VOA Special English News NEWS with Special English Vocabulary (Issue 3) (with audio cassette)

Author: Chen Youxin
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-01-01
Features: VOA (Voice of America) is one of the largest news broadcasting organizations in the world. Its English programs are a "living textbook" and an invaluable audio resource. VOA English broadcasts use General American. The listening sections of China's annual College English Test Band 4 and Band 6 largely adopt American English. The TOEFL exam, which Chinese students must pass to study in the U.S., and the WSK exam required for career advancement also use this accent. According to our understanding, most students who achieve ideal scores in these exams persist in listening to VOA English broadcasts. Therefore, listening to VOA English broadcasts is one of the important ways to improve English listening skills. VOA Special English (or Slow English) programs are designed for non-native English speakers with a certain foundation in the language. The programs use simple, clear, flexible, and vivid language. Their key features include slow pacing, basic vocabulary (limited to the 1,500 most commonly used words by Americans), short and straightforward sentences, and a playback speed of 90 words per minute, making them suitable for gradual learning while maintaining substantial information content. Through listening practice with VOA Special English news, learners can not only stay updated on current hot topics worldwide but also familiarize themselves with American English pronunciation and intonation, master its linguistic characteristics, develop accurate and continuous English listening comprehension, learn authentic English expressions, expand their knowledge, and increase their vocabulary—all of which lay a solid foundation for further understanding VOA Standard English news. To help college students, graduate students, and English enthusiasts better listen to VOA Special English news programs, we have compiled the "VOA Special English News" series. This volume comes with two audio cassettes directly recorded from VOA broadcasts, with clear sound quality. The book collects 116 current hot topic news stories and includes exercises in various formats, such as multiple-choice questions (questions and answers), fill-in-the-blanks, and true-or-false questions. During the writing process, Professor Zhang Bigui from the School of Foreign Languages at Xiamen University and Ms. Karen provided valuable suggestions, and Ms. Bonnie recorded the title audio. We express our heartfelt gratitude to them. Due to limited expertise and tight deadlines, there may be imperfections and errors in the book. We sincerely welcome readers' criticism and corrections.