学好英语的42个经典要诀

注: 虽然都是老生常谈，但确实值得反复提醒．下面的方法很多英语学习的成功者都屡试不爽, 不论高低，学英语就是这样一个不断模仿，不断吸收和熟练的过程，无捷径可走．You should always stay sensitive to English and feel yourself foolish during learning。

第一要诀：收听英语气象报告
有些教学录音带为配合初学者的学习，故意放慢语速，这对英语听力的训练是不够的。如果听语速正常的英语，初学者又会感到力不从心。英语气象报告的速度虽快，但词汇简单固定，内容单纯，重复的可能性大，而且在生活中随时都可以印证，是听力入门的好教材。

第二要诀：收听中国国际广播电台的英语广播
中国国际广播电台（China Radio International）每天早上7:00--8:00，中午11:00--12:00各有一小时的英语节目。内容包括国内外新闻，剪报集锦和各类系列的专题报道。除了英语标准流利的国内播音员担任广播之外，也有向外侨或访客就某一话题而做的录音访问。内容广泛，但词汇较简单，语速亦适中，可以藉此训练或增进英语的听力。

第三要诀：善用录音带锻炼听说能力
有些学习者总是习惯于一边看书一边听磁带，把磁带当成阅读的辅助工具，这样达不到锻炼听力的目的。录音带应该是以听说能力的训练为主。学习者要选用与自己能力相适应的听力磁带，不要急于求成，以免产生受挫心理。先反复聆听磁带内容，起先只要抓住梗概，多听几次后，对细节的了解便越来越多。听力较差的人，可先阅读课文，然后再集中精力领会每段每句的意思。这样练习有助于培养倾听时注意力的集中，使您的听力迅速进步。

第四要诀：听正常语速的英语，才能加速听力的进步
很多广播教学和听力教材总是为了配合听众或学习者的程度而故意放慢语速，这虽是无可厚非的变通方法，但也会产生一些不良的副作用。例如：1.听惯了语速放慢的英语，在与外国人的实际交往中，就很难适应，甚至听不懂他们用正常语速讲的英语。2.故意放慢语速时，通常会把一句中每个词都清楚的读出来，但在正常的会话中会出现很多同化（assimilation），减弱（reduction），连音（liaision）的现象。所以，听语速正常的英语对于听力和会话极为重要。

第五要诀：从电视，电影中学习英语
看英文电视，电影不仅能了解西方人的文化和生活，而且也是学习地道英语和提高英语听力的好机会。选取的影片最好是以现代生活为背景的文艺片或喜剧片。如果您的听力不错，要养成不看字幕的习惯。程度稍差的就不要勉强自己，否则英语没学成反倒破坏了欣赏电影的好心情。这种情况下，您可以先看字幕了解剧情（如果是电视节目那就要先录下来），再重新看一至数遍，您的听力就可在轻松的心情下，随着您对剧情了解的增多而迅速提高。

影视英语，尽在沪江影英学堂>> 

第六要诀：和朋友表演影片情节
在英语学习中，我们经常会与朋友或同学相约用英语交谈来提高英语会话能力，但经常感到自己的语言贫乏，所谈内容有限。现在不妨试试这种方法：配合前节所讲的“从电视，电影中学习英语”，先依据电影情节节选一个或多个片段，个人选定一个角色，然后在影片看熟之后试着把台词誊录成文字并背下来，最后进行排练表演。经常做这种练习，不仅对英语会话和听力大有好处，而且对语法和写作也是很好的锻炼。

第七要诀：朗诵英文诗
英语是否流利取决于对节奏的正确掌握。英语是按单词和句子的重音来分节奏的。英文诗是练习英语节奏的最好材料之一。例如 Worsworth 著名的“The Daffodils”（水仙花）：“I wandered lonely as a cloud/That floats
on high o'er vales and hills...”（我象一片白云孤独的游荡，飘越过溪谷和群山......）便是典型的弱强节奏。读熟之后，大声朗诵，一定获益非浅。

第八要诀：唱歌学英语
比朗诵英文诗更有效的是唱英文歌曲。唱英文歌可以帮您练习发音（pronunciation），语调（intonation）和节奏（rhythm），又可以让您在很愉快的心情下背会很多单词和句型，真是一举数得。所选的英文歌曲最好语言优美，语法正规。起先可以从童谣入手，再渐渐的学唱抒情歌曲。学唱之前先要将歌词朗读几遍再跟着磁带学唱，唱熟后能背更好。

进入沪江英乐版，学唱好听的英文歌曲>> 

第九要诀：特别注意中文没有的发音
英语中有些读音是中文中没有的，这些也是我们英语学习者最困惑的读音，例如“th”的发音，发这种音时要特别注意口型的正确。

第十要诀：背诵名人演说词，找机会复诵出来
好的演说在用字遣辞上不但求其优美而且特别注重沟通力和说服力，是练习英语表达的最佳教材。学习者不必将演说词从头到尾的背诵，只要选择自己喜欢的段落或句子来背即可。例如：肯尼迪总统的名言“Ask not
what your country can do for you,ask what you can do for your country.”（不要问你的国家能为你做什么，要问你能为你的国家做什么。）这类的妙言嘉句背多了之后，对于说话，写作都会有不少的帮助。

第十一要诀：用英语绕口令克服发音的缺点
绕口令（tongue twisters）常把容易混淆或念错的音放在一起。但因他们常以歌谣或押韵的形式出现，因此读熟之后也会觉得顺口好听。所以英语绕口令可以作为练习英语发音和会话的辅助教材。 

第十二要诀：多记一些幽默笑话，准备随时应用
爱听笑话是人的天性，在社交场合中随时的插上几句笑话，可以使气氛轻松活泼，更容易赢得友谊。使用英语的场合，更可利用笑话来消除自己讲话的不自在，增强自己对英语会话能力的信心。
听，讲和研究英语笑话的好处还远不止如此。更重要的是，您可以藉着幽默或笑话中精简的文字或语言增加对西方国家文化和社会的了解。请看下面两个例子：
1.Teenager:"I'm off to the party."
的（少年：“我要去参加聚会了”。）
Father:"Well,have a good time."
（父亲：“祝你玩的高兴。”）
Teenager:"Look Dad,don't tell me what to do!"
（少年：“哎，爸爸，不要告诉我应该做什么。”）
讽刺美国一些青少年过于强调独立自主，不受管束的性格。）

2.The policeman stopped the driver and said,"I'm afraid your wife fell out your car about one kilometer back."
"Thank godness,"said the driver,"I thought I had gone deaf."
（警察让司机停下车来，对他说：“你的妻子从你的车上掉下来恐怕已有一公里的路程了”。“感谢上帝”司机说“我还以为我已经聋了呢”。）讽刺美国太太们的长舌唠叨。

第十三要诀：听英语时，口中跟着复诵
听英语演讲，看英语电视和电影时，要耳朵一边听，口中一边复诵。这样既有利于注意力的集中，增进对内容的了解，又可同时模仿母语是英语的人们（native speakers）的发音和语调。做这种练习时，如果句子长而复杂难以复诵，不必勉强，可以先从较短或较简单的句子开始。练习多了，就会养成习惯。另外一种有益的练习是逐句口译（consecutive interpretation）。把听到的句子逐一译成汉语，这对于听力，正确的理解及反应能力也是很好的锻炼。

