学英语，要像尼采一样用“锤子”思考。Philosophizing with a hammer is bold—building vocabulary with one? Even better!（“用锤子来哲思固然大胆，用锤子来扩展词汇，更是妙趣横生！”）
A friend of mine once asked what I thought of New Concept English. I tried to be diplomatic: "Sure, it’s helpful. Just... don’t spend too much time on it." Years passed, and his English barely moved forward. He could manage polite phrases—Where’s the bathroom?—and the occasional awkward “How do you do?”, but that was it. The only thing he remembered from the textbook was a story called A Puma at Large. He recited it to me with a strange mix of pride and weariness, like reminiscing about an ex who left him more drained than inspired. 一位朋友曾问我怎么看《新概念英语》。我出于礼貌回答：“挺有用的，不过别花太多时间在上面。” 几年过去了，他的英语水平几乎没什么进展。能应付的不过是简单的礼貌用语，比如“洗手间在哪？”以及偶尔蹦出的尴尬一句“你好呀？”除此之外别无他物。他唯一记得的教材内容是A Puma at Large（《一只逃遁的美洲狮》）中的故事。每次提起这篇故事，他总是带着些许曾经努力过的自豪，但又夹杂着疲惫，好像回忆一段与前任身心俱疲的旧恋情。
This, right here, is the fate of many English learners: they worship textbooks but never go beyond them. Original English texts—those alluring but unruly creatures—tempt them. But, like handing a physics book to a toddler, it’s overwhelming. Halfway through the first page, they’re drowning in unfamiliar words. What started as excitement turns into a slow, agonizing fight with the dictionary. Frustrated, they give up and retreat to the comfort of language apps, where they can hover safely at “Hello” and “Goodbye” or truncated and simplied texts without fear of drowning. 这就是许多英语学习者的命运：他们迷信教材，却从未走得更远。原版英文书——这些迷人却不羁的存在——吸引了他们。然而，就像把物理书交给一个学步儿童一样，难度让人望而却步。翻开第一页，他们就被陌生的单词淹没了。本应是激动人心的开始，却变成了与查生词的艰难拉锯战。最终，沮丧让他们放弃，回到语言学习软件的怀抱，在那里，他们可以安稳地停留在“Hello”和“Goodbye”这样的词汇和一些删节简化的英文读物上，不用担心被淹没。![]()
For non-native learners, vocabulary isn’t just helpful—it’s survival. Native speakers don't need to cram vocabulary; they grow up with words all around them—Dr. Seuss as toddlers, Harry Potter as preteens, and Shakespeare by the time they hit high school. For everyone else, vocabulary is a steep mountain to climb. Without enough words, you hit a wall when reading real texts. It’s like trying to cross a river, only to find there’s no bridge. And here lies the great paradox: just when learners muster the courage to read original texts, they slam headfirst into their biggest enemy—vocabulary. The unfamiliar words pile up like traffic tickets, and soon, the effort collapses under its own weight. 对于非母语者而言，词汇不仅仅是有用的工具，而是生命线。母语者则无需专门背词，他们从小就在词汇的包围中长大——幼时读苏斯博士，少年读《哈利·波特》，到了高中则开始接触莎士比亚。而对于非母语者来说，词汇是一座陡峭的山峰。没有足够的词汇储备，阅读原版书就像走进死胡同。好比试图渡河，却发现没有桥。讽刺的是，当学习者终于鼓起勇气读原版书时，却迎头撞上他们最大的敌人——生词。陌生的词汇像交通罚单一样越积越多，最终压垮了所有试图完成原版阅读的努力。![]()
So, how many words do you need to get through a book without feeling like your brain is being sandpapered? The answer: 8,000 words. These are the same words you’ll need to tackle Sherlock Holmes and, more crucially, pass the TOEFL exam. TOEFL isn’t just an English test; it’s an academic boot camp. These 8,000 words? They’re your survival kit. They’re the tools you need to navigate not just exams, but university life or workplace itself. Nietzsche might ask: Is it better to out-monster the monster or to be quietly devoured? For TOEFL takers, it’s simple: learn the words, or risk being eaten alive by the reading section (Monster). 那么，要顺畅读完一本书，你需要掌握多少词汇？答案是：8000个词。这正是你需要读懂《福尔摩斯》和通过托福考试所必备的词汇。托福不仅仅是英语考试，更像一场学术新手营。这8000个词汇就是你的生存工具箱，不仅用于应对考试，还用于在大学和职场生活中游刃有余。尼采或许会问：“是变成比怪物更可怕的怪物，还是安静地被怪物吞噬？” 对于托福考生来说，答案很简单：掌握词汇，否则就会被阅读单元（巨兽）吃掉。词汇8000视频课程16分钟演示（完整课程介绍见最后）
