An Impact Uniquely Produced on English Learning - Interview with an Overseas Student from Zhanjiang: Siyi Yang 《这股“冲击波”不寻常——访湛江籍留新学生杨斯毅》
This following article is published on the front page of Zhanjiang Evening News on Sunday, August 24, 2003 (本文刊登于2003年8月24日《湛江晚报》头版头条)
很多人都知道李阳的“疯狂英语”，张继承的“实战英语”，却不知道“冲击波英语”，这并不奇怪。因为“冲击波英语”是一位年仅22岁的湛江籍留学生杨斯毅创造的。出国前他一周内一气呵成的《冲击波英语》，虽然没有正式出版，却已成为不少英语爱好者的“掌中宝”。
Sim 与“冲击波”
杨斯毅 (英文名Sim Yang, 以下简称Sim) 现在是素有“南半球的哈佛”之誉的怀卡托大学管理学系二年级的学生。2002年6月，他出国前日夜赶写的《冲击波英语》一书的复印本，虽没有正式出版，却已成为港城不少英语爱好者的“掌中宝”。
8月2日上午，记者在霞山岭南路他的家里通过“NetMeeting" (网络会议系统）采访了他以及其父母。简单寒暄之后，杨父就将120页整本的《冲击波英语》复印本拿给我们看。杨漠涛兴奋地说：“没想到Sim写的书这么受欢迎，现在我都复印它复印怕了！”
原来，《冲击波英语》完稿之后，先是亲戚朋友要来给孩子看，后来传开了，朋友的朋友，同学的同学都纷纷上门来要感受这股“冲击波”，使得Sim的父母天天忙于复印。“要是能正式出版就好了，这可以让更多的人来分享Sim的探索成果，分享他的成功。” 杨漠涛道出了自己的愿望。
9时26分，新西兰当地时间已是下午1时多，那里较冷，室内温度10度。通过"Net Meeting"。我们看到了Sim, 并开始和他对话。
Sim首先谈了写《冲击波英语》一书的初衷。他说，写书既是自己一点学英语心得和经验总结，也是出国前的最后一个心愿，目的就是希望将他多年来学习英语过程中的甜酸苦辣一并拿出与同龄人分享，也希望与读者共同探讨有关英语学习策略问题，找到学习的乐趣，走向成功与辉煌。
Sim从小爱好文学和钢琴。从小学到大学，Sim 的英语成绩在班上一直名列前茅。高二时，开始自学四、六级词汇以及阅读了大量的英文报刊，并利用假期自学完《张道真实用语法》和《新概念英语》等著名教材，从此打下牢固的英语基础。上大学时，他把大部分时间放在提高英语水平上，经过反复实践，终于探索出“冲击法”英语学习方法，并于大学二年级一年内通过了大学四、六级考试和IELTS（雅思）出国英语考试，实现了盼望已久的出国留学梦。
座右铭：No try, no gain
"No dream, no gain. No try, no gain." (没有梦想，没有尝试，就不会有收获）， 杨斯毅在《冲击波英语》中，将这句座右铭打在了显要的位置。
1999年高考，Sim最拿手的英语不知怎么回事考砸了，分数是所有科目中最低分，这使他只能进了南华工商学院北教区石油大学读商务文秘专业。因为英语考失利，让Sim一度心灰意冷，跟其他同学一样觉得“前途黑暗”。然而，开学典礼上校长激动人心的一番讲话，辅导员的看重和鼓励，再加上他那颗原本好学的心，使Sim很快调整了心态，树立两个“目标”：争取所有科目总成绩班上第一，英语全校第一。结果二年级时，Sim的英语四级考了全校第二，六级考了全校第一。
取得这样的成绩，付出了多少，只有Sim自己清楚。他从不轻易放过一切学习英语的好机会。他经常携带一部快译通到广州花园酒店、中国大酒店以及广东国际经贸大厦等地，学了不少“真实英语”。
在多年的英语学习过程中，他逐渐形成了一套办法——“冲击法”。Sim也称之为“冲击波英语”。从2000年9月开始，Sim 已经把 “冲击法” 完全用于英语学习中。不管考什么试，除了必考词汇的记忆外，Sim看遍了一切非四、六级考试的课外英文读物，还与伙伴专门到广州外语外贸大学的校内书店买美国原版进口的《商业周刊》杂志，以及香港的“南华英文早报”来读。
上个学期，Sim的留学成绩得了一个A, 一个A-, 一个B的好成绩，这无疑又大大增强了他的信心。现在，Sim的新“梦想”是：作为怀卡托大学的交流生，到美国加州大学学习。
父母眼里的Sim
也许，你认为Sim会有什么“家庭背景”。其实，Sim的双亲都是普通人————母亲是一名普通的小学英语老师，父亲是公务员。Sim的爸爸杨漠涛说，Sim很懂事，一贯自立自强。但有一点，他们父子之间非常注重平等沟通，亦师亦友，常常谈心，探讨问题。即使Sim出国后，几乎每个周末都通过互联网来对话，分享成功与快乐。在国外留学，费用很高。为减轻家庭经济负担，Sim边求学，边打工，帮人清理屋顶，带小孩当“保姆”，教人学钢琴等等活儿，都干过。他也非常注意精打细算，常常到超市买降价菜，而且还天天“记账”，科学理财。
他的妈妈则认为，Sim与人为善、助人为乐的性格，使他在异乡如鱼得水。由于在国内Sim已是大学二年级学生，加上他英文流利，又会粤语和普通话，所以上个月被导师推荐当了学生辅导员，成为该校唯一的中国人学生辅导员，每月可以领到相当于1200多元人民币的薪水。这使Sim的爸爸又高兴又骄傲。令他们更骄傲的是，儿子时刻没有忘记家乡的发展。Sim说，他希望学成归来后，报效家乡的父老乡亲。
来访结束了，告别Sim的父亲，走在港城的大道上，看着眼前这个日新月异的城市，我不禁想，海阔凭鱼跃，象Sim这样的湛江人以开放的胸怀走向世界的同时，也拥抱了世界。
