阅读理解。

     I started to study English by myself when I was about 15 because of Michael Jackson. He's been my idol

since1991, and I really wanted to understand him and his music.   1    I was very patient, and that helped me

a lot in the process of learning English by myself.

     Actually, I can't describe the techniques I used to learn it, because it was almost automatic for me to start

understanding English after a period of hard work trying to translate texts, dialogues and songs.   2      

     One thing that I can say is that I started learning English through comparing patterns and observing the

language structure, comparing it to Portuguese and trying to memorize rules.   3    Another thing that helped

me a lot is the fact that I would spend hours studying the uses, tenses, etc. of the words I could notice.

        4    It was the hardest part of the process for me, because the only source I had was music, although I

used a pronunciation dictionary, too. 

      5   Later on I entered UFMG and really started studying English. Today I'm a teacher at an English Course,

and I really enjoy it, because I can improve my English each day.

A. Despite the difficulty, I could learn everything well.

B. So I really can't say exactly how I've achieved proficiency (熟练).

C. With the help of my teacher, I learned pronunciation well.

D. So I can say that a strong will is the key to my success.

E. After having a large vocabulary, I started working on pronunciation.

F. And I used to make lists of words in order to memorize them and their meanings.

G. I used to use a dictionary to find the meaning of each word in songs written by him.