National Gold Medal A-Level Competition Textbook · Grade 9. English

Author: Liu Jixian, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-03-01
Features: The subject Olympiad for primary and secondary schools (briefly referred to as the subject Olympiad) is one of the most extensive, widely participated, and influential subject competitions for primary and secondary school students in China. The subject Olympiad is derived from and extends the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO), the International Physics Olympiad (IPHO), the International Chemistry Olympiad (ICHO), and other internationally influential subject competitions for secondary school students, which are annually sought after and attended by millions of young students. The reason for such widespread attention lies in the Olympiad's strong innovation, flexibility, comprehensiveness, and emphasis on cultivating students' exploration skills and inspiring their innovative awareness. These are precisely the core elements of quality education, which are also essential for future development. Based on years of careful research on this activity both domestically and internationally, as well as a large number of outstanding books in this category, the Editorial Department of the Subject Olympiad for Primary and Secondary Schools has invited outstanding educators dedicated to this field from all over the country to compile and publish a series of Olympiad reading materials, including "Gold Medal Olympiad" and "Gold Medal School," covering seven subjects—mathematics, Chinese, English, physics, chemistry, biology, and informatics—with over 200 varieties. In terms of the variety, quantity, and quality of our Olympiad books, we are considered the most influential in both domestic and international peers and hold the greatest charm in the hearts of primary and secondary school teachers and students. The compilation purpose and characteristics of the "Gold Medal Olympiad" and "Gold Medal School" series are as follows:
1. High: Derived from the curriculum but exceeding it. Derived from the curriculum means referring to the new [curriculum standards] issued by the Ministry of Education; exceeding the curriculum means closely aligning with the competition syllabi at various levels, ensuring comprehensive alignment in content, question types, and ability requirements, thereby cultivating interest, developing intelligence, and enhancing skills.
2. Accurate: Scientifically precise, with a well-structured design. Each book is designed according to the characteristics of the subject, scientifically organized, and follows the principle of gradual progression, providing in-depth yet accessible analysis and detailed teaching of comprehensive problem-solving methods.
3. Innovative: The book features novel and engaging question types. It compiles the essence of recent Olympiad, middle school, and high school exam questions from both domestic and international competitions, representing the highest level of current Olympiad standards and reflecting new concepts in curriculum reform, as well as new ideas, methods, and trends in competition question-setting.
4. Exquisite: Carefully selected examples are challenging yet logical, flexible, and achievable. The focus is on learning from one example to understand many, and mastering one problem through multiple approaches. It emphasizes training thinking skills without resorting to rote memorization, making learning an interest and hobby.
5. Renowned: Gathered are distinguished teachers and collected are the best competition questions. The Editorial Department of the Subject Olympiad for Primary and Secondary Schools has invited renowned professors from prestigious universities, special-grade teachers, senior teachers, subject leaders, and famous Olympiad gold medal coaches to contribute.
6. Comprehensive: This series includes the following 12 sets, totaling over 200 varieties:
1. Primary School Mathematics Gold Medal Olympiad Entrance Textbook (ABC Edition): 2 pre-school textbooks, 2 textbooks for lower grades, and 2 ABC editions for lower grades. Illustrated and fun, aimed at cultivating interest in mathematics and a sense of numbers among pre-school and lower-grade students, guiding them into the magical world of mathematics.
2. Gold Medal Olympiad Textbook (General Edition): 8 textbooks for primary school Chinese and mathematics, and 12 textbooks for junior high school mathematics, physics, chemistry, Chinese, and English. This series combines the commonalities of the new curriculum standards, old textbooks, and Olympiads while catering to students with special talents. The book is divided into sections such as key knowledge points, example analysis, thought analysis, typical exercises, and answer hints.
3. Gold Medal Olympiad ABC Edition: 8 textbooks for primary school Chinese and mathematics, and 12 textbooks for junior high school mathematics, physics, chemistry, Chinese, and English. Based on the Gold Medal Olympiad Textbook, this series provides testing for students. The book is divided into three types of question papers—A, B, and C—ranging from easy to difficult, allowing students of different levels to choose targeted training.
4. Gold Medal Olympiad Simulation Papers: 4 textbooks for primary school mathematics and 12 textbooks for junior high school mathematics, physics, chemistry, Chinese, and English. Part of the Gold Medal Olympiad Textbook series, these are comprehensive training papers simulating real competitions.
5. Gold Medal Olympiad Question Collection: 1 textbook for primary school mathematics and 4 textbooks for junior high school mathematics, physics, and chemistry. This series records the history of national primary and secondary school competitions over the past five years, documenting the glorious achievements of subject education, praising the collective wisdom of teachers, and showcasing the talents of students across the country.
6. Gold Medal Olympiad Hot Topic Question Classification and Solutions: 2 textbooks for primary school mathematics and informatics, and 12 textbooks for junior high and high school mathematics, physics, chemistry, Chinese, English, biology, and informatics. This series selects recent hot topic questions from Olympiads, organizes them by chapters and knowledge points, and provides detailed explanations, making it very convenient for students to study.
7. Gold Medal Exam Hot Topic Question Full Solutions (tentative title): 12 textbooks for junior high and high school mathematics, physics, chemistry, Chinese, English, and biology. This series compiles the exam papers of 10 key education provinces in the past five years, categorizing them by subject and knowledge points, and providing detailed answers. The book is divided into sections such as knowledge point explanations for the exam and college entrance exam, hot topic question analysis, summary of rules, and simulation training.
