Stay tuned

Zhou writes: I'm a loyal English language learner. I've never stopped learning even after graduation from college. But I'm still unable to follow English news, for example, news on CCTV 9. Could you please give me some advice about that, which will help raise my listening comprehension? Or rather, give an example about how to understand a piece of news?

My comments:

There are two major reasons why we don't understand a news reader. One, we don't understand their vocabulary - he said "gobble-dee-gook", or something sounding like that. Two, we don't understand the subject matter being discussed. If you knew nothing about basketball, for example, you would have a problem understanding a discussion on the triangle offense run by the Los Angeles Lakers.

A third problem we face is with the speaker's accent. But this is a minor problem which usually ceases to be over time - after awhile we get used to accents, even on CCTV 9.

From your writing, I'm convinced that you have a considerable command English. Therefore, I don't think vocabulary is a problem for you (if it is, no worry, just build it). Whether you understand the various subjects making the news, on the other hand, will determine whether you get a hang of the news without kinks and hiccups, so to speak.

Let's take an example. This is the top news right now at BBC online, the international version - Chinese parliament meeting opens (March 5, 2007):

"The meeting of China's legislature - the National People's Congress (NPC) - has opened in Beijing with a speech by the Prime Minister, Wen Jiabao.

"Nearly 3,000 delegates are attending the annual two-week meeting.

"Correspondents say the congress is a symbolic organization with little power, but it offers a guide to issues at the top of the government's agenda.

"This year, these include the growing gaps between rich and poor, and between the cities and the countryside."

Being Chinese and someone who watches news on CCTV 9, you are probably familiar with news on Chinese politics and Chinese politics doesn't get any bigger than the National People's Congress. So therefore, if you hear that piece on the air, you'll probably be able to follow the story through without trouble. Any of the words like "legislature", "National People's Congress", "delegates", "correspondents", even if you have trouble understanding you'll be able to muddle through the whole story satisfied, knowing that, by and large, you've "Got it".

On the other hand, if you heard this earlier top sports story, West Ham 3-4 Tottenham (March 4, 2007), and you knew nothing about English soccer, you would perhaps have had a lot of trouble understanding what all the fuss (names of teams, players and all that jazz) was about.

"Tottenham's Paul Stalteri scored a dramatic injury-time winner as the visitors came from 2-0 and 3-2 down to deepen West Ham's relegation worries.

"A Mark Noble strike and a Carlos Tevez free-kick put West Ham in control before Jermain Defoe scored a penalty after Lee Bowyer fouled Aaron Lennon.

"Teemu Tainio volleyed Spurs level from Lennon's audacious flick before West Ham's Bobby Zamora headed in late on.

"But Dimitar Berbatov scored a free-kick before Stalteri struck on the break.

"It was a dramatic and cruel end to the game for West Ham - who looked to be on the verge of their first Premiership win in 11 games when substitute Zamora headed home Tevez's free-kick in the 85th minute.

"Victory would have moved bottom club West Ham above Watford and to within seven points of fourth-from-bottom Wigan.

"But their failure to consolidate on their 2-0 half-time lead means they have not won in the Premiership since 17 December and are looking increasing certainties for relegation."

See what I mean? However, if you were a Spurs fan, all the fuss, or farce if you will, would have been very exciting indeed.

In short, to be able to follow the news, one needs to broaden one's knowledge, in additions to having a vocabulary and getting used to accents. Luckily, this last can be achieved the same way as the first two. And that is through practice.

All things take a little getting used to, that's all.

Or, as announcers say, stay tuned.