The road to fluent English 流利英语路

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Growing up in Venezuela， I never had really much cause to learn English.

For years I knew nothing past “hello”， until I started high school. For five years， I spent two hours a week immersed in understanding the verb “to be”， “numbers”， “colors”， and the di⁃fference between saying “good evening” and “good night”.

I thought two hours a week was enough time to invest in learning a foreign language. I would always get top marks， and my teachers would regularly praise me.

Even as an adult， I still thought I spoke the language， just by understanding English menus or translating common phrases.

Yep， that used to be me， walking like a queen among everyday Spanish speakers.

“Bring it on， life，” I said.

“I can handle whatever youve got; Im a rock star.” But when I moved to Canada， life hit me so hard that it knocked me down. Years later， I am still recovering.

Living in a new land， with different people， new rules， new weather， a new culture and language， I was no longer a queen.

Did I speak English？

No， not at all.

So， I went back to school， thinking that it was a challenge I would conquer in record time. But the reality was different. English was more like a solid wall in my path.

Even after getting a job， it took all my courage to stop myself from hiding in the washroom during my lunch break， crying， completely overwhelmed （不知所措的） and scared.

Learning English， speaking， listening—it hurt me. Not the language. Not the unkind people. It hurt because I wasnt good， despite my efforts.

Now， after almost seven years in Canada， Ive decided not to apologize for my accent， grammar mistakes， or pronunciation. Im going to chase my dreams and enjoy a beautiful， rich， and fascinating language without being ashamed.

Dont get me wrong. My brain still screams “Give me a break！” from time to time， but thats completely natural. I know its going to take a while， but at least now I accept the person I am—not the perfect person I thought I was.

Activity A Reading for understanding

Ⅰ. Text?centered chunks

immerse in 全神贯注于;沉浸在

invest in 投资;投入（时间、精力等）

knock sb down 打倒（或击倒、撞倒）某人

Ⅱ. Text⁃centered sentences

一、非谓语

1. Growing up in Venezuela， I never had really much cause to learn English. 我在委内瑞拉长大，从来没有学习英语的理由。（剩余3000字）

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