A
Taking your English into the real world
There is nothing quite like trying out your English in a country where the natives speak it fluently. Chen Yuan, a 24-year-old senior from Fudan University, Shanghai, faced a series of challenges while visiting Europe, Australia and the US.
What was the first thing you noticed when you arrived?
When I first arrived, my biggest problem was that I didn’t know any slang terms (俚语). I was greeting people with, "How are you?" while everyone else was saying, "What’s up?" I was finding it hard to communicate with local people even when they used simple words.
What were the differences between the English you learned in the classroom, and the English you had to use abroad?
In the classroom I would remember patterns of speech. I knew that when someone asked, "How are you?" I should reply, "Fine, thank you. And you?" The problem came when people replied to me in different ways. I didn’t know how to continue the conversation.
What was the hardest thing to adapt to?
Life in the West is very different. In the US I found it hard to travel about, as there was not much public transport. In New York there may be a subway, but it was hard to find a bus. In some smaller cities, everyone drove a car. It is not easy for a backpacker to travel around these places. I also didn’t enjoy a lot of the food, because I think I was too used to Chinese cooking.
Tell us a funny story from your time abroad
When I first arrived in Britain, I wanted to buy some shoes, but didn’t know the word for pigskin or leather. I asked the salesman, "Are the shoes made of beef or pork?" I still remember the look on his face.
21. What was Chen Yuan’s biggest barrier when she first arrived abroad?
A. How to communicate. B. How to travel.
C. What to eat. D. What to buy.
22. What probably was the root of her communication problems?
A. The way she greeted people
B. The way people replied to her
C. The way she started a conversation
D. The way she learned English in class
23. Where can we most probably find this article?
A. In a travel brochure. B. In a daily newspaper.
C. In a historical novel. D. In a fashion magazine.
