Old yard teaches you to learn English

Transferred from: http://blog.jobbole.com/45296/

For our high-end atmosphere, time needs and international standards of code farmers, the importance of English is naturally undeniable. Especially those aspiring to the potential of the big bull, in the yard to break out of the field, the seconds to kill the boys around, proficiency in English is one of the most important factors to achieve its goal. Otherwise, imagine you holding a publisher just translated "JSP efficient programming" hard to learn the JSP template, you next to the younger brother is holding the original "AngularJS in action" Learning to develop a single page application, although you are equally seriously studied for one months, Can you do something that works the same way?

Therefore, the English good can learn the latest and most dazzling technology, or can only take the domestic translation version of the two or three years ago to learn the antique also as a treasure. Not to mention the domestic translation of the level how do you not know it? How many pits father's translation Ah! Don't mention it! In fact, I also participated in a Java development guide more than 10 years ago translation, and I have been on the IBM mainframe development, not Java, so fraught is certain. Look back on the past, ashamed Ah! Please God forgive my sins, amen ...

Well, now, to talk about how the yards farmers should learn English, to achieve proficiency in the level of English. first of all, I want to clear a concept: English learning is impossible to crash. The students who want to crash can not look down, otherwise wasted your time I can not afford to take responsibility ah.

As the habit of yard farming, the first priority of nature is to define the concept of "mastering English" accurately.

My definition is as follows:

• 1. READ: Able to read English documents directly, such as "mongodb:the Definitive Guide", and reading speed and understanding can be comparable with the native language;
• 2. Writing: Can directly write English documents, e-mail, to achieve the level of English native speakers can not understand ambiguity, students can be more than the ability to pursue logic and strict use of words;
• 3. I heard: the ability to communicate smoothly with the native speakers of the English language, to achieve the level of communication between the two sides, learning more than the ability of students can also strive to show a sense of humor and personal taste in the dialogue.

There must be someone to defy: why the beginning of learning to give me the whole so high? Because, only to achieve this standard, you can fully find the benefits of learning English, but also to consciously use English as much as possible to form a virtuous circle.

So, how long does it take to reach this standard? For CET-4 or 6 level students (yes, 4 and 6 are a level, almost no difference), my estimate is to need more than 10,000 hours. This is also the reason that I can not express the English in front. Some people may complain that old yards you are not reliable, 10,000 hours too much, even if a day spent 5 hours to learn English, also need 6 years time, this is not too pit dad? What I want to say is that 5 hours a day is actually not difficult, if you have been learning new technology instead of repeating the skilled work, the average day to see the technical documents can see 3 hours, and write a document email comments to spend 1 hours, commuting on the road also do not sit in a daze, at least to practice listening for 1 hours, so that 5 hours not

Most crucially, the 5 hours are not otherwise squeezed out, but only to change some of the previous habits. A problem Baidu search Chinese documents to Google to find English documents, the writing of Chinese notes to write English comments, pinyin variable name into English phrase variable name, as far as possible and international standards, to do a high-end atmosphere of the internationalization of the Code farmers. In addition to these 5 hours, usually nothing can also listen to some foreign language songs, feel the rhythm of English, have the opportunity to listen to a number of international industry conferences; weekend to see the Hollywood soundtrack, the fun? These are the contents of your work and life, do not need to deliberately to squeeze a lot of time hard study. As long as the heart, everywhere is always learning opportunities.

For 6 years someone feels too long, and if it's something you like to do, who's going to take a long time? What's more, you will see later, this 10,000 hours learning English is also learning technology, and is the most basic or the most advanced technology, is not learning English very difficult to grasp the technology in a timely manner. Through this process, you not only improve the level of English, technical can also be greatly improved. These are subtle, progress every day, rather than have to rush to 10,000 hours to produce a sudden leap, this is the true meaning of the level of improvement. So I think, learning English first to remove the utilitarian mentality, through an effort of the process of English into one of your hobbies : Reading is like reading English version of the book, watching movies like to see the original without subtitles. If you can do this, don't say 6 years, is 60 years you can also nice day, conversely if you do not like English, then 5 hours a day of suffering even 6 months I am afraid it is difficult to adhere to it?

Write here, for learning English mentality, I would like to summarize a bit. Some classmates mercilessly next determination: I want to begin to learn English! A year to learn English martial! Then began to take a dictionary began to recite the word, took one months to memorized a word, and then gave up ... What I want to say is, do not think of learning English as a training will marathon run, take it as a trip, enjoy the process, enjoy the scenery on the way, do not have to hurry, so you can go farther.

Anyway, 10,000 hours. This data is estimated by reading 5,000 hours, listening to 2000 hours, writing 2000 hours, saying 1000 hours, the following details:

1. A great deal of reading is the foundation, core, and priority of improving English, and it is important to start listening and writing on the basis of a great deal of reading.