8. Gold Medal Olympiad 100-Victory Textbook (Advanced Edition): 8 textbooks for primary school mathematics and Chinese, and 12 textbooks for junior high school mathematics, physics, chemistry, Chinese, and English. This book follows the content order of the new textbooks from the People's Education Press, compiled by subject and unit. The book is divided into sections such as key knowledge points and extended exploration, problem-solving skills, example interpretation, and pre-competition intensive training, suitable for pre-competition training and students with surplus learning capacity, serving as an extension of classroom knowledge.
9. Gold Medal Olympiad (Gold Medal School) Classic Question Solutions: 4 textbooks for primary school mathematics and 29 textbooks for junior high and high school mathematics, physics, chemistry, Chinese, English, and biology. This series follows the content order of the People's Education Press textbooks, selecting typical exercises, exam questions, high school questions, and difficult questions by subject and chapter, arranged from easy to difficult.
10. Gold Medal Olympiad Weekly Tests: 12 textbooks for primary school mathematics, Chinese, and English; 15 textbooks for junior high school mathematics, physics, chemistry, Chinese, English, and biology; and 17 textbooks for high school mathematics, physics, chemistry, Chinese, English, and biology. This series follows the content order of the People's Education Press textbooks, providing tests by knowledge points, unit, or week.
11. Gold Medal Olympiad Classic One-Question-Multiple-Solutions: 1 volume for primary school mathematics and 4 volumes for junior high and high school mathematics and physics. This series selects one-question-multiple-solution problems from recent Olympiad classics. Such problems use different thinking methods and multiple perspectives to solve a single problem, making them highly skillful and engaging.
12. International Gold Medal Olympiad Question Solutions: 5 volumes for mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, and informatics. This series selects recent international competition questions by subject and arranges them by year, providing detailed answers. This series represents the highest level of current Olympiad standards and is considered the cream of all Olympiad books.
Book Usage Instructions:
1. To help candidates expand their foundational knowledge, develop basic skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing, cultivate preliminary English communication and reading abilities, develop intelligence, and enhance thinking, observation, attention, memory, imagination, association, and exam-taking skills, this book strictly follows the nine-year compulsory education English teaching syllabus, highlighting key and difficult points, and providing guidance and training on problem-solving methods, thinking processes, and techniques for each unit's specific content.
2. Each unit is divided into two parts: Part 1: The Olympiad Guide, introducing Olympiad content, question types, and solving techniques; Part 2: Olympiad Sample Test, familiarizing candidates with the question-setting styles, solving methods, and techniques of various question types. The difficulty of the questions is moderate, allowing candidates to continuously build a sense of achievement.
3. Part 1 outlines the following for each unit's specific content:
- Phonetics: Candidates are expected to correctly pronounce words using the International Phonetic Alphabet, master pronunciation rules, remember the sounds of vowel letter combinations, and the pronunciation rules of consonant letters and consonant letter combinations. They should also master the pronunciation rules of word forms when adding suffixes.
- Vocabulary: Candidates are expected to master word forms, meanings, word groups, synonyms, and antonyms.
- Grammar: Candidates are expected to master morphology and syntax, the 10 parts of speech, sentence types, sentence components, the five basic sentence patterns, compound sentences, and the various forms and uses of verbs.
- Sentence Patterns: Closely related to grammar and communication, this section includes analysis of difficult sentences and examples, reminding candidates to pay attention and deepen their understanding.
- Communication: This section lists communication expressions, explaining the linguistic context and scenarios.
4. Introduction to Olympiad Question Types and Solving Techniques:
- Phonetics: Primarily focuses on distinguishing sounds, generally requiring candidates to select the correct pronunciation option. Solving technique: Master pronunciation rules, familiarize with the sounds of letters and letter combinations. Multiple-choice questions are the most familiar type for candidates, serving as a comprehensive assessment of grammar, vocabulary, idioms, and communication. Generally, one option is the best, two are close, and one is a distractor. This question aims to assess candidates' actual language application skills, requiring them to understand the context, grasp the meaning, make inferences, compare and analyze.
- Vocabulary: Typically includes completing words, word substitution, and spelling out the missing word in a sentence, mainly assessing the mastery of vocabulary.
- Communication: Often uses situational dialogues, with final exam questions including picture-completion dialogues or completing dialogues based on given words. Solving technique: First, determine the linguistic context, communication item, and cultural and customs of English-speaking countries. Correctly understand the meaning of sentences above and below, analyze and judge, functional meaning, and select the correct option.
- Syntax: Assesses sentence pattern transformation, converting into general interrogative sentences, special interrogative sentences, tag questions, synonymous sentences, exclamatory sentences, singular and plural forms, simple sentences, and compound sentences. Solving technique: First consider the five basic sentence patterns and transformation rules, then analyze word forms, meanings, functions, and subject-verb agreement.
- Cloze: A key component of the final exam, assessing candidates' reading skills while testing their mastery of grammar, syntax, and vocabulary. Among the options, two or three may be close, but attention should be paid to the meaning of the context and the logical connection between sentences.
- Reading Comprehension: Assesses reading skills by understanding the main idea of a passage and selecting the correct option. Questions after the passage include detailed comprehension, inferential comprehension, direct answer questions, or word form and meaning, sentence pattern transformation questions, etc. Solving technique: Improving reading skills relies on daily accumulation. Good reading habits help candidates expand and consolidate vocabulary, improve reading speed, enhance linguistic intuition, broaden knowledge, and focus on the topic sentence of each paragraph. Pay special attention to the first and last sentences of each paragraph, skim quickly to grasp the main idea, then read carefully to understand the details, review the entire passage, compare with the questions, and make inferences to select the correct answer.
- Final Exam Questions: Often include intelligence tests with wide content, various question types, and rich diversity, designed to develop intelligence. Here, the focus is on written content. Listening and speaking sections vary by exam area and will be provided separately.