British higher education institutions attract a large number of international students, especially Chinese students, to pursue degrees in the UK every year. This longitudinal mixed-methods study tracked the informal language contact and social networks of Chinese foundation program students in the UK for two terms. A Language Contact Questionnaire and a Study Abroad Social Network Survey were administered to 84 students and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 26 participants in the first term and the second term of study. Data revealed that the participants generally had a high percentage of L1 use, high academic L2 contact, and mainly L1 social networks during studying abroad, with little variation over the two terms. Their relationships with international friends were superficial and a vibrant international student community was not found. L2 topic multiplexity and online L2 contact frequency weakly predicted the total informal L2 contact at Term 1 and Term 2. This study underscores that degree-oriented SA participants may have different prioritization and leisure time routines compared with summer school participants or exchange students abroad. Thus, with an extra foundation year in the host country, the current sample seemed to prioritize academic preparation, rather than social integration.

Phrasal verbs are highly common in informal discourse among native English speakers, yet they pose extraordinary difficulty to second language (L2) English learners. Informed by usage-based theory, this mixed-methods study attempted to determine the relationship between the amount of out-of-class English exposure in study abroad and the phrasal verb knowledge of international adult students in the United Kingdom. It also brought foundation program students (i.e., students in a preparation course for university degrees), a previously under-researched study-abroad population, under the spotlight. One hundred and eighteen foundation program students at a British university completed a modified Language Contact Profile and a productive phrasal verb test. Nine students were interviewed to further unravel how they acquired phrasal verbs via informal language contact. Analyses revealed a significant positive relationship between speaking English with international friends and phrasal verb knowledge. Hierarchical regression identified that overall English proficiency, spoken input contact, and non-interactive language contact were significant predictors of phrasal verb scores. This study points to the importance of having meaningful, emotionally enjoyable, and regular L2 contact to formulaic language competence during study abroad.

对于英语学习者来说,动机是提高学习积极性的重要内在动力,也是增强学习效果的重要因素。高职非英语专业的学生,由于自身及客观的因素,普遍存在英语学习动机缺乏,学习自律性不强等问题。基于这种现状,以广东轻工职业学院中外合作办学项目的非英语专业学生为研究对象,结合国内外动机研究成果,分析他们英语学习动机的特点,以期为提高大专非英语专业学生的英语学习动机提供切参考。

学习动机是直接推动学生学习的重要心理因素，也是决定英语学习是否成功的内在关键。如何激发和培养学生的英语学习动机，提高学生的学习积极性与效果，是近半个世纪以来应用语言学研究的热点。旨在介绍并运用Dornyei最新提出的"二语动机自我系统"理论，结合广东轻工职业技术学院英语课堂教学实际，为提高高职学生的英语学习动机和雅思考试提出若干建议。