At the beginning of the new semester, the School of Foreign Studies held the English Salon (English Salon) at the Yiban Experience Center in order to create a good atmosphere for English learning, provide students with a platform and opportunity to communicate in English and further improve the students’ oral English level. The activity mainly aims to mobilize the enthusiasm of students to learn English, and the foreign teacher Par Motaghedi closely interacted with students.

On September 20, surrounding the topic of “the Difference between Chinese Movies and American Movies”, Mr. Motaghedi communicated with students in an warm and pleasant atmosphere. Students fully practiced their spoken English and enhanced their ability to use English; the Salon inspired students’ interest in English learning and enriched the campus culture.

On September 27, the English salon extended the theme of “Gourmet Food in China and America” to a variety of cuisines from the East and the West. When talking about the Greek food and culture, Mr. Motaghedi mentioned one kind of food called “chickpea”, which is almost a necessity for the Greek dessert. Mr. Par also mentioned the New Orleans crayfish, and ridicule that he became “fat” due to eating too much his favorite hometown food. Fun exchanges made students enjoy the exotic cultureand style in the form of relaxation; Pure English conversation also improved their oral proficiency.

In the course of such several salon activities, a constant stream of students competed in opening their mouths to speak English, and the activity venue was in a strong English-learning atmosphere. Students interacted directly with foreign teachers to experience authentic English expressions, which would help students understand the society and culture of English-speaking countries, clarify cultural differences between China and foreign countries, and lay a solid foundation for good communication with Westerners. Students could gradually develop theircross-cultural awareness and International outlook.

The entertaining English salon offers the students a good opportunity to practice their oral English. Through this exchanges, the university students would have a more open vision, the culture is spread on campus and a more humanistic spirit and atmosphere is built therein. Regular English salon activities are an effective way for our university to create a good atmosphere for English learning. It is reported that the School of Foreign Studies will regularly hold English salon every Tuesday at 5:30 pm in Yiban Experience Center. All students are welcome to attend the salon!