Modern English Course (4)

Author: Lou Guangqing
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-09-01
Features: This book is the fourth volume of the series "Modern English Course" edited by Professor Lou Guangqing, designed for non-English majors in adult higher education. It is written by Lou Guangqing and Feng Guohua from the Adult Education College of Beijing Foreign Studies University and Wang Chenming from Beijing Xicheng Economics and Science University.
The content of the textbook includes:
1. Pre-reading: Briefly explains the stylistic knowledge and background information related to the text. It also recommends relevant reference materials, such as dictionaries, to facilitate students' self-study. Specific pre-reading requirements are provided in terms of listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
2. Text: Primarily organized around stylistics, including narrative, descriptive, expository, argumentative, and applied writing.
3. Writing: Corresponds with the text or reading materials, briefly introducing writing knowledge for the respective styles and providing specific writing requirements.
4. Translation: Systematically proposes basic ideas and specific content for cultivating translation skills in adult English teaching, accompanied by corresponding exercises for practical application.
5. Reading: Matches the length of the Text and includes reading comprehension exercises. Each lesson concludes with review points. A glossary is provided at the end of the book. Reference answers for exercises, reference translations for texts, dictation materials, and three sets of test questions are included in the accompanying "Teaching Guide and Practice."
The features of this book are tailored to the characteristics of adult education in English, combining past teaching experiences to learn from the strengths of other similar textbooks and form its own unique features.
1. A textbook system with stylistics as the main thread and translation as a secondary thread
Stylistics as the main thread refers to the organization of the textbook's texts, writing, and reading primarily in the order of stylistic progression. This approach offers two advantages: First, it helps cultivate students' comprehensive reading skills. In this textbook, students can read articles of different styles, which not only broadens their reading scope but also improves their English appreciation level to a certain extent. Second, it enhances students' writing skills. Writing has long been a challenging issue in English teaching, especially in adult education, where teachers often avoid it. We believe that writing is difficult but not unteachable or unlearnable. The textbook briefly explains writing methods for different styles and provides writing requirements for teachers to choose from. Translation as a secondary thread refers to making the cultivation of translation skills another key focus. We break away from the traditional framework of translation exercises based solely on text content. The explanation and practice of translation form their own system, covering principles and specific techniques, with corresponding exercises. It is straightforward and practical, avoiding pretentiousness and emphasizing real practice rather than theoretical discussions. Additionally, some sentence translation exercises are designed around the key vocabulary of the texts. Using translation as a secondary thread enriches the textbook and clarifies teaching objectives.
2. Carefully selected text materials and well-designed exercises
To implement the above basic ideas in the textbook, under the leadership of the editor, we conducted extensive and meticulous work in selecting materials. We always adhere to the following criteria for selection:
1) Choose original texts with appropriate difficulty and length. The selected original texts, whether used as main texts or reading materials, must be properly cited. This helps maintain the authenticity of the original texts and facilitates further self-study by users.
2) Pay attention to the diversity of text themes. The content of this book covers letters, correspondence, natural sciences, economics, literature, and other areas, with 40% being humanities-related and 60% non-humanities-related.
3) Strictly follow the relevant regulations of the "Basic Requirements" and the overall requirements set by the editor. Selected materials must meet all these conditions; otherwise, they are not considered.
Preparing a textbook is key, and we place great importance on it, investing significant time and effort. Often, to find a suitable text or reading material, we must repeatedly screen hundreds of original sources. We have designed exercises for texts, writing, translation, and reading, aiming for diverse forms, conciseness, and close alignment with the preceding content. This allows teachers to complete teaching tasks within the designated class hours, guiding students to fully grasp the texts, deepen their understanding, and apply their knowledge to other contexts.
3. Emphasis on practicality and highlighting utility
Throughout the writing process, we prioritize the practicality of the textbook, ensuring it is well-received by users and achieves the intended teaching goals. After completing each lesson, we conduct trial lectures to identify and resolve issues promptly. We focus on the systematic nature of the textbook, with stylistics serving as the main thread that connects all lessons. Translation is both self-contained and coordinated with the translation exercises after each lesson. Each lesson begins with pre-reading requirements and concludes with review points, covering the entire process of English learning. The three volumes shift the focus to cultivating higher comprehensive reading and translation skills, moderately improving writing and speaking skills, aligning with the realities of adult English teaching and demonstrating strong practicality. The textbook not only closely ties to real-life social contexts but also lays a solid foundation for students to further enhance their English proficiency.