Debating developed this Marketing major’s language skills while watching TV dramas expanded her knowledge of daily expressions. She forces herself to focus on the reading materials for her studies. She read Fifty Shades of Grey after watching the movie.

Preparing for IELTS led this Software Engineering major to work hard and read online news such as the BBC. She prefers learning English through movies. She read Alice in Wonderland and The Little Prince.

Preparing for the GRE test required this Urban Management major to memorise mathematical jargon and read different types of articles. A teacher from primary school asked her to write diaries. She thinks it is easier to understand history books in English than in Chinese.

Interacting with NETs in primary school was fun for this Economics major. She had to read newspapers and poems for examinations. She read The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith.

Playing games and speaking with foreigners in a summer camp helped improve this Human Resource Management major’s English. She watched movie adaptations of The Book Thief and a story from John Green. Both of which were recommended by a friend.

A trip to Australia gave this Business major the opportunity to communicate with the local people there. She had to read a newspaper article with many unfamiliar words during a job interview.

Watching movies with English subtitles contributed to this Public Policy major’s learning experience. She enjoys reading short stories and her favourites include the Elbow Room collection, stories by Alice Walker and Raymond Carver.

Reading had been a habit of this English major since primary school until he switched to the Internet. He likes books on fantasy and biology. He dressed up as Tom Sawyer, a character in Mark Twain’s novels for Reading Week in secondary school.

Interacting with foreign friends who he met online, in class, and on sports teams is an alternative for this Computer Science major to learn the language. It also made him realise he shouldn’t be intimidated when being approached by foreigners. He read Everything’s Eventual by Stephen King.

An exemplary teacher in elementary school took the time to help this English major which he appreciates a lot. A comment from a librarian propelled him to push himself to learn to read.

An unkind gesture from her teacher in Nepal marked an unpleasant memory for this English major. The Secret Island by Enid Blyton is the book she has treasured the most because it is the first book she has ever read. She selected it because of its appealing cover during her first trip to a bookstore.

After being drilled in English by her mother at home, this Linguistics major did well in the subject. She read Enid Blyton under the influence of her friends. The Harry Potter series and books from Sidney Sheldon are her favourites.

Learning English on the Mainland involved more writing and reading than speaking. This Information Systems major also watches movies and listens to songs. As a programmer, he had to read a book about this subject in English in order to get the newest information.

It took some time for this Japanese and English major to get used to an EMI secondary school. Talking to the NET in class also helped. She watches Japanese animation with English subtitles.

A teacher in secondary school used phonics to help this Social Science major with her spelling. In the absence of Chinese language recipes, she looks for English ones on the Internet.

A study tour to the US provided this Computer Science major an opportunity to speak with the locals in English; it also exposed him to many new words. He sometimes reads the South China Morning Post online.

A teacher in high school sparked this Policy major’s interest in English. Even though she had to read a lot to prepare for IELTS, she found it valuable when she made progress. She browses English websites such as Facebook.

A study tour to Hawaii with lots of outdoor activities allowed this Marketing major to learn the language in a more fun and relaxing way. She goes through city maps and transportation guides at the airports when she travels. She also reads articles on Facebook.

Friends helped this student to train his language skills. He reads other people’s comments when he watches movies on YouTube but he doesn’t write anything himself.

Learning phonics at a young age through engaging activities was important for this Business major. An exchange to the Netherlands allowed her to speak more English. She prefers to read in Chinese because it is a more familiar language. She read P.S. I Love You and watched the movie.

A spelling mistake spotted by a foreigner became a funny moment for this Translation major. She read Harry Potter in English because the Chinese translation hadn’t been released.

Being an intern for the Australian Chamber of Commerce in China provided this Translation major with a practical environment to learn the language. She usually reads English books that have pictures inside since she likes drawing.

English learning started in kindergarten for this Business Administration major. She finds the experience more interesting than learning Mandarin, her first language. A friend recommended Fifty Shades of Grey and the Fault in Our Stars to her.

An exchange to Mexico enabled this Law major to use English in her daily life. She learnt a lot from the book Man’s Search for Meaning which was recommended by a professor during that time.

A drama competition in secondary school involved writing her own script and directing the performance. This Information Engineering major seldom gets to read books that she likes due to the school syllabus. She likes romance novels.

Her father bought learning magazines including ABC and Live for this Computer Engineering major. Reading The Lord of the Rings for the second time made her realise that her English had improved.

An exchange to Germany improved this Fine Arts major’s spoken and written English. Reading books about Chinese art history allowed her to build her vocabulary from the scholars’ writings.

An exchange to the US exposed this Mathematics major to new vocabulary and improved her language skills. She was addicted to the Twilight series but had trouble understanding the story when she started.

Reading scientific articles and the South China Morning Post helped expand this Biology major’s vocabulary. It takes him more time to read books than the news because of the different vocabulary involved. He read Dear John and then watched the movie.

Extra-curricular tutorials in secondary school taught this Architecture major phonetics. The readings for her major are difficult because they relate to philosophy. She spends more time to digest the materials and uses the dictionary to overcome the challenge.

A drama competition provided this English Education major with an opportunity to write a script and perform with his classmates. The fighting scenes in The Hunger Games books are exciting.

A trip to the US gave this Geography major the opportunity to use conversational English. Although English lyrics often involve simple words, the meanings behind are very complex.

A vocational education teacher improved this Computer Engineering major’s English by giving him private lessons on grammar and presentation. His father bought him some learning materials in CD format that helped boost his reading skills.

Reading books, listening to songs and watching news are alternative ways to learn the language. This Social Work major likes reading romantic poetry. She believes learning English is a lifelong process.

A one-month trip to Perth improved this Mechanical Engineering major’s spoken English. She doesn’t usually read English publications but she read The Help after watching the movie.

Learning English is a part of everyday life and the experience was described as normal by this Translation major. She read Flipped after watching the movie.

A drama performance in secondary school was a way for this Accounting major to practise his communication skills. Reading the Harry Potter series sparked his interest in English.

Preparing for university entrance exam meant studying English for two to three hours every day during high school. This Urban Planning major usually reads BBC News and the Economist in the morning.

An exchange to Hawaii made this English major realise that language learning is not limited to vocabulary and grammar. He read Thinking, Fast and Slow, The Lonely Londoners and Mrs Dalloway.

A university lecturer sparked this Statistics major’s interest in English by using humour in a presentation skills class. She read some reference books to improve her pronunciation.