Advanced English (Lower)

Author: Zhang Zhongzai
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-09-01
Features: "Advanced English" (Volumes 1 and 2) was compiled according to the tasks specified for the "Advanced English" course in the "Plan for the English Major Examination of the National Higher Education Self-Tuition Examination Guidance Committee" (Trial). The focus of the "Advanced English" course is:
1. Improving vocabulary usage and reading comprehension skills, i.e., mastering and applying the learned vocabulary, especially distinguishing and using synonyms and near-synonyms, accurately understanding the content and main ideas of the texts, grasping the key points, analyzing the structure, language techniques, and rhetorical features of the texts.
2. Enhancing language expression skills, i.e., being able to explain sentences in the texts in English, translate them into Chinese, summarize the main ideas of the texts in English, and conduct simple analysis and commentary on the texts.
The students' task is to read the 32 texts in both volumes and complete the exercises at the end of each text. Students should independently solve language and cultural background issues using dictionaries and other reference materials to improve their self-study skills, expand their cultural knowledge, especially the background and culture of countries like the UK and the US, and better integrate language and culture. The focus of teaching at this stage is to improve understanding and language application skills, so students should shift their attention from grammar and syntax to a correct understanding of the entire text and proper language use.
The framework structure of this book is as follows:
1. Text Introduction: The text introductions written in Chinese are designed to help students understand the basic content and main ideas of the texts.
2. Texts: The 32 texts progress from simple to complex in language and from short to long in length, following a gradual learning progression.
3. Vocabulary Lists: Each text has a vocabulary list. The definitions are clear, with the text's own words listed first, followed by other meanings. Each volume concludes with a comprehensive vocabulary list.
4. Notes: Students should first use dictionaries to understand difficult points when studying the texts. If they still cannot grasp them, they can refer to the notes. This approach helps improve comprehension. Notes that are difficult to understand in English are explained in Chinese. Some notes use both English and Chinese, while others are entirely in English. The second volume has more notes in English.
5. Exercises: The exercises are divided into four categories: text-related questions, vocabulary exercises, translation exercises (Chinese-to-English and English-to-Chinese), and writing exercises. Each text includes eight to ten text-related questions to help students master the content and practice oral skills. Translation exercises include Chinese-to-English and English-to-Chinese translation. The English-to-Chinese sentences are entirely from the texts. Writing exercises require students to briefly summarize the main content of the text in 150–200 words.
The purpose of explaining sentences in English is twofold: to verify whether students have understood correctly and to train them in explaining English sentences in English.