New Century Listening Course_Student Book 1

Author: Shi Xinyuan, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-07-01
Features: With the deepening of reform and opening-up, the demand for foreign language talents in all sectors of society has been continuously growing. The enrollment scale of English majors in China has been expanding year by year, and the teaching quality has been constantly improving. Significant achievements have also been made in the reform of undergraduate English education, disciplinary development, and the publication of teaching materials, with a series of high-quality teaching materials published that have had a nationwide impact. The arrival of the 21st century has raised higher standards for the cultivation of English talents, while also presenting new requirements for disciplinary development and textbook writing. With China's entry into the World Trade Organization, society no longer needs graduates who only know English but rather high-quality specialists with scientific thinking, mental health, broad knowledge, strong comprehensive abilities, and proficiency in English. Due to the implementation of new curriculum standards in high schools, students' English proficiency has been improving year by year, and their foundational knowledge and comprehensive qualities have also been enhanced accordingly. Additionally, the rapid development of college English education (for non-English majors) and the improvement of students' English skills have posed severe challenges and even higher requirements for the cultivation of English majors. This necessitates that 21st-century English teaching is not merely English training but English education—a comprehensive cultivation of high-quality compound talents with English as the core. The writing and publication of textbooks should also follow this trend. To meet the challenges of the times, Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press (SFLP), one of China's largest foreign language textbook and book publishing bases, should naturally take the lead in foreign language textbook publishing. Based on thorough research, SFLP seized the opportunity in the early days of the new century by inviting over 50 English educators from 25 major foreign language universities and key comprehensive universities under the Ministry of Education to hold the "National Series Textbook Writing Committee Meeting for Undergraduate English Majors" in Shanghai. The representatives unanimously agreed on the necessity, feasibility, and urgency of writing textbooks for the new century, and proposed suggestions and requirements regarding writing philosophy, textbook structure, writing procedures, and more. Subsequently, SFLP held multiple expert and scholar meetings across the country and Shanghai to draft writing outlines, determine textbook categories, select textbook projects, and discuss and review drafts. After more than a year of effort, the manuscripts were finally completed. This series of textbooks is divided into several sections, including Language Knowledge and Skills, Linguistics and Literature, Language and Culture, Humanities, Testing and Teaching Methods, among others, with a total of over 150 titles, covering almost all courses currently offered in English majors at Chinese universities. The content is both accessible and profound, reflecting the latest research findings in various disciplines. The writing format adheres to the latest national standards, striving for scientific rigor and precision to meet the specific requirements of each course. In terms of writing philosophy, in addition to helping students build a solid language foundation, it also focuses on cultivating their ability to analyze and solve problems, enhancing their humanities and scientific literacy, fostering a positive and upward life outlook, and enabling them to truly become the foreign language specialists China needs in the 21st century. The writing committee of this series consists of renowned figures in China's English education field, most of whom are experts with significant achievements in various fields, and many are members of the National Advisory Committee on Foreign Language Teaching in Higher Education. The authors of the textbooks were selected by the writing committee after careful review of the drafts, with some chosen from among multiple candidates. Overall, they represent the direction and level of English education development in China. Given the innovative writing philosophy, distinct features, grand system, and authoritative authors, the textbooks have been included in the "11th Five-Year Plan" key textbook project by the Ministry of Education. We believe that following the "Series Textbooks for Graduate English Language and Literature Majors," the writing and publication of this series by SFLP will not only meet the needs of cultivating English talents in the 21st century but also set a new precedent and expand new horizons for the writing of foreign language textbooks and even textbooks in other disciplines.