2007 New Course for Postgraduate Entrance Exam English

Author: Zhang Jinxin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-02-01
Features: 20 units, progressing from easy to difficult, covering everything from solidifying fundamentals to exceeding the level of the actual exam, providing comprehensive support. Centered around reading, it includes all types of questions in the syllabus, improving both language foundation and skills. The themes are rich, touching on popular topics in past exam papers, expanding knowledge. Includes translations, annotations, and selected vocabulary and definitions. The outstanding features of this book are: (1) Each unit focuses on a systematic training around a specific theme; (2) The units are arranged in order of difficulty as much as possible; (3) Each unit comes with detailed solutions, full translation of the main text, translation and annotation of difficult and long sentences in the reading passages, and writing guidance to facilitate candidates in thoroughly studying each unit; (4) The thematic organization of each unit helps candidates systematically absorb knowledge and memorize vocabulary and expressions related to frequently tested themes; (5) It includes a master vocabulary list, with key vocabulary highlighted to guide candidates in focusing on memorizing postgraduate entrance exam vocabulary. Below is a detailed introduction to the features and usage of this book:
(1) The book is divided into 20 units, each focusing on a specific theme. Correspondingly, the "main text" and "exercises" in each unit are selected around the same theme. Reviewing the materials in each section of past exam papers, the following themes have become the preferred choices: computer networks, economics, education, law, medicine, scientific knowledge, language and culture, social values, and so on. The 20 units in this book not only focus on these themes but also include other themes that we believe may be tested. This arrangement not only helps candidates systematically accumulate knowledge and understand various Western perspectives on these issues but also enables them to build relevant vocabulary. Since the same theme uses certain common vocabulary and expressions, candidates can focus on one theme to learn and master a set of vocabulary and expressions related to it.
(2) Each unit consists of a "main text" and "exercises." The exercises are sequentially organized as cloze, reading comprehension (including new types of questions), translation, and writing (including applied writing). Each exercise set is largely self-contained, designed in the form and requirements of the actual exam. The book is divided into an "Intermediate Level" and an "Advanced Level." While considering the themes, we strive to arrange the 20 units in a progressive difficulty order, which is especially necessary for students with weaker language foundations. Based on two years of use, the 2007 edition further adjusted the arrangement of units by difficulty. The purpose of this is to allow candidates to start from the basics, steadily and progressively improve their language proficiency and exam skills.
(3) The book emphasizes the role of in-depth study and systematic knowledge accumulation in preparation. In terms of organization, the main text is slightly longer than the reading comprehension passages in the postgraduate entrance exam, ensuring sufficient language knowledge and breadth. The main text is accompanied by reading comprehension exercises and a reference translation to help candidates verify their understanding and truly grasp the content. Based on this understanding, candidates should memorize and accumulate useful language knowledge. Before reading the translation of the main text, we recommend that candidates first attempt to translate the text themselves and then compare it with the translation to practically improve their reading and translation skills, particularly in understanding difficult and long sentences.
(4) The "cloze" material is fresh, and the difficulty level of the exercises is reasonably designed, praised by most candidates. The two passages in the exercises are roughly the same length as the reading comprehension passages in the postgraduate entrance exam. Each passage is accompanied by comprehension exercises and translation exercises, with translations and annotations provided for difficult and long sentences to help candidates truly understand every sentence. The reading comprehension questions include frequently tested types of questions in the postgraduate entrance exam, as well as some types that have not yet appeared in the exam, to prepare candidates for these question types. The translation section provides detailed analysis of sentences from both a linguistic and conceptual perspective.
(5) The "writing" section is divided into two parts: applied writing and short essay writing. Applied writing covers a variety of formats, while the second part focuses on practice in picture and chart essays. For picture and chart essays, topic review is crucial, as many candidates lose points due to incomplete topic analysis. Therefore, we have added topic review guidance for each essay to train students' thinking in topic analysis. At the same time, to help candidates accumulate knowledge, each essay provides common vocabulary and expressions for writing essays on similar themes, allowing candidates to select and memorize useful phrases.
(6) All exercises are accompanied by answers and solutions. The translation, annotations, and solutions for the main text are attached after the main text; the answers and solutions for each exercise section are attached after each unit, and writing provides reference essays. Candidates are encouraged to carefully study the solutions to learn problem-solving perspectives and summarize some problem-solving techniques.
(7) The "appendix" is the master vocabulary list, listing new words from the main text and exercises. When selecting words, phrases, and definitions, we referred to the syllabus but were not bound by it. The vocabulary is provided with phonetic transcriptions because we believe that memorizing words starting from their sound can lead to more solid retention, thus compensating for the lack of phonetic transcriptions in the postgraduate entrance exam syllabus. The vocabulary is categorized into three types: (1) key vocabulary and phrases that candidates must memorize; (2) optional vocabulary and phrases to be memorized after mastering the key ones; (3) vocabulary and phrases that appear in the book but do not need to be memorized. The basis for categorization is frequency of occurrence.