参考答案：

On Developing Listening Ability

At present, some of the Chinese students don’t pay enough attention to the development of their listening ability. They tend to think that listening practice is of little use and so they prefer to do more reading rather than improve their listening. The reason for this is probably that they do not quite understand the importance of listening either in foreign language study or in communication.

As a matter of fact, listening is one of the most important ways to study a foreign language. As it is known to all, much of our information comes to us through our ears. Moreover, listening is an essential means of communication. Practically, we are often faced with situations where our ability to listen is vital. In such cases, if we cannot understand what is being said. Communication is impossible. Consequently, it is of great importance to develop listening skills both in learning and communication.

Personally, I believe that one cannot learn a foreign language well without practising listening. Therefore. a college student must consciously improve his listening skills to make great progress in language learning.