网上学英语 

    说句心里话，上学的时候，我从未喜欢过英语，它枯燥无味，整天都是背不完的英语单词，查不完的生词，答不完的试卷，做不完的题，带着这种抵触情绪，所以我的英语成绩一向平平。看到不少同学都有了六级证书，心里有些惭愧，刻苦了一段日子，功夫不负有心人，我居然通过了六级考试，激发了一点学英语的兴趣。
    可惜工作后，自己比较懒惰，加上工作与英语毫无关系，英语都忘得差不多了。幸亏有了INTERNET，是它，挽救了我的英语。
      INTERNET是从美国ARPA网发展起来的，刚传入中国的时候，自然英文信息非常丰富，中文信息就显得少多了。刚上网的时候，我只好去英文的YAHOO，MICROSOFT等地方四处闲逛，好多单词都忘了，看得真累。后来到了www.penpal.net，一个交国际笔友的网站登了记，没想到因此结识了好几个国际笔友，他们来自不同的国家，有美国、加拿大、德国、韩国等，要想和他们交流，不得不用英语了。
    他们的英语都不错，EMAIL写得流畅易懂，简单的单词和句子就能写得很生动。而我，不得不借用我的“地球村”英汉翻译软件，一会英译汉，一会汉译英。刚开始交友的时候真把我累坏了。我的EMAIL错误百出，有时主语的HE，SHE不分，有时忘了谓语加s或ed......总是丢三落四，牛头不对马嘴。好在朋友们并不介意，照样你来我往通过EMAIL交流。
    加拿大网友TAI主动当我的英语老师，我则义不容辞教他汉语了。TAI给我打电话，他的英语说的太快，我没听懂，只好一个劲地问WHAT？他只好不断重复，我的英语说得磕磕巴巴，既要考虑语法，又要想说什么，把我急出了一身汗。我说得累，他听的也挺辛苦。打完电话，我松了口气，事后想想自己真笨，请别人重复应该用pardon，我怎么一个劲地用不礼貌的what？好在TAI并不介意，他经常改正我的语法错误，在ICQ里和我交流，一边和我聊天，一边更正我的英语错误。费了半天劲，我终于知道了GINSENG就是人参，BARBECUE就是烧烤，羊肉串，可至今我也不知道DIM-SUM是什么美味佳肴和他们交流，轻松自然，想到什么就问什么，不懂就问，谈圣诞节、西方的婚礼、唐人街、华尔街、百老汇、电影、政治...无所不谈。他们都很有耐心，每次都仔细为我解答。一次，在我的美国地图上我没有找到网友ALAN居住的城市，他居然很快就给我寄了一张他们OHIO州的州图，我终于知道了他的SWANTON城在哪里了。他还把他的跑车、他的花、还有小金鱼都拍下来，寄给我，让我了解一个真实的美国。闲着没事的时候，我会饶有情趣地给他们起些中国名字，ALAN很喜欢我给他的中文名字“阿兰”，以后这就是他的中文名字了。
    通过和朋友们用英语交流，我看见了外面的精彩世界，开阔了眼界，增长了知识。GRAND CANYON（大峡谷）、SILICON VALLEY（硅谷）、YELLOW STONE PARK（黄石公园）、NIAGARA FALLS（尼亚加拉大瀑布）......在我脑海中渐渐清晰起来。
   经过一段时间的练习，我的英语进步很快。有一次在ICQ里和网友聊天，他说我的英语“TERRIBLE”，我不明白，他改用“VERY GOOD”，原来terrible还有非常棒的意思，我心里感到由衷地高兴。尽管有时候我的英语有些言不达意，可朋友说的好，透过我的语言，能看到我对他们的关心。的确，友谊可以超越语言、跨越国界、穿越时空。心灵的交流不需要太多太多的语言。
    为了提高英语水平，我开始看英文字幕片，可总有些单词听不清楚，有一次在网上看到了一个《英文剧本天地》的个人主页，它里面有很多英文剧本，都是些我喜欢看的电影。就这样我开始看起英文剧本，并和斑竹BENSCRIPT成了好朋友。BENSCRIPT邀请我加盟他的主页，我毫不犹豫就成了《英文剧本天地》的志愿编辑，当然，我们常常用英文通EMAIL。就这样我开始尝试用英文写作，我的第一篇英语作文：网上第一次，（FIRST TIMES ON THE NET）也许我的英文文章写得很稚嫩，有一些这样那样的毛病，可这毕竟是我的第一次。我的下一个目标，就是能够发表英文作品。
学习英语，对我来说，再也不是件枯燥的事了，在和朋友的交流中，我潜移默化地学到了不少知识。英语，为我插上翅膀，让我结识万水千山之外心心相印的朋友，就这样，我喜欢上了它。
    感谢INTERNET，提高了我学习英语的乐趣，更重要的是，它让我结交了这些有情有意的朋友！

