My name is Jacqueline and I went abroad for the first time when I was 18. I travelled to the UK to study English, but I didn't learn to speak well. The main reason was that I made friends with other French people, so I spent too much time speaking French. It's important to make English friends and to spend a lot of time with your English host family. If they have young children, it's even better. The children in my host family were great teachers.
Another reason was that I was worried about making mistakes when I spoke, so I didn't say much. But you shouldn't worry. English people are usually polite and helpful. You can't learn to speak English if you don't talk. You should leave your dictionary at home and say what you can.
To help your listening, try to understand the conversations of English people in shops and on buses. I heard some very interesting things! Listening isn't very easy at the beginning but don't give up!
Read the newspaper and watch the news on TV every day. All the students in my class did this, and it helped a lot. Of course, the cinema is a fun way to practice your English. And listening to songs is helpful, too—there are lots of good English bands(乐队).
Finally, don't study too hard. Give yourself lots of time for fun, but try to have fun in the English way.
