Page 272 - updated on July
P. 272
Yu Jihui: “A Stinking Old Ninth – A Tale of the Coal Capital” (updated on July 2020)
“Yes, you’re right. English is important. It is a
beautiful language. I like it very much.” To give her
a good impression I began to boast, “I’m a good
English speaker. Actually, I could be a very good
interpreter.”
“Ah, great! You have had good training, haven’t
you?”
“Yes, we have had systematic training. As
English majors, we were requested to speak English
every day, every minute and everywhere. At first we
found it hard to speak but later on we found it more
convenient to speak in English than in Chinese.”
“I was told that English majors are requested to
recite every text that they have learned. Is that true?”
“Yes, we had to recite every text. That’s one way
to practice our speech.”
“Oh, that’s really great!” she praised, revealing
an expression of surprise. I felt very proud of myself.
269