TEXT 1. MY ENGLISH STUDIES.

Learning a foreign language is not an easy thing. It is a long and slow process that takes a lot of time and efforts.

We began studying English in the fourth form of the secondary school. We started with the ABC, transcription and sounds. Then we learnt some English words, conversational phrases and dialogues by heart, read and translated easy texts.

From lesson to lesson we improved our knowledge, learnt more and more new words, grammatical structures and put them into practice of speaking. We enjoyed our English classes and prepared carefully for them. At home we tried to listen to different educational programmes over the radio, watched English films on TV.

Soon we were able not only to read and translate texts but to discuss their contents in English, to communicate with one another making useful statements in real-life situations.

I want to know foreign languages because I have always been interested in foreign countries, their cultures and peoples. I want to learn English in particular not only because it is the language of such great countries as the USA and Great Britain, but also because it has become the international language, the language of progressive science and engineering. To know English today is absolutely necessary for every educated man, for every good specialist.

Задание 15. Прочитайте текст № 2 и ответьте на вопросы:

1. Is learning a foreign language an easy thing?

2. How does the writer's experience of learning the language compare with yours?