Step Two to a Larger Word Bank 增加字彙的第二步驟

This is a continuation of Step One to a Larger Word Bank. Last time, we talked about how you can increase your word bank by 10 a day, ways to remember vocabulary better, and methods that will help you store these words in your long term memory.

While actively adding more vocabulary to your word bank is important, picking up words as you read daily is also very helpful. For example, sometimes you might memorize words that you hardly see, thus making learning those words seem pointless. However, when you read and see unfamiliar words, looking them up and remembering them will ensure pleasant future encounters with these words. Furthermore, seeing words in context can give you a better idea as to how the words are used.

Simply put: read. Reading will not only provide you opportunities to learn new words, but also learn new sentence patterns. Read this fun science article (an excerpt from Studio Classroom Jan 2007 issue):

Chocolate, The Smart Treat: Eating chocolate can make you smarter

Chocolate lovers know that eating chocolate makes them happy. Now it turns out that eating chocolate may also make them smarter.
Dr. Bryan Raudenbush recently conducted a study to see how eating chocolate affects people's brains. The U.S. researcher knew that chocolate contained several stimulants. But he wasn't sure how those stimulants actually affected chocolate eaters.
To find out, Raudenbush had a group of volunteers eat 85 grams of milk chocolate. He asked another group to eat no chocolate at all. After 15 minutes, he tested their memory and their ability to solve problems.
The group that ate milk chocolate had higher scores. They were able to remember more words and pictures than the group that did not eat chocolate. Raudenbush concluded that the stimulants in chocolate increased mental alertness.
Of course, eating chocolate doesn't guarantee you'll pass every test. You'll still need to study!