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随着2008年奥运会的临近，民众越来越关心“中国”品牌的树立，学习英语的热情也被点燃。越来越多的外宣干部和业内同行向我们表达了期待看到双语栏目的期望。因此，我们在2006年第一期起开办了《双语视窗》栏目以满足广大读者的需求。
看看周围的媒体，《北京青年报》、《参考消息》、《国门时报》上有许多精粹的小短文，像一只只啄木鸟，善意地提醒了中国人习以为常的行为背后“尚未和国际接轨”的细节，读后让人回味不已，在获得借鉴意义的同时，也带来更深入的思考。我们效仿中英文对照的版面形式，旨在通过外国友人的视角来看中国，从中折射出东西方观念、习俗的异同。通过一篇篇这样的文章，让读者在领略异域文化的同时，也能达到学习英语的目的。
我是一名以色列记者，在北京工作。有一次，一位中国朋友夸我的英文很流利，还说她以前遇到的两个以色列少年也能讲很好的英语。她问我，英语对于以色列人和中国人来说都是外语，为什么以色列人的英语比中国人强呢？
以色列人的母语是希伯莱语。所有的以色列人要学9年英语，从小学三年级开始，学到高中毕业，这与中国的情况差不多。这9年的学习为具备英语交流能力打下了基础，尽管并非每个学生都是5分学生。但是，学好英语的决定因素既不是正规教育体制的质量，也不是学生学得刻苦，能流利掌握第二种语言的最重要因素是我们的环境，我们的语言氛围。
我们的日常生活环境包括很多方面，虽说我们对它们大多不在意，但它们还是会潜入我们的生活。比如说，音乐，就可以用来提高我们的英语技能。努瑞特?艾尔哈大德?考瑞恩是一家高科技公司的市场部经理，他对我说：“小时候我听甲壳虫乐队的歌，那是我最喜欢的英国乐队，听歌帮我扩大了词汇量。”这位33岁的以色列人在工作中主要与外国客户打交道，“大多数以色列电台常常播放外国音乐，这使我知道了一些常用短语，很容易就会用了。”他说。
看美国、澳大利亚或英国电影在我们这个中东小国也很普遍。28岁的大学生尤西?百罗说出了他的论点：绝不能看用希伯莱语配了音的电影，“在以色列上演的外国原声电影多数有希伯莱语字幕，在看了几部影片之后，我感到自己对英文对白的理解比原来强了。现在，我几乎不看字幕了。”他说。对于那些担心听不懂英文对白的中国朋友，我的建议是不要着急，看上十部以后看看会怎么样。进步是一点一滴积累起来的。
听力当然是语言学习中的重要部分，但是交谈绝不可以被忽视。到国外旅行，去探索一个陌生的国家，也是把学习与娱乐结合起来的方式。
以色列青年在高中毕业后都要服兵役，在三年兵役之后，很多青年都会出国旅行放松一下，并且在加入现代生活的竞争前理清思绪。这些年轻人当中，有的出国前英语平平，但是出去几个月回来后就能说流利的英语了。这是因为他们在国外必须不断使用英语，才能交朋友，才能满足基本的人生需求。对于大多数以色列人来说，最好的旅行方式是自己走，而不是像中国人通常那样参加旅行团。自己走就不仅仅是被导游带着，只和旅行团里的人交流了。
对于有钱也有时间度假的读者，你会发现实现一次自己做计划的旅行比参团有意思得多。与当地人直接交谈，没有导游协助，你就会看到自己的英语水平会有很大提高。
保持进步的最重要的一点是不断找外国人交谈。从人口600万的小国以色列来到北京，我觉得北京人生活在大城市真是幸运。主要优势是这儿住着很多外国人，还有很多外国旅游者来到中国的首都。
利用这个机会，和走在大街上的外国人交谈是练英语的极好机会，而且不用费大力气。但要记住，不是每个外国人都会觉得在街上与你交谈很自在，但是，遇到一个旅游者，那对双方都是很有意思的经历。那些充满好奇心的旅游者，来到中国就是想发现新奇的事，从一个北京人口中得到一些信息极可能让他们非常高兴。另一方面，你也有很好的机会提高英语，如果再有一点点运气和多多的礼貌，说不定还会结交一个老外朋友。
对于我来说，在课堂上学汉语是很难的，就像吃筷子而不是吃食物，可是，只要一走到北京街头，不憷开口和人们交谈，我的汉语水平就有了极大的提高。因此，我建议想提高英语水平的朋友，到旅游景点去，寻找外国旅游者，开练！
（本文作者现在以色列从事有关著名记者、作家爱泼斯坦纪录片的拍摄、执导工作。）
原文：
I’m an Israeli journalist working in Beijing. A Chinese friend once praised my English as being fluent and mentioned two Israeli teenagers she had met who also spoke English quite well. She wondered why, as English is a foreign language for both Israelis and Chinese, Israelis seem to master it better than Chinese?
