Subject Listening 4

Author: Li Yongning (Editor-in-Chief), Yu Liming (Compiler)
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-09-01
Features: Themes for Listening is a comprehensive listening textbook designed for English learners at beginner and intermediate levels. It consists of five volumes, each containing 20 units. Themes for Listening was edited by Associate Professor Li Yongning, Director of the Listening Teaching and Research Office at the School of Foreign Languages, Shanghai Normal University; Professor Yu Liming at the School of Foreign Languages, Shanghai Jiao Tong University; Lecturer Lü Xiaohong at the School of Foreign Languages, Shanghai Normal University; Wu Jie, Director of the English Teaching and Research Office at Shanghai No. 3 Girls' Middle School; and Li Yongning. The entire manuscript was reviewed by Professor Barry Natusch of New Zealand. Associate Professor Du Jian, Deputy Director of the Education Bureau of Xuhui District, Shanghai, and Zhang Yuqing, a Specialized English Teacher at Shanghai Fengxian Middle School (Shanghai), provided valuable suggestions for the compilation of this series. Senior pronunciation teachers from the School of Foreign Languages at East China Normal University, as well as foreign teachers, participated in the recording of this textbook. Their contributions are sincerely appreciated. Themes for Listening incorporates the findings of current second language acquisition theories and combines them with the characteristics of Chinese learners of English. It systematically organizes listening materials around topics related to daily life, study, and work, progressing from easy to more challenging levels. Some topics are repeated across the five volumes, but this is not mere repetition; rather, the depth of the topics and the difficulty of the language are elevated compared to the previous volume. We adhere to the principle of using language for communication as the guiding philosophy of our compilation, striving to make the listening materials contemporary, diverse, and practical. The materials also reflect the characteristics of authentic listening input, such as repeated information and colloquial features like filler words. This textbook focuses on training fundamental listening skills, with each unit divided into three parts: Part I is dictation, designed to enhance students' phonetic recognition, spelling, and comprehension of word and sentence meanings. Parts II and III involve discourse comprehension, with at least one dialogue to train students in understanding conversational and spoken topics, the speaker's intentions and main ideas, extracting specific information, and inferring unstated details. We strive to diversify listening activities and ensure that each unit includes at least one task-based listening exercise. Task-based listening aims to develop students' ability to use language to complete communicative tasks. People engage in countless communicative tasks using language, such as taking phone messages, filling out forms, writing memos, notes, announcements, and notices. While emphasizing the training of fundamental listening skills, we also focus on English language knowledge, particularly the accumulation of vocabulary. Therefore, we include vocabulary notes in each unit to facilitate learning. Additionally, each volume comes with at least two sets of tests to help students track their progress and boost motivation. Themes for Listening is not designed as an exam-oriented listening practice, but rather as a textbook that builds a solid language foundation, trains fundamental listening skills, and familiarizes students with various question types to prepare them for different listening tests. All the compilers of this textbook are full-time teachers, and they have completed this work alongside their heavy teaching responsibilities. Due to our limited capabilities, there may be omissions or inaccuracies. We kindly invite readers and experts to point them out for future revisions.