National English Proficiency Test Textbook. Level 2

Author: Liu Jie
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: The National English Proficiency Test (NEPT) system is a series of exams designed and developed by the National Education Examination Center. The PETS exam is open to the public and consists of five levels. Its purpose is to reasonably set the evaluation standards for each level based on China's actual English teaching and the needs of social development, using a unified ability scale. It focuses on testing listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills, ensuring that the scores of candidates at the same level across different test sessions are equivalent. Gradually, it connects with related examinations for higher education, going abroad, and self-study, making the application of exam scores more diverse. PETS Level 5 is the highest level among the five, with standards equivalent to the level of English proficiency expected at the end of the second year of an English major in China. Candidates who pass this level have English proficiency that generally meets the requirements for pursuing a master's degree abroad or conducting academic research. This level of English also meets the basic needs for professional and managerial work in both China and abroad. This textbook consists of 15 chapters, each covering a communicative topic. The first page of each chapter provides a brief description of the expected English communicative level for PETS Level 2 candidates within that chapter (communicative topic). Each chapter is divided into 2 units, covering parts of the communicative situations related to the topic. The textbook contains 30 units, each including:
1. Dialogues: Based on each communicative topic, several dialogue materials are provided. The dialogues are realistic and linguistically appropriate, aiming to train candidates' listening and speaking skills. Each dialogue is preceded by one or two sentences that set the context, helping candidates understand the dialogue.
2. Texts: The texts are reading materials that reflect the topic. Each unit includes a text related to the main topic of the unit, with a length of about 300 words and difficulty roughly equivalent to Level 2. The purpose is to train and improve candidates' reading comprehension skills. Each text is followed by 5 questions to help candidates assess their understanding.
3. Vocabulary and Phrases: These are the new words and phrases that appear in the dialogues and texts of each unit, summarized in the order they appear in the dialogues and texts. They include the international phonetic alphabet, part of speech, Chinese definitions of words, and Chinese definitions of phrases.
4. Notes: These are targeted at the dialogues and texts, covering two aspects: first, highlighting the difficulties in the dialogues and texts from the perspectives of grammar and vocabulary; second, providing grammatical analysis of complex sentences, explaining linguistic points and key knowledge points with examples, aiming to train candidates' ability to flexibly use language.
5. Exercises: These are designed for each unit's topic and key content, allowing candidates to assess their learning progress. The question types align with the exam syllabus to help candidates prepare for the PETS Level 2 exam.
6. Supplementary Readings: To help candidates gain a deeper understanding of the related topics and improve their reading skills, a supplementary reading is provided after each unit.
At the end of the textbook, there are 8 appendices, including: (1) Communicative Topics Table; (2) Functions and Notions Table; (3) Grammar Topics Table; (4) Language Skills Table; (5) Text Questions Answers; (6) Listening Exercise Scripts; (7) After-Class Exercise Answers; (8) Vocabulary and Phrases Summary.
The accompanying MP3 CD includes recordings of dialogues, texts, new words, after-class listening exercises, and supplementary reading materials, which can be played on computers, MP3-enabled CD players, VCD players, and DVD players.