First Time on the Net
Everyone has many first time in his life, we  remember our many first time
forever, and first time in the net is more exciting, don’t you believe?
My first time to surf Internet was in Jan 1998. With my brother's help, I learned step by step. Suddenly my eyes brightened, and I was unwilling toleave the computer, the first time I loved computer, thus began my career of surfing the net.
My first email was sent to Bill Gates, because at that time, I hadn't any net friend. The famous Bill Gates was my idol and also he has the samebirthday as me, of course I sent  him an email. I searched on Yahoo, and found many messages about Bill Gates. At last I found his email address. Iwas very excited and sent an email to him saying hello and telling him about my admiration.  Less than one hour, I received a reply, but I felt littlepity that it wasn't written by Bill Gates, it was only  an automatic reply,told me that if I had some problems about Microsoft softwares, please contected with someone.My first China net friend is Yangtze. I saw his name in a free emailmagazine <ENLIGHTEN>, I was surprised that we graduated from the same university, and Yangtze was a senior fellow, so we chatted about our university, times of studying, nowadays work, plans of future, we became good friends. Finally Yangtze went to Guangzhou city to develop his talent, I lost connection with him. I often think of him, wish him good luck in thatstrange city.My first foreign netfriend  is Tai. One day I wandered on the net, and

registered my info on a penpal website. On the second day, I received an email from Toronto, Canada. He was Tai, a network expert from IBM Canada division. But he grew up in Hongkong. Tai loved traveling, and wanted to travel China’s Silk Road, I provided some information about the Silk Road,
some were websites, some were photos. He thanked me very much and often told me his travel stories. His stories were breathtaking, excited, such as hearing preach of Pope, encountering bear, being robbed in a street, etc., I never heard about these experiences before. After knowing I like collecting stamps, on his way to any country, he often sent me a postcard of that
country. So I saw Hongkong new airport, glacier of Alaska, beautiful Toronto, and even plane added flue in Alaska , he never forgot to send me an Alaska postcard.
I didn't know much of the  world outside, so I asked many questions without hesitate, and Tai always answered patiently. I learned much from Tai and my eyes opened. I improved my English by chatting with Tai. Once I gave some
computer CD names to him and let him seek in Hongkong. He was addicted in those beautiful CDs, and forgot his flight. When he remembered, only 30min before the plane taking off. He rushed to the airport, fortunately, the flight was delayed. We became penpals across Pacific Ocean. In Internet age,nice friends across oceans are just like neighbors.                                       
My first time to receive Tai's phone is also very interesting. He spoke  English very fast, at first I didn't understand. I didn't catch some words, because English is my second language, I was not good at listening comprehension. So I asked too many "What?" I had to think about my words, grammars, I was tired to speak English, I guessed Tai was also tired to hear my speaking. So at last he spoke his non-standard Chinese, I relaxed. After the dialog, I regretted I was too stupid, I should have asked "pardon?" butI asked too many impolite "What?". My first chatroom friend is Netboy. My nickname is Netgirl, once I entered a chatroom and found a "Netboy", We chatted for long time, andcoincidentally, we had the same age, same major, and even the same job.Netboy wasn't far away from my city, I hoped I could visit him one day.The first software I downloaded is Icq98a, Tai told me . Icq is a good software to chat, just like a network beeper. I can't help smiling when I
remembered my first time using ICQ. After applying for account and password,I began to use icq to chat with Tai, but I only could use message, didn't know how to write in that "blackboard". I was in a hurry, at last, I tried some letters on the last line, and entered, Oh, write over there!The first random icq friend is Alaa from Cairo, Egypt. He is an Arab who never saw snow. I laughed him for not seeing snow and told many interesting things such as snow fight, snowman. Alaa admired me that I could see snow.Of course I also had some childish questions such as: Did many Arabs wear long robe? What was their religious belief? Did they believe that god existing? etc. Fortunately, Alaa didn't feel strange. And asked me the same questions. I said I didn't have any religious belief, he was curious, and asked me seriously: "Do you really seldom believe the god existing?" Alaa is a clever network engineer, and wanted to know if I was female or male. Iplayed a joke--- gave him a riddle: HOW DOES A LADY CHANGE INTO A GUY？If his answer was right, I would tell him the truth. Alaa was really very clever, nswered:" move the "y" from lady, that is lad", I had to tell him my gender. my first essay issued on the net is that " Blue sky, green sea and hot heart". It told my experience in Qingdao city when I was in college. I sent it to Soim free email list--Love column, and it was issued soon. Although Iwas one of those thousands of writers, and readers weren't careful of my name, I was happy because many people could read my essay. Thank Internet, it let me see my potential in writing.The first time my essay published in newspaper is also because of Internet.That is an interesting episode. My brother also liked writing and oftenwrote something in some webpages. Once an editor of a daily newspaper readhis essays on the net, sent an email to him, hoped he could sent essays to
his newspaper office. I used the same computer with my brother, of course Iread that email, so I tried. I was very surprised that the editor selected two of my essays and published. My first essay is about friendship between my Canadian netfriend and me. Canada is the country of maple, so I chose a nice title: Friendship is like Maple Leaves. After receiving that paper, I
was very excited, and then sent to my Canadian friend. Thank Internet, it satisfied my literature dream. .....  ......  ......
At last, my family  moved to a new home. I couldn't surf the net at that time. I guessed my netfriends would miss me. My first thing  is to move my computer to our new home. There is only a computer in a large and empty  room. I installed the computer and accessed Internet, sure, I received many   
greetings of my netfriends. They congratulated my moving. They were so kind  to me. Thank Internet, I got to know such good friends.there are many kinds of first times in the net, such as the first time to use Internet phone, the first time to receive netfriends postcards, the first time to hear netfriends voice, etc. Because of such first time, We   got to know and became good friends. Maybe after many years, we would be nice friends, and we would forget many stories. But all the first time  wewould remember clearly, seldom forget. Just like my Pakistan friend Dr. Zia said: "Sophia, do you remember the first email you send to me? Time goes fast, now we get to know about one year. I am happy to get to know you, now attach your first email to me, because this is a memorable first time. "

(霍辉，女，1972年10月生，93年毕业于西北工业大学航海工程学院工业自动化专业，毕业后一直在东风汽车公司从事计算机软件编程工作。)