When Ken was in the second grade of junior high school,
he joined a school project to help foreign visitors in his town.
At first, he thought that speaking English well was the most
important thing. However, during the project, he found that
communication was not only about using correct words.

One day, Ken met a woman from Australia who was looking for
an old temple. Ken knew the temple, but he could not explain
the way clearly in English. He became nervous and stopped
speaking for a few seconds. Then he noticed that the woman
was looking at the map in her hand.

Ken pointed to the station on the map and showed her the road
with his finger. He also used simple English words such as
“go straight” and “turn left.” The woman smiled and said,
“Thank you. Now I understand.”

After that experience, Ken changed the way he studied English.
He still learned new words and grammar, but he also began to
think about what information was really important when he read
or listened to English.

Ken later said, “I used to think that I had to understand every
English word. Now I know that I should first find the important
information. That helps me understand the whole message.”

問1　Why did Ken stop speaking for a few seconds?

問2　What helped the woman understand the way to the temple?

問3　What did Ken learn from this experience?

問4　Choose the best sentence to complete the summary.