VOA Special English Listening (1): Education. Health Report (Workbook + Two Audio Cassettes)

Author: Yu Gao Feng
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-08-24
Features: Authentic pronunciation, rich content; colloquial English, comprehensive material; expands knowledge, trains skills; enhances listening, improves English. An ideal textbook for improving English listening and speaking skills and advancing English proficiency. The five most important skills for English learning are listening, speaking, reading, writing, and translation, with listening and speaking being the most challenging. These two skills are crucial indicators of English proficiency. Among listening and speaking, listening is language input and the foundation for the other four skills. Therefore, training and improving English listening is vital for enhancing the English proficiency of learners.
"Voice of America" (VOA) English programs have long been a must-listen for Chinese English learners. Listeners can not only imitate pronunciation and intonation but also learn language knowledge, while also broadening their horizons and enriching their knowledge. It can be said that the vast majority of Chinese English learners regard it as an excellent teacher for English learning, especially the "VOA Slow Speed English" program. However, for many English learners, due to time and geographical constraints, it is difficult to consistently listen to the program from start to finish. Moreover, there are no targeted exercises to help learners self-assess and improve their listening skills while listening. To address this, we published the "VOA Slow Speed English Listening" series, divided into two sub-series: "Health & Education Reports" and "Development & Science Reports." In selecting and organizing the material, we considered the following factors:
1. Each piece of material should not be too long, generally around 5 minutes;
2. The selected material should be as recent as possible;
3. Recordings should use authentic voices;
4. The number of exercises should be moderate, with varied formats that focus on assessing and cultivating learners' listening skills;
5. Each exercise has a reference answer, and each piece of material includes a reference translation to help learners deepen their understanding.
Overall, this book is suitable for both beginners in English, who can use it to imitate pronunciation and intonation, correct their own pronunciation, and expand their vocabulary, as well as learners with a certain foundation in English, who can use it to improve their listening skills and gain more language knowledge.