ function. This import volume of dictation can fully mobilize and focus people’s attention.Therefore; dictation can be trained to improve the speed and completeness of accepting information, to enhance the level of English listening.
Conclusion
In all, all means of listening mentioned above, I think they are effective methods for the students to improve their listening. The students should understand and also accept these methods. As a result, they can use English to communicate with each other in their daily life. It is possible for them to make progress in their listening ability. However, listening is an abstruse and skilful knowledge system,it is not possible for the students to learn listening skills completely in classes. Our students should work hard at English language, master a lot of English words, phrase and proverbs and remember the usage and collocation of these English words. And out of class , they should try to learn more about the custom, political systems, the backgrounds of culture socialites of English-speaking countries, the knowledge of other subjects, such as: Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and so on. During their holidays, they should read more magazines, newspapers in order to enrich their eyesight, for example, China Daily, The 21st Century, World Vision, Readers and so on. It will help them better understand the listening.
Bibliography
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