Why do you say that? The most effective way to learn is to imitate, and listening and speaking four elements only listening and reading have imitation conditions.

Then why not listen more first? There are two reasons. One is the spoken language is more casual, slang dialect is more, in the expression than the written content rigorous; second, listening to what is not understandable is not easy to find and repeat. So a lot of reading is the key basic work to improve the English level.

Some people ask again, don't you recite the words first? Well, I'm the one who hates memorizing words, and how can you push them into the pit of fire? And simply memorizing words is not useful, the words that are remembered in reading are helpful.

For example, at the beginning of the GRE word list to find a word avalanche, the interpretation is N. Avalanche vi collapse, you can hard to back, put it and the other thousands of words remember memorized, and then when you one day in the document to see a saying: "... to handle a avalanche of Client requests ... "You may not be able to remember the word" avalanche ", even though it might not be possible to understand exactly what it means in this passage.

What is this for? Because the back of the word is to remember the words in isolation, the examination may be useful, but not effective. The best way is to understand it in reading, such as or that sentence, I do not know avalanche the word, but from contextual to Mongolia, an avalanche of probably say very much meaning, if you are not sure to understand the right to check the dictionary, you understand that this means " A mass of something that rolls like an avalanche. "

It is best to look for Chaying-English dictionaries, such as Merriam-webster's Webster's English-English dictionary. Also, when checking a word, do not remember the Chinese interpretation of the few. Some people recite words like chanting: "Capability, ability, capacity, capacity, performance, productivity, capability, ability, capacity, capacity, performance, productivity ...", the bystanders are tired of him, don't you? In fact, you just vaguely know what it means, learn English try not to mix in Chinese. Foreigners do not know what is called "ability, capacity, capacity, performance, productivity", also did not affect people use capability the word is not?

In addition, I think, words and people, but also have eye edge, remember to live remember not to insist. Even if this time to read and forget also does not matter, wait for your reading quantity to go up, encounters many times the nature to remember. Some people say, in case some words encounter a few times, still can't remember what to do? I have no words for this question. What do you remember when you encounter a very small number of words? There is a famous word Chinese meaning is what early silver version of photography, I do not remember it, it can make me what ah?

Through this process, you not only remember the word, but also mastered its common usage, which is a very good basis for future writing and speaking. Now a lot of people learn English is the disadvantage of test thinking, as if Kong Yiji said anise beans have four kinds of writing, less remember a may be in the exam to do the wrong question is deducted points, but in real life you may only need a kind of on the line, the key is to know its meaning and can use it accurately.

Pony, suddenly pull back words run off. Or continue to read, how to read it? I recommend a method of violence, no matter how you base, first find one or two books and technology-related vernacular book, and is your most interested in the field, such as the classic "Man Month Myth" (People's Moon Myth) and "Joel on Software" (Great God Joel Talk Software development) original book, It's not so depressing to read that it helps you stick with it. After all, in this initial stage, the insistence is the first place. Otherwise you find this "advanced econometrics" try, it is said that 95% yards of the farmers read three days after the crazy.

Even if you are interested in books, it is discouragement to begin to read and feel very laborious. Maybe some people turn the first page to see, mom, half the words do not know! What about this? Nothing, like I said before, have the assurance of Mongolia, not sure of the search, check the Chinese meaning can be written next to the word, can write English understand better, too lazy to write, it doesn't matter, in short, the principle is to read all the contents of thoroughly understand on the line.

Also, the sentence is too long there are many that ..... Which ..... Who .... what clauses? That's OK, others can not understand, but we are yards, ah, understand the principle of nested structure, not recursion! No matter how many he even, from the back of the next one to deal with the subordinate clauses with a color marker, the last to see clearly nested relationship after the sentence is easy to read. In fact, I think the most wonderful place in English is here, it can be in a sentence with an infinitely extended tree structure to describe a concept, until it is defined very strict and unambiguous. Chinese can not do this, must be broken into a good number of sentences to be fluent, but it is more difficult to understand.

At this stage must not seek fast, one day Chi Chi to see only half a page is OK, also very normal, but must ensure accurate understanding. In particular, I would like to remind you that if you don't get used to it, be sure to stick with it. In fact, the most difficult to learn English is not reading and writing, but English thinking. Chinese is about hazy beauty, the so-called "DAO Can road, very way", the more profound things often more "imaginative achievement here, inexpressible", literati writing articles like to jump to conclusions and rarely argumentation, the conclusion of the empirical subjectivity, such as "Eater, failed to foresight", and the European and American articles are mostly to precision rigorous, precise definition, proof full, Avoid logical loopholes, the conclusion is often more cautious, is generally objective data, as far as possible to avoid subjective views, such as "according to the satellite cloud, tomorrow's precipitation probability of 70%." When I was young, I bought "The Art of War" and Clausewitz's theory of warfare together, the difference between the two styles is really different.