Hebrew is Israelis’ mother tongue. All Israelis study English for nine years, beginning in the third grade until their graduation from high school, similar to the Chinese situation. This study lays the foundation for their English communicating abilities, even though not all of them are A+ students. But neither the quality of the formal education system nor the discipline of students is the determining factor. The most crucial element to gain fluency with a second language is our surroundings, and the language environment.
Our daily life environment consists of many things, most of which we don’t pay attention to, but still sneak into our lives. Music, for instance, can be used to improve language skills. Nurit Elhadad Koren, marketing manager of a hi-tech company, told me, “Listening to the Beatles, my favorite British band as a teenager widened my vocabulary a lot”. The 33-year-old Israeli, whose work involves mostly foreign clients, said, “Most Israeli radio stations often play foreign music, and as a result I became more aware of some common phrases which I could easily use”.
Watching American, Australian or British films is also very common in the small Middle Eastern country. Yossi Bello, a 28-year-old student, makes it a point to never watch movies that are dubbed into Hebrew, “Most of the foreign films shown in Israel have Hebrew subtitles. After watching only a handful of films, I realized that I started understanding the spoken language better, and now I barely look at them at all”. For those afraid they won’t understand the English dialog in the film, my advice is don’t worry, see what happens after seeing ten movies; progress will be made step by step.
Listening is of course an important element in language studies, but the conversational element should not be neglected. Traveling the world and exploring new countries can also combine education with pleasure.
After three years of obligatory military service, many young Israelis go abroad to travel in order to relax a little and clear their thoughts before joining the race of modern life. Some of those youngsters leave speaking just average English, but return home a few months later with fluent English skills, since they’ve had to use it constantly in order to make friends and to fulfil basic human needs. The favored way to travel for most Israelis is as individuals, rather than in groups as Chinese generally do. This way they are not just being led by the tour guide talking only with people from their group.
Any of you readers, who have the money as well as some time off for a vacation, will find out that it’s a lot more fun to go on a trip that you’ve planned by yourself. Communicating with the local people directly, without the assistance of a guide, you’ll find your English level will improve a lot.
The most important aspect to maintain progress is to keep looking for foreigners to communicate with. Arriving from a small country such as Israel, with a population of only six million people, I find Beijing residents to be very lucky to live in a big city. The main advantage is having many expatriates and tourists arriving in the capital.
Using the opportunity to chat with those foreigners out in streets can be a great chance to practice your English, with very little effort. Remember that not all foreigners would find it convenient, however, meeting a foreign tourist can be an interesting experience for both sides. The curious tourist, who arrives in China to explore the fascinating Chinese sights, would most likely be more than glad to get some tips from a native Beijinger. You, on the other hand, would have a great chance to polish your English, and with a little bit of luck and a lot of courtesy, you might make a new foreign friend.
Studying Chinese in class was as difficult for me as eating the chopsticks instead of food, but as soon as I went out to the streets of Beijing, with no fear of trying to talk to people, my Chinese skills have improved tremendously. So, I suggest to those who want to improve their English skills, go to a tourist site and find a foreign tourist to practice with!
