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Before you can start speaking and writing in English， you have to learn how things are said in English. You do this by getting input—reading and listening to the correct English sentences of other people （ideally1， native speakers）.
在能开始用英语交谈和写作之前，你必须先学会怎么说英语。你可以通过阅读和听别人（最好是母语是英语的人）正确的英语句子来做到这一点。
Most English learners get their input from English classes. In this article， I will argue that English classes simply do not give you enough input to speak English fluently， and that you need to get English input outside the classroom if you want to be fluent. I will also give two reasons to take things into your own hands and get English input on your own.
大多數英语学习者从英语课上获得输入。在这篇文章中，笔者会讨论英语课根本没有提供足够的输入让你流利说英语，如果想说得流利，你需要在课堂之外获得英语输入。笔者还将给出两个理由，说明为什么要把事情掌握在自己手中，主动进行英语输入。
★Amount of Input输入量
1. What do I mean by fluency？ I mean being able to write and speak almost as easily—and almost as correctly—as in your native language.
1. 笔者所说的流利是什么意思呢？意思是指能够像用母语一样轻松、准确地写和说。
2. By pages， I mean typical pages in a paperback2 book.
2. “页”指的是平装书的典型页面。
3. By hours of audio， I mean hours of non-stop talking， as in a radio interview.
3. 音频时间，指的是几个小时不间断的谈话，就像是在电台采访中那样。
To speak English fluently， you need a lot of input. If you want to become fluent， the question you need to ask yourself is： Can English classes give me 60 pages and 6 hours of input every week？ How much input are you getting in English class？
要说一口流利的英语，你需要大量输入。如果你想变得流利，需要问自己一个问题：每周的英语课能给我60页和6小时的输入吗？你在英语课上的输入是多少？
Teachers provide little input. When they speak， they speak quite slowly， with frequent pauses. 10 minutes of listening to a teacher gives you perhaps 5 minutes of “non-stop” input. In addition， some teachers like to speak their native language instead of English.
老师提供的输入很少。他们说话时会说得很慢，经常停顿。听老师讲10分钟的课，你可能会有5分钟“不间断”的输入。此外，有些老师喜欢讲母语而不讲英语。
Other students also provide little input because they talk even more slowly than the teacher and they often make mistakes. A lot of time is wasted on exercises that give you almost no input. There are also breaks， during which nothing happens.
其他学生也几乎不会提供输入，因为他们比老师说得更慢，而且经常犯错。很多时间都浪费在那些几乎不提供输入的练习上，还有没有任何输入的休息时间。
It becomes obvious3 that no more than 1/3 of the total lesson time is spent listening to correct English sentences. The average amount of text that you read in an English class is probably no more than 3 pages per 45-minute lesson （including texts in the textbook and teacher handouts）. 很明显，不超过总课时1/3的时间花在了听正确英语句子上。你在英语课堂上阅读课文的平均量可能不超过每45分钟3页（包括课本和老师讲义中的文本）。
★Fun 乐趣
As I’ve explained above， I believe that getting input outside the classroom is the only road to fluency. But there are reasons to get input on your own even if fluency is not your goal.
正如上面所解释的那样，笔者认为在课堂之外获得输入是实现流利（说英语）的唯一途径。但是，即使流利不是你的目标，你也有理由主动去获得输入。
When you choose your own sources4 of input， you can choose things that you really care about. You can read a Harry Potter book， an e-mail message from a friend， an Internet forum with useful advice， or perhaps news about your favorite football club or watch your favorite TV series. Fun leads to stronger memories. When you see or hear something that matters to you， you can remember much more.
