Course Objectives & Requirements

Based on language resources that students already have, this course further develops students’ competence and confidence in coping with variety of listening tasks with appropriate listening skills; and as well provides opportunities for improving expressive proficiency & communicative efficiency.

The learning objectives of this unit are:

to grasp the essential skills of good listening—such as prediction, taking notes, repeating, doing summaries, taking exams, and retelling, etc.

to improve students’ communicative competence and expressive ability in academic environment

to lay a solid foundation for students’ sound development of linguistic intuition

to understand foreign culture and custom

to convey Chinese culture and custom to foreigners

to learn self-management and promote learning motivation

Students are also expected to listen to English radio programs and other English materials after class. Homework should be finished in time and written reports are required irregularly.

I. Key Points and Main Areas of Difficulty of the Course  

key words and phrases

colloquial usage or idiomatic expressions

background information related to each unit

cultural similarities and differences between China and English-speaking countries

II. Lab or Practical Work Required to Support the Course

Lecturing

Q & A

Listening and summarizing

Dictation

Oral presentation & Reports

Group discussions

III. Detailed Points of Teaching Contents

Unit One Happy Family Life

Warming up

All you need is love?

First meetings

A Valentine story

Unit Two Shaping and Reshaping Personally

Warming up

Self-esteem

How to deal with depression and anger?

Short talks on listening skills

Unit Three All Can Succeed

Warming up

The road to success

Good better best

Language study and language appreciation

Unit Four Creative Minds

Warming up

Scientists of the millennium (I)

Scientists of the millennium (II)

Short talks on listening skills

Unit Five Leisure Time

Warming up

Mozart’s music still alive today

The man with the horn

Bank Holiday DIY

Unit Six Everybody Can Help the Environment

Warming up

Campaign California Re-Leaf

PBS—a biodegradable plastic product

Short talks on listening skills

Unit Seven News I: Disasters

Warming up

News items

Torrential storms in Kenya

Language study and language appreciation

Unit Eight New II: Health

Warming up

Hand washing

Lifestyle & environmental factors vs cancers

Doctors on the Internet

Credits: 2