Very few of us become fluent in another language by studying it in high school. I made an effort to keep up the little bit of French that I learned in school, but eventually realized that this was1. I was well aware that new languages are best learned when 2, and that our abilities in that regard decline with age. 3, just before my 50th birthday, I registered for French classes.
After I was 4 to see which group I belonged in, I was 5 at almost the introductory level. I found that it really was true that certain linguistic（语言的）abilities 6 with age. While I'd always thought of myself as a (n) 7 learner, that was no longer the case. I absorbed new vocabulary very 8. What I learned one week ago seemed to 9 as soon as I learned the next skill.
Now, a couple of years later, I can listen to the news in French and 10 90 percent of it on the first try and read a novel if it's not too difficult.
Who knows what I might still 11?
I've learned so much 12 grammar and vocabulary. I've met people from around the world and all walks of life who have the 13 to make fools of themselves in order to 14 something new. I've been taught by patient and inspirational teachers from many 15 of the world, including France, Eastern Europe, the Caribbean and Africa. But most of all, I've learned that it really is never too late to learn something new.
