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摄于优胜美地酋长岩。以下是向老师的关于英语学习“极大语境法”的《西西弗斯宣言》
别只是像邮票一样收集单词，要在实践中体验它们，道成肉身。学习语言如同生活本身，充满混乱和不确定，就像迷失在陌生城市，却意外发现了值得铭记的风景。
“All language is but a poor translation,” Franz Kafka says, and yet, language is all we have. Words are slippery, imperfect things, but they are also our best shot at making sense of ourselves and the world. Learning English—or any language—isn’t just about rules or lists; it’s about taking control of how you think and express what matters. Without words, even your deepest thoughts remain stuck in limbo. Language isn’t some abstract collection of meanings—it’s messy, alive, and often surprising. As Hemingway put it, “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” The same is true for learning. It’s not about ticking off vocabulary lists—it’s about pushing through the confusion, the mistakes, until the words finally belong to you.卡夫卡说：“所有的语言不过是蹩脚的翻译。”然而，语言是我们唯一的依凭。语言虽狡黠、不完美，却是我们理解自我与世界的最佳途径。学英语，或任何一种语言，都不仅仅是掌握规则或死记单词，而是掌控思维的方式，表达重要事物的能力。没有语言，再深刻的思想也只能滞留在模糊的边缘。语言不是抽象的符号，而是凌乱的、鲜活的、充满意外的存在。正如海明威所言：“写作的真谛就是坐在打字机前倾尽心血。” 学习也是如此，不在于划掉多少单词表，而在于穿越混乱和错误，直至语言成为你的生活的一部分。![]()
Rote memorization? It’s a trap—like trying to bottle a storm. Memorized words are dead weight if they don’t connect to anything real. You know the word, but it sits there, like a souvenir from a place you’ve never visited. Fluency isn’t just about knowing—it’s about using. This is where the Maximum Context Principle comes in. Inspired by Camus' idea of metaphysical rebellion, it flips the script: don’t just collect words like stamps, live through them. Language learning, like life, isn't linear; it’s chaotic, like getting lost in a foreign city only to stumble upon something unforgettable.死记硬背？这是一个陷阱——就像试图装瓶收服一场风暴。死记的词汇若无实际联系，只是无用的负担。你可能认识这个词，但它像从未探访过的地方带回的纪念品——只具形式，毫无生机。流利不只是“认识”单词，更是“使用”它们。这就是我提倡的“极大语境法”的意义所在。受加缪“形而上反抗”思想的启发，我们不妨回归语言学习的本质：别只是像邮票一样收集单词，要在实践中体验它们，道成肉身。学习语言如同生活本身，充满混乱和不确定，就像迷失在陌生城市，却意外发现了值得铭记的风景。
Take a word like rebel. Alone, it’s just another verb. But plug it into Bowie’s Rebel, Rebel, feel the defiance in the guitar riff, or open Camus' The Rebel and wrestle with the absurdity of existence—now, that word has weight. It carries stories, contradictions, layers. These connections are like a shortcut to depth, turning words from lifeless facts into mental anchors. As Plato put it, “A good decision is based on knowledge, not numbers.” Language works the same way: knowing fewer words that mean something is far better than memorizing thousands that mean nothing.比如“rebel”这个词，单独看不过是个动词。但当你听到大卫·鲍伊的Rebel, Rebel，感受吉他旋律中的叛逆精神，或翻阅加缪的《反抗者》直面存在的荒谬，这个词便有了分量。它承载了故事、矛盾与层次。这些关联是通向深度的捷径，让死板的词汇成为记忆中的锚点。正如柏拉图所言：“明智的决策基于知识，而非数字。” 语言亦如此：比起死记万千无用的词汇，掌握少量有深意的单词更有价值。![]()