第十四要诀：练习朗读，好处多多
英语学习者往往对朗读不太重视。事实上朗读的妙用大矣！
1.锻炼英语的发音，语调与节奏；
2. 使口腔各发音部位灵活，增进说英语时的流利程度；
3.使耳朵增加听英语的机会，从而提高英语听力；
4.充分应用读书四到：眼到，口到，耳到，心到——比默读时更能记住所读的教材。我们也可以说朗读是会话的基本练习，没有朗读习惯的人是很难学成会话的。

第十五要诀：练习朗读时要从后面往前推演
练习朗读时，我们有时会觉得很难将一个长句朗读的流利顺口。例如里根总统第二任就职演说词：“So we go forward today,a nation still mighty in its youth and powerful in its purpose.”（因此我们今天要前进。我们的民族仍因年轻而有力量，因目标确定而强大。）遇到这种情况，我们建议您从最后的一个单词读起，每次向前加一个单词。例如：“...purpose”“...it's purpose”“...in it's purpose”“powerful in its purpose”。这种从后向前推的朗读联系法旨在帮助您把握正确的语调。我们知道，语调的上扬或下降在句尾表现的最明显。这样的练习可让您在每次的朗读时都能顾及正确的语调。

第十六要诀：朗读长句时，可在“词组”之间稍做停顿
在朗读中可能出现的另一个问题就是断句。由于句子长，无法一口气读完，往往有急促或断续的现象，句子被读的支离破碎，非常不自然。也有人在句中随意停顿，或停顿的地方不当，自己读起来极不通顺悦耳，听的人也会觉得不知所云。例如里根总统第二任就职演说词：“We must do what we know is right,and do it with all our might.”（我们必须做我们知道是正确的事，而且要全力去做。）决不能读成“We/must/do what/we/know/is right,/and do/it with all/out might.”
长句中有短暂的停顿，藉以调和呼吸，这是自然的现象，但停顿的地方必须恰到好处。通常在：
1. 有标点符号的地方；
2.词组或思想单元之间。短语，从句等思想单元必须各自成一单位，但它们之间可以短暂停顿。例如：“We must do/what we know is right,/and do it/with all your might.（斜线为可以稍做停顿之处）。

第十七要诀：为了兴趣而阅读
寒窗苦读式的学习方法不但枯燥无味，而且效果往往不佳。如果是为了兴趣甚至“消遣”而阅读的话，一定会趣味盎然，并能在无形之中进步。例如：喜欢爵士乐的人读起爵士乐方面的英文书刊会比看英文教科书效率高的多。同样的，喜欢汽车的人看介绍汽车的英文书刊，喜欢烹饪的人看介绍汽车的英文书刊，不仅能满足自己的爱好，而且又可以提高英语能力，真是一举两得。
假如没有特别的兴趣，那不妨阅读故事，小说尤其是侦探小说更能使人全神贯注，而且有一气呵成之感。这可算是一种愉快的学习方法。

第十八要诀：精读和泛读并行
精读的教材不必贪多，最好选择短小精悍的文章，把里面的词汇，语法结构等全部弄清楚，然后大声朗读，再加背诵，最后能够默写几遍更好。
有一个可以兼顾精读和泛读的方法，是从泛读的材料中选择一些最优美，读来最顺口的句子加以精读。
应该尽量将背诵，默写过的段落和句子在会话或写作时应用出来。应用也有助于对他们的理解和记忆。

第十九要诀：阅读英文报刊杂志
报刊杂志上登载的最新消息，所用的词汇也是最现代，最实用的。常常阅读英文报刊杂志能够通过生活化，实用性的学习，迅速提高您的英文能力。
现在国内最常见的英文报纸是中国日报（China Daily）和21世纪英语（21st Century）。如果您抱着增大词汇量，提高英语阅读能力的目的看报纸，那么就不要局限于您所感兴趣的部分。最好通读报纸的每个栏目和版面。包括新闻，社论甚至广告等。值得一提的是刊登在报纸上的英文连环画，它不仅能培养您的幽默感，而且让您在会心一笑之余还能了解一个国家的文化和社会信息。英文程度稍差的人可以在阅读英文报纸之前先看看当天的中文报纸，这对理解英文报纸很有帮助。
此外，您还可以借助报纸来提高写作能力。选取一篇社论（或其中的一段或数段）把它译成中文，测验自己对社论理解的精确程度。然后将这篇译文倒译回英文，再于原文比较，找出那些在语法和修辞方面有待改进的地方。通过这种练习，您一定会受益非浅。

第二十要诀：暂时忘掉字典
我们在阅读英文小说或报刊时，不免会遇到一些生词。如果总是停下来查字典会很令人扫兴，读书的兴趣也会被消磨掉。因此我们建议您，有时可以暂时忘掉字典。
首先，选择的读物要与您的英文水平相当，令您感兴趣。随便翻阅数页，浏览一下，如果每页您可以看懂八成以上，便可认定这本书适合您。
其次，在阅读中遇到生词，不要急着查字典。先联系上下文猜猜看，做到这一点就够了。等从头到尾看完之后，再去查字典深入研究。
看这类读物，贵在多读，速读。同学或朋友之间不妨相互借阅，即可省钱，又可以养成快速阅读的习惯。

第二十一要诀：查字典之前，要猜猜看
学习一种语言一定要查字典，但一定要讲究方法。在这里先说两件事：第一：不要盲目的查；第二：不要查的太快；换句话说，在查字典以前要先想一想，甚至猜一猜。
很多学习英语的人，在文章中一看到生词抓起字典就查，结果往往是每个生词都查过了，却看不懂整句或整段的意思。假如在查字典以前，先根据上下文的意思猜猜看，再翻开字典，就不会感到无所适从了。例如：
（A）句：“Will this small car negotiate that steep hill?”（这辆小汽车能翻过那个陡峭的山丘吗？）
（B）句：“I'm sorry.Our bank doesn't negotiate foreign checks.”（对不起，我们银行不兑现外国支票。）

出现的negotiate，我们不能选取多数字典对它下的第一个定义“交涉”。如果不假思索翻开字典就抄下“交涉”这个定义，这句话就无法看懂了。所以，遇到生词先不要忙着查字典，应该先结合上下文，前后句，整个段落来推敲它的意思，再查字典证实一下，有时甚至用不着查字典意思就清楚了。这种查字典的方法还有一个好处，由于先经过猜，想的过程，对于这个生词有了观察和分析，印象已很深刻，查字典之后就很容易就记住这个词了。

第二十二要诀：查字典不要只看词义
很多人查字典只为了了解词义，这充其量只能弄懂生词在那句话里的意思，根本无法积极掌握那个词汇，更谈不上活用了。
查字典除了要找出适当的定义，还要查：
1）读音：读的出音的词才能记得牢，也才能用的出来。
2）相关的定义：一个单词可能会有几个或几十个定义。浏览一下相关的定义可更广泛的了解这个单词。
3）用法和例句：您可以从字典中的例句中学到该词的正确用法。
4）反义词，近义词和词类变化。查字典时兼顾这许多方面才能增进您对该生词的理解，增强对该生词的记忆和活用该生词的能力。