记者：潘茂伟
特约记者：潘惠勤
Many people know Yang Li's Crazy English and Jicheng Zhang's Real English, but do not know Impact English. It is not surprising because Impact English was created by Siyi Yang, a 22-year-old student from Zhanjiang. His Impact English, which he completed one week before going abroad, has become the treasure of many English lovers, though it has not been officially published.
Sim and Impact English
Siyi Yang (English name Sim Yang, shortened as Sim afterwards) is a sophomore now in the department of management at Waikato University, which is known as "Harvard University in the southern hemisphere”. In June 2002, the manuscript of the book Impact English, written day and night before he went abroad, though not officially published, has become the "palm treasure" of many English lovers in this harbour city (Zhanjiang).
On the morning of August 2, reporters interviewed him and his parents through "NetMeeting" at his home on Lingnan Road, Xiashan. After exchange of greetings, Father Yang showed us a copy of the 120-page Impact English. Motao Yang excitedly said:" I do not expect Sim to write a book with such popularity, so now I am even afraid of having it photocopied again and again."
It turned out that after the manuscript of Impact English was finished, at first it was relatives and friends who requested copies to show their children, and then it spread among friends’ friends and classmates’ classmates, all of whom would drop by for a feel of the impact of Impact English so that Sim's parents were busy photocopying every day. "If only it could be officially published, it would allow more people to share the fruits of Sim's exploration and his success." Motao Yang expressed his wish.
At 9:26 p.m. local time, which was over 1 p.m. in New Zealand with colder indoor temperature of 10 degrees Celsius, through NetMeeting we met Sim and started talking to him.
Sim first talked about the original intention of writing Impact English. To write a book, he said, can not only help summarize his experience of learning English it is also his last wish before going abroad, which is to share with fellow learners the ups and downs of many years of learning English. He also hopes to discuss with readers questions on English learning strategies and help them find the fun of learning towards success and glory.
