National English Level Test Special Textbook Level 2

Author: Ma Ling
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-07-01
Features: The National English Level Test (PETS) is the only multi-level authoritative English testing system in China that is designed and implemented by the China Education Examination Center with the assistance of the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES) in the UK. As an educational exchange and cooperation project between the governments of China and the UK, the format of PETS is designed by Chinese and British experts based on the characteristics of Chinese English learners. It reflects the current international trends in large-scale English examinations while fully considering the question types of mainstream domestic exams, taking into account the capacity of society and candidates. PETS is currently being vigorously promoted by the China Education Examination Center as a nationwide social English examination.
The distinctive feature of the PETS exam is its focus on assessing candidates' English communicative competence. It categorizes and defines language proficiency based on the communicative language teaching model widely adopted in the international field of foreign language education. In terms of test structure, various question types are designed to evaluate listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills, ensuring comprehensive assessment of candidates' communicative competence at all levels.
This series of textbooks is based on the new examination syllabus and follows the principle of "adapting to Chinese people learning English in China." Written by professors from renowned domestic universities, the textbooks select typical situational materials from China while incorporating cultural characteristics typical of English-speaking countries, making them convenient for Chinese learners to study English domestically.
The textbook consists of 12 chapters, each covering a communicative topic. At the beginning of each chapter, a brief introduction describes the expected English communicative proficiency for candidates at that level. The chapters are further divided into 28 units, each including:
1. Dialogue
The dialogue section is carefully crafted to be authentic, concise, and clever, with natural and original language. Each dialogue uses common basic expressions primarily to train learners' listening and speaking skills. A sentence or two before each dialogue serves as both an introduction and a clarification of the context.
2. Text
This section supplements and extends the content of the unit's dialogue, serving as the core of the communicative topic for the unit and primarily used to train learners' reading and writing skills. To help learners deepen their understanding of the text, five questions related to the core content of each text are provided after it, designed to train learners' oral communicative skills.
3. Vocabulary and Phrases
This section summarizes the new vocabulary and phrases introduced in the dialogue and text. The phonetic transcriptions, parts of speech, and Chinese definitions of the vocabulary align with the meaning in the text, ensuring accurate and concise explanations.
4. Notes
This section translates and explains difficult and lengthy sentences from the dialogue and text in the order they appear, focusing on grammar, sentence structures, and key phrases to clarify doubts and difficulties.
5. Exercises
These exercises are designed based on the key points of the unit and relevant content to the topic, with question types and quantities consistent with the requirements of the examination syllabus. The content is closely related to the unit's topic, facilitating preparation for the exam.
6. Supplementary Reading
This section has a length similar to the text but is slightly easier in difficulty. It primarily introduces of the UK and the US, along with humorous or philosophical stories. The purpose is to train learners' reading comprehension skills.
At the end of the textbook, there are eight appendices, including:
(1) Communicative Topics Table;
(2) Functions and Notions Table;
(3) Grammar Items Table;
(4) Language Skills Table;
(5) Answers to Text Questions;
(6) Listening Exercise Scripts;
(7) Answers and Explanations to After-Class Exercises;
(8) Vocabulary and Phrases Index.
The accompanying MP3 CD includes dialogues, texts, vocabulary and phrases, and listening scripts for after-class exercises, which can be played on computers, CD players, VCD players, and DVD players with MP3 functionality. The textbook also comes with a separate audio cassette for after-class listening exercises. All audio recordings are read by native speakers from North America.
We sincerely hope that this series of textbooks will genuinely help PETS candidates improve their practical English proficiency. Due to time constraints and the authors' limitations, errors may inevitably occur. We kindly request all users of this textbook to provide valuable suggestions and feedback.