（感谢北京青年报《双语视窗》栏目张爱学编辑对本文提供的支持）
责编：雷向晴
随着2008年奥运会的临近，民众越来越关心“中国”品牌的树立，学习英语的热情也被点燃。越来越多的外宣干部和业内同行向我们表达了期待看到双语栏目的期望。因此，我们在2006年第一期起开办了《双语视窗》栏目以满足广大读者的需求。
看看周围的媒体，《北京青年报》、《参考消息》、《国门时报》上有许多精粹的小短文，像一只只啄木鸟，善意地提醒了中国人习以为常的行为背后“尚未和国际接轨”的细节，读后让人回味不已，在获得借鉴意义的同时，也带来更深入的思考。我们效仿中英文对照的版面形式，旨在通过外国友人的视角来看中国，从中折射出东西方观念、习俗的异同。通过一篇篇这样的文章，让读者在领略异域文化的同时，也能达到学习英语的目的。
我是一名以色列记者，在北京工作。有一次，一位中国朋友夸我的英文很流利，还说她以前遇到的两个以色列少年也能讲很好的英语。她问我，英语对于以色列人和中国人来说都是外语，为什么以色列人的英语比中国人强呢？
以色列人的母语是希伯莱语。所有的以色列人要学9年英语，从小学三年级开始，学到高中毕业，这与中国的情况差不多。这9年的学习为具备英语交流能力打下了基础，尽管并非每个学生都是5分学生。但是，学好英语的决定因素既不是正规教育体制的质量，也不是学生学得刻苦，能流利掌握第二种语言的最重要因素是我们的环境，我们的语言氛围。
我们的日常生活环境包括很多方面，虽说我们对它们大多不在意，但它们还是会潜入我们的生活。比如说，音乐，就可以用来提高我们的英语技能。努瑞特?艾尔哈大德?考瑞恩是一家高科技公司的市场部经理，他对我说：“小时候我听甲壳虫乐队的歌，那是我最喜欢的英国乐队，听歌帮我扩大了词汇量。”这位33岁的以色列人在工作中主要与外国客户打交道，“大多数以色列电台常常播放外国音乐，这使我知道了一些常用短语，很容易就会用了。”他说。
看美国、澳大利亚或英国电影在我们这个中东小国也很普遍。28岁的大学生尤西?百罗说出了他的论点：绝不能看用希伯莱语配了音的电影，“在以色列上演的外国原声电影多数有希伯莱语字幕，在看了几部影片之后，我感到自己对英文对白的理解比原来强了。现在，我几乎不看字幕了。”他说。对于那些担心听不懂英文对白的中国朋友，我的建议是不要着急，看上十部以后看看会怎么样。进步是一点一滴积累起来的。
听力当然是语言学习中的重要部分，但是交谈绝不可以被忽视。到国外旅行，去探索一个陌生的国家，也是把学习与娱乐结合起来的方式。
以色列青年在高中毕业后都要服兵役，在三年兵役之后，很多青年都会出国旅行放松一下，并且在加入现代生活的竞争前理清思绪。这些年轻人当中，有的出国前英语平平，但是出去几个月回来后就能说流利的英语了。这是因为他们在国外必须不断使用英语，才能交朋友，才能满足基本的人生需求。对于大多数以色列人来说，最好的旅行方式是自己走，而不是像中国人通常那样参加旅行团。自己走就不仅仅是被导游带着，只和旅行团里的人交流了。
对于有钱也有时间度假的读者，你会发现实现一次自己做计划的旅行比参团有意思得多。与当地人直接交谈，没有导游协助，你就会看到自己的英语水平会有很大提高。
保持进步的最重要的一点是不断找外国人交谈。从人口600万的小国以色列来到北京，我觉得北京人生活在大城市真是幸运。主要优势是这儿住着很多外国人，还有很多外国旅游者来到中国的首都。
利用这个机会，和走在大街上的外国人交谈是练英语的极好机会，而且不用费大力气。但要记住，不是每个外国人都会觉得在街上与你交谈很自在，但是，遇到一个旅游者，那对双方都是很有意思的经历。那些充满好奇心的旅游者，来到中国就是想发现新奇的事，从一个北京人口中得到一些信息极可能让他们非常高兴。另一方面，你也有很好的机会提高英语，如果再有一点点运气和多多的礼貌，说不定还会结交一个老外朋友。
对于我来说，在课堂上学汉语是很难的，就像吃筷子而不是吃食物，可是，只要一走到北京街头，不憷开口和人们交谈，我的汉语水平就有了极大的提高。因此，我建议想提高英语水平的朋友，到旅游景点去，寻找外国旅游者，开练！
（本文作者现在以色列从事有关著名记者、作家爱泼斯坦纪录片的拍摄、执导工作。）
原文：
I’m an Israeli journalist working in Beijing. A Chinese friend once praised my English as being fluent and mentioned two Israeli teenagers she had met who also spoke English quite well. She wondered why, as English is a foreign language for both Israelis and Chinese, Israelis seem to master it better than Chinese?