Sim has developed love for English and piano since childhood. From primary school to university, Sim has always been at the top of his class in the English subject. In the second year of senior high school, he began to study College English Test (CET-4 and CET-6) vocabulary on his own and read a wide range of English newspapers and magazines. During holidays, he finished learning famous textbooks such as Zhang Daozhen Practical Grammar and New Concept English, thus laying a solid foundation for English. When he entered college, he spent most of time improving his English. After repeated practice, he finally found out an “Impact Way” of studying English. In his sophomore year, he passed the CET-4, CET-6 and the IELTS test in a row, realizing his long-cherished dream of going abroad.
Motto: No try, No gain
"No dream, No gain. No try, No gain." Siyi Yang put this motto in a prominent position in the manuscript of Impact English.
In the College Entrance Examination in 1999, Sim failed his best subject English somehow. The English score was the lowest of all the subjects, which led him to the only choice of studying business secretary at South China Industrial and Commercial University. The failure of the English exam let Sim disheartened for a while like some other students who had felt their "dark future". However, the principal's exciting speech at the opening ceremony, the head teacher's value and encouragement, combined with his original studious mindset, Sim adjusted his mood very soon and set two "goals: to strive for the top total score of all subjects in class, and the top score of the English subject at school. As a result, in the second year, Sim took the second place in the CET-4 test and the first place in the CET-6 test.
It is hard to imagine how much effort would be needed to achieve such results, but Sim himself understands it. He never misses a good chance to learn English. He often carries his electronic dictionary to visit Guangzhou Garden Hotel, China Hotel and Guangdong International Trade Mansion, where he learns a lot of "real English".
After many years of learning English, he gradually developed a set of methods - "the Impact Way." Sim also refers to it as Impact English. Since September 2000, Sim has been using Impact English methods in English learning extensively. No matter what the test was, in addition to memorizing the required vocabulary, Sim read all sorts of extracurricular English reading materials other than the CET-4 and CET-6 series. Besides, he and his peers went a long way to the campus bookstore of Guangdong University of Foreign Studies to buy the original magazine Business Week imported from the USA and the South China Morning Post from Hong Kong.
Last semester, Sim got an A, an A-, and a B in his study abroad, which undoubtedly greatly enhanced his confidence. Now Sim's new "dream" is to study at the University of California as an exchange student from the University of Waikato.
Sim in Parents' Eyes
You may reckon that Sim must have some sort of "family background”. In fact, Sim's parents are common people - his mother is an ordinary primary school teacher and his father is a civil servant.
Motao Yang, Sim's father, said Sim is sensible and has always stood on his own two feet. But one thing worth mentioning is that, there is considerate equal communication between the ]father and the son with both of them sometimes chatting like teachers and friends. They often have heart-to-heart talks, discussing issues. Even after Sim went abroad, he used the Internet almost every weekend to talk and share his success and happiness with family. Studying abroad is expensive. To ease the family's financial burden, Sim worked while studying, such as cleaning roofs, babysitting kids, giving piano lessons and so on. He is also very careful in managing money, often going to the supermarket for discounted vegetables and keeping everyday "accounting" in order to manage his spending appropriately.
His mother thinks that Sim's kindness and helpfulness make him a fish in water in a foreign land. As Sim is already a sophomore at the university in China, and he is fluent in English, Cantonese and Mandarin, last month he was recommended by his tutor to work as a student instructor, becoming the only Chinese student instructor at the university and receiving a monthly salary equivalent to a little more than 1,200 RMB. This makes Sim's parents happy and proud. To their greater pride, their son never forgot the development of his hometown. Sim said that he hopes to return to China after finishing his studies and serving his hometown one day.
After the interview, I said goodbye to Sim's parents and walked on the main road of the harbour city. Looking at this rapidly changing city, I couldn't help thinking: “Freely can fishes leap as the sea is vast enough”, people like Sim from Zhanjiang are embracing the world with an open mind while striding into the world.
Reporter: Weimao Pan
Special Correspondent: Huiqin Xiao