8. Read the text and supply the missing 40 word part. English by no means the 'universal' language
Languages are not only communication tools, but in their dive__ __ __ __ __1) and ethnicity they a__ __2) also integral parts o__3) world culture. Communication a__ __4) development policies which a__ __5) not based on res__ __ __ __6) and support for a__ __7) languages amount to a de__ __ __8) sentence for the majo__ __ __ __9) of languages in t__ __10) world. It is gene__ __ __ __ __11) accepted that in t__ __12) past century the grea__ __ __ __13) challenge to linguistic dive__ __ __ __ __14) has been the spr__ __ __15) of English; but, stati__ __ __ __ __16) show that no mo__ __17) than ten percent o__18) the world’s popul__ __ __ __ __19) speak English as a nat__ __ __20) language. English is b__21) no means a ’universal’ ton__ __ __22) just yet - and i__23) my eyes it i__24) unsuitable as one, al__ __ __25) with all other nati__ __ __ __26) languages.
Personal experience wi__ __27) show that a person tal__ __ __ __28) in a second (non-native) lang__ __ __ __29) will never reach qu__ __ __30) the same level o__31) fluency as the nat__ __ __32).
The beauty of nati__ __ __ __33) languages is in th__ __ __34) differences, their complexities, t__ __35) subtlety of their tu__ __ __36) of phrase - but i__37) is these same trea__ __ __ __ __38) that make national lang__ __ __ __ __39) too difficult and t__ __40) non-neutral for intercommunication. This is a reason why an easy-to-learn, auxiliary language like Esperanto should be used to solve the language problem - speakers of all languages, large and small, should have a real chance of learning a second language to an expressive, highly communicative level.
9. Is it difficult for you to study English? Why? Do you have your own ideas how to make the process of studying more interesting and easier? Brainstorm ideas!
10. Read the following tips and add them to your list.
Become a child again!
Look at the language you are trying to learn as a totally new thing, accept new words and sentences in their context instead of trying to translate them word-for-word back in to English. Children don't question their native language as they're growing up and learning it, they just accept...
Make learning a part of your life
Make your learning an active part of your life. Recent research in adult learning shows that you're likely to remember 20% of what you read and 30% of what you hear ... and a staggering 90% of what you see, hear, say and do. So, practise by doing things like saying phone numbers out loud, making shopping and other lists, memorising orders in a bar or restaurant.
Keep a check on your progress
Keep a check on your progress. If ever you feel you're not learning fast enough, you may be underestimating how much progress you're actually making. Go back every so often to something you did early on to prove to yourself how much you've learnt.
Set short-term goals
Be realistic and don't expect miracles. Language learning takes time and commitment - don't expect to be fluent overnight and don't be hard on yourself when you can't remember everything you've learnt.
Set yourself some short-term goals - the thought of a visit in a few months' time to a place where the language you're learning is spoken is a real incentive to learn.
Don't worry about mistakes
Don't worry too much about mistakes. It's a normal part of the learning process, and you'll learn much more quickly by having a go at speaking than by saying nothing until you're word perfect. Generally, people are only too pleased to hear you trying to speak their language and make allowances if you don't get it exactly right.
Repeat activities
Don't feel you must always forge ahead with new material. Repeating activities is an excellent way of building familiarity with the language. So if you're tired and your mind is wandering, instead of giving your language learning a miss do some activities you've done before and which won't require as much concentration.
If you find your concentration wavering, remind yourself of why you wanted to learn in the first place. This helps to keep you focused.
Listen to native speakers using audio and video clips
If your ambition is to speak the language, you need to train yourself to listen without always seeing it written down. You might find this hard at first but it pays off when you come to speak it. You won't always be trying to pronounce it like English.
Improve your accent and your confidence by listening to speakers on the audio and video clips over and over and imitating them closely - out loud. The more you do this, the more you'll find yourself becoming comfortable with the sounds of the language.
Don't let grammar worry you
Don't let grammar worry you - but don't go out of your way to avoid it either. Grammar is simply the term for the mechanics of a language, and basic knowledge of the rules of grammar will allow you to say what you want to say instead of having to rely on set phrases.