沪江小编：在查询沪江小d的时候记得要听听单词发音看看参考例句和参考文献哦

第二十三要诀：多查几本字典，互相印证，互为补充
从上面要诀我们可以看出，查字典不能只看字义，还要注意发音，用法，例句，词类变化（衍生词），近义词，反义词，辨义以及相关词汇等，一本小小的英汉字典是远远不够的。
内容不同的较大字典最好准备两本以上，以便互相印证，互为补充。例如有的字典收录的词汇特别多，有的字典偏重例句，有的偏重短语，也有的字典对句型的分类和说明特别清楚，有的详细列出近义词，反义词和同义词的分辨等。多查一本字典往往就多一分收获。

第二十四要诀：读的出，才能记得牢
记单词的第一个步骤是把它大声的读出来。先将整句话读几遍，然后把单词单独的读几遍。读的时候，脑海中要根据它的发音来“描绘”它的字型。经常做这种练习的人，只要口中朗读单词的读音，心里就会浮现出这个单词的形貌。要注意您看到的是整个字，而不是个别的字母。在这个阶段，即使错漏了一两个字母也没关系，千万不要一个字母一个字母的背。
接着，眼睛离开书本，把整个句子复诵一两遍，然后复诵您要背的单词。这样记忆单词才能记得牢。

第二十五要诀：字典查过之后，暂时别合起来
查过的字典不要马上合起来。下次再查另一个单词时，可以先把摊开的这页再看一看，这对于上次所查的字是一种很有效的复习，往往使您印象深刻，永志不忘。
有的人喜欢把查过的单词抄在本子上一个一个的背，作为复习这是可以的，但效果恐怕不如从文章中，字典中记忆单词那么明显。因为大部分单词只能在句子里才有确定的意思，把它孤立起来，一来是很难记住，二来是即使记住了往往也不会应用。

第二十六要诀：要培养英语的语感，请用英英字典
完全依赖英汉字典的人，有时无法查到一个单词精确的定义。在模糊概念的影响下，说出的话或写出的句子往往模棱两可，语焉不详甚至造成人家的误会。
克服这个缺点的方法之一是使用英英字典。英英字典常给出比较详尽而确切的定义。有时在字面意义（denotation）之外还给出它的涵义（connotation）。请看下面这个例子：sofa：英汉字典解释为“沙发”。但无法告诉我们“sofa”是什么东西。查查英英字典就会得到比较清楚的印象：“a comfortable seat wide enough for two or three people to sit on ”原来沙发上可供二或三人并排坐的舒适坐椅。
当然我们也不能说英英字典一定比英汉字典好。英汉字典也有它方便的地方，尤其当我们查动植物或某些物品名称的时候，例如：“cockroach”这个单词查英英字典得“a large black insect which lives in dark wet placesand likes dirty houses”（是一种体形偏大，喜欢生活在阴暗潮湿的地方和脏屋子里的黑色昆虫）。这就不如英汉字典里的“蟑螂”一目了然了。

第二十七要诀：利用前缀和后缀扩充词汇
大部分的英语单词是由前缀，后缀与词根组合而成。对前缀，后缀的了解可帮助我们记忆单词，从而扩大我们的词汇量。
例如：respond（反应）这个单词，加上后缀ent形成形容词或名词：respondent反应的或回答者。加上ence或er成为名词 respondence反应和responder回答者。加上前缀co成为correspondence符合，通讯等。从上面例子可以看出，学习前缀和后缀对增加词汇量极有帮助。

第二十八要诀：留心英文的词汇搭配
每种语言都有它的个性，往往不能靠着单纯的翻译来套用。英文学习者要特别注意词汇搭配（collocation），才不至画虎类犬例如常用词open，中文翻译是“开”，但是中文要表达的“开”却不能一律用open来表达。“开门，开窗” 是open the door/window，“开灯，开收音机”却是turn on the light/radio，“开会”变成hold a meeting，“开支票”是write a check，但“银行开户”则又能用open an account。这些搭配虽然有点让初学者眼花缭乱，但却体现了语言文字的特性，也是它灵活而有趣的地方。

第二十九要诀：把被动词汇转变为主动词汇
被动词汇（passive vocabulary）是您看的懂，认得出的词汇，而主动词汇（active vocabulary）则是您在说话写作中用的出来的词汇。英文程度越好，说明他的主动词汇越多，在实际应用中越能得心应手所以学习英语的人要尽快把他所拥有的被动词汇转变成主动词汇。
转变的原则就是要常用（You must learn to use a word by using it ）。光认识字义是不够的，您一定要熟读例句，然后利用适当的时机（会话，写信，甚至自言自语，胡思乱想时）使用它，多用几次，您就掌握这个词汇了。

第三十要诀：用自由联想法复习学过的单词
在等车，等人的无聊时刻，复习英语单词也许是很好的消遣。您可以靠周围事物来触发灵感发挥您的“自由联想”。这样做既可以锻炼脑力，温习英语单词，又可以打发时间，真是一举数得。
例如：您看到穿蓝色衣服的女孩，从蓝色（blue）想到blues（布鲁斯：蓝调），bluebird（知更鸟）blue-bl
ooded（贵族的）；或从blue想到red（红色）pink（粉红色），crimson（深红色），scarlet（猩红色）等等。可以说是“上穹碧落下黄泉”，让您觉得其乐无穷。

第三十一要诀：利用生活中的小插曲或社会上的偶发事件学习英文
我们也可以将“联想”运用到一些生活的小插曲中。例如：您在马路上走着，不小心扭伤了脚踝。您就可以想象如何用英语把它表达出来。首先，您会查汉英字典德知扭伤是sprain，脚踝是ankle。可是您还需要查一下英汉字典或英英字典关于这些单词的用法，以避免误用。最后您会写出这个句子“I sprained my ankle this morning.”
从生活中学习会得到一些立即的成就感，不信你就试试看！

第三十二要诀：累积实用的佳句，整理制作成卡片
提高英语会话能力，同时又增加词汇量的有效方法之一是将您从书本上，报刊杂志上看到的精彩文句抄录下来，制成卡片。视需要可以分成政治，经济，文学，艺术，体育等类。平时随身带着几张，空闲时就拿出来背背。在会话和写作时往往能真的派上用场。这是增加词汇的有效方法，更是练习英语表达能力的良方。收录的句子不一定要长，有时短句更能言简意赅。

