Ｍａｔｔｈｅｗ在線

Matthew最近收到很多中文信件，被問到最多的問題是學習外語的訣竅。Matthew想告訴大家，學習英語的最大的訣竅就是不要迷信訣竅！語言就是一個習慣，習慣的養成需要時間，如果你不想花時間，是學不好外語的。他希望大家在學習外語的時候，不要急功近利，急于求成，更不要覺得它有多難，其實英語并不難，如果你還沒有學好，只是說明你用的時間還不夠。

Matthew Wood（馬修·伍德），《中學生博覽》的特邀主持人，生活在中國的澳大利亞人，請相信，你的來信他一定會讀到！

通信地址：130021長春市清華路156號《中學生博覽》編輯部 “Matthew在線”收

電子信箱：kudding@sohu.com

Daniel的夢想是成為一名歌星，他認為中國當代流行音樂實在太糟糕了，但是迫于家庭的窘境，似乎“前路漫漫”。面對這個渴望成功的年輕人的急切心情，Matthew的看法是他需要認清真相——成功的歌手不僅要有良好的音樂才能，還要有成功的商業運作技巧；真正的愛好，是發自內心的喜歡，矢志不渝地堅持，而不是對別人艷羨的目光的渴求。

Dear Matthew，

Nice to know you. When I saw you in the magazine， I was very excited， because I have an opportunity to write to a foreigner.

My dream is to be a singer. I want to be a singer very much， but my families want me to study hard. They think my dream is just a waste of time. I have written 128 songs these five years， and I believe in my own singing skills. At present， the popular songs in China are so bad. I hope I can try my best to do something for it.

I know my family isn't rich， and my dream will cost a lot of money， so I try to find some famous singers to help me， but I don't know their addresses. Now I can't wait for my dream to come true. I want to go for it and let everybody know I am strong， I'll be a valuable singer， and I can be successful!

Do you like music? I like it crazily. I hope you can write to me soon.

Best wishes.

Sincerely yours，

Daniel Wu

導讀：外國人是怎么起名的？Matthew為Li Muyuan選擇英文名的過程就是他們慣用的方法。如果你還沒有心儀的英文名字，不妨也按這個方法試試。

Dear Mr. Wood，

How do you do? I'm a senior high school student. Although mathematics is my weak subject， I learn English well. As many other students， it is the first time I write to a foreigner. I want to know if I have the ability to communicate with foreigners.

Now many students have English names. I want to have one， too. But I don't know which one to choose because there are too many names in English. Do you have any idea? I'm just a little shy boy， so please don' t give me a girly name!

I'm crazy about computer. Now I'm preparing for TOEFL and SAT because my dream is Stanford University! Stanford University has the best computer department in the world. Do you think I'll succeed? Can you give me some advice? Many thanks!

Sincerely yours，

Li Muyuan

Dear Muyuan，

You are doing a very good job communicating with me. Your English is easy to understand with only a few minor grammatical errors.

You want a boy's name? You give me very little to work with. All I know is you like computer， and you're a little shy boy who wants to go to a famous university. Immediately I think of \"Bill\"， as in \"Bill Gates\". Bill is also my father's name -- It is short for William. You are still young， so perhaps \"Billie\" may be better. It's still common， but becoming an old fashion name.

Because you say you are a little shy boy， I think of the name \"Morrissey\". He was the singer of one of my favorite rock bands called \"The Smiths\". He wrote many songs for and about shy boys. He was not a superstar， but is still very famous and influential. It is also an unusual， but interesting name that people will remember.

Stanford University would be a wonderful place to study in a wonderful location. The only advice I can give you is to keep studying so you can get a good scholarship.

Good luck!

Yours truly，

Matthew

Dear Daniel，

I too am a music lover， and a strong believer that success comes in pursuing your passion. 128 songs in five years is quite an achievement， and shows a belief in your abilities and a motivation to do something with it.

But if you want to make money from your songs， you will need more skills than just singing and song-writing. The music industry is very competitive and brutal. As well as music， you will also need marketing skills to sell your songs (and yourself) to record labels. You will need Business skills to negotiate contracts. Accounting， Entrepreneurship and Computer skills will all be necessary to maximise your chances of success.

Song-writing and singing would be a wonderful career that may lead to a spiritual， rather than financial satisfaction. I believe if this is what you want to do， you should do it but remember the music industry is still a business， that requires a business mentality and a business education， so your parents are correct in wanting you to study hard. You may not become a famous singer， but may still get the opportunity to work in the industry of your dreams.

I wanted to be a famous painter and my wife wanted to be a famous writer. Neither of us achieved this， but we are both very happy working in the industries (design and journalism) that we love. In the meantime， don't neglect your studies， they will help you achieve your dreams. I'm sure there must be many forums on the internet where young song writers like yourself can submit songs for download and discussion. You could also try to contact recording companies， rather than the singers.

It won't be easy， but I wish you good luck.

Yours truly，

Matthew

特邀主持/ Matthew Wood

編輯/付洋