On improving students speaking ability AbstractWith the opening-up of China, English teaching has been getting more and more attention, especially since Beijing won the bid to hold the 2008 Olympic Games. People are enthusiastic about learning English .As a result, English teaching and reform are coming to a turning point, which predicts a bright future in English education in China.Now, a 9-year voluntary education program is put forward in China. A Standard English course is being used to replace the former teaching outline. The new standard adopts the international system according to which English language education is divided into 9 levels. This has changed the old style of teaching, which attaches importance to grammar and vocabulary. Adopting the new standard helps to develop the students ability to use English in their daily life, by focusing on arousing their interest, and encouraging their participation.The new method will place less stress on “reading and writing”, in favor of “listening” and “speaking”. So now, speaking is getting more and more important in middle school English teaching. This paper discuss how to improve students speaking ability and expound the theme through three aspects as follows:The importance of speaking.Some barriers in the process of speaking communication.Essential methods for improving students speaking ability.The issue will be discussed from the perspective of a teacher of English in junior middle school and a possible conclusion will be reached with the help of some theoretical and practical support.Key words: speaking、communication、ability、middle school、English teaching.摘要：随着改革开放深入，英语教学越来越引起人们的重视，尤其北京成功深奥。人们都热中于英语学习。所以英语教改进入一个转折点，面临着美好的未来。现在，在九年制义务教育中，标准英语课程以取代以前的教学模式。根据英语语言教育分成九个等级，新课标采用了国际体制，改变了旧的方法。新的教学方式通过引起学生的兴趣，鼓励他们参与去培养学生日常生活中运用英语的能力。新的方法重在听力和口语，因此现在口语在中学英语教学中越来越重要。本文主要讨论如何提高学生的口语能力，从下面三个大的方面阐述：1. 说的重要性。2. 口语交流过程中的一些障碍。3. 提高口语能力的基本方法。本文从初中英语教师的观点，并且从理论和实际结合中得出结论。关键词：口语 交流 能力 中学 英语教学1. IntroductionEnglish is a popular language -especially in the new century. As is known to us all, it is the most widely used language in the developing world and its getting more and more important nowadays. Recent estimates suggest that more than 400 million people speak it as their first language, with more than 1800 million people speaking it as second language. It is an official language in a large number of countries and is widely used in air traffic control and academic gatherings.Nowadays, with the opening-up of China, English teaching has been getting more and more attention, especially since Beijing won the bid to hold the 2008 Olympic Games. People are enthusiastic about learning English. Most of our students begin to learn English from Grade 3 in primary schools. However, classroom teaching has long been the only way to learn English in China, and the method has usually involved cramming grammar-translation knowledge into learning a language. But this approach of teaching and learning English is evidentially passive, because it goes against the principle of English teaching, which requires that listening and speaking take the lead in English teaching, and on the basis of these two skills, reading and writing will be cultivated. So speaking as one of the four language skills has played a very important role in English teaching in middle schools. All the communications are established on the basis of speaking. To be able to have a good pronunciation and tone, that is, speaking well can give you confidence in communication. In daily life speaking is the best way which make the communication of information become more quickly, especially in the present society with such quick development of people s life pace .so it is necessary for the students to develop the ability of speaking. Whats more, with the reformation of new process of teaching, it requires that the students will have the expressing ability to receive and pass information in English in real occasions. But many students often can speak well in class or in relaxed occasions, and when they are put in a real condition, they cant. Why does it appear? Well, it is affected by many elements One of the elements is their English speaking ability. So it demands the English teachers in junior schools to develop the students speaking ability. So also it is necessary for the teachers to help the students develop the ability of speaking.I have observed the students speaking English since I became a teacher. I find many students often can speak well in class or in a relaxed occasion. But when I invite some foreign teachers to talk to them, they become very good audiences. Some students would like to say something, but often the foreign teacher cant understand what they say. Why? Because they have no good phonetics or correct grammars. Then why dont some of them say anything? Their answers are that they are afraid to make mistakes. And also some of the