New Ideas Comprehensive Skills Textbook - Speaking Level 5 (2 Tapes) National Public English Test Series (PETS)

Author: Zhang Xin'an
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-04-01
Features: New Perspectives in Specific Skills is a series of textbooks specifically developed by the PETS Research Team for the "National Public English Test (PETS)." The complete set consists of 20 volumes, providing targeted training and guidance in listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills for candidates at PETS Levels 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. This series of textbooks has the following four features:
Innovative — The entire series is centered on the student, incorporating the communicative principles of the PETS exam to enhance candidates' language communication skills through training. Unlike traditional models that emphasize language structure, this series focuses on the practicality of communicative language use. Its innovation lies in the alignment of communicative functions with candidates' communicative needs: oral communicative functions meet candidates' spoken communication needs, writing techniques meet candidates' written expression needs, and reading and listening comprehension methods meet candidates' information acquisition needs.
Authoritative — Members of the PETS Research Team are well-versed in the PETS exam syllabus, question setting, and scoring criteria, having conducted specialized research in these areas. Therefore, the entire series closely aligns with the syllabi of all PETS levels, accurately capturing the exam principles and requirements for language skills at each level. The main authors have all studied abroad and possess in-depth knowledge of foreign language teaching and testing. They are responsible for designing and writing the language skills for each level, ensuring the authority of the textbooks.
Applicable — This series is tailored to the specific needs of PETS candidates, considering their self-study habits. It not only teaches knowledge but also includes skill expansion exercises, vocabulary notes, and practice questions with answers. With the exception of the oral component, which is designed for pair work, the listening, reading, and writing sections are intended for individual learners. Thus, the explanations and exercises in each volume are tailored to the needs of the target audience.
Engaging — The series uses humorous English stories, cartoons, games, and interesting anecdotes as materials, making the content lively, visually appealing, and enjoyable. This approach effectively motivates learners and enhances learning outcomes. This oral textbook is entirely designed according to the requirements of the PETS Level 5 exam and is divided into six parts: (1) Comics; (2) Stories; (3) Discussion Exercises; (4) Audio Materials; (5) Exercise Answers; (6) Vocabulary List. The comic and story sections are accompanied by audio recordings read by British and American experts. The discussion exercise section includes reference answers (excluding some open-ended exercises). All out-of-syllabus vocabulary is annotated, and a vocabulary list is provided at the end of the textbook for candidates to consult.
Considering the requirements of the exam syllabus and the need for English communicative ability training among candidates, this textbook meets their needs in the following four aspects:
1. Familiarity with exam format;
2. Familiarity with exam content;
3. Language expression;
4. Active communication.
Author Bio: Zhang Xin'an, Ph.D., is a professor and doctoral supervisor at the English Department of Beijing Foreign Studies University. Born in 1957 in Shaoyang City, Hunan Province, he obtained a Ph.D. in English from the English Department of Louisiana State University in the United States in 1991 and taught English writing courses there for six years. From 1992 to 1993, he served as a postdoctoral visiting scholar at Sorbonne University (Paris IV, France). Since 1998, he has been teaching at Beijing Foreign Studies University. He has published one monograph on literary criticism and ten papers on literary criticism and English writing in Western and Eastern academic journals. Domestically, he has published one textbook on English writing (funded by the National Education Commission's Excellent Young Teachers Project in 1995) and several papers on literary criticism and English writing pedagogy.