Enhanced English Listening and Speaking Tutorial 1

Author: Zhu Weifang (Editor-in-Chief), Huang Huizhen & Xu Xin (Compilers)
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2003-08-01
Features: Strengthening English Listening and Speaking Course (1) is one book in the Strengthening English Listening and Speaking Course series. This series was developed to meet the needs of many English enthusiasts in society who are eager to improve their English listening and speaking skills. After several years of trial use in the short-term intensive English listening and speaking 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 volumes, divided into Levels 1, 2, 3, and 4. Upon completing the first two volumes, learners' listening and speaking abilities can surpass the level of non-English majors at the CET-4 level. After completing the second two volumes, 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 consideration 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 focus on the transmission of language knowledge (usage) while neglecting the cultivation of language skills (use).
2. Most Chinese English learners lack an English language environment and rarely hear native English speakers speaking English. 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 of textbooks was specifically designed to address these shortcomings, strengthen the training of listening and speaking skills, and cultivate communicative competence. It is suitable for English learners with varying levels of proficiency, as well as beginners. Those with some English background can choose a course slightly below their current knowledge level to start, aiming to "step back" in terms of textbook selection to achieve a "two-step forward" improvement in practical listening and speaking skills, thereby avoiding the pitfalls of rushing. For example, if you are at the beginner level, you can choose a course slightly below the beginner level, 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 of textbooks begins with listening and speaking, fostering an awareness of using English and encouraging bold practice. It scientifically combines language knowledge with language skills, ensuring learners start on the right track and avoid the old trap of "deaf-mute" English. This series of textbooks is not only suitable for short-term training courses but also for middle school students, university students, and self-taught English learners. The following are the key features of this series of textbooks:
1. Emphasizes the learning and training of English pronunciation, intonation, sentence stress, and rhythm. Some parts of the textbook are specifically designed as listening and speaking exercises to address this issue. The audio cassettes are recorded by foreign scholars and experts, offering authentic "raw" English. Through repeated imitation and practice, learners can acquire natural English and reduce the influence of their native language when learning a second language.
2. Focuses on the development of language application skills. The second part of the textbook is dedicated to communicative English, where learners will listen to and understand daily-life conversations in English and then imitate similar scenarios with their partners. This approach allows learners to absorb a large amount of language through listening and actively apply it, completing the cycle of mastering a language from input to output. 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 purposes and in different forms. This section includes English stories, serial short plays, broadcasts, reports, lectures, and English listening test questions, among others.
4. This textbook consists of 16 units and is accompanied by 3 audio cassettes. The audio materials are fresh, cover a wide range of topics, and include diverse training methods, making them highly practical and engaging. This series of textbooks is self-contained yet interconnected, progressing step by step. It can be used independently or as a complement to other materials.