English Media Article Reading Tutorial

Author: Zhang Jingyuan / Peng Yi, Editors
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-06-01
Features: In recent years, the new trends of technological development and talent competition have driven the rapid growth of graduate education in China. The enrollment of graduate students has been increasing in scale year by year, but the contradiction that graduate foreign language teaching lags behind practical needs has become increasingly prominent. On one hand, graduate English teaching needs to break through traditional English teaching models, that is, to move beyond the English learning content and models that students have been accustomed to since middle school (or even elementary school) up to undergraduate university. In other words, graduate English teaching calls for diversification and differentiation to meet the different needs of students at various levels and with different proficiency levels. On the other hand, many teachers are struggling to find a good, well-suited textbook for graduate English teaching under the new circumstances. In light of this, China Renmin University Press, after in-depth research and with the strong support of participating institutions, has specially compiled and published this series of "Graduate English Elective Course Series Textbooks" to meet the urgent needs of teachers and students. The series includes "Teaching Materials for Reading Articles from Media," "New Selected Readings from Media," "Public English Speaking Course," and "Teaching Materials for Cross-Cultural Communication." The target audience includes non-English major graduate students, Ph.D. candidates, as well as English learners and enthusiasts with a comparable level of English proficiency. "Teaching Materials for Reading Articles from Media" has the following features:
### 1. Textbook Characteristics
"Teaching Materials for Reading Articles from Media" focuses on cultivating students' ability to read and accurately understand articles from media quickly, striving to integrate the expansion of language knowledge during the graduate stage with the improvement of comprehensive language application skills. Compared to domestic similar textbooks and reading materials, this textbook has the following features:
1. The content is vivid, covers a wide range of topics, and is highly timely. All materials are selected from media articles since 2004, with the latest content updated to the 2005 U.S. Presidential Inauguration.
2. The texts are organized around thematic units, with each unit featuring selected representative articles as the main reading material, supplemented by systematic media article reading techniques and the latest media thematic high-frequency vocabulary, systematically cultivating students' ability to read media articles.
3. It not only includes major newspapers, magazines, and other traditional media in but also covers the internet, radio, and film media.
4. The selected articles have profound ideological connotations, facilitating in-depth reflection and the use of acquired language knowledge to express one's thoughts on related issues.
5. The exercises are designed to emphasize practical application, focusing on the cultivation of comprehensive English proficiency and overcoming passivity in language learning.
### 2. Content Structure
"Teaching Materials for Reading Articles from Media" is designed for non-English major master's or Ph.D. students to use for one semester, with the primary goal of cultivating their ability to read and critically analyze media articles independently, while further strengthening their fundamental language skills. The book consists of 15 units, each comprising the following sections:
- Previewing the Article: Introduces students to the relevant issues of the text, guiding them to approach reading with questions in mind.
- Reading: Includes two articles on different topics, with teachers selecting one as the main text and the other as supplementary. Each article is followed by background information (Notes) and a glossary (Words and expressions) for easier reading.
- Reviewing the Article: Covers "Getting the Message," "Expanding Your Vocabulary," "Recognizing Main Ideas," and "Beyond the Reading."
- "Getting the Message" assesses students' comprehension of the text.
- "Expanding Your Vocabulary" helps students accurately grasp and understand key vocabulary in the text.
- "Recognizing Main Ideas" summarizes the content of the text, deepening students' understanding while fostering their ability to use language comprehensively at the discourse level.
- "Beyond the Reading" encourages students to reflect on and discuss related topics, enhancing their oral expression skills.
- Skill in Focus: Systematically and comprehensively explains the writing characteristics, common types, and formats of media English, as well as media article reading techniques, aiming to cultivate students' independent ability to read media articles.
- Key Journalistic Words: Lists media English keywords by thematic units, helping students expand their vocabulary and improving their media article reading skills.
At the end of the textbook, there are reference answers to the after-unit exercises for self-assessment. Dr. Ju Fang'an of China Renmin University Press has devoted significant effort to the design of the content, structure, and format of this book. His contributions are sincerely appreciated.