Hebrew is Israelis’ mother tongue. All Israelis study English for nine years, beginning in the third grade until their graduation from high school, similar to the Chinese situation. This study lays the foundation for their English communicating abilities, even though not all of them are A+ students. But neither the quality of the formal education system nor the discipline of students is the determining factor. The most crucial element to gain fluency with a second language is our surroundings, and the language environment.
Our daily life environment consists of many things, most of which we don’t pay attention to, but still sneak into our lives. Music, for instance, can be used to improve language skills. Nurit Elhadad Koren, marketing manager of a hi-tech company, told me, “Listening to the Beatles, my favorite British band as a teenager widened my vocabulary a lot”. The 33-year-old Israeli, whose work involves mostly foreign clients, said, “Most Israeli radio stations often play foreign music, and as a result I became more aware of some common phrases which I could easily use”.
Watching American, Australian or British films is also very common in the small Middle Eastern country. Yossi Bello, a 28-year-old student, makes it a point to never watch movies that are dubbed into Hebrew, “Most of the foreign films shown in Israel have Hebrew subtitles. After watching only a handful of films, I realized that I started understanding the spoken language better, and now I barely look at them at all”. For those afraid they won’t understand the English dialog in the film, my advice is don’t worry, see what happens after seeing ten movies; progress will be made step by step.
Listening is of course an important element in language studies, but the conversational element should not be neglected. Traveling the world and exploring new countries can also combine education with pleasure.
After three years of obligatory military service, many young Israelis go abroad to travel in order to relax a little and clear their thoughts before joining the race of modern life. Some of those youngsters leave speaking just average English, but return home a few months later with fluent English skills, since they’ve had to use it constantly in order to make friends and to fulfil basic human needs. The favored way to travel for most Israelis is as individuals, rather than in groups as Chinese generally do. This way they are not just being led by the tour guide talking only with people from their group.
Any of you readers, who have the money as well as some time off for a vacation, will find out that it’s a lot more fun to go on a trip that you’ve planned by yourself. Communicating with the local people directly, without the assistance of a guide, you’ll find your English level will improve a lot.
The most important aspect to maintain progress is to keep looking for foreigners to communicate with. Arriving from a small country such as Israel, with a population of only six million people, I find Beijing residents to be very lucky to live in a big city. The main advantage is having many expatriates and tourists arriving in the capital.
Using the opportunity to chat with those foreigners out in streets can be a great chance to practice your English, with very little effort. Remember that not all foreigners would find it convenient, however, meeting a foreign tourist can be an interesting experience for both sides. The curious tourist, who arrives in China to explore the fascinating Chinese sights, would most likely be more than glad to get some tips from a native Beijinger. You, on the other hand, would have a great chance to polish your English, and with a little bit of luck and a lot of courtesy, you might make a new foreign friend.
Studying Chinese in class was as difficult for me as eating the chopsticks instead of food, but as soon as I went out to the streets of Beijing, with no fear of trying to talk to people, my Chinese skills have improved tremendously. So, I suggest to those who want to improve their English skills, go to a tourist site and find a foreign tourist to practice with!
（感谢北京青年报《双语视窗》栏目张爱学编辑对本文提供的支持）
责编：雷向晴