Mastery doesn’t follow a neat trajectory. Learning a language isn’t climbing a staircase; it’s more like wandering a labyrinth. Some days it feels like you’re making progress; others, you’re stuck in the same spot. But that’s the beauty of it. Fluency isn’t a finish line you cross—it’s a way of moving through the world. Maybe you want to master 3,500 words for exams or tackle 8,000 for the TOEFL, but it’s not about hitting numbers. It’s about breaking through those awkward moments when the words don’t come—and then, one day, they just do.掌握语言并非需要循规蹈矩。学习语言不像爬楼梯，而更像迷宫中的探险。有时你会觉得进展顺利，有时却停滞不前。这正是其中的魅力：流利不是终点，而是一种与世界相处的方式。也许你想掌握考试要求的3500个单词，或挑战托福的8000词汇，但关键不在于数字，而在于突破那些词不达意的尴尬时刻——直到有一天，它们自然脱口而出。
Language is more than a tool; it’s a way of thinking and being. As Faulkner said, “Don’t be ‘a writer.’ Be writing.” Likewise, don’t aim to be fluent—be learning. Vocabulary must be activated, lived, spoken, written—it is a rebellion against lifeless memorization. This struggle mirrors Camus' call to persist in the face of absurdity: fluency is not perfection but courage—the courage to try, to fail, to try again, to fail again, but fail better.语言不仅仅是工具，它是一种思维与存在方式。正如福克纳所言：“不要成为‘作家’，而要去写作。” 同理，不要追求“流利”——而要始终学习进取。词汇需要被激活、体验、说出口、写出来——这是对死板背诵的反叛。这种挣扎呼应了加缪的召唤：在荒诞面前坚持下去。流利不是完美，而是一种勇气——敢于尝试，敢于失败，再度尝试，再度失败，但失败得更加体面、更有收获。![]()
At some point, the struggle shifts. You stop worrying about perfect grammar, and the words start coming on their own. It’s not magic—it’s the reward for showing up, day after day. As Nietzsche wrote, “He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.” If your why is to connect, to create, and to think freely, then the struggle becomes worth it. Words stop being obstacles and become extensions of yourself. In mastering a language, you don’t just unlock communication—you discover new ways of being.某个时刻，这种挣扎会悄然转变。你不再纠结于语法的完美，词汇自然而然地浮现。这并非魔法，而是日复一日付出的回报。正如尼采所言：若知为何而生，遂可纳受一切。” 如果你的“为何”是交流、创造和自由思考，那么这场努力便值得。语言不再是障碍，而成为自我的延伸。掌握一门语言，你不仅解锁了沟通的能力，更发现了全新的存在方式。
“极大语境法”教学实践：
一起用“极大语境法”把英语提到新的高度！
词汇学习升维，从“焦虑驱动”变为“意义驱动”
托福词汇8000课程是一门60个小时的导师录播课程，把绿皮书乱序版串讲完；核心资料是我的笔记，一共600多页。可以按自己的节奏一天一课，20天完成；也可以一天半课，40天完成。如果你是白领或毕业多年，只要有一定的四级基础，也适合通过词汇8000的学习，扫除英文原版阅读的障碍。如果你的基础还比较薄弱，可以从高中词汇3500的课程开始。若咨询报名，请按文末的步骤在文章下面👇留言！
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3. 今后的学习目标（eg: 高考、美高、美本、职业方面）4. 英语学习时间安排计划（和该课程冲突？正好符合？有部分冲突）
向杨，芝加哥大学社会学博士在读。四川大学生物技术基地班本科，芝加哥大学政治学硕士。“羊说”公众号创办人，专访众多政治、社会、文化界领袖。十三年持续从事英语教学和管理。
◾ 2010年外研社演讲大赛全国季军；
◾ 2009年中央电视台希望之星风采大赛四川省冠军；
◾ 屡次在国际英国议会制辩论赛获奖;
◾ 人事部口、笔译二级(CATTI)；
◾ 托福118，口语写作阅读满分。
◾ 演讲、辩论教练；托福雅思词汇，GRE教学专家；留学规划申请专家。
◾ 众多学生获得各类演讲大赛全国大奖，不少考入世界著名高中大学，如全美排名第一的高中Phillips Academy Andover（菲利普斯·安多弗），斯坦福大学东亚系博士等。
