ral terms. An employer might use these.
由于不太了解情况，我无法给你提出建议。你学习英语的力度如何?即：一周学习几个小时?四项基本技能(听、说、读、写)发展是否均衡?还是仅仅把精力集中在(比方说)阅读上?你是跟老师学习还是在自学呢?你所用的是什么样的学习材料呢?等等。如果我不知道你做了些什么，我怎么知道你的水平呢?然而，我可以请你注意以下四种测试：
进度测试：这种测验可以经常进行，显示学生们的学习进展情况。这些测试旨在使学生们独立完成这些测试。
成果测试：这种测验主要在一段学习结束后进行，以检验他们对所学的东西掌握了多少。学校测验可以采用这种形式。
级别测试：这与上述的成果测试相似，这种考试使老师们可以根据学生们的水平和需要把他们编在一个班里。语言学校可以采取此法。
水平测试：这种测试可以让学生们知道自己的英语水平。雇主通常可以采用此法。
205. In the course of learning English idioms, I feel they are interesting but difficult to deal with. Please give me some tips.
And a similar question: Id love to learn English idioms and proverbs, but some of them are out of date. So how can I distinguish them from modern and useful ones?〖ST〗〖WT〗[ZK)]If by idioms, you mean fixed phrases like ‘Its raining cats and dogs’, then you are absolutely right: they are interesting but difficult to deal with. Futhermore, they are unnecessary: learning lists of them wont improve your English one bit. If you learn lists of ‘idioms’, there is no way of knowing which ones are out of date and which ones are currently in use. My advice is to ignore ‘idioms’ altogether! What you should be aiming at is not learning ‘idioms’, but acquiring a command of idiomatic English, which is a completely different matter. This means sounding as much as possible like a native speaker of English when you speak, rather than sounding like someone who is constantly translating from Chinese. To improve your command of idiomatic English, you need to remember that English is a wordorder language: that is, the basic order is Subject ｜ Verb ｜ Object ｜ Manner ｜ Place ｜ Time. Any departure from this order makes your English sound unidiomatic and ‘foreign’. If, for example, you say ‘I speak well English’ instead of ‘I speak English well’, you will be breaking a fundamental rule in the English language. So forget ‘idioms’ and concentrate on developing idiomatic English.
206〖ZK(〗〖WTHZ〗Is it a good way to study English by reading more, not by studying more grammar?
〖ST〗〖WT〗[ZK)]Yes, it is. Any communicative or practical use of English is better than studying grammar for its own sake. You can never become fluent in a language by studying only its grammar, since you would not be getting enough practice in using the language. However, you cant ignore grammar completely either, because it is (to borrow a term from computers) the operating system of the language. Think of grammar as being a support system. When youre listening, speaking, reading or writing, you will have questions about the way the language is used. Most of your questions have grammatical answers. You therefore need grammar to understand the way the English language works. For example, if you make a mistake like 〖KG2〗I enjoy to go on holiday in the summer*, you need to know that ‘enjoy’ is one of a small group of verbs which is followed by the ing form and not by a toinfinitive. This grammatical knowledge might help you to avoid making the same kind of mistake in future. So use English as much as you can (speak, read and write) and look up any points of grammar when you need to. Whatever you do, dont study grammar in isolation.
207. Is it necessary to study slang?
有必要学习俚语吗?
No, it is not. In fact it’s quite a dangerous thing to do. When we’re learning a foreign language, we like to know exactly what native speakers say and we like to know all the rude words in the language. Slang is usually rude and impolite, but if you are a learner you don’t know just how rude or impolite. If you use slang or swear words when speaking to native speakers they might be quite shocked by what you say. Modern dictionaries clearly label certain words and expressions as ‘taboo’ to show that their use is rude or offensive in polite society. It’s fine to understand such words and phrases, but always avoid using them in case you give offence.
没必要。这其实是一件挺危险的事。我们在学外语时，希望确切地了解以此为母语的人是怎么说话的，我们也想知道这门外语中所有的粗鲁词语。俚语一般是粗鲁和无礼的，作为一个初学者，你不知道粗鲁和无礼的程度。在与以英语为母语的人说话时，你要是用俚语或脏词，他们可能会很震惊。现代词典把某些词或词组明确标明为“禁忌”，说明在礼仪之社会使用这些词是粗俗的或是令人不快的。理解这些词和短语是好的，但切忌使用，以免冒犯他人。
208. I have learned English for almost ten years. I am interested in learning English. But now I find it’s very hard for me to reach a high level. Could you please give me some suggestions?
And a similar question: I’m a graduate and I’ve taught myself English for ten years. Now I wonder how I can develop myself. That’s to say I don’t know how to arrive at a higher level. Can you give me any good advice? Thanks.
我学习英语将近十年了。学英语我有兴趣，但现在我发现很难达到高的层次。您能给我一些建议吗?
类似的问题：我是个大学毕业生，自学英语有十年了。现在我不知道如何提高自己的水平，也就是说，我不知道怎样才能达到一个更高的水平。您能给我一些好的建议吗? 谢谢。
Perhaps you have reached your ceiling and cannot go to a higher level. Learning a foreign language is not about acquiring knowledge, but about learning to perform a skill. Millions of people can drive a car, but only a tiny fraction of them can participate in rally driving. In other words, we all perform skills with different levels of ability and, sooner or later, reach our ceilings. Only a tiny fraction of those learning English will arrive at near-native proficiency. If, however, you feel you haven’t reached your level, then:
Listen to as much English as you can (e.g. the BBC World Service and the Voice of America).
Read as much as you can, choosing books which are at your level.
Choose self-study practice books like my Longman Advanced English Grammar to see how you get on with them.
Take every opportunity you can to speak English, either with native speakers or with people like yourself who want to practise their skills.
可能你已经达到了极限，不能进一步提高水平了。学外语不同于学知识，它是在学习一项技巧。数以百万计的人会开车，但他们中只有一小部分人能参加拉力赛。也就是说，我们都是在以自己不同的能力水平来演练技巧，或早或晚会到达我们的极限。只有一小部分学英语的人才能达到接近母语水平。但如果你觉得自己尚未达到应达到的水平，那么应该：
尽量多地听英语(如BBC全球广播和美国之音)。
尽量多地阅读，挑选适合自己水平的书。
挑选自学练习书籍来
