Study "New Concept English" and chew on the texts—New Concept English 4 (Chew on the texts—New Concept English 4)

Author: Pan Zhangxian
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-02-01
Features: When using this book, it is important to thoroughly study the text from both grammatical and semantic perspectives. Below, I will discuss the importance of these two aspects.
1. The Importance of Grammar for Chinese Learners of English
Currently, many learners of English neglect grammar. In reality, grammar is a shortcut for foreigners learning English, especially considering the practical situation of Chinese learners. English teaching in China is divided into two categories: college English and professional English teaching. Generally, those who study professional English can achieve an ideal level of English after graduation, but students of college English are significantly weaker in comparison. The reason is straightforward—college English offers 200 hours of instruction, while professional English offers 1,000 hours, and there is already a gap in their proficiency levels upon enrollment. If you refuse to face this reality, you cannot adopt practical methods, and without practical methods, you cannot achieve good results. Grammar is a language rule summarized to improve the efficiency of language learning. In a Chinese language environment, neglecting grammar when learning English is indeed unwise. Therefore, when reading the text, students should always ask themselves what role each word plays in the sentence. In the initial stage, they must force themselves to do this, especially when encountering difficult parts. As proficiency improves, especially with simpler sentences, this step can be omitted. However, please note that even highly proficient English professors must analyze the grammar of difficult sentences. If a student scores below 8 in the CET-4 exam or below 10 in the postgraduate entrance exam in English, the main problem lies in their poor basic language skills and a weak grasp of grammar and vocabulary. For such students, improving writing skills does not mean learning how to write essays but rather focusing intensely on grammatical analysis of the text.
2. The Importance of Translation for Chinese Learners of English
Many students’ understanding of the text remains at a superficial level, grasping only fragments of the content. Some students are quite honest and ask, “Teacher, when reading English, do we use fragmented Chinese to understand it?” From my experience, during exams, due to time constraints, what is often referred to as reading comprehension largely relies on fragmented Chinese to understand English. However, when reading intensive texts regularly, this approach is absolutely unacceptable. It is essential to use accurate, complete, and fluent Chinese to understand English, which, in essence, is translation. In China, English teaching places excessive emphasis on thinking in English while neglecting translation instruction. Yet, the results have been unsatisfactory—how many have truly developed English thinking? Decades of practice by Chinese learners of English have proven that translation is the fastest way for non-English majors to improve their English proficiency. This book does not, like many similar books, arbitrarily showcase the authors’ "talents" by patching together excessive extensions and elaborations. The main issue for Chinese students when reading texts is poor comprehension, and the solution is not to give them more but to have them eat less and chew more thoroughly. We believe that as long as students deeply study the text itself, understand it thoroughly, and master it, they will achieve the goal of learning English well. Many students’ reality is that they seem to have learned a lot but excel at nothing and fail to grasp anything deeply. The explanation of the text in this book follows a four-step order: 1. Original Text – 2. Translation – 3. Analysis – 4. Explanation.
1. Original Text: The original text of the passage, arranged sentence by sentence.
2. Translation: For an accurate understanding of the original text and fluent expression in Chinese, serving as a marker of whether the text is truly understood. If the sentence is relatively simple, students can try to translate it into a version comparable to the one provided in the book without needing to refer to the "Analysis" or "Explanation." Therefore, in this book, the translation is directly placed after the original text. If you cannot translate it, it means you haven’t truly understood the text, so please refer to the "Analysis" and "Explanation."
3. Analysis: An analysis of the sentence structure of the original text.
4. Explanation: An explanation of the linguistic points in the original text and a supplement to the grammatical analysis.
When using this book, individuals can choose one of the following four modes based on their situation: 1-2; 1-2-3; 1-2-4; 1-2-3-4.
The author of this book has pinpointed various habitual pronunciation errors made by Chinese learners of English and arranged extensive targeted corrective exercises to transform their Chinese-style pronunciation into American-style pronunciation, creating a miracle—speaking beautiful American English in a Chinese environment. This book focuses on authentic, idiomatic, and interesting, commonly used spoken English (beginner level). It allows you to express ideas vividly and clearly without memorizing complex grammar. In the past, Chinese learners of English were "muted" in their language skills, unable to speak; now, while they can speak, they run out of things to say after a few sentences. How to engage in in-depth conversations in English—this is the problem this book aims to solve. It seamlessly integrates English learning with reflection on life, research on life, and appreciation of beautiful literature, creating an effective exam-oriented learning approach.
Entering the world of American films is like a child who has just learned to walk in the U.S. beginning a new life in a native English-speaking environment, making English learning easier, more enjoyable, and more natural. Some say watching one American film is equivalent to living in the U.S. for 10 days, and watching dozens of American films makes you as knowledgeable as someone who has lived in the U.S. for years. Learning English through English-language films is undoubtedly the best method, but many find it difficult to understand the dialogue. This series does not leave any difficult points unexplained, helping you fully comprehend the films.