第三十三要诀：把当天发生的事情，用英语写成日记
既然说是日记（diary），最好能够每天写。英文能否写的通顺还是次要的问题，能够持续的每天用英文记日记（keep a diary in English）才是最重要的。
日记主要是给自己看的，因此体裁可以较为自由。例如（I got）up at six.（（我）早上六点钟起床。）（I）went to the zoo this afternoon.（（我）今天下午去了动物园。）（I was）bitten by a dog around noon.（大约中午时候（我）被一条狗咬了。）这些句子中括号内的单词都是在记日记时可以省略的。若因时间关系或其他原因无法写出句子或段落，即使只列出一些单词也总比完全不写的好。下面是一篇写的比较完整的日记：
It was already eight o'clock,and I was still on the bus to school.I was sure to get into trouble with the teacher.I suddenly remembered she was going to test us.I didn't study at all since I slept too well last night.Now what should I do?
When I walked into the classroom,I looked out of the window.The bees were busy making honey from flowers.The birds also were busy making nets.The sun was shining brightly.As I saw this,a thought struck me:I wished to leave the school at once,to throw my books aside,and to hide in the beautiful world of nature.But I realized I could not do so.If even the bees and birds were so busy at work,then I,a human being,should be ashamed of being idle.I therefore changed my mind and faced the music.
（已经八点钟了，但我还坐在开往学校的汽车上。我知道一定会挨老师批评。突然我想了起来，她今天要测验我们。昨天晚上我睡的很香，根本就没有复习。那现在该怎么办呢？
的我走进教室后，向窗外望去。蜜蜂正在花丛间忙着采蜜，小鸟们也在忙着筑巢，阳光一片明媚。看到这一切，我突然有个念头。我但愿能马上逃离教室，把书本扔到一边，躲藏到美丽的大自然中。但我意识到，我不能这样做。甚至连小鸟和蜜蜂都在忙着工作，我，作为一个人，应该为无所事事而感到羞耻。因此，我改变了注意，准备接受批评。）

第三十四要诀：用英文写阅读摘要
在当今这种国际化的社会里，用英文写报告，札记，备忘录的机会越来越多，尤其是从事国际贸易或其他国际事务的人士更需要培养这种能力。
这种英文写作能力的培养，要靠平时一点一滴努力的积累。我们可以把在工作和休闲时阅读到的外国文献，小说故事，或英文报刊杂志报道，评论的内容作成摘要。尽可能不要照抄原文，而是要用自己的英文把已理解的内容简要的整理出来，然后念给家长，老师，朋友们听。这样做可以发现摘要的内容是否正确，自己的发音是否清晰，是一种可以立即见效的练习方式，对于思绪的整理和文字的锻炼帮助很大。

第三十五要诀：把生活体验写成英文作文，或做口头发表
每星期一至二次，每次用一两个小时的时间将一星期来生活或工作上的心得和感想写成三五百字的英文作文。斟酌修改之后，再背诵，然后在适当的时候象做演讲一样复诵给同学，同事或朋友听。
说给别人听的目的一方面是训练自己的胆量，另一方面是试试自己的表达能力，看能否让别人充分了解自己的意思。为了要说出来，自然要留意发音，语调，节奏等各方面的问题。
您也可以把积极学习英语的同学，同事或朋友组织起来轮流主讲，轮流做听众。讲完之后，彼此用英语进行讨论。有个主题做中心可以使会话练习的内容具体而充实，远胜于空洞不着边际的自由讨论（free talk）。每周坚持做这样的练习，一年之后在说，写方面一定会进步神速。

第三十六要诀：随时用英文思考，用英文记录
英文程度的好坏，是看您能否在日常生活或工作中随心所欲的运用英文听，说，读，写的四种技能。而这四种技能的总根源便是用英文思考的能力。
作到用英文思考不是一蹴可及的事。最重要的养成用英语思考的习惯。我们必须从生活中的点点滴滴作起。比如我们在走路时，或排队买票时把所看到的事物，所听到的谈话或想到的生活琐事在脑海中用英文表达出来。即使不是完整的句子，用单词或短语也可以。环境许可的话，把它们记入笔记本里。
这种练习最需要注意的，是尽量避免经过中文翻译的程序。要把看到，听到，想到的用英文直接记录下来。这是锻炼英文思考习惯的第一个步骤。

第三十七要诀：作个吹毛求疵的人
为了自己学好英文，有时甚至是为了帮助别人学好英文，不得不做个吹毛求疵的人。在路旁的广告牌上，在日用品的说明书上，在出版商的广告传单上，只要是用英文书写的都可以留意一下，看能不能挑出错误。这样做有助于训练您细心和精确的习惯。碰到有疑问的地方不妨抄录下来，和老师，朋友讨论一番。当然如果能使出错的人改正了错误，则是额外的收获了。

点击订阅【有没有搞错】节目>>

第三十八要诀：随时记得从听，读，过渡到说，写
中国人大都比较沉默含蓄，普遍都有喜欢听，不喜欢说，喜欢读，不喜欢写的心理。即使在口语课上也常常是少数几个学生在讲话，多数只是默默的听。这种心理如果不突破，是难以让英语更上一层楼的。
所以在心理上要抱有积极进取的态度，随时提醒自己，听和读是为了说和写作准备。在听录音带，广播，或听人谈话时，要抱着高度的兴趣和好奇的心理，随时找出有疑问的地方，用英语提出问题，然后设想一些可能的答案。如果听到自己不同意的意见，也要试着用英语表达自己的观点。
读完一篇文章，试着用英文记下要点，有可能的话，写几句对这篇文章的看法。这样练习，就能将被动（passive）转变成主动（active），把输入（input）转换成输出（output）了。

第三十九要诀：从洋迷信里找题材
学习英语必须和英美人士的生活和文化相结合，才能学的有深度。了解英语国家的迷信和传说也是使英语能活学活用的有效又有趣的方法。
就象中国迷信一样，洋迷信对外国人的宗教和生活方式都有根深蒂固的影响。例如老美看到朋友打喷嚏会连忙说“Gesundheit”或“（God）bless you.”，这都是“上帝保佑”的意思。因为根据西方人的古老传说，打喷嚏会喷出气息，连魂魄都会一起跑掉，当然需要上天保佑一命了。
又象英国人常会对拙于言辞的人说“You should've kissed the Blarney Stone”（您早该亲一下布拉芮城那块石头了）。原来在爱尔兰的Blarney城有块怪石，据说只要在这石头上亲一下，笨嘴笨舌的人就会变的口齿伶俐。
英美人一说“My ears are buring.”（我的两耳发热了。）就表示有人在背后造谣。“He has an itching hand
/palm）（他手掌发痒。）则意味着这人贪得无厌。
他们抽烟点火时，往往两个人点燃烟后就把火熄掉，第三个人重新再点，因为有“Three on a match is bad luck.”（三人共用一根火柴会有霉运。）的迷信。还有很多迷信不胜枚举。
收集并研究这些迷信或传说不但能增加对英语了解的深度，同时也能提高学习英语的兴趣。

第四十要诀：熟悉有关运动的术语，有助于和老外沟通
美国人不但喜爱运动，也爱看各种体育比赛，象American football（美式橄榄球），baseball（棒球），tennis（网球），basketball（篮球），boxing（拳击）都是热门的运动项目。各种比赛的胜负消息也常成为老美们茶余饭后的话题，例如每年元旦在全国几个地区举行的大学足球比赛（bowl games,如德州Dallas的棉花杯Cotton Bowl,加洲Pasadena的玫瑰杯Rose Bowl等，几乎是全国瞩目的新闻）。有些原是运动的术语，如“hit and run”（打带跑，现引申为驾车撞人后逃跑），“go to bat”（代打，现引申为帮人度过难关）等现在都成了一般常用语。
多留意运动发面的术语能够增加谈话的材料，尤其有志留学美国的男士更有需要。

