Selections from U.S. and British Newspapers (Volume 1) (Second Edition)

Author: Zhou Xueyi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2000-05-01
Features: The second edition of Selected Readings from American and British Newspapers and Magazines (Volumes 1 and 2), published now, is the same as the previous edition, designed for third-year students of English majors and other foreign-related majors in military colleges and universities. It can also be used for self-study by learners of English and those working in foreign affairs, international studies, and newspaper translation, among others, who have reached a comparable level. The readers of this book are senior students of English and foreign-related majors, who have only studied formal English in high school and early university years and have had little or no exposure to foreign newspapers and magazines. Therefore, helping them build a solid foundation in newspaper reading—specifically, news terminology and background knowledge—is the primary task. To achieve this goal, I have focused on the following five aspects in the selection and annotation of the material:
1. Select materials that are up-to-date, cover a broad range, and contain substantial information to broaden students' cultural horizons and enhance their ability to understand and analyze.
2. Make extensive use of encyclopedic entries related to politics, economics, military affairs, diplomacy, culture, education, religion, and personalities in the annotations. This approach not only helps students understand the relevant terms and passages in the text but also enables them to gradually grasp the background knowledge necessary for reading newspapers.
3. Help students master as many common news terms as possible.
4. Explain some characteristics of news language.
5. Introduce the layout, background, stance, circulation, and influence of important newspapers and magazines.