总有家长和同学问我应该选择什么样的课外教材来学英语
这个问题其实很难回答。以《新概念》为例，这篇互动和评论非常多，直到今天还不断有人留言。这说明大家对这套经典教材的关注度依然很高，但也有很多人表示它太过时了，不适合现在的学生使用，还有人在评论区里争得面红耳赤。
其实大家可能多虑了，《新概念》虽然老，但也老不过《傲慢与偏见》，那为什么大家普遍觉得读名著是应该的，但学老教材就过时呢？这种心态反映出了很多人的焦虑，但其实是没有必要的，也没有道理。
有些“老教材无用论”的鼓吹者，也许英语水平是不过关的，甚至连基本的英语认知也没有建立起来，说得不好听一点，就是还没有资格质疑。如果你和我一样认可老教材，但觉得《新概念》太大众化了，想了解其它的优秀教材，我倒是有非常好的推荐。
今天，我就给大家介绍一套历史悠久但水平极高的英语教材《灵格风》（Linguaphone）。废话不多说，直接上原文——我从中级教程中随便选了一篇文章，大家来感受一下它的地道性和实用性。这篇文章的标题是：Saturday Night Thoughts 是一个人周六晚上入睡前的内心活动，是一段口语化+意识流的独白，特别适合作为口语考试的训练素材。他在考虑周日干什么，因为他一般周日都无所事事，但明天想做点改变……
Now where are my pyjamas?It’s Sunday tomorrow. I usually sit around and do nothing on Sundays, but tomorrow I’m going to make a special effort. I’m going to get up early and see to lots of jobs that I’ve been meaning to do for ages but just haven’t got round to. First of all, I’m going to cut the garden hedge, and then I’m going to dig the weeds out of the vegetable patch and plant some cabbages and onions. If I have time after that, I’ll mow the front lawn before lunch. In the afternoon I’m going to polish the car and give it a service. The car needs a service badly, but I’m not going to take it to the garage because labour costs are so high nowadays. There’s no point in wasting money, and why pay someone to do a simple job when it costs you nothing to do it yourself? I’ve phoned Ted, and since he’s at a loose end tomorrow he’ll come round as soon as he finishes lunch and we’ll work on the car together. We’ve agreed that he’ll help me with my car this week, and, in turn, I’ll go round to his place next Sunday and help him paint his garage.Ah well, into bed…
当年第一次看到这篇文章，我就立刻被那些精准的语句所吸引。其中很多用法都是当前流行的英美剧台词中的“常客”，随手记下几个，说不定下次在谈论“周末有什么打算”这类口语话题时就能派上用场：
sit around and do nothingmake a special effortsee to…(大爱这个短语)see to lots of jobs that I’ve been meaning to do for ages but just haven’t got round to.(整个背下来就可以直接用)If I have time after thatpolish the car and give it a service.There’s no point in wasting money, and why pay someone to do a simple job when it costs you nothing to do it yourself? (是不是感觉每天都有可能用到这句话？)at a loose endhe’ll come round as soon as he finishes lunchI’ll go round to his place这只是《灵格风》的冰山一角，满段的语言精华已经让人爱不释手。大家可以仔细品读几遍。
我们再来看一段对话—— A Little Gossip，是两位女士的闲聊，当然从内容上来看，翻译成“八卦”更好。而且，通过这段对话我们可以学到很多英式八卦的超实用句型。
Mrs. Jones: Good morning, Mrs. Smith. What beautiful weather again!
Mrs. Smith: Yes, lovely! What a splendid summer we’ve had so far this year!
Mrs. Jones: Yes, but some people are complaining about the heat and grumbling because we haven’t had much rain for the gardens.
Mrs. Smith: Some people are never satisfied.
Mrs. Jones: By the way, have you heard that young Patrick Ellis has had another accident in his car?
Mrs. Smith: How awful! Is he badly hurt?
Mrs. Jones: Well, they took him to hospital but I don’t think it was serious because he’s coming home again today.
Mrs. Smith: I suppose he was driving flat out again. Only yesterday I was telling Mrs. Tailor how madly he drives. And all his friends are just the same.
Mrs. Jones: I know. What wild things these young men are these days!
Mrs. Smith: Mm….I’ve got some news for you, too. Have you heard that Eva Browning is getting married for the third time on September the tenth?
Mrs. Jones: Fancy that! She only got her second divorce in the spring. What a dreadful woman she is!
Mrs. Smith: Her first marriage only lasted six months – and that was only in 1972, wasn’t it?
Mrs. Jones: Yes, that’s right. At this rate she’ll lose count of her husbands before she’s forty.
Mrs. Smith: She may lose count, Mrs. Jones, but we certainly won’t.
两人见面打招呼后先聊了一下天气，画风还比较正常。
「笔记」
1. What beautiful weather again!（注意，没有冠词a）；
2. lovely, splendid summer;
3. some people are complaining about...and grumbling…（有些人就是喜欢抱怨和发牢骚）；
Mrs. Jones开始八卦一个年轻人的车祸，画风开始变化。
「笔记」
1. Have you heard that...has had another accident…?（不用铺垫，直接八卦）
2. How awful!（说这句话，语调越奇怪越好~）
3. I don’t think it was serious because he’s coming home again today.（原来车祸并不严重，注意否定转移 I don’t think it was…）；
4. he was driving flat out again.（口语用法: flat out，相当于as fast as possible）；
5. Only yesterday I was telling...how...（相信我，这绝对是口语考试中的救命万能句型）；
6. What wild things these young men are these days!（把这句话的断句处理好，检验自己有没有真懂这个句型）；
Mrs. Smith礼尚往来，也回馈了一个大八卦——某女士要结第三次婚了！
「笔记」
1. I’ve got some news for you, too.
2. Fancy that!（这句话一定要抬高语气，它可以翻译成各种中文版本，如果用武汉话来说，有点像“你吓（发音：核）我呃~”）；
3. What a dreadful woman she is!（经典刻薄评价）；
4. At this rate she’ll lose count of her husbands before she’s forty.（照这个速度下去，她四十岁之前可能就数不清自己有多少个老公了……at this rate, lose count of，多好的用法）；
5. She may lose count, Mrs. Jones, but we certainly won’t.（这句话的朗读技巧在于，第一个单词 She 要重读，仔细体会一下这个语气吧！）
以上是我当年第一次学习这段对话时做的笔记，大家还可以开发出更多有意思的语言点，自己练习几遍，最好再找一个小伙伴分角色朗读几遍，相信你以后在用英语说八卦时会更自信！
李哲：资深英语讲师，从教16年，英文藏书3000册；翻译出版过《可怕的科学》系列等多部英文著作；企鹅图书纪念莎士比亚诞辰450周年大型活动武汉站主讲嘉宾；互联网预言大师、《失控》&《必然》作者凯文·凯利读者见面会特邀现场翻译；用英语讲述的个人故事被BBC选用并在国际频道BBC World Service中播出。
