2013年12月29日 星期日

Summary and Reaction to"Mania for learning English" from Ted-Talk

      The audio is basically talking about the mania for learning English. It says that there are two billions of people learning English because English is the opportunity for better job and decenter life. From that Chinese student start learning English in the 3rd grade by law, we can see the indication that the intensity to learn English is nearly imaginable. To English native speakers, it is wild that students in China study for 12 hours a day for 3 years to prepare for a critical exam which includes 25 percent of grade on English. Besides, the only exam will literally determine their future. All these policies seem to be proofs of the mania for learning English.
There are many kinds of manias in the world, such as sport mania and religious mania. Mania may be good, alarming, or fatal; yet the speaker says that the mania for learning English is nothing about good or bad. It is just a necessity which will improve our future. Just like math is the language of science or music is the language of emotions, English is the language of problem-solving. Learning English have become a trend in the world not because the United States is pushing it, but because the world is pulling it. Since people from all over the world are getting to know English, English is becoming the world’s second language. However, the speaker didn’t deny the importance of native language. He says that native language is life, and English is the tool to unveil the global conversation and profession for world citizens. Backing to the point, English is a turning point for human beings to solve the common problems in common language. It represents a hope for the better future.
As far as I am concerned, learning English well is really a big thing. I have learnt English since I was a little child. Nevertheless, I didn’t deeply realized how important this language is until the first time I went traveling abroad. To my surprise, I could communicate with others in English even in a non-English country. I was able to ask things in English no matter in Japan, Thailand, or Europe. My traveling experience makes me notice the wonder of language. Common language can bring people of different backgrounds closer and together. It helps human culture and technology a lot in the way it translating meaning from one language to another. Having a common language is an elemental thing in human world, because we need a tool to communicate. I like the sentence that “Native language is life, but with English we can become part of a wider conversation.” Some people may think we learn English because of the power of the United States, but I like the emphasis that English language is becoming common due to its usual function. To me, the ability of knowing English is important and indispensable, for this language is used to define a word or a label in other languages. For example, few people know Latin, but lots people know English; thus, those few people translate Latin into English, and then those who know English translate English to other language. The process helps human beings preserve history and further share history; it also helps us discuss measures to improve global life and further invent and share usual technology.
It may be sensible to figure out why should the world has the second language, but it may be skeptical that why is the language English? I guess the reason lies in the accessibility and feasibility of the language. English may be much easier than any other languages for most of us to learn, and it does exist everywhere in our daily life. 

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