Introduction

In recent years， many hit American TV series are introduced to China and gain much popularity among college students mainly because of their visual effects and fascinating plot. Moreover， some college students try to learn English through watching American TV series. Suppose they can really help English learning， there are still some questions worth pondering：How can we make best use of them？

This paper lays stress on the steps to improve listening skill through American TV series.

1. Steps to improve listening skill through American TV series

1.1 Choose one or two suitable American TV series

As is known to all， American TV series has various themes， not all of them are suitable for training listening. Students should follow some principles when they choose. First， the speed is neither too fast nor too slow. Second， the plot must be vivid but doesnt has too many special visual effects. Among too many American TV series， situation comedy is strongly recommended. Sitcoms such as Friends or desperate housewives are not only full of fun but also closely near to the life. Thirdly， pronunciation must be clear and standard. Last but not least， a qualified American TV series for learning must contain abundant words of high frequency instead of too many professional words.

1.2 Watch the video for the first time with the help of caption

College students can enjoy the episode with the help of caption when they first watch. On the one hand， this satisfies their curiosity and stimulate their interest， on the other hand， it helps them master the general idea of an episode so that they can have a better understanding of the details of this episode in the next step of study.

1.3 Watch the video the second time without the help of caption

After watching the first time， learners might have an overall understanding of the whole plot. So they need to watch again without caption. This helps them get into the rhythm of English and keeps missing parts which they cant hear clearly or understand in mind so that they can start some corresponding training to overcome the shortcomings.

1.4 Divide an episode into several video clips

Deeper learning occurs when content is broken into small chunk （Clark & Mayer， 2007）， so college students need to Break down long lessons into several shorter lessons and Break down long text passages into multiple shorter ones. Considering that an episode of American TV series may last twenty to forty minutes， which is too long for short-term memory， so theyd better divide an episode into several video clips and listen one by one.

1.5 Watch the video the third time， focusing on confusing or difficult parts

Learners should listen very carefully without watching caption when watching the video the third time. When listening to the first video clip， they need to freeze the screen while finding something that they didnt hear clearly or didnt understand， then they should write the new words and expressions down in a note book that are specially prepared for making notes. After figuring out the pronunciation and meanings of those words and expressions， learners should listen over and over again until they feel they can hear every word clearly in this clip， then they can jump to the next video clip and do the same thing that has been done before. In addition， learners must have an eye on the technique of weak form， liaison， sonantization and elision in the conversation. Mastering these techniques can give a huge boost to a learners listening and speaking skills.

1.6 Review regularly to consolidate

There is a Chinese proverb：“gain new knowledge by reviewing old”. According to Ebbinghaus （1913：24-25）， “Information is lost over time when there is no attempt to retain it.” Words and expressions that learners have learned in an episode are easily forgotten if they dont review in time. Regular review not only helps learners consolidate knowledge but also develop their ability of adapting the speed variation.

2. Conclusion

In this paper， the author illustrates how to make best use of American TV series. meanwhile， learners should follow some practical approaches and notes for attention while watching American TV series to improve their listening and speaking skills. The author hopes that learners can make good use of American TV series to improve their listening and speaking skills.

References：

[1]Ebbinghaus，H.（1885）.Memory：A contribution to experimental psychology.New York：Dover.

【作者簡介】王振杨，苏州工业园区娄葑学校。