第四十一要诀：不必对自己苛求完美
追求完美，本是值得嘉许的。学习英语的人总是希望自己能够达到正确无误的地步。但就学习英语的过程来讲，应该把“完美”当作一个将来追求的目标，而不必让它成为套在自己头上的枷锁。
自己练习时，虽然要尽可能作到正确无误，但也要容忍自己和别人犯错误。有些学生抱怨说，他们的老师因为求好心切，他们一开口练习就被纠正的体无完肤让他们越学越没信心。对自己或别人矫枉过正可能反而会产生反效果的，语言的学习尤其如此，因为语言的表达能力受心理的影响很大。
在语言的应用上，不妨以沟通为第一目标。能听懂对方的话，也能让对方了解自己要表达的意思，就有了初步的成就。即使讲的结结巴巴，用的句子零零碎碎也总比开不了口好的多。突破了心理障碍，建立用英语沟通的信心，再继续不断追求雅致。当您为自己说的不好，写的不好而气馁时，请记得：“Every learner is entitled to make mistakes.”学习的人都有犯错误的权利。

第四十二要诀：发挥创意，多做尝试
上面所说的四十一要诀，可说是很生活化，实用化的学习方法。有志学好英文的人，可以因时制宜，因地制宜的选择其中几项来锻炼自己。也可以发挥创意，另做尝试，找到适合自己的学习方法。学习语言是一种艺术，也是一种不断自我超越的过程，在任何一点上都能起步，在任何一点上都能突破。只要您抱着热忱，毅力和尝试的勇气，再加上良好教材的指引，必定会有成功的一天！！

 

Gordon Brown's speech in full

The prime minister's speech to the Labour conference in Manchester today

Tuesday September 23 2008 15:13 BST

I want to talk with you today about who I am, what I believe, what I am determined to lead this party and this great country to achieve.

As we gather here today I know people have real concerns about the future of the country, the future of the economy and people in this hall have concerns about the future of our party too.

And so I want to answer your questions directly, to talk with you about how amidst all the present difficulties we should be more confident than ever that we can build what I want to talk to you about today. A new settlement for new times. A fair Britain for the new age.

But let me start with something I hope you know already.

I didn't come into politics to be a celebrity or thinking I'd always be popular. Perhaps, that's just as well. No, 25 years ago I asked the people of Fife to send me to parliament to serve the country I love.

And I didn't come to London because I wanted to join the establishment, but because I wanted and want to change it.

So I'm not going to try to be something I'm not.

And if people say I'm too serious, quite honestly there's a lot to be serious about - I'm serious about doing a serious job for all the people of this country.

What angers me and inspires me to act is when people are treated unfairly.

So when people share with me stories about the hard time they're having with bills, I want to help, because I was brought up seeing my parents having to juggle their budget like the rest of us.

And when I talk to parents about schools, I'm determined that every child should have a good school, because while I got my break in a great local secondary, not all my friends got the chance to get on.

And when I speak to victims of crime I get angry - because like them I know the difference between right and wrong.

And so here I am - working for this incredible country, while trying as far as possible to give my children an ordinary childhood. Some people have been asking why I haven't served my children up for spreads in the papers. And my answer is simple. My children aren't props; they're people.

And where I've made mistakes I'll put my hand up and try to put them right. So what happened with 10p stung me because it really hurt that suddenly people felt I wasn't on the side of people on middle and modest incomes - because on the side of hard-working families is the only place I've ever wanted to be. And from now on it's the only place I ever will be.

And so I want to give the people of this country an unconditional assurance - no ifs, no buts, no small print - my unwavering focus is taking this country through the challenging economic circumstances we face and building the fair society of the future.

The British people would not forgive us if at this time we looked inwards to the affairs of just our party when our duty is to the interests of our country.

The people of Britain would never forget if we failed to put them first - and friends, they'd be right.

And because this is a time of greater than ever change around us, it must be a time of higher ambition from us. And because the world of 2008 is now so different from the world of 1997 I want to talk about the new settlement we must build for these new times.

You know, each generation believes it is living through changes their parents could never have imagined - but the collapse of banks, the credit crunch, the trebling of oil prices, the speed of technology, and the rise of Asia - nobody now can be in any doubt that we are in a different world and it's now a global age.

In truth, we haven't seen anything this big since the industrial revolution. This last week will be studied by our children - as the week the world was spun on its axis - and old certainties were turned on their heads.

And in these uncertain times, we must be, we will be, the rock of stability and fairness upon which people stand.

And friends, it's a calling that summons us because in every time of profound change those with great wealth and privilege have always been able to look after themselves.

But our duty, what gives us moral purpose, is serving the people who need us most- Britain's vast majority - people on middle and modest incomes who need to know that they are not on their own amidst this change - we are on their side.

Where there are new risks and new pressures our duty is and will be security for all. And where there are new opportunities, our duty is and will be fair chances for everyone matched by fair rules applied to everyone.

And insuring people against the new risks and empowering people with new opportunities is the mission of the hour. And those who say that governments should walk away when people face these risks and need these opportunities will be judged to be on the wrong side of history.

And when the country is asking their government to meet these new challenges I say to our opponents: those who don't believe in the potential of government shouldn't be trusted to form one.

So this is a defining moment for us - a test not just of our judgment but of our values. Today once again we are called to apply our enduring beliefs to completely new conditions.

New Labour has always been at its best when we have applied our values to changing times. In the 1990s Tony and I asked you to change policy to meet new challenges.

We are and will always be a pro-enterprise, pro-business and pro-competition government. And we believe the dynamism of our five million businesses large and small is vital to the success of our country.

But the continuing market turbulence shows why we now need a new settlement for these times - a settlement that we as a pro-market party must pursue.

A settlement where the rewards are for what really matters - hard work, effort and enterprise.

A settlement where both markets and government are seen to be the servants of the people, and never their masters,

Where what counts is not the pursuit of any sectional interest but the advancement of the public interest - and where at all times we put people first.

Let us be clear the modern role of government is not to provide everything, but it must be to enable everyone.

And just as we know that governments cannot and should not do everything, so too we know markets cannot deliver it all on their own.

And just as those who supported the dogma of big government were proved wrong, so too those who argue for the dogma of unbridled free market forces have been proved wrong.

And so it falls to this party and to this government, with its commitment both to fairness and to business, to propose and deliver what after recent events everyone should now be willing to accept - that we do all it takes to stabilise the still turbulent financial markets and then in the months ahead we rebuild the world financial system around clear principles. And friends the work begins tomorrow.

I and then Alistair will meet financial and government leaders in New York to make these proposals:

First, transparency - all transactions need to be transparent and not hidden.

