Beautiful Prose Appreciation (Junior High School Edition)

Author: Ma Pengju, Wang Xianhai, Mao Yuling
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-08-01
Features: "Linguistic Intuition," in layman's terms, refers to a keen sensitivity to language. With this intuition, you can not only intuitively grasp the meaning of words but also perceive the underlying implications. You can understand the literal meaning of words, discern their contextual nuances, and weigh their importance and subtlety. Similarly, when speaking and writing, relying on this intuition allows you to express yourself effortlessly and skillfully.
How can one cultivate linguistic intuition? The fundamental method is linguistic practice, followed by linguistic analysis. Linguistic practice involves experiencing and using language, which means reading more, memorizing more, speaking more, and writing more. Linguistic analysis involves examining the subtleties of language use, meaning to appreciate it from multiple perspectives. The two methods above are compiled into "Linguistic Intuition Training." This series of tutorials aims to implement linguistic intuition training for primary and secondary school students through linguistic practice and analysis, focusing on improving their Chinese proficiency.
"Exquisite Prose Reading," in layman's terms, refers to articles that are beautiful in thought, emotion, and language. "Appreciating and reading" is a form of close reading, where one reads while appreciating and appreciates while reading. Appreciating an article is somewhat like how the people of southern China enjoy "Kung Fu tea"—sipping it bit by bit, striving to savor its true essence. To this end, the authors have designed four exercises for each exquisite prose piece. After carefully reading the original text, reflecting on and completing these exercises constitutes appreciating and reading.
The first exercise is "Linguistic Appreciation," which is the focus of the training. The second exercise is "Main Idea Comprehension," designed to train students in grasping the main idea. The third exercise is "Exploring Questions," aimed at training students to ask probing questions. The fourth exercise is "Linguistic Accumulation," reminding students to accumulate language. The formation of linguistic intuition is inseparable from linguistic accumulation—the richer the accumulation, the stronger the Chinese proficiency.