2007220

Author: Shi Chunzhen
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-03-01
Features: The book is designed to clearly help readers improve their English reading comprehension skills. Its difficulty is slightly higher than that of the reading comprehension section in the postgraduate entrance English exam. The topics are diverse, covering science and technology, economics, social life, education, and human physiology and psychology.
The content is fresh, with all 220 articles selected from newly published books and journals abroad. Each article is accompanied by concise annotations. Long and complex sentences in each article are analyzed syntactically and provided with Chinese translations. An extended vocabulary list is included at the end of each article, along with a comprehensive categorized list of extended words at the end of the book.
Versatile Use: Readers can not only use the syntactic analysis and Chinese translations of difficult sentences in the annotations to verify their understanding of the original text but also treat the annotated sentences as material for English-to-Chinese translation practice, achieving the goal of using the book for multiple purposes.
The book was first published in 1999 and is revised annually. This is the seventh revision. Since its release, the book has been deeply loved by readers. Seeing it help readers learn English, especially improve their reading comprehension, brings me great satisfaction. I am also deeply grateful for the valuable suggestions from many readers.
The book includes 220 English reading comprehension articles. The articles are primarily argumentative and expository, covering topics such as science and technology, economics, social life, cultural education, and human physiology and psychology. All articles are selected from publications abroad.
This year, based on valuable reader feedback, the book underwent a major revision. The basic principle of the revision is to prioritize the reader, further facilitate learning, enhance the book's educational function, make self-study easier, and help readers quickly improve their authentic English reading comprehension skills.
After this revision, the book is divided into three parts. The structure of each part is as follows:
Part 1: Comprehensive Reading Practice
This part consists of 180 articles, divided into 30 units, with 6 articles per unit. The first four articles in each unit are multiple-choice exercises, each followed by 5 reading comprehension questions. These questions focus on in-depth issues, such as the main idea and summary of the article, the author's perspective and attitude, judgment, inference, and extension based on the article's logic. The fifth article is a matching exercise, with 7 options to choose from to fill in 5 blanks in the original text. The sixth article is an English-to-Chinese translation exercise, requiring the translation of 5 underlined sentences.
To facilitate learning, the book has enhanced its educational features. Each unit now includes an extended vocabulary list for that unit, significantly reducing the time readers spend looking up unfamiliar words. Annotations are provided for each article in the unit, focusing on the most challenging sentences for readers. Each annotation not only analyzes the syntactic structure of the complex sentences involved but also provides a Chinese translation. Some units also include annotations for exercise answers. The end of each unit provides answers to all exercises in that unit.
Part 2: Single-Unit Reading Practice
This part consists of 15 articles, divided into 3 units, with 5 articles per unit. Each unit includes an extended vocabulary list and annotations for each article.
Part 3: Single-Unit English-to-Chinese Translation Practice
This part consists of 25 articles, divided into 5 units, with 5 articles per unit, designed for English-to-Chinese translation practice. Each unit includes answers to the translation exercises.
The final appendix is the categorized list of extended words. Some readers may wonder whether it is necessary to memorize all 1,968 extended words covered in the book. I believe that while vocabulary is important in learning English, it should not be studied as mere knowledge. The primary purpose of learning vocabulary is to use it proficiently in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Learning vocabulary is not about knowing more but about using more effectively. Readers should first focus on mastering the core vocabulary outlined in the syllabus. The extended vocabulary lists in each unit and the categorized list in the appendix are designed to reduce the difficulty of looking up unfamiliar words. There is absolutely no need to spend excessive time memorizing these extended words. If time permits, I recommend readers first memorize the 328 extended words in Appendix 1, which may be more useful.
This book is suitable for readers preparing for the postgraduate entrance exam. If candidates can read all 220 articles and complete all exercises, their English reading comprehension skills will undoubtedly improve significantly. Do not merely treat this book as a simulation test. The questions or translation requirements after each article are only tools for self-assessment. The score achieved after completing each unit does not reflect performance in the actual exam. The main purpose of this book is to help readers improve their true English reading comprehension skills. If readers focus on thoroughly understanding each article and master all 220 articles, their postgraduate entrance exam scores will undoubtedly improve significantly.
The articles in this book cover a wide range of topics, hoping to provide readers with some benefits in expanding their knowledge. The book can be used as an English reading textbook for readers with a CET-4 level or higher, or for those interested in improving their English reading comprehension skills.