Second, sound banking, a requirement to demonstrate that risks can be managed and priced for bad times as well as good.

Third, responsibility - no member of a bank's board should be able to say they did not understand the risks they were running and walk away from them.

Fourth, integrity - removing conflicts of interest so that bonuses should not be based on short term speculative deals but on hard work, effort and enterprise.

I know that the British people think it's hard work, effort and enterprise we need to reward.

And fifth, global standards and supervision because the flows of capital are global, then supervision can no longer just be national but has to be global.

And if we make these changes I believe London will retain its rightful place as the financial centre of the world.

And we know that the challenges we face in this new global age didn't begin in the last week, or in the last months, but in fact reflect deeper changes in our world. For all its benefits, the global age has revealed not just financial instability but another major pressure - a rising global population demanding more energy.

So the new settlement also requires another great and historic endeavour to end the dictatorship of oil and to avert catastrophic climate change, a transformation in our use of energy. New nuclear power, an unprecedented increase in renewables and investment in clean coal.

And I am asking the climate change committee to report by October on the case for, by 2050 not a 60% reduction in our carbon emissions, but an 80% cut - and I want British companies and British workers to seize the opportunity and lead the world in the transformation to a low carbon economy and I believe that we can create in modern green manufacturing and service one million new jobs.

And it's not just our duty but our basic philosophy that we do everything we can to help families through the world downturn. And while the Conservatives did nothing to help people with their gas and electricity bills in the last world downturn, this winter, millions of people will receive the help with heating bills, insulation, social tariffs - help they never received from the Conservatives.

But you know, when it comes to public spending you can't just wave a magic wand to conjure up the money - not even with help from Harry Potter.

And so there are tough choices and I have to say that as a result of the events of recent weeks there are going to be tougher choices we will have to make and priorities we will have to choose. And just as families have to make economies to make ends meet, so this government must and will ensure that we get value for money out of every single pound of your money that is spent. But I say to you that we will invest it wisely, continuing our record investment in schools, Sure Start centres, transport and hospitals.

And if we make the right decisions to take people through the world downturn fairly we will find that, despite the current troubles, British firms and British workers can reap the rewards of a world economy set to double in size.

With Britain's great assets - our stability, our openness, our scientific genius, our creative industries, and yes our English language - I know that this can be a British century and I'm determined it will be.

But my argument today is that the new settlement for the global age must do even more to empower people with new opportunities insure people against new risks and as a result value hard work effort and enterprise. It's the economy that's been making the headlines, but there are other big changes too.

People feel their communities are changing before their eyes and it's increasing their anxiety about crime and anti-social behaviour. And so we will be the party of law and order.

And for the first time ever we've got more British pensioners than British children - more people living longer on fixed incomes and worried about whether they'll need long term care. And so we will be the party that will ensure security and dignity for pensioners.

And there are new pressures on parents - worrying about balancing work and family life but also about advertising aimed straight at their children and what their children are watching or downloading from the internet. And so we will be the party of the family.

And so the new settlement for our times show how Britain can meet all these challenges too and its more than about a fair prosperity - it must be about fair chances and fair rules too.

You know some people say that there's an inevitable political cycle in this country - as sure as night follows day. I don't agree. The challenge of these new times demands a truly progressive government to help people cope with the new risks and make the most of the new opportunities. That's why I believe that now more than ever - even more than in 1997- this country needs a Labour government.

You know to govern is to choose - and it's what a government chooses to do when it's tested that demonstrates its priorities and reveals its heart.

It is not the arithmetic of statistics but the fabric of people's lives.

When we talk about three million more people in work since 1997 - that's not just a number, that's a life that's been changed - three million times over. That's the young woman laid off in the mid 90's who's now built a booming business of her own. Three million new jobs not by accident, but by our actions. And in the years to come we will demonstrate again that real power of Labour to change lives.

And when we talk about the one million small and medium-sized businesses set up in the last eleven years, that's not just a number - that's the entrepreneur who can treat her parents to a summer holiday, and the local businessman who's taken on two local teenagers as apprentices. One million new businesses demonstrating yet again the real power of Labour to change lives.

And when we talk about one million people benefiting from new Labour's minimum wage that's not just a number - that's a dad doing security shifts who can now afford a birthday party for his child and it's a mum who doesn't have to go to a loan shark to pay for her kids' Christmas. One million people freed from exploitation- and now the minimum wage rising year on year - that's the real power of Labour to change lives.

And when we talk about the 240,000 lives that are saved by the progress Labour's NHS has made in fighting cancer and heart disease, that's not just a number - that's the dad who lives to walk his daughter up the aisle and the gran who is there to clap and cry at her grandson's graduation. 240,000 families still together - and now thousands more with new and better treatments from an expanding NHS -- we're changing the world the only way it can ever really change - one life, one family, one hope at a time. That's the real power of Labour to change lives.

And why do we always strive for fairness?

Not because it makes good soundbites.

Not because it gives good photo opportunities.

Not because it makes for good P.R.

No.

We do it because fairness is in our DNA.

It's who we are - and what we're for.

It's why Labour exists.

It's our first instinct, the soul of our party.

It's why when things get tough, we get tougher. We stand up, we fight hard - for fairness. We don't give in, and we never will.

For me fairness is treating others how we would be treated ourselves. So it isn't levelling down but empowering people to aspire and reach ever higher. And to take advantage of all the opportunities of the global economy I want to unleash a new wave of rising social mobility across our country.

For too long we've developed only some of the talents of some people - but the modern route to social mobility is developing all the talents of all the people....helping those who are working their way up from very little and lifting up those in the middle who want to get on. It means supporting what really matters - hard work and effort and enterprise. This is not just the new economic necessity, it is the modern test of social justice and the radical centre ground we occupy and will expand.

And fairness is why Harriet is introducing the first ever equalities bill. And let me thank her for her tireless work as deputy party leader.

Fairness is why Ed Miliband is ensuring that community and third sector organisations can play their proper part in every neighbourhood.

And it is why our whole party is leading the fight against the British National Party.

Fairness is why John Denham is extending university access, why Ruth Kelly has introduced for the first time free bus travel for pensioners and why John Hutton and our Labour Members of the European Parliament but are fighting to free agency workers from the scourge of exploitation.

But fairness for the future also means a big change that I want to explain today. We have always stood for public services that are universal, available to all. Now we must stand for public services that are not only available to all, but personal to each.

For me, the fairer future starts with putting children first - with the biggest investment in children this country has ever seen. It means delivering the best possible start in life with services tailored to the needs of every single precious child.

In 1997 there were no Sure Start centres and nursery education for only the few. Today, thanks to the work of Beverley Hughes there are children's centres opening in every community to serve 3 million children who a few years ago had nothing, and free nursery education for every three and four year old.

But our ambitions must be greater still. I want Britain to take its place among the leading nations in pre-school services, and so I pledge here today in Manchester starting in over 30 communities, and then over 60, we will, stage by stage, extend free nursery places for two year olds for every parent who wants them in every part of the country backed by high quality, affordable childcare for all.

That's the fairness parents want - and that's the fairness every Labour party member will go out and fight for.

