Chapter 13: English Level 1, Acquired Trait: [Innate Language Sense]

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Han Xiaolan was once again dressed in a trench coat as she entered the classroom. She placed her handbag and water bottle on the podium, then told everyone to take out the English exercise books that had been distributed earlier.

“This class, we’ll continue going over the exercises. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask.”

Unlike the key high schools in the city, Dongping No. 1 High School, while the top in the county, still lagged behind significantly in educational resources. Therefore, their English classes were not conducted entirely in English.

At this moment, Xu Ming looked down at the exercise book spread out on his desk and realized he had left nearly half of the questions unanswered.

Reflecting on his previous life, before entering university, he did indeed have a serious weakness in English.

A wave of shame washed over him.

“You still have to practice,” he murmured to himself, deciding to listen attentively while working through the English exercises.

Unlike math or physics, which relied heavily on formulas, with English test questions he could only depend on his vocabulary and grammar knowledge.

It was difficult to guarantee complete accuracy.

To become the top scorer in the college entrance exam and earn both school and county scholarships, he needed to score near-perfect marks in every subject.

Under such circumstances, for major subjects like English and Chinese, it was essential to answer as many questions as possible to build a good feel for the exam.

And so it went.

As time ticked by, his experience points in English steadily increased.

[Through diligent study, your [English] proficiency has improved, gaining 2 experience points.]

[Through diligent study, your [English] level has risen to lv1.]

[You have acquired the trait — [Mastery of Language Intuition]]

[Trait: Mastery of Language Intuition]

[Effect: Your foreign language intuition ability has been greatly enhanced.]

“What is this... my English subject level has increased?”

Xu Ming had been so focused on the exercise book throughout the lesson that he had almost forgotten his English experience points were close to leveling up. It was only when the panel suddenly appeared that he realized what had happened.

Pausing briefly, he quickly examined the newly acquired trait.

“It’s actually Mastery of Language Intuition.”

When the trait’s name and effect caught his eye, he was overjoyed—it was like receiving a pillow just when he was exhausted.

Having passed the CET-6 exam during his university days in his previous life, Xu Ming knew exactly what mastery of language intuition meant.

Whether in high school or university, it was considered a high-level skill in foreign language learning.

Simply put,

Language intuition is an instinctive perception and immediate reaction to a foreign language.

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For example, upon hearing or seeing a sentence, one could sense whether it was grammatically correct without analyzing its structure.

Especially when doing exercises, one could quickly identify the most logical answer by grasping the overall “flow” of the context. Even when encountering unfamiliar or rare words or complex sentences, one could accurately infer meanings from the entire passage, speeding up answering while improving accuracy.

Only a few people possessed a high degree of language intuition.

Even without much effort, they could easily achieve high scores.

To develop this ability later on, one needed extensive reading and listening practice accumulated over a long period.

When he took the CET-4 and CET-6 exams, Xu Ming had invested considerable time and effort to overcome his English weakness.

“This is fantastic, it has enhanced my language intuition. I no longer have to worry about written expression or listening.”

After a brief moment of contemplation, Xu Ming controlled his excitement, calmed himself, and immediately turned his attention to the unfinished written expression question.

“Assume you are Li Hua.”

“Your British friend Bob is coming to Yanjing to study Chinese. He writes to ask for your help in recommending a place to rent. Please reply to him based on the following information.”

…

With the Mastery of Language Intuition, writing in English became more natural in sentence structure and flow. He could accurately select words that fit the context and emotional tone, avoiding errors and awkward phrasing.

His grammar usage was guaranteed to be correct.

After silently reading the provided details, familiar words and phrases quickly formed in his mind, arranging themselves into a coherent essay.

There was hardly any hesitation as he wrote word after word.

“Dear Bob,”

“I’m glad to hear you’re coming to Yanjing…”

In less than five minutes, he completed an essay of over 100 words.

The content was complete, the structure clear, and there were no grammatical errors.

“This written expression is almost at full-score level,” Xu Ming looked at his work with great satisfaction.

Just as he was feeling pleased, the English teacher’s voice suddenly sounded by his ear.

“Xu Ming.”

“Come and translate this reading comprehension for the class.”

Startled, he quickly looked up. Han Xiaolan, the English teacher, was standing beside the desk, watching him encouragingly.

In recent days, Han Xiaolan had been quite pleased with Xu Ming’s attitude toward studying.

Every time she came for English morning study, he was earnestly memorizing vocabulary.

But when regular classes started, he would switch to studying math and physics instead, which she found regrettable.

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In her impression, Xu Ming was relatively weak in English.

He should be spending more time reviewing it.

However, Wang Qingtao had specifically told her not to interfere with Xu Ming’s own study plans.

She couldn’t force him to focus on English.

Today, upon seeing Xu Ming take out his English exercise book, she was naturally pleased.

So, when she happened to walk by, she deliberately called his name to address common mistakes he might make.

Under the watchful eyes of the whole class, Xu Ming habitually stood up, though his face was as confused as ever.

Being asked to translate a reading passage was no big deal for him.

He would feel embarrassed if his accuracy dipped below ninety-five percent.

The key was,

He had no idea which passage to translate.

He had been so focused on the written expression question that he hadn’t noticed how far they had progressed.

In the front row, Li Wenhui, the class monitor and Xu Ming’s dormmate, craned his neck to look back.

Knowing Xu Ming’s English was the weakest in class, he silently concluded that Xu Ming wouldn’t be able to translate it.

“There are so many obscure words in this reading. If you could translate it, everyone would have full marks.”

Xu Ming naturally paid no mind to what others thought. Just as he was about to ask the teacher directly, he suddenly saw Qian Hong, quick and clever, swiftly swapping his English exercise book.

Seeing this, Xu Ming’s expression instantly brimmed with confidence.

He picked up the exercise book and began translating.

“The Sahara Festival is a modern historical celebration. This three-day event’s date varies each year.”

…

Although some words were unfamiliar, he quickly grasped the main idea and details of the passage.

Using context and language patterns, he inferred the meanings of words and sentences.

He turned the English translation into almost a prose recital.

As his speed increased, the teacher’s expression shifted from surprise to amazement and delight, her eyes brightening.

Even Chen Lu and other students with good English couldn’t help but glance over.