Dear Achiwa-san,
Thanks for your mail. I hope you will master FF7 very soon. I am all thumbs
when it comes to PC or TV games. To be exact I know very little about them,
except when I was crazy about so called 'The Invader Game', which was very
popular in Japan more about two decades ago. I remember playing it at
several coffee shops and spending more than 10 thousand yen (100 yen per
game). It was a good memory.
I have never watched BeveryHIlls 90210. You say you can't keep up with the
speed. How do you watch it? You just watch the drama while it is being
broadcast or will you video-tape it and watch it over and over again? You
also refer to Sesame Street in your page. Do you follow the speed of the
program?
Let me tell you a little about how I have improved my hearing. When I went
to English Language Course of Sophia (Jochi) University (1963-1967), we
learned most of the subjects in English. I passed Eiken test and Guide test
when I was a sophomore. I was a debater for 3 years. So I sometimes worked
as an interpreter or translator. I used to be rich then! But I have to
confess I wasn't good enough at hearing English. I couldn't follow the
natural speed of English.
Anyhow coming back to
Akita about 20 years ago, I started improved my listening comprehension. I
started with Sesame Street. I video taped it, dubbed it into an audio tape,
listened to it again and again. I even bought the textbook for some years. A
few years later I was able to understand them 'word by word'.
Basically this is what I have been doing for the past years. I did the same
with 'the Little House on the Prairie', a soap opera 'Dynasty', 'Columbo'
and many, many other dramas, documentary films, many news programs, movie
films, variety shows, etc. I have been a regular viewer of 'Peter Jennings
World News Tonight. It is a news program of about 20 minutes (NHK BS). Now I
understand the news on the first trial. But I still video tape it and repeat
the part when I don't understand it. Once a week I make a transcript (about
2 or 3 minutes long) out of the news program for my students, I usually come
across a few new words or idioms. I wonder if you've already tried this
dictation method with your favorite BeveryHills.
I couldn't play the invader game often because those who played it
were regarded as a hooligan
(^_^;). I was an elementary
school student at that time.
I tape VH90210. But I usually watch it only once or twice.
When I can't follow the story, I rewind the tape and watch it
again in Japanese. As for Sesame Street, I don't tape.
I don't care if I can't keep up with their conversation.
I just enjoy watching it.
(I love TV programs for children, like 「お母さんと一緒」)
I set 「やさしいビジネス英語」 as a main studying material. So
I listen to, read aloud it many times. And I don't do them
with other studying materials. I concentrate on 「やさしい・・」
because my weak points are not only listening skill but also
vocabulary, reading skill, and so on. And I think I can
upgrade those skills most effectively by using 「やさしい・・」.