Now, slaying the 8,000-word dragon isn’t as impossible as it seems. I once crammed over 20,000 GRE words into my brain in 26 days. Was it painful? Absolutely. Did I regret it? Often. But it worked—which means 8,000 TOEFL words in two months? It’s doable—if you’re smart about it. The key isn’t grinding away at each word like a miser counting pennies. It’s about learning in chunks, with a rhythm that feels more like improv than a school drill. Vocabulary isn’t brute memorization—it’s about momentum and rhythm, with a touch of absurdity. 要斩杀8000词汇的巨龙，并没有想象中那么困难。我曾在26天内高效搞定了超过20000个GRE词汇。痛苦吗？当然。后悔吗？经常。但它确实奏效了——这也意味着在两个月内掌握8000个托福词汇是完全可行的，只要方法得当。关键不是像守财奴数硬币一样逐字背诵，而是要分块学习；课程节奏更像即兴表演而非课堂练习。词汇学习不是死记硬背，而是一种动态的节奏和势头，带着些许的荒诞之美。向老师成都外国语学校演讲回顾：英文原版阅读大战略
Here’s where it gets interesting: words stick when they’re fun, strange, or tied to culture. Learning a word shouldn’t feel like dragging a rock uphill; it should feel like discovering a clever joke. A good vocabulary session is organized chaos, where language twists and surprises you. You walk away not drained but energized, with a handful of new words buzzing in your head. 有趣的是，词汇总是在有趣、奇怪或与文化相关时更容易记住。学一个词不该像推石头上山，而该像发现了一个聪明的笑话。一堂好的词汇课是有序的混乱——语言在其中扭曲、交织，充满惊喜。结束时，你不会感到疲惫，反而精神抖擞，脑中涌动着刚学到的新词。
The goal isn’t just to collect words but to make them part of you. If your first impression of the encountered word is a spark, then spaced repetition is the fuel that keeps it burning. Memorizing without using is like trying to train a dog by showing it photos of other dogs—it doesn’t work. Words need action. Use them, say them, write them, mess them up. Fluency isn’t perfection; it’s the confidence to fumble without fear and keep going anyway. 学习目标不是收集词汇，而是让它们成为你的一部分。初次对单词形成的第一印象就像火花，而”间隔重复“则是保持火焰燃烧的燃料。只记不练就像试图用狗的照片来训练狗——行不通。词汇需要行动：使用它们，说出来，写出来，出错也无妨。流利不是完美，而是敢于犯错并坚持下去的自信。- 学生会自己做符合自己时间和节奏的计划表，和向老师一起完成托福词汇基础搭建
And here’s the magic: at some point, you stop thinking about the words, and they just come. It’s not a miracle—it’s the quiet reward of all the effort you put in. Nietzsche once said, “He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.” In the same way, once you find your reason for mastering English—whether it’s academic goals, cultural exploration, or finally watching Netflix without subtitles—the struggle stops feeling like work. It becomes something enjoyable. The words aren’t obstacles anymore—they’re friends, partners in conversation, companions on the journey toward fluency. 神奇的是，某个时刻你会发现自己不再刻意思考单词，它们自然而然地流淌出来。这不是奇迹，而是你所有默默努力的回报。尼采曾说：“若知为何而生，遂可纳受一切。” 同样地，当你找到学习英语的理由——无论是学术目标、文化探索，还是终于能无字幕看Netflix时——学习不再像负担，而变成了乐趣。单词不再是障碍，而成了朋友、对话中的伙伴、通往流利之路上的同伴。- 对话60-70年代轰动全美的地下气象组织创始人Bill Ayers和Bernardine Dohrn
In the end, mastering 8,000 TOEFL words isn’t just about passing a test. It’s about unlocking doors—to new ideas, to connections, to the thrill of thinking in a language not your own. It’s about surviving, yes—but it’s also about thriving in a world where language is power. And trust me: once you cross that vocabulary threshold, the absurd beauty of language reveals itself. Suddenly, English isn’t just a tool—it’s a whole new way of seeing the world. 归根结底，掌握8000个托福词汇不仅仅是为了通过考试。它是在开启新的大门——通向新的思想、连接与用另一种语言思考的乐趣。学习不仅仅是生存，而是让你在语言为王的世界中茁壮成长。相信我，一旦你跨越了词汇这道门槛，语言的荒诞之美便会展现出来。那一刻，英语不再只是工具，而成为了一种全新的看世界的方式。
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。
