New Horizons College English 4 (Listening and Speaking Course)

Author: Zheng Shutang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-06-01
Features: This textbook is one of the key projects under the "21st Century Revitalization Plan" approved by the State Council and the "New Century Network Course Construction Project" initiated by the Ministry of Education. Professor Zheng Shutang served as the overall project director and chief editor of the textbook. Experts and professors from more than ten key universities across the country participated in its compilation, with Hu Wenzhong and other domestic and international experts serving as consultants. The textbook is developed with a human-centered approach, centered on teaching, guided by the "Teaching Requirements for College English Courses (Trial)," and focuses on reforming teaching methods. It guarantees quality, seeks development through distinctive features, and aims to reach new heights to actively respond to the challenges brought by the rapid development of higher education and the internationalization of education. The textbook is meticulously compiled, reflecting a high degree of scientific rigor, rationality, and practicality. It fully considers the needs of both the subjects and objects of foreign language teaching, actively promotes reforms in teaching methods, and aligns with the global trend of informatization. The selection of materials emphasizes informativeness, interest, and forward-thinking, covering a wide range of topics such as cultural customs, ethics, information technology, science education, and social issues. It is provided in three different formats—textbook (Textbook), CD-ROM (CD-ROM), and online course (Online Course)—to serve the teaching and learning of college English at multiple levels and through multiple channels. Test banks and testing tools are also provided for each level of the textbook, offering functions for selecting and editing questions, supporting both traditional classroom testing and paperless testing. A large-scale corpus has been designed and developed in the online course, providing a foundation for the sustainable development of discipline construction and facilitating theoretical learning and research for college English teachers.
"Listening and Speaking Course" is one of the core textbooks of "New Horizon College English," divided into six levels, with each level containing 10 units, suitable for one semester of use.
Units 1 and 2 of the "Listening and Speaking Course" are for the basic level, requiring students to understand short conversations, humorous stories, and passages in different contexts while focusing on training their abilities to retell, answer, and engage in dialogue. Starting from Level 3, the difficulty gradually increases, shifting to topic-centered activities. Students are expected to engage in discussions, debates, critiques, and short speeches based on their comprehension of the listening materials. The difficulty and length of the listening and speaking materials gradually increase, while prompts are reduced, giving students more room for creativity.
"New Horizon College English: Listening and Speaking Course 4" is divided into four parts:
Part 1: Listening Training
It includes sections such as "Understanding Short Conversations," "Understanding Long Conversations," and "Understanding Passages."
Part 2: Speaking Skills Training
It includes "Practicing Conversational Skills," which focuses on language functions and notions, aligning with the teaching requirements outlined in the syllabus. The speaking skills training primarily involves retelling and discussing the A passages from the "Reading and Writing Course," with content progressing from simple to complex.
Part 3: Listening and Speaking Training
It combines listening and speaking, with activities such as "Taking Notes," "Retelling," and "Role-playing."
Part 4: Extracurricular Practice
It mainly includes activities such as oral presentations.