Enhanced English Listening and Speaking Tutorial (3)

Author: / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-05-12
Features: Strengthening English Listening and Speaking Course (Book 3) is part of the Strengthening English Listening and Speaking Course series. This series was developed to meet the urgent need of many English enthusiasts in society to improve their English listening and speaking skills. After several years of trial use in the Strengthening English Listening and Speaking short-term training courses at Beijing Foreign Studies University, it has been well-received and highly praised by the participants. It is now officially published and dedicated to all English learners. This series consists of four books, divided into Levels 1, 2, 3, and 4. Upon completing the first two books, learners' listening and speaking abilities can surpass the level of non-English majors at the CET-4 level. After completing the last two books, their listening and speaking abilities can reach the CET-6 level or be equivalent to the level of English majors at the junior college level. This grading system takes into account that many Chinese English learners often have a stronger grasp of English language knowledge (grammar, vocabulary) than their English language application skills (listening, speaking, reading, writing), resulting in a lack of communicative competence. The reasons for this are as follows:
1. English teaching in China tends to emphasize the transmission of language knowledge (usage) while neglecting the cultivation of language skills (use).
2. Most Chinese English learners lack an English-speaking environment and rarely hear native English speakers. As a result, they struggle to respond to "living" English when using it, and the English they learn becomes "dead" knowledge.
The development of this series was specifically designed to overcome these shortcomings, strengthen listening and speaking training, and cultivate communicative competence. It is suitable for English learners with a certain level of proficiency, as well as beginners. Those with some English background can choose a course slightly below their current knowledge level to start, effectively "taking a step back" in textbook selection to achieve a "two-step forward" improvement in practical listening and speaking skills, thus avoiding the pitfalls of rushing. For example, if you are at the beginner level (corresponding to the second book of this series), you can choose a pre-beginner level (corresponding to the th book of this series) to start, and so on. This approach helps overcome the psychological barrier of being afraid to speak English, boosts confidence and a sense of achievement, and allows learners to progress step by step, gradually transforming "dead" knowledge into practical "living" English application skills.
For beginners starting from zero, this series begins with listening and speaking, fostering an awareness of using English and encouraging bold practice. It scientifically combines language knowledge with language skills, ensuring a proper start and avoiding the old trap of "deaf-mute" English. This series is not only suitable for short-term training courses but also for middle school students, university students, and self-taught English learners.
This series has the following features:
1. Emphasizes the learning and training of English pronunciation, intonation, sentence stress, and rhythm. The exercises in the th section are designed to address this issue. The audio cassettes are recorded by foreign scholars and experts, offering authentic "original flavor." Through repeated imitation and practice, learners can acquire natural English and reduce the tendency to sound too much like their native language when learning a second language.
2. Focuses on the development of language application skills. The second section of the book is dedicated to communicative English, where learners will listen to and understand daily-life conversations with native speakers and then practice similar scenarios with their partners. This approach allows learners to absorb language through extensive listening and actively apply it, completing the cycle from input to output in mastering the language. This transforms "dead" English knowledge into "living" language application skills.
3. Emphasizes multi-purpose listening and speaking training (listening for different purposes) to help learners adapt to English used for different goals and formats. This section includes English stories, serial short dramas, broadcasts, reports, lectures, and English listening test questions, among others.
4. Each book in this series consists of 16 or 18 units, accompanied by a 30-minute audio cassette for each unit. This book, with 18 units, is accompanied by 9 audio cassettes. The audio materials are fresh, cover a wide range of topics, and provide diverse training methods, making them highly practical and engaging. Each book is self-contained yet interconnected, progressing systematically. They can be used individually or in combination.