And because child poverty demeans Britain, we have committed our party to tackle and to end it. The measures we have taken this year alone will help lift two hundred and fifty thousand children out of poverty. The economic times are tough of course that makes things harder- but we are in this for the long haul - the complete elimination of child poverty by 2020. And so today I announce my intention to introduce ground-breaking legislation to enshrine in law Labour's pledge to end child poverty.

And Ed Balls and I will never excuse, explain away or tolerate low standards in education. So we will keep up the pace of reform: more academies, trust and specialist schools, more of the brightest and best graduates becoming teachers, more investment in building schools for the future - state of the art schools for world class schooling.

Fairness demands nothing less than excellence in every school, for every child. So today I guarantee to parents two fundamental rights:

Because every child should leave primary school able to read, write and count, any child who falls behind will not be left behind - but will now have a new guaranteed right to personal catch up tuition.

And because all parents should see their children taught in schools which achieve good results at GCSE, our pledge today is that any parents whose local state school falls below the expected standard will have the right to see that school transformed under wholly new leadership, or closed and new school places provided.

And we want to enable all families to use the internet to link back to their children's school - and so Jim Knight is announcing that we will fund over a million extra families to get online, on the way to our ambition of Britain leading the world with more of our people than any other major economy able to access the internet and broadband.

And now as we celebrate the 60th anniversary of the NHS let me on behalf of all of us here, and all the people of the country - thank all the NHS staff - the cooks and cleaners, the paramedics and porters, the doctors and midwives and nurses.

You have served our country and served a great ideal - the principle that in a fair society health-care should not be a commodity to be bought by some but a right to be enjoyed by all.

Labour is the party of the NHS - we created it, we saved it, we value it and we always will support it.

And you know already that for me, this isn't a political agenda but a personal mission. Last year in Bournemouth I told you how when I was 16, I got injured playing rugby and lost the sight forever in my left eye. I knew I couldn't play football or rugby anymore. But I could still read.

But what I didn't tell you last year was that then one morning I woke up and realised my sight was going in my good eye. I had another operation and lay in the darkness for days on end. At that point my future was books on tape.

But thanks to the NHS, my sight was saved by care my parents could never have afforded. And so it's precisely because I know and have heard from others about the miraculous difference a great surgeon and great nurses and great care can make that I'm so passionate about the values of the NHS and so committed to reforming it to serve these values even better.

That's why in just one year in the fight against hospital infections, we have doubled the number of matrons and achieved a 36 percent reduction in MRSA.

And let us remember what a Labour government has now achieved: the lowest ever waiting times in the whole history of the NHS.

And now to respond to new times and higher aspirations we want to make the National Health Service more personal to people's needs - patients more involved in their own health care with more choice and more control than ever before.

And I've always found it unfair that we cannot offer on the NHS the comprehensive services that private patients can afford to buy. And so in April a Labour Britain will become the first country in the whole world to offer free universal check ups for everyone over 40.

And I say that there is no vested interest, no matter how powerful, that we are not prepared to take on when change is needed for the sake of the nation's health.

We have already made it easier for busy families to go to the doctor. Whilst a year ago only 1 in 10 patients had access to GPs at weekends and in the evening. Now almost half of all practices are open and by the end of next year the majority will be open even longer.

And today I want to show how this government will pursue what I believe to be one of the noblest and boldest contributions of this country to our shared human fortunes.

Since the war nearly one third of Britain's Nobel prizes have been for our genius in medicine. We should now aspire to stretch the boundaries of human knowledge and human health ever further.

I want Britain to lead the world in beating the diseases which cause so much heartbreak for families. Over the last few years we've made major breakthroughs in research relevant to cancer, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and strokes and many more.

But these are yet to be turned into treatments from, which we can all benefit from. And so let me tell you today that the unprecedented 15 billion pounds we are investing in medical research will be directed to turning the major advances of the last few years into actual treatments and cures for NHS patients.

Over the next decade we can lead the way in beating cancer and other diseases - a great endeavour worthy of a great country: proud because we have a health service focused on 21st century needs.

A NHS that is available to all and personal to each means meeting another challenge of the future: offering, for the first time, every patient with a long term condition their own care plan.

But alongside new patient responsibilities will be new rights. And because we know that almost every British family has been touched by cancer, Alan Johnson and I know we must do more to relieve the financial worry that so often goes alongside the heartache. And so I can announce today for those in our nation battling cancer from next year you will not pay prescription charges.

And this is not the limit of our commitment to a fair NHS in a fair society. As over the next few years the NHS generates cash savings in its drugs budget we will plough savings back into abolishing charges for all patients with long-term conditions. That's the fairness patients want and the fairness every Labour party member will go out and fight for.

And in a fair society the fact that older people are living longer should be a blessing for their families not a burden. We are committed to linking pensions to earnings.

And I am proud that we will now be implementing for the first time equality for women in their retirement.

No-one should live in fear of their old age because they worry their social care will impose financial burdens they could never afford to face and that the minute they need care puts the family home at risk.

The generation that rebuilt Britain from the ashes of the war deserves better and so I can tell you today that Alan Johnson and I will also bring forward new plans to help people to stay longer in their own homes and provide greater protection against the costs of care - dignity and hope for everyone in their later years.

That's the fairness older people deserve - and the fairness every Labour party member will go out and fight for.

So when people say in these tough times there's nothing we can do, there's nothing higher to aim for, no great causes left worth fighting for, my reply is our ideas are the ideas that will realise the hopes of families for a better future. Providing free nursery care for more children who need it is a cause worth fighting for.

Providing better social care for older people who need it is a cause worth fighting for. Delivering excellence in every single school is a cause worth fighting for. Universal check-ups and new help to fight cancer - these are all causes worth fighting for. This is the future we're fighting for.

And in this world of vast economic and social change, new opportunity for all must be matched with a new responsibility from all. Our aim is a something for something, nothing for nothing Britain. A Britain of fair chances for all, and fair rules applied to all.

So our policy is that everyone who can work, must work. That's why James Purnell has introduced reforms so that apart from genuine cases of illness, the dole is only for those looking for work or actively preparing for it. That's only fair to the people pulling their weight.

And let me be clear about the new Labour policy on crime; taking action on the causes of crime will never mean indulging those who perpetrate it. Fairness demands that we both punish and prevent.

Jacqui Smith and Jack Straw are introducing a landmark reform in our justice system - to put victims first. In consultation with victim support we will create an independent commissioner who will stand up for victims, witnesses and families - the people the courts and police exist to serve. And Damilola Taylor's father Richard is with is here today.

He's an inspiring example of the determination to see some good come out of personal tragedy. Last weekend he led thousands on a march through our capital, sending a united message. We will take the knives off our streets.

And justice seen is justice done - so you will be seeing more neighbourhood policing on the street, hearing more about the verdicts of the court, able to see the people who offended doing community payback which will be what it says; hard work for the public benefit at the places and times the public can see it. That's only fair to the law abiding majority.

