Kai-Fu Lee: How I Overcame English Difficulties in One Year

Before going to the United States, I had only learned English for half a year, so the language barrier became the biggest difficulty I faced. At the beginning, I could barely understand a word of what my classmates and teachers said. It felt very painful. The "hypnotic" speaking speed always made me doze off in class. Sometimes, I heard my classmates because of I laughed so hard at the teacher's joke that I woke up from my dream, but I still couldn't figure it out. The bible-like English was a little daunting to me at first. Later, I simply brought a few Chinese martial arts novels to class to read, because I felt that I couldn’t understand them no matter how much I listened to them, so I might as well read novels. Education in the United States is quite lax. When nuns and teachers see this, most of the time they won’t accuse you in person, but just let it go. Actually, I was secretly holding back some energy. Being so smart, I shouldn’t be tripped up by language! So, I found a big book of English words to memorize, and I often memorized them until midnight. If I didn't know how to memorize them, I would flip through the thick Chinese-English dictionary again and again. However, it didn’t take long for me to discover that this was not the best way to learn English, because even if I remembered a word at the time, it would be completely forgotten if it was not used frequently. I finally realized that memorizing words without context is useless. Later, I made up my mind to learn English through more communication methods. After class, I was no longer timid and stood among my classmates and listened to them. If 4 of the 5 words are understood and only one is not understood, I will quickly ask and the students will explain it to me again in English. After I get home, I will silently recall the words I don’t understand and then write them down. And when I was in class, when I encountered someone who didn’t understand, I bravely raised my hand and asked the teacher, “Sorry, I didn’t follow? Can you say again what you mean? (Sorry, I didn’t follow? Can you say again what you mean?) Do you mean that? )” During my first year at St. Mary’s School in Oak Ridge, the nuns and teachers also took great care of me. The principal, Sister Mary David, even sacrificed her lunch time to help me with one-on-one English tutoring. She copied the first-grade primary school texts and read them to me every day. I still clearly remember that the first text she taught me was: I have a dog named Spot (I have a dog named Xiaohua) See Spot walk (See the little flower walk) See Spot run (See the little flower run) From this simple Starting from the text, we persisted for a year. During this year, my English level improved rapidly. All the teachers in the school also allowed me to enjoy the special treatment of "open book exams". They asked me to take the test papers home and told me, "If you don't know the words in the questions, you can look them up in the dictionary, but you can't read the book to find the answers." Oh." Every time I got home, I strictly followed the teacher's instructions. I looked up words in the dictionary that I didn't know, but I never looked in a book to find the answer. Because, I feel that this is the greatest trust given to me by the teacher, and I cannot live up to this trust. Through various channels of learning, my English is finally approaching the level of my peers. One year later, I could completely understand what the teacher said and I had no problem speaking in English. I think this has something to do with my young age and easy acceptance of new languages, but it also has something to do with my boldness in using them and not being afraid of making a fool of myself. Later, I also discovered that children who came to the United States before the age of 12 can often learn English without an accent. During the summer vacation, my mother and I often went to my third sister’s home in Atlanta to play, and they often gave me a lot of homework to memorize vocabulary. In the third grade of junior high school, two years after arriving in the United States, my essay "Indifference - America's Biggest Enemy in the New Century" actually ranked among the top ten in Tennessee. This is undoubtedly a great affirmation for my English level. Interstate essay competitions usually set a general topic and then ask writers to write an article within this scope. At that time, the United States was about to enter its third century since its founding. Therefore, the title of the interstate essay competition that year was "America's Biggest Challenge in the Third Century." At that time, many contestants defined the challenges as energy crisis, environmental degradation, etc. But I took a different approach and defined the challenge at the spiritual level, that is - indifference. I wrote in the article: "The success of the United States comes from Americans' pursuit of freedom and happiness. However, with the emergence of the Vietnam War and other social problems, many Americans no longer realize their values ????through participation, and they are no longer active and Indifference to spirit and giving up on ideals.

They have lost that positive spirit that makes America great. Many Americans are becoming increasingly apathetic, smoking, drinking, and taking drugs without goals. People psychologically don't care about anything. In the past, people said that Americans only care about themselves. Now, Americans no longer even care about themselves. This is the biggest problem. This subtle change in values ??will weaken or even reverse all elements of human progress. Therefore, the biggest challenge facing American society today is nothing else but how we change the indifference between people. "As soon as the rankings of the essay competition were announced, the whole school was in a sensation! People couldn't believe that this boy from Taiwan, China, who had only been in the United States for two years, had achieved such results in English. However, this is not the end of the story. The tradition of the state essay competition is to select the top ten winners. These ten winners will also go through a round of defense to determine the first place. Whoever answers the question well will win the final victory. Back to Oak Ridge, I became very interested in this mysterious figure that made me miss the "first", and I quickly went to the school library to find the answer. I learned that Nader is a famous consumer rights advocate and has contributed to a series of events. The emergence of the bill. He has been fighting people's indifference all his life, and his actions are closely related to protesting indifference. This incident gave me a profound inspiration, even though Nader is not a household name in the United States. However, he does have a close connection with my composition. I finally understand that mastering a language and culture is far more than just being able to speak the local language and understand the local customs, but also the history and culture of the culture. A deep understanding of the country's system. In addition, writing requires not only sharp opinions and gorgeous language, but also sufficient arguments, which require a lot of hard work and years of accumulation. The defense was very impressive. When I was learning a language, I also paid more attention to the meaning behind news events. I knew that only by reading more, looking up more information, and understanding more history could I truly delve into the core of a culture. In the vast ocean, I never tire of it. While I was working hard to master English, I did not forget to continue learning Chinese. My mother came to stay with me for 6 months every year. During this period, we naturally communicated in Chinese. During the other 6 months, she asked. I write her a letter home every week, and it must be written in Chinese, so that I will not forget the Chinese. Every time my mother replies to me, she will send my letter back, and she will revise it carefully. Marking typos and inappropriate words is just like correcting essays. I write in Chinese almost every day. This habit prevents me from getting used to a new language like many young international students, but gradually loses my own. Mother tongue. I have not forgotten Chinese, and I owe it to my elder brother and sister-in-law’s family to have a complete set of Jin Yong novels and Qiong Yao novels. At that time, Chinese novels were a way for me to relax my nerves. After living in my brother and sister-in-law’s house for 6 years, I actually remembered Jin Yong and Qiong Yao. I have read every book by Qiong Yao, and I have also read Jin Yong’s novels five times. When I went back to Taiwan for summer vacation, I was never embarrassed to say that I had read all the novels by Qiong Yao, but I often competed with my nephews about who could read Jin Yong. After reading a lot of novels, I remember the characters well. They no longer compete with me because they can’t compare with me. Even if someone insists on competing with me despite their own abilities, they will always be stopped by others and kindly dissuade them: “No, he Really everyone knows! ”------------------------------------------------ -----------------------------------------------This is Kai-Fu Lee's only book The autobiography, between the lines, is the precious life wisdom and workplace experience accumulated over the years. The mischievous "little emperor", the 11-year-old "international student", Obama's college classmate, the 26-year-old associate professor, the 33-year-old Apple vice president, The founder of Google China has many legendary experiences. Because of him, two of the largest IT companies went to court, and every choice he made in life was a successful self-transcendence. Through this autobiography, Kaifu Lee is sincere. It tells the little-known history of his growth, the history of success through hardships, and the spiritual history of Zhuzhao's life. It also fully discloses for the first time the inside story of the ups and downs of IT giants such as Apple, Microsoft, and Google, which he has experienced with sincerity and detail. . Seize everything to explore the meaning of life, and one day, the world will be different because of you.