New Century Listening Course_Teacher's 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 across all sectors of society has been continuously growing. The enrollment scale of English majors in China has been expanding year by year, and the quality of teaching has been constantly improving. Significant achievements have been made in the reform of undergraduate English education, disciplinary development, and the publication of teaching materials, resulting in a series of high-quality textbooks with national influence. 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 high-quality specialists who possess scientific thinking, mental health, broad knowledge, strong comprehensive abilities, and proficiency in English. Due to the implementation of new curricula in secondary schools, students' English proficiency has been improving year by year, and the foundation and comprehensive qualities of undergraduate English majors have also accordingly risen. Additionally, the rapid development of college English education (for non-English majors) and the enhancement of students' English skills have posed severe challenges and even higher demands for the cultivation of English majors. This necessitates that 21st-century English teaching is not merely English training, but English education—a comprehensive approach to cultivating 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 era, 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 publication. 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, and writing procedures. 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 batch of manuscripts was finally completed. This series of textbooks is divided into several sections, including language knowledge and skills, linguistics and literature, language and culture, humanities and social sciences, 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 meeting 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 healthy outlook on life, 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 teaching guidance committees for foreign language education in higher education institutions. 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 development direction and level of English education in China. Given the innovative writing philosophy, distinct features, grand scale, and authoritative authors, the series has been included in the "10th 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 textbooks in other disciplines.