Graduate English Listening and Speaking Course. 2: Imported Edition

Author: Xiao Lnieke
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-12-01
Features: The "Graduate English Listening and Speaking Course (Import Edition)" emphasizes listening strategies and micro-skill training while cultivating students' speaking and writing abilities through extensive exercises. The course consists of two volumes. In both volumes, micro-skill training is introduced first through various exercises, helping students truly understand their significance and role in improving listening skills.
The first volume focuses on training around 7 micro-skills. The second volume not only spirals back to further train the 7 micro-skills but also adds two more advanced ones: scanning for background information and revising assumptions. It is worth mentioning that this courseware also integrates common and practical scenarios, with each chapter centered around a specific theme for listening exercises. These themes are broad and realistic, covering both daily-life topics (e.g., supermarkets, hobbies, travel) and subjects of great concern to students (e.g., career choices, personal dilemmas, interviews, future careers).
Since this courseware is designed for students learning English as a foreign language, it not only introduces foreign scenarios to help students understand the cultural customs of English-speaking countries but also guides them to compare and discuss in the context of their own country. This approach not only gives students something to talk about but also creates a sense of familiarity. Another feature of this courseware is its rich variety of exercises, all centered around practice. Instead of theoretical explanations, the courseware helps students master these micro-skills through extensive exercises, achieving the effect of "learning by doing and mastering through practice."
Therefore, it can be said that this is a courseware that focuses on listening skill training as its core, comprehensively developing students' overall English proficiency, which is fundamentally different from many of the listening-focused coursewares we currently use. The exercises come in various forms, including individual assignments, as well as interactive pair and group activities. Most exercises are open-ended, requiring students to actively provide answers, making the learning and practice process more proactive and student-centered.
This courseware is rich in content and highly practical, with a certain level of difficulty. It is suitable for graduate students with intermediate to advanced English proficiency. It can be used in conjunction with other coursewares that develop reading and other skills, or as a standalone course. The entire set consists of a student book, a teacher book, listening tapes, and an MP3 disc, making it very convenient to use.