字神帝國英語天地

This article is designed for IELTS students but could also be used as part of a general English course. I normally use this on the first day of a new course and the aim is to promote student autonomy, raise awareness of what is expected and motivate students.
這篇文章是為雅思考生寫的，但是只要英語學習者都可以參考。在我之前上過的課程裡我都將第一節課的內容，定為這個，目的是提高同學們的自覺性，激勵他們學習，以及讓他們對自己的學習期許有正確的認識。

It is based on a Ted talk called 8 Secrets of Success. All you need is the video, the picture and the 8 paragraphs below.
這篇文章的靈感來源於TED的一篇演講，名字叫做成功的八項秘密。總結起來就是照片中的內容。

❖ Passion/激情
The most successful IELTS candidates do lots of practice outside the classroom. A good tip is to find something you are really interested in and practice the four skills within that topic. If you have a love for what you are reading or listening to, you are more likely to stick at it and practice regularly.
在雅思考試中取得好成績的同學，都在課外做了好多功課，比較好的方法是找到自己感興趣的話題，然後在這個話題中不斷鍛煉自己的四個基本技巧，只要你對你練習的內容感興趣，你堅持可能性就會大很多。

❖ Work/努力
There are no tricks to cheat the exam. Manage your time well and set aside some time every day to study and practice. You IELTS test result will be a fair reflection of how much effort you put in.
不要想著在考試的時候作弊，好好規劃自己的時間，每天都要餘出一段時間在雅思備考上，雅思考試的成績一定是和你的努力成正比的。

❖ Focus/專注
When you do a practice test or get a piece of homework marked, try to establish your mistakes and weaknesses. Mistakes should be embraced as they are the single best way to improve. Concentrate on your weaknesses and they will soon become strengths.
當你做完一個習題，或者一份作業剛剛批好，請把錯誤點和弱項都集中起來，在看待錯誤上，我們應該應該始終認為這是我們成長的唯一途徑。

❖ Push/督促
At times you will suffer from a lack of motivation, everyone does. Tell as many of your friends and family as possible you are doing the IELTS test, and more importantly, tell them how much work you have to do. When you start to slip behind they will motivate you.
在學習雅思的過程中，難免會覺得動力不足，每個人都會這樣，告訴大家你在備考雅思，越多的人越好，家人，朋友，全都告訴他們。更重要的是告訴他們，在備考雅思的過程中你付出了多少努力，這樣子啊你堅持不下去的時候，他們就會激勵你前進了。

❖ Ideas/靈感
Many students worry that they don’t have enough general knowledge to complete the test. IELTS is not a knowledge test, it is an English test. All of the questions are designed so that most people will have enough ideas to give a good answer. Also, don’t worry about the examiner’s opinion. They don’t have to agree with you.
許多同學都擔心自己沒有充足的知識來完成這項考試，雅思考試並不是在測試你的知識面，而是英語能力的測試，所有問題的設置都為了讓更多的人有足夠的答題靈感。除此之外不要考慮考官的想法，他們的答案，想法不一定要和你一致。

❖ Improve/提高
Always be looking for ways to get better. Are there English speakers in your city? Have a chat with them. Do you like watching TV and movies? Watch as many English shows as you can. Do you enjoy reading? Find a blog or news site to practice everyday.
專注於怎樣找到更好的方法提高自己，在你的週遭的人中，有講英文的嗎？和他們多聊聊天，你喜歡看電視，看電影嗎？那就盡可能的多看些英文電影，喜歡閱讀嗎？那就多找些新聞網站，多看看，每天都堅持練習。

❖ Serve/幫助
Help your classmates as much as you can. This will help you practice your speaking and listening and also establish your strengths and weaknesses. If there is something a classmate needs help with, point it out and try to help. They will probably help you too.
盡可能多幫助同班級的同學，在幫助其他人的同時也是提高口語和聽力的好機會，也可以就次機會明確自己的弱項和強項在哪裡。如果有需要班上的同學説明的地方，儘管提出來，並尋求幫助。他們也會幫助你的。

❖ Persist/堅持
There will be times when you feel like IELTS is all too much. Don’t worry and keep going. Talk to a classmate or teacher about your difficulties and they are sure to help you. Don’t give up.
有的時候你會感覺雅思考試的內容實在太多了，不太擔心這些，繼續堅持。遇到困難的時候就和老師，同學多交流，他們一定會幫助你，不要放棄。

TED演講請參考：Richard St. John 談成功的8個秘訣