随着我们国家的发展越来越快，我们与国际的交流也越来越频繁。更多的外国⼈来到中国⼯作，旅游，学习，这对于我们来是说是⼀个很好的锻炼英语的机会。特别是08北京奥运会的召开更是吸引了更多的外国⼈来到中国，所以如何抓住这个机会来提⾼⼀下⾃⼰的英语⼝语⽔平就显得特别重要了。
现在我们在⼤街上遇到外国⼈的机会是越来越多了，所以怎么利⽤这样的机会来提⾼英语⼝语⽔平呢？下⾯我们来详细介绍⼀下：
奥运来了，⼤街上来来往往的⽼外⽆疑成了⼀道靓丽的风景线。个⽼外学习外语岂不是很好？既能体现中国⼈的友好，⼜能增强⾃⾝的外语⽔平，可为⼀举两得啊！怎样与⽼外交朋友练就流利⼝语呢？⽼外告诉你他的肺腑之⾔：
  Just the other day, I was in a bookshop and spotted a volume entitled How to Make Friends with Foreigners by Li Yang of Crazy English fame.Naturally, as a foreigner who has been living in China for a year, I was curious to see what kind of advice a Chinese writer was giving on this matter.
  One piece of advice really grabbed my attention and, I must say, made me feel quite annoyed.In Li's opinion, foreigners are an"opportunity" to improve your oral English; whenever you see a foreigner, you should practice speaking English to him/her. The writer goes on to say that if the foreigner doesn't want to answer your questions, then he/she is a rude person who you wouldn't want to spend time with anyw
ay.I think this counsel is not only incorrect, but also potentially damaging to relations between Chinese and foreigners in China.
  Like most other laowai living in China, I know how isolated one can sometimes feel living amid a culture far removed from our own familiar ways. However, most of the time this cultural isolation is something I simply accept as part of being here. I am, after all, here to learn about the people and the language of China and if I really hated this place then I would go home! So far my time in China has been very rewarding. I have improved my Chinese language skills, learnt about one of the most fascinating, swiftly developing countries in the world today and made some very close Chinese friends.
  Unfortunately, I have also come across many Chinese people who view me purely as an"opportunity"to improve their oral English under the guise of making friends. I have experienced people following me home from town to my college flat and then harassing me to teach them English or practice English with them. I have had complete strangers thrusting articles, manuals and speeches in my face, insisting that I help them with the English translation. I have had people asking me to assist with immigration applications to other countries. All of these people have claimed at the time that what they chiefly wanted was to make friends with me. There was even one person at the w
eekly English Corner that I run at college who, after plying me with non-stop questions for half an hour, became very angry when I politely asked him to give other people a chance to speak. He puffed himself up like a peacock and informed me that he was simply trying to be my friend.
  He may well have thought he was trying to be my friend, butswheresI come from you don't build friendships by pestering and badgering another person. Friendship for a lot of Westerners is about spending time with someone whose company you genuinely enjoy.It's not about opportunities or personal advantage.The Chinese friends I have made while living here have been genuine friends to me; we enjoy each other's company for its own sake.In this way, we've not only learnt a good deal about each other's culture but also about each other as individuals.
  I'm not suggesting that you shouldn't approach foreigners at all. However, I do think that it's important to question your own motives. If you truly want to make friends with someone from a different country, who could possibly object?On the other hand, if your only motive is to "use" the foreigner as a way of improving your English, then it's quite likely that the foreigner will be able to see through you - and will definitely not want to spend time with you.
  So if there's any advice to give on making and keeping friendships with foreigners, I would say that i
t is this:Treat foreigners as people, not opportunities.Expect to make friendships gradually, over a period of time, not instantly. And don't ply foreigners with lots and lots of disparate questions. At times, this approach comes across as confusing and unnatural.
  Finally, I would suggest that if you really want to make friends with a foreigner, then you do so because you are genuinely interested in the person. We all know that true friendships stand the test of time. If your only reason for making friends with a foreigner is to upgrade your English, then you will probably find that you don't have a foreign friend for long!
