Advanced English (Lower) with Self-Study Syllabus

Author: Zhang Zhongzai
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2000-01-01
Features: Advanced English (Volumes 1 and 2) were compiled based on the Plan for the English Major Examination of the National Self-Education of Higher Education (Trial Version) formulated by the National Self-Education of Higher Education Guidance Committee, which outlines the tasks for the Advanced English course. The focus of the Advanced English course is:
1. Improving vocabulary usage and reading comprehension skills, i.e., mastering and applying the learned vocabulary, especially distinguishing and using synonyms and near-synonyms, accurately understanding the content and main ideas of the texts, grasping key points, analyzing the structure, language techniques, and rhetorical features of the texts.
2. Enhancing language expression skills, i.e., being able to explain sentences in English and Chinese, summarize the main ideas of the texts in English, and conduct simple analysis and commentary on the texts.
Students are required to read 32 texts in both volumes and complete the exercises that follow. They should independently solve linguistic and cultural background questions using dictionaries and other reference materials to improve their self-learning ability, expand their cultural knowledge—especially the background and culture of countries like the UK and the US—and better integrate language and culture. The focus of teaching at this stage is to improve understanding and application of language, so students should shift their attention from grammar and syntax to a correct understanding of the entire text and proper language use.
The framework of this book is as follows:
1. Text Introduction: Written in Chinese, the text introductions aim to help students understand the basic content and main ideas of the texts.
2. Texts: The 32 texts progress from simple to complex in language and from short to long in length, following a gradual learning curve.
3. Vocabulary Lists: Each text has a vocabulary list. The definitions are clear, with the text-specific meanings listed first, followed by other meanings. At the end of each volume, there is a comprehensive vocabulary list.
4. Notes: Students should first use dictionaries to understand difficult points when studying the texts. If they still cannot grasp the meaning, they can refer to the notes. This approach helps improve comprehension. Notes that are difficult to understand in English are explained in Chinese. Some notes use a bilingual approach, while others are entirely in English. The second volume has more notes in English.
5. Exercises: Exercises are divided into four categories: text-related questions, vocabulary exercises, translation exercises (Chinese-to-English and English-to-Chinese), and writing exercises. Each text includes 8–10 text-related questions to help students master the content and practice oral skills. Translation exercises include Chinese-to-English and English-to-Chinese translation. The English-to-Chinese sentences are entirely taken from the texts. Writing exercises require students to summarize the main content of the text in 150–200 words in English.
The purpose of explaining sentences in English is twofold: to verify whether students have understood correctly and to train them in explaining English sentences in English.