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I. In terms of speaking skills, it mainly includes: practicing pronunciation and using spoken language. (1) Practicing pronunciation – pronunciation is extremely important in English, so it’s essential to ensure that one’s pronunciation is accurate. If there is an environment where English is spoken, one must integrate into it; the fastest and most effective way to practice pronunciation is to communicate with foreigners, and I know this from personal experience. Two months after going abroad, there has been a significant improvement in both the accuracy of pronunciation and the development of language sense! So, my improvement in listening and speaking skills comes from having daily free conversations with foreign teachers; I recommend trying out the free trial classes: http://t.cn/RriRMHT. In fact, it’s important to keep practicing English*, especially speaking, as it needs to be used in real-life situations. Watching British or American dramas regularly can also be helpful for practicing pronunciation. It is recommended to watch shows that are related to daily life. I’d like to share my own \"three-viewing rule\" for watching British or American dramas: The first time: to satisfy interest, as it is the interest that provides the motivation ； Second time: Remove the subtitles and try to listen; write down the parts that cannot be heard, so as to refer to them when listening again next time ； Third time: Practice by following the subtitles* – repeat after them, imitating the pronunciation and intonation. It can also be combined with listening by repeating the audio materials. By following the “three-pass rule,” you won’t waste time watching British or American dramas – it’s both entertaining and educational, truly a great pleasure in life. I recommend an app for practicing accurate pronunciation: English Fun Dubbing: http://www.qupeiyin.cn. (2) Oral expression – the use of logical connectors. Any language is meant for communication; when explaining something, it’s important to have clear and organized logic so that speech isn’t chaotic. Therefore, logical connectors play a very important role in oral expression. Take an oral exam as an example: if the question asks you to describe something, based on logical principles, you will surely think of four types of logical connectors – time, place, people, and events. For instance, when talking about a café, you can first mention the time you went there, then its location, followed by who was there or what kind of coffee was served, and finally what happened there. The logic is clear, which will help you speak fluently during the exam and ensure you have something to say. I recommend a good service for one-on-one online tutoring with foreign teachers: http://t.cn/RriRMHT. There are free lessons available. When talking to foreign teachers, remember not to be shy; try to accumulate as many phrases as possible that you want to say but don’t know how to express. For those preparing for oral exams, I have one additional tip: use a variety of words and avoid repeating the same word too often ； If there is a grammar error or pronunciation mistake, there’s no need to repeat it; just skip it without any hesitation. Haha~~ There’s another issue that plagues many people: not knowing the difference between American and British accents. Those who are curious can watch this video; it provides a very detailed explanation that’s easy to understand. Second, in terms of listening skills, there are two main types: listening on a macro level and close listening or detailed listening. (1) Listening on a macro level involves, for example, listening to a presentation abroad and identifying the key words in it as well as outlining its main points (that is, figuring out what the presentation is mainly about). Of course, a good set of notes should include the arguments presented in the presentation along with the logical relationships between them. This is what is known as “macro-level listening.” When I was taking classes abroad, the teachers would not cover all the content in the presentations; therefore, I had to figure out the key points on my own, organize the logic, and take accurate notes. I recommend a great foreign website for improving listening skills: http://www.ted.com/talks?topics. (2) Listen either casually or carefully, aiming to understand every word. This is quite challenging and requires time, so it is recommended that everyone start by practicing with slow-paced listening exercises. Once the time is right, they can gradually increase the speed, continuing to listen to each listening material until they can remember all the words in it. Generally speaking, if there are still areas you’re not sure about after listening to a listening material four times, it’s recommended to check the original text to find out why. Practicing for 1 hour every day will lead to significant improvement after a month. For slow-speed listening practice, I recommend the following websites, which I believe most people are familiar with: 51voa: http://www.51voa.com/Technology_Report_1.html; EasyVOA’s official website: http://www.easyvoa.com/voa-speacial-english/index.html. As for reading, the key aspect is building up vocabulary. This can be achieved through four main methods: First, make use of memory techniques and become familiar with the rules behind word formation. When trying to memorize a word, you can also remember its related words at the same time, allowing you to learn many words in one go (you may refer to the family memory method or associative memory method). For example, the word “pests” – its pronunciation is similar to the action of killing them, which makes it easy to associate it with pests ； There is another type of association. For example, when it comes to the word \"screen\", don’t try to memorize it by recalling the letters s, c, r, e, e, n. You can imagine that the sound at the end of \"screen\" isn’t fully pronounced; from this, you can think of something that doesn’t have any protrusions, and then think of a very flat plate – and that’s how you come up with the idea of a screen. Wait, secondly: make use of \"random order dictionaries\" as much as possible. I recommend the random order dictionary from New Oriental – it’s very comprehensive, covering tests such as CET-4 and CET-6, postgraduate entrance exams, IELTS, and TOEFL. When I was preparing for the IELTS exam, I used the \"New Oriental IELTS Vocabulary, Roots + Associative Memory Method – Random Order Version,\" which also comes with MP3 files. Those who want to download it can go to: http://bbs.koolearn.com/t-4015307-1-1.html Thirdly: make good use of word-recording tools. I recommend several excellent options, such as BaiCizhan, Shanbei Word Memorization, Tuowci, and Memori Bao – all of them are very good. Fourth: Read more classic English works to elevate your reading skills by many notches; recommended reads include famous works such as \"Jane Eyre,\" \"Pride and Prejudice,\" and \"Gone with the Wind.\" IV. In terms of writing, I have identified four key tips: (1) Accumulate academic vocabulary and avoid using colloquial words as well as those with very vague meanings, such as get, fantastic, awesome, etc ； (2) Second, accumulate “synonymous replacements”; for example, when using the word important, replace it with words with similar meanings such as vital, crucial, essential, prime, etc. In regular writing practice, identify the high-frequency words that you use often. Then, using dictionaries or other resources, find synonyms for these words, and use them in your subsequent writings (note: the new synonym should not change the meaning of the sentence). I recommend a website for finding synonyms – it’s quite good; try http://www.thesaurus.com. (3) Use objects as subjects more often, and less often people. Try to avoid using “people”. (4) Ensure grammatical accuracy; I recommend a website for practicing grammar abroad: http://www.grammarly.com. Those who want to learn basic grammar can visit: http://www.yuehengji.com/yingyu/index.html. Below, I provide two sample texts to help illustrate the difference between informal writing and academic writing. Both texts convey the same meaning, but their styles are completely different. An example of informal writing is as follows: In recent years, I have seen many people placing a lot of emphasis on the concept of genre in language teaching classes. However, not as much attention has been paid to the concept of “text type”. In this article, I will prove that there is a difference between “genre” and “text type”. This difference is important and useful. I illustrate this by analyzing various texts from two genre-based textbooks. One of these textbooks deals with the development of second-language literacy among adults, while the other focuses on writing skills in schools and universities. Another thing I do is suggest ways in which teachers can utilize the differences between text types and genres in their classrooms. An example of academic writing is as follows: Recent years have seen an increasing emphasis on the concept of genre in language learning classrooms. Yet, less attention has been given to the concept of “text type”. This article argues that the distinction between “genre” and “text type” is important and useful. To illustrate this distinction, an analysis of several texts from two genre-based textbooks is provided; one of these textbooks focuses on adult second-language literacy development, and the other on writing in an academic setting. The article also suggests ways in which the relationship between genres and text types can be utilized in language learning classrooms.