why I want to learn english When I was 16, I had the privilege of being a student of Mr. WANG Long, my high school English teacher, and he changed my life. At that time I was busy preparing for my College Entrance Examination and English is nothing more than a number on the score sheet to me. Mr. Wang would sometimes read Shakespeare’s sonnets in class for a change. One day after he finished reading, engrossed, absorbed, almost in a trance, he seemed to have been transported to another reality. Then he lifted his eyes---“isn’t it beautiful?” I have long forgotten the sonnet but I can still remember the impression on his face. At that very moment, I felt a strong desire to gain a deeper understanding of this foreign language and the culture behind it.