当你选择自己的输入来源时，可以挑选真正喜欢的东西。你可以读一本《哈利波特》，一封来自朋友的电子邮件，一个提供有效建议的网络论坛，也可以是关于你最喜欢的足球俱乐部的新闻，或者看最喜欢的电视连续剧。乐趣会增强你的记忆力。当看到或听到一些对你很重要的事情时，你能记住更多内容。
Notes
1. ideally
在能开始用英语交谈和写作之前，你必须先学会怎么说英语。你可以通过阅读和听别人（最好是母语是英语的人）正确的英语句子来做到这一点。
Most English learners get their input from English classes. In this article， I will argue that English classes simply do not give you enough input to speak English fluently， and that you need to get English input outside the classroom if you want to be fluent. I will also give two reasons to take things into your own hands and get English input on your own.
大多數英语学习者从英语课上获得输入。在这篇文章中，笔者会讨论英语课根本没有提供足够的输入让你流利说英语，如果想说得流利，你需要在课堂之外获得英语输入。笔者还将给出两个理由，说明为什么要把事情掌握在自己手中，主动进行英语输入。
★Amount of Input输入量
1. What do I mean by fluency？ I mean being able to write and speak almost as easily—and almost as correctly—as in your native language.
1. 笔者所说的流利是什么意思呢？意思是指能够像用母语一样轻松、准确地写和说。
2. By pages， I mean typical pages in a paperback2 book.
2. “页”指的是平装书的典型页面。
3. By hours of audio， I mean hours of non-stop talking， as in a radio interview.
3. 音频时间，指的是几个小时不间断的谈话，就像是在电台采访中那样。
To speak English fluently， you need a lot of input. If you want to become fluent， the question you need to ask yourself is： Can English classes give me 60 pages and 6 hours of input every week？ How much input are you getting in English class？
要说一口流利的英语，你需要大量输入。如果你想变得流利，需要问自己一个问题：每周的英语课能给我60页和6小时的输入吗？你在英语课上的输入是多少？
Teachers provide little input. When they speak， they speak quite slowly， with frequent pauses. 10 minutes of listening to a teacher gives you perhaps 5 minutes of “non-stop” input. In addition， some teachers like to speak their native language instead of English.
老师提供的输入很少。他们说话时会说得很慢，经常停顿。听老师讲10分钟的课，你可能会有5分钟“不间断”的输入。此外，有些老师喜欢讲母语而不讲英语。
Other students also provide little input because they talk even more slowly than the teacher and they often make mistakes. A lot of time is wasted on exercises that give you almost no input. There are also breaks， during which nothing happens.
其他学生也几乎不会提供输入，因为他们比老师说得更慢，而且经常犯错。很多时间都浪费在那些几乎不提供输入的练习上，还有没有任何输入的休息时间。
It becomes obvious3 that no more than 1/3 of the total lesson time is spent listening to correct English sentences. The average amount of text that you read in an English class is probably no more than 3 pages per 45-minute lesson （including texts in the textbook and teacher handouts）. 很明显，不超过总课时1/3的时间花在了听正确英语句子上。你在英语课堂上阅读课文的平均量可能不超过每45分钟3页（包括课本和老师讲义中的文本）。
★Fun 乐趣
As I’ve explained above， I believe that getting input outside the classroom is the only road to fluency. But there are reasons to get input on your own even if fluency is not your goal.
正如上面所解释的那样，笔者认为在课堂之外获得输入是实现流利（说英语）的唯一途径。但是，即使流利不是你的目标，你也有理由主动去获得输入。
When you choose your own sources4 of input， you can choose things that you really care about. You can read a Harry Potter book， an e-mail message from a friend， an Internet forum with useful advice， or perhaps news about your favorite football club or watch your favorite TV series. Fun leads to stronger memories. When you see or hear something that matters to you， you can remember much more.
当你选择自己的输入来源时，可以挑选真正喜欢的东西。你可以读一本《哈利波特》，一封来自朋友的电子邮件，一个提供有效建议的网络论坛，也可以是关于你最喜欢的足球俱乐部的新闻，或者看最喜欢的电视连续剧。乐趣会增强你的记忆力。当看到或听到一些对你很重要的事情时，你能记住更多内容。
Notes
1. ideally