Everyone speaks English. Intermediate

Author: Hou Yiling
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-01-01
Features: With China's entry into the WTO, the acceleration of opening up and participation in global competition, and especially the 2008 Olympics to be held in Beijing, Beijing urgently needs a large number of professionals proficient in foreign languages and capable of direct communication with foreigners, as well as high-quality service providers. To build a first-class modern international metropolis by 2010, Beijing also urgently needs to create a language environment and atmosphere for international exchanges. However, the English proficiency of Beijing residents, particularly their oral communication skills, falls far short of the requirements for building an international metropolis and the demands of international exchanges. To this end, the Beijing Municipal Committee and the Beijing Municipal Government have proposed that, based on the capital's status and functions, the English proficiency of Beijing residents, especially their oral communication skills, should be comprehensively improved, along with the overall quality of the citizens, to create a better humanistic environment, investment environment, tourism environment, and high-quality service environment.
Initiated and jointly launched by 11 municipal departments and commissions, including the Beijing Municipal Education Commission, the Beijing Municipal Committee for Spiritual Civilization Construction, the Beijing Municipal Economy Commission, the Beijing Municipal Commerce Commission, the Beijing Municipal Rural Work Commission, the Beijing Municipal Construction Commission, the Beijing Municipal Commission for Foreign Economic and Trade, the Beijing Municipal Municipal Administration and Management Committee, the Beijing Municipal Transport Bureau, the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau, and the Beijing Municipal Local Taxation Bureau, the Beijing English Oral Proficiency Certificate Examination has been introduced. This examination is standardized, highlights key areas, is highly targeted, and meets the needs of Beijing residents in improving their English oral and listening skills, as well as the requirements of the 2008 Olympics.
The target audience for the English Oral Proficiency Certificate Examination primarily includes professionals, employed workers, and the general public across various industries, departments, and enterprises and institutions; it also serves students of all levels of education systems in Beijing, including primary schools, junior and senior high schools, vocational schools, private schools, adult colleges, and regular universities. Hosting the English Oral Proficiency Certificate Examination to enhance oral communication skills is not only an image project for the improvement of Beijing residents' quality but also a major reform in English teaching within the education system.
To support the launch of this examination, the Beijing Municipal Education Commission has organized renowned domestic experts and scholars to compile the book Everyone Speaks English as the designated training and examination textbook for the Beijing English Oral Proficiency Certificate Examination. This textbook series consists of three volumes, catering to the needs of primary, intermediate, and advanced examinations. The distinctive feature of this textbook series is its departure from the traditional model of English textbooks that emphasize grammar and disciplinary system perfection. Instead, it adopts a step-by-step approach, focusing on oral training, and boldly employs innovative teaching methods such as project-based learning and situational teaching, tailored to the difficulties Chinese learners face in mastering foreign languages. The series is engaging, easy to remember, and highly practical for oral training.
This book can serve as a training textbook for English oral communication across various industries, as well as a textbook for English oral communication in regular primary and secondary schools, vocational schools, regular universities, and adult colleges. The content of this book has been reviewed and approved by renowned domestic and international experts and professors. During the compilation and publication of this book, strong support was provided by relevant departments of the municipal government. Special thanks are also extended to Liu Yang, Shao Heping, Tan Deshen, Shi Wenlong, Yi Rong, Rong Yanning, Feng Jiasheng, and other comrades who made significant contributions to this book.
The book is divided into 12 units, covering topics in business, catering, tourism, transportation, and the service industry.