There is also a great difference in the humanities. After the Renaissance, foreigners have a good foundation for humanistic care, more emphasis on individual freedom and rights, the so-called "wind into the rain can enter, the king can not enter"; We from the historical and cultural heritage point of view is the collective greater than the individual, more emphasis on personal adaptation to the environment. Again, such as foreigners to the disadvantaged groups of discrimination ridicule is very taboo, but the Chinese people are often accustomed to the lame blind fat in the short play a big flop such jokes.

Therefore, these differences in thinking is the biggest obstacle to learning English, and a lot of reading helps to understand and develop this habit of thinking. In particular, the logic of rigor and the objectivity of expression, due to cultural traditions and teachers themselves, the current educational environment in China is difficult to train out. But through a lot of reading English materials, can achieve very good brainwashing effect, real for home travel, peaceful evolution essential medicine.

After reading two or three books in the vernacular, even if the heat is good, the following can begin to read some more boring things, mainly professional textbooks. If you go to college, the data structure, discrete mathematics, the operating system are all returned to the teacher, just take the English version of the review. Find your professional related basic course original textbook, about 5, open practice. According to the requirements of the previous, as carefully as to see, not fast but refinement, exercises also do a good part, otherwise how do you know that you really understand?

When you finish reading these books, you can begin to practise writing and listening, even if you are basically getting started. The concrete procedure is followed up again.

At the same time, start looking at some of the latest technical documentation in the industry. These may not be out of the book, there may be some free pdf, anyway, also look around 5, what mongodb,neo4j, Node.js,angularjs and so on, look carefully, while looking at a system practiced hand, because these new technology documents are relatively few, the community is not much, so inevitably to stackoverflow ask, or to GitHub to find some examples, do not lazy, these are very good learning way.

After you have chewed down these books, according to A4 paper, your reading volume will certainly reach more than 7000 pages, in So, GitHub, Google on the view of the English material will not be less than 3000 pages, the total reading must be more than 10,000 pages. Now, congratulations, you must have no problem with your reading ability. If I'm not mistaken, you won't be bothered to glance at the translated books at this point, let alone spend money and spend time reading.

In addition, after reading ability to reach this level, writing also basically has a foundation. The so-called "read the Tang poetry 300, will not write poetry will be Yin", see more after you will find that English writing also has some routines, and Chinese is a truth, after a lot of reading, a lot of sentence patterns in fact already in your mind, as long as in the process of writing often practice these sentences, nature makes perfect.

2. Writing to create the environment, every day to write more than 1000 words.

In the internet age, this is not difficult. The simplest way is to register a StackOverflow account, at first to ask questions, you can not make the code to paste up, there will be Daniel to help you fix it, along with reading also practiced; After you have risen in the technical level, think of so many people to help you become Daniel, you can not only enter it, More than the force should be revenge society, so often go to StackOverflow to find some of your favorite theme, help other rookie to answer some questions, so also practiced writing, double benefit how good!

When you have mixed up in so on the point, a bit of the status of the lake, you will be someone to find you, such as help to do some work, such as the question of consulting points Ah, natural mail contact is indispensable, this is the opportunity to practice writing, even if you do not want to help him work, you can and he pull a tear.

In addition, get a FQ software such as goagent, register a Google Plus account, go to see hot articles, write some of their own experience and so on. Really idle bored also can find Linus, such as Daniel Mixed, he every post you go up to comment on or consult, first mix a face ripe! Incidentally, I practiced writing. For a long time, perhaps Daniel also like you, maybe give you a physical FQ chance, this is the joy of the accident.

In short, writing is a lot of reading after the product of the inevitable, but pay attention to a little, write every sentence or even every word should be accurate authentic, do not know not to write blindly, or change their familiar writing, or find out the written again. If you develop the habit of random writing, written sentences are Chinese can understand, foreigners do not understand, that front of the effort is wasted.

3. Listening to the reading ability to reach a certain level before starting to practice, and the previous reading to the writing laying the foundation of the relationship similar to practice listening at the same time in fact, the foundation for oral English.

The first thing I want to say is, do not follow the United States play or practice listening, you do not intend to smuggle to New York Queens to sell drugs and black eldest brother mixed, even if you listen to one ear can be skilled to tell the WTF is you doing is Italian, Irish or black, and what use? We do the yard must not forget their own duty, have to follow the code Nong's eldest brother mixed. So practice listening must be more in the IT circle to listen to Daniel's interview.

The most classic nature is the day jealousy of the young amid, listen to his interview you know that his success is no accident. Like such a strict logic, active thinking, strong expression, good at mobilizing audience sentiment, but also a sense of humor, and work and very resilient people, is a century difficult to meet the genius figure.

