读音规则要用到真正的文本上才有意义。下面是三篇短文，里面没有一个难读的单词：全部都是前几篇文章讲过的内容。大声地、慢慢地读，然后对照文后的拆解。
短文一：关于我自己
Hi! My name is Mia. I am nine. I live in a small city with my mum, my dad and my brother.
I go to school every day. My school starts at nine. I walk there with my friend Jack.
I like drawing and swimming. I do not like maths.
这里要注意的
| 单词 | 读音 | 原因 |
|---|---|---|
| name | [neɪm] | 开音节，词尾e不发音 |
| small | [smɔːl] | _all_组合读[ɔːl] |
| city | [ˈsɪti] | i_前的_c → [s]；词尾_-y_ → [i] |
| school | [skuːl] | ch → [k]，oo → [uː] |
| walk | [wɔːk] | _l_不发音 |
| like | [laɪk] | 开音节 |
| swimming | [ˈswɪmɪŋ] | 双写_m_关闭音节，_i_读短音 |
注意_swimming_里的双写辅音：如果只写一个_m_，_swiming_里的_i_会被前面的开音节规则带偏。双写的_m_把第一个音节关上，_i_才稳稳地读短音[ɪ]。
短文二：我的家人
This is my family. There are four of us: my mum, my dad, my sister and me.
My mum is a doctor. She works in a big hospital. My dad is a teacher. He teaches maths at my school.
My sister Amy is six. She can read and she likes music. She cannot swim yet.
We have a small brown dog. On Sunday we go to the park.
这里要注意的
- this [ðɪs] — 功能词，_th_读浊音[ð]。
- four [fɔː] — 拼写是_our_，但读音和_or_组合一样，属于要单独记的例外。
- doctor [ˈdɒktə] — 闭音节，词尾弱化成[ə]。
- teaches [ˈtiːtʃɪz] — ch_后面的-es_读[ɪz]，多出一个音节。
- Amy [ˈeɪmi] — 开音节，_a_读字母本来的名字。
- brown [braʊn] — _ow_读[aʊ]。
- park [pɑːk] — 元音+r，第三种音节类型。
短文三：我的一天
I get up at seven. I wash my face and have breakfast. I like eggs and toast.
School starts at eight. We have five lessons. At noon we have lunch in the yard.
After school I play football with my friends. Then I do my homework.
At nine I go to bed. I read a book and sleep.
这里要注意的
| 单词 | 读音 | 原因 |
|---|---|---|
| get | [get] | 例外：_e_前的_g_读[g]，不读[dʒ] |
| breakfast | [ˈbrekfəst] | 少见情况：ea → [e] |
| toast | [təʊst] | oa → [əʊ] |
| eight | [eɪt] | ei → [eɪ]，_gh_不发音 |
| noon | [nuːn] | oo → [uː] |
| yard | [jɑːd] | 元音+r |
| football | [ˈfʊtbɔːl] | _foot_里的_oo_读短音，_all_读[ɔːl] |
| homework | [ˈhəʊmwɜːk] | 两个词根组成，重音在第一个；_work_里的_or_是例外，读[ɜː]不读[ɔː] |
| book | [bʊk] | _k_前的_oo_读短音 |
homework_里的_work_值得单独记一下：一般_or_组合读[ɔː]（如_for、sport），但_work_、word、_world_这一小批词是例外，_or_在这里读[ɜː]。
应该怎么读这些短文
- 先默读一遍，标出让你犹豫的单词。
- 逐个按音节类型拆解——不是在心里默想，而是出声读出来。
- 把整篇短文大声读两遍。
- 第三遍不按单词、而按词组来读：_I go to school_不是四个孤立的单词，而是一个整体的词组。
慢慢大声读，比快速默读更有用。 这个阶段的目标不是理解——反正内容一看就懂——真正的任务是把字母和声音连起来。默读做不到这一点：眼睛会把单词整体识别出来，直接跳过读音规则。大声读三篇短文，比默读三十篇收获更多。而且大声读词组，也是唯一能开始感受英语重音节奏的办法——普通话没有这种一个词里只有一个音节响亮的节奏，只能靠嘴巴反复去找。
自测一下
下面的小测验会考这三篇短文里的单词，以及它们各自遵循的规则。