⽼外直⾔：怎样与⽼外交朋友
  ⼏天前，有这样⼀本书《怎样和⽼外交朋友》，作者是因“疯狂英语”⽽出名的李阳。作为⼀个在中国⽣活了⼀年的外国⼈，我⾃然很想知道⼀位中国作者在这⽅⾯给出了什么样的忠告。
怎样交朋友  有⼀条忠告真是吸引住了我，但我也不得不说，这条忠告让我很懊恼。按照李先⽣的观点，外国⼈是你提⾼英语⼝语⽔平的“机会”，只要见到外国⼈，你就应该上前和他们练英语。作者进⼀步说道，如果某个外国⼈不想回答你的问题，那他（她）就是⼀个粗鲁的⼈，是个你不屑与之交往的⼈。我认为这⼀忠告不仅不正确，还会给中国⼈和⽼外的关系带来潜在的危害。
  像多数住在中国的⽼外⼀样，我知道⽣活在远离⾃⼰所熟悉的另⼀种⽂化当中，有时会感到多么孤独啊！但在多数情况
下，我接受这种⽂化上的孤独，将其作为⽣活在这⼉的⼀部分。说到底，我来这⾥是想了解中国⼈民和她的语⾔，如果我真的不喜欢这个地⽅，那我早就回国了。到⽬前为⽌，我在中国度过的时光⾮常有价值，我的中⽂⽔平提⾼了，了解了当今世界上最有吸引⼒的、发展最快的⼀个国家，⼀些中国⼈也成了我亲密的朋友。
  但令⼈遗憾的是，我也撞见很多中国⼈，他们借⼝交朋友但却只把我看成练⼝语的“机会”，有⼈从城⾥⼀直跟到我的学校宿舍，缠着我教他们英语，或是陪他们练⼝语；还有⼀些陌⽣⼈把⽂章、⼿册、讲稿塞到我⾯前要我帮忙翻译；还有⼈要我帮他们写移民申请。所有这些⼈当时都声称主要⽬的就是与我交朋友。在校园我所主持的每周英语⾓上，甚⾄有⼀个⼈不间断地连问了我半个⼩时的问题后，在我有礼貌地请他也给别⼈⼀个机会练英语时，他竟然⽣起⽓来。他趾⾼⽓扬像只雄孔雀，告诉我他⽆⾮是想成为我的朋友。
  他或许真的想成为我的朋友，但我来⾃⼀个不可以通过纠缠与烦扰建⽴友谊的国度。对于很多西⽅⼈来说，友谊是与某⼈共度时光，他（她）的陪伴让你由衷地感到快乐。友谊并⾮是“机会”或是能给⾃⼰带来什么好处。我在这⼉交的中国朋友都是真诚的朋友，我们因为彼此喜欢在⼀起⽽在⼀起。在这种情况下，我们不仅相互了解了很多对⽅的⽂化，也加深了个⼈间的了解。
  在此，我并⾮建议你根本不与⽼外打交道。但是，我认为重要的⼀点是问⼀下⾃⼰的动机。如果你真的想与来⾃异国的⼈交朋友，谁会反对呢？但话说回来，如果你的动机就是利⽤⽼外将其作为⾃⼰提⾼英语的⼀种⼿段，那么⽼外很可能看穿你——那他（她）肯定不想与你共处。
  因此，如果说我对与⽼外交朋友并保持友谊有什么忠告，我想说的就是：把外国⼈看成“⼈”，⽽不要看成“机会”；友谊是逐渐形成的，要经过⼀段时间，不要期望速成；不要没完没了地向⽼外提出⼤量的互不相关的问题，这样的接触⽅式有时会让⽼外犯晕或是觉得不⾃然。
  最后，我想建议，如果你真的想和⼀个⽼外交朋友，那么你就应该是因为真⼼喜欢这个⼈。我们都知道，真正的友谊是经受得住时间考验的。如果你与⽼外交朋友的⽬的是提⾼英语⽔平，那你恐怕就不会有⼀个长久的⽼外朋友。