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.