Bill Gates's interview is much worse, his ability to express is really not flattering, sometimes rambling listening to not understand the focus, vaguely a little hits teacher's charm. The politician's series is also not recommended, like Obama's speech always sounded a familiar bright, carefully think, this is not the American version of the MLM lecture!

So, listening to Jorda's interview is absolutely right. Why is it an interview? Because it is a dialogue, formal and our needs match, we need to work in English dialogue is similar to the interview style, you think? And his interviews are all about our kicks, background knowledge is familiar, you listen attentively to his expression and logic is good. If you don't, I'm going to get you a biology professor who tells you the recording of the Molecular biology course, you can still find the north when you hear it?

These interviews are available on the Internet, and the podcasts in itunes are a lot of stuff, but don't look for subtitles.

Now that the material has, how to listen to it? I tell you first, every interview to listen to more than 100 times, the first 20 times is to listen to the silly, can understand how much to understand, not understand the first blindfolded. But I can assure you that the 20th time will certainly be more than what I have understood 1th times. To 20 times still in Mongolia, basic you heard the 100th time is still in Mongolia, so again to be covered with no meaning, this time to find the text version of a good look again, see again, and then put up, listen to 20 times, this time some of the original by the Mongolian heard out, listen to 20 times again to see, listen again, so repeatedly, 100 times after the basic should not be blindfolded, and then listen to the next. Listen to 100 times, and then also to review frequently, repeated listening, and then back several times, many sentence patterns will automatically come into your mind, to your oral English lay a good foundation.

Interviews with the IT community are about 1-2 hours, even 1.5 hours. One listens 100 times is 150 hours, listens 10 is 1500 hours. 10 is enough, not the pursuit of quantity, the key is repetition. Of course, there are still some pan-listening, such as English radio, CNN News, the more the better, these will not perfection understand, understand how much is how much, once again on the past, right when is a pastime.

After that, I was deliberately looking for some recordings that were not so clear, such as Jorda's interview with WWDC when he returned to Apple in 96. This interview is very interesting, because he came back to cut off a lot of products are being done, there are a lot of interests of the aggrieved audience to his bufen, with sarcasm and even offensive problems, but also a lot of Jorda to respond freely, unrestrained. This interview is probably because of the age, the noise is more, the sound quality is not very good, but listen carefully can also be heard. Very good, that's it! According to this standard to find so three or four slightly vague interviews, such as through the telephone some interviews, and then follow the same example, according to 100 times the method to listen to it 500 hours, so the basic listening to the clearance.

Some people may whisper in their hearts: what is the point of deliberately looking for such vague recordings? This is mainly to let you adapt to the less ideal environment of hearing, such as in the noisy restaurant dialogue, or the foreigner through Skype for your phone interview, and you can only listen to the professional recording equipment recorded interviews, then how? So it is necessary to train the listening comprehension under the condition of the 1500-hour listening practice under the ideal condition.

4. Practice speaking is the most troublesome, because the conditions of the most difficult to create, it must have a big living to talk to you seriously!

Of course, if you can find an English-speaking foreigner to talk about the object, it is easy and efficient. However, when the oral training is good must be a foot to kick it off. Remember, you are a Chinese, the fertilizer does not flow foreign fields!

Well, the big night is not nonsense. There are so many ways to practise spoken English: Make foreign friends, enter a foreign company, or pay a foreigner to talk to you. Each person's work, the economic situation is different, this chooses it. Anyway, now the reform and opening up, some people are also rich, with whom to talk about the abundance thrifty by the people.

But here to remind a point, do not go to any English corner practice spoken language, this place is either more than 100 people around a foreigner, like monkeys, or is a bunch of Chinese to each other to a few good belly, listen to touch each other's belly to see how good there is more oil, pure waste of time! In my opinion, practicing spoken English must be practiced by people who are native speakers, so that they can do more with less.

In addition, there is a chance to go to the United States of England, Australia and Canada where to turn, live experience of their own learning results. However, I am mainly talking about the yard work related things, basically did not involve life class of English, such as to McDonald's to buy a milk shake what, these mainly rely on live experience on-site learning, but with the front spring snow of the Code of Agricultural high-end upper class English as the foundation, these lowbrow life English to get started quickly, I'm sure you'll be a cinch.

"Supplementary" Some students want me to recommend some learning materials, I later added a supplement to some of the English learning material for your reference.

about how to learn English well, I will say so much first. Finally, to summarize, English learning is a lifelong career, only through the initial stage of pain, slowly turn it into one of your hobbies, in order to endure. By the time it becomes something you love, you will find that the world in your eyes has changed. It's getting bigger, becoming more diverse, and getting better. At this time, all efforts and perseverance have been rewarded.

Author Weibo: @ Old yards of private plots (reprint please keep)

Old yard teaches you to learn English