New Channel Hu Min's Speaking Practice and Vocabulary Building for College English Test Band 4 (MP3)

Author: Hu Min, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-09-01
Features: I have been teaching English for nearly two decades, and the most frequently asked question by my students is, "Teacher Hu, how should I memorize vocabulary?" A tall building starts from the ground. To learn English well, vocabulary is the foundation, but it has always been a perpetual pain point for many English enthusiasts. Memorize vocabulary for the college entrance exam, then for the postgraduate entrance exam; memorize for CET-4, then for CET-6; then for TOEFL and IELTS, GRE—this endless cycle of memorization is nothing but a bitter struggle. Why is memorizing vocabulary an insurmountable hurdle for Chinese students learning English? The series of books dedicated to readers can be considered an innovation in English vocabulary learning, with the following features:
1. Innovative Concept: Every entry in this series appears in the form of small dialogues in daily life. Since spoken dialogue is also a context, readers can memorize vocabulary through dialogue scenarios, using context to aid association and recall. Memorizing vocabulary is not just a mechanical process of simple pronunciation and rote memorization; readers can use the accompanying audio cassettes to improve their listening and speaking skills while memorizing words, breaking free from the traditional methods of memorization.
2. Triple Win: "Opening the ears, activating the tongue, and strengthening vocabulary" are the three goals of Practice Speaking and Memorize Vocabulary. "Opening the ears" refers to improving listening skills by dictating the dialogues in the accompanying audio cassettes while memorizing words. "Activating the tongue" means imitating the pronunciation and intonation in the dialogues, memorizing a word while also remembering everyday spoken scenarios, thereby subtly improving speaking skills. Memorizing vocabulary is also accomplished unconsciously through dictation and imitation, and with the help of scenarios, readers not only firmly memorize the words but also become proficient in their use in specific contexts.
3. Gradual Progression: This is a step-by-step vocabulary series. Junior high school vocabulary includes 1,323 entries, high school vocabulary includes 1,998 entries, CET-4 vocabulary includes 2,473 entries, and CET-6 vocabulary includes 2,368 entries. Readers can climb the ladder according to different learning stages, ultimately mastering over 8,000 basic English words. Since this is a step-by-step vocabulary series, why does it stop at CET-6? This is also based on linguistic background, as vocabulary above CET-6, such as IELTS and GRE, mostly belongs to written English and rarely appears in daily spoken language. These written English words will be addressed in a separate series.
4. Original Team: All dialogues in this series are originally created by language experts from English-speaking countries. The reason for choosing authors from English-speaking countries is that they not only use authentic English but also reflect the characteristics of English culture in their dialogues. Additionally, all foreign authors in the series have studied Chinese or other foreign languages and have firsthand experience in learning foreign languages. This allows them to truly approach the creation from the perspective of learners, ensuring that the language in the series is lively and authentic.