Nobody in Britain should get to take more out of the system than they are willing to put in. I am proud that Britain will honour our obligations to provide refuge from persecution. And we recognise the contribution that migrants make to our economy and our society, but the other side of welcoming newcomers who can help Britain is being tough about excluding those adults who won't and can't. That's why we have introduced the Australian-style points-based system, the citizenship test, the English language test and we will introduce a migrant charge for public services.

That's only fair to the public who play by the rules and to the new citizens who uphold the rules.

So across the board, we will create rules that reward those who play by them and punish those who don't. That's what fairness means to me.

You know our party so often in its history has been home to the big ideas - ideas later taken for granted, but revolutionary in their time. Just think, the vote for working men, and then for women, the NHS, legal protection from race or sex discrimination. These are no longer just Labour policies, they are established British values - they are the common sense of our age.

And we should never forget one thing - that every single blow we have struck for fairness and for the future has been opposed by the Conservatives.

And just think where our country would be if we'd listened to them. No paternity leave, no New Deal, no bank of England independence, no Sure Start, no devolution, no civil partnerships, no minimum wage, no new investment in the NHS, no new nurses, no new police, no new schools.

And so let's hear no more from the Conservatives - we did fix the roof while the sun was shining.

And just think if we'd taken their advice on the global financial crisis. Their policy was to let northern rock fold and imperil the whole financial system, our Labour government saved northern rock so not a single UK depositor lost out.

Their policy said, in this week of all weeks, that speculative short selling should continue. We acted decisively to end reckless speculation.

And the conservative policy would mean that at this very moment, there would be no regulation at all to protect homeowners. We are the party of protecting of homeowners rights.

Do you know what their Shadow Chancellor really said? In the week that banks were collapsing the man who wants to run our economy not only said: this is not a problem caused by the financial markets but went on to say and, I quote, "that it's a function of financial markets that people make loads of money out of the misery of others."

Just imagine where we'd be if they'd been in a position to implement their beliefs - no rescue of Northern Rock, no action on speculation, no protection for mortgages, doing nothing to stop banks going under.

What has become clear is that Britain cannot trust the Conservatives to run the economy.

Everyone knows that I'm all in favour of apprenticeships, but let me tell you this is no time for a novice.

But I believe in giving credit where it's due. The Conservative leader's team are smart - they've got a plan, and they are implementing it ruthlessly.

Their strategy is to change their appearance, to give the appearance of change, and to conceal what they really think.

And when salesmen won't tell you what they are selling, it's because they are selling something no-one should buy.

But I'm a man for detail and I've discovered some clues about what would be in store in a Conservative Britain.

They want us to believe that, like us, they now care about public services. But when Mr Cameron actually talks to his party about their spending plans he says the difference between Labour and Tory levels of public investment will be "dramatic" and "fundamental".

They want to tell us we're all progressives now but the day that Hazel Blears and Caroline Flint were announcing a one billion pound package to support millions of homeowners, the Conservatives were confirming that their first tax priority is to take that one billion pounds from hard working families and hand it over to the 3,000 richest estates in Britain.

And they want to tell us they now believe in investing in education, but they are committed to slashing 4.5 billion from the schools building programme, axing the educational maintenance allowances that help poorer students stay on and opposing the raising the education leaving age to eighteen and stopping training programmes. And yes friends, they would even take away Sure Start from infants and their parents. One of our greatest gifts to the future - one of the first priorities for Tory cuts.

The Conservatives may want to represent the future, but whether its Europe or energy, planning or tax credits, university places or 42 days, whenever they are tested on substance they have nothing to offer to meet the big challenges of tomorrow, because they are prisoners of their past.

If you look beneath the surface, you'll see that the Conservatives might have changed their tune, but they haven't changed their minds.

The Conservatives say our country is broken - but this country has never been broken by anyone or anything. This country wasn't broken by fascism, by the cold war, by terrorists.

Of course there are problems, but this is a country being lifted up every day by the people who love it.

We've got 4 million people helping neighbourhood watch, 6 million sports volunteers and over 5 million people doing amazing work as carers.

And just as we celebrated our national triumph when we won the 2012 games for London, so too were Andy Burnham, Tessa Jowell and I, along with all of you, filled with pride this summer as our Olympic and Paralympics heroes showed British brilliance at its best.

That's why for all the challenges, I don't believe Britain is broken - I think it's the best country in the world. I believe in Britain.

And stronger together as England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland we can make our United Kingdom even better.

And ours is a country full of heroes.

And we pay special tribute to the heroism of our armed forces, as Des Browne said yesterday - to their service and sacrifice in Iraq and in Afghanistan and in peacekeeping missions around the globe. Quite simply the best armed forces in the world.

The whole lesson of the new world I described earlier is that we must work together to meet the great shared challenges vital to our future.

And unlike the Conservatives who are extremists and isolationists on Europe, we will work with our partners in the European Union and we will work with America not just to deal with the immediate security challenges in Georgia and in Iran.

And I tell you that what we do together for the poor and vulnerable is an act of compassion, but it is more than that. It is what will determine whether this new global society succeeds or fails.

And David Miliband, Douglas Alexander and I will do everything in our power to bring justice and democracy, to Burma, to Zimbabwe and to Darfur.

And I promise you I will work with other countries to bring a permanent settlement - a secure Israel and a viable Palestine - to deliver peace for the people of the Middle East.

And this week at Britain's request the United Nations has summoned the leaders of the world to a special summit on what we know is a global poverty emergency.

You know, in the museum in Rwanda which commemorates the millions who lost their lives as the world looked the other way, there is a picture of a young boy called David - a ten year old who was tortured to death. His last words were "don't worry - the United Nations will come for us".

But we never did. That child believed the best of us only to discover that the pieties repeated so often meant in reality nothing at all. The words "never again" became just a slogan and not what it should be - the crucible in which are values are tested. I tell you, this Labour government will not allow the world to stand by as more than 20,000 children die today from diseases we know how to cure. We will not pass by as 100 million men, women and children face a winter of starvation.

So the poor will not go unheard tomorrow at the United Nations, because we the British people will speak up for them and for justice.

The fair society. Fairness at home. Fairness in the world - that's the new settlement for new times.

I know what I believe.

I know who I am.

I know what I want to do in this job.

And I know that the way to deal with tough times is to face them down.

Stay true to your beliefs.

Understand that all the attacks, all the polls, all the headlines, all the criticism, it's all worth it, if in doing this job I make life better for one child, one family, one community.

Because this job is not about me, it's about you.

And I'll tell you what else I've learned - that tough times don't weaken the determination of people who believe in what they're doing but strengthen our resolve.

You know when I talk to the people who do the tough jobs - nurses, teachers, police officers, soldiers, carers - about why they do what they do, so often they say to me "because I want to make a difference".

And doesn't each of us want to say of ourselves:

That I helped someone in need.

That I come to the aid of a neighbour in distress.

That I will not pass by on the other side.

That I will give of myself for something bigger than myself.

And each of us can make a contribution - but together we are even more than that.

United we are a great movement led by hopes not fears, gathered person by person - one individual, and then a few more, then hundreds, then thousands, then finally millions strong, a movement where I want each of us to say to each other:

This is our country, Britain. We are building it together, together we