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BOOK REVIEW
18 April, 2005
On Monday we discussed
and reviewed the following books:
- Junior English for China
(Longman and People's Education Press)
- New Concept English (FLTRP
and Longman)
- Market Leader (Longman)
- Foundations A
- Effective Presentations
(Oxford University Press)
- PASS Cambridge - Vantage
(Economic Science Press)
- Quick Work (Oxford
University Press)
Junior English
for China
Government recognised
book for secondary schools in the north of China. Quite user friendly, has
units based on grammar and varied topics to appeal to schoolchildren.
New Concept
English
Used extensively in
China, especially for adult education. It's rather a traditional book in that
is based on grammar, translation and a series of short stories with
translated vocabulary. It seems the approach is for students to learn the
stories and some dialogues by heart. It is very popular with Chinese
learners. Reading texts and memorisation seem to be a popular learning style
in China. The themes of some of the texts may not be relevant to all learners
and it is not a very interactive book. However, it could useful for
self-study.
Market Leader
A business English book
aimed at adult learners working or studying in a business context. The book
is colourful, varied and bases the units on different business situations,
such as holding a meeting or making a telephone call. It's themes and
materials are very up to date. A very popular book in Europe as it reflects
very real business language. It is very communicative and each unit ends with
task work. This involves the students using the language they have learnt in
a relevant and interesting task-solving exercise.
The drawback is the
cost, at around 250 yuan it is not cheap (and we think the cassettes are a
similar price). However, the good news is that Longman are considering making
a partnership with a Chinese publisher to publish this book in China, which
means at Chinese prices. This should happen sometime in autumn. Watch this
space!
Foundations A
An excellent book for
beginners. Simple short units break up the language into very accessible
chunks. Also, lots of colourful pictures make it attractive for the learner.
However, the pictures are all of Philippine people. No big deal you may say,
however a Chinese learner may think this book is not aimed at them and so may
be reluctant to use it.
It is published in
China and so is cheap.
Effective
Presentations
This is one of a series
of business books now published in China. It comes with a VCD and cassette,
all very cheap! Each book of the series covers a theme such as presentations,
meetings, negotiations and so on. The book is aimed at high intermediate
levels. Each unit focuses on a company and is employees and there is a
continual story that runs through the book. It is based on the VCD which
shows a how- to- do- it- badly example and then a how- to- do- it- well
example. Whilst being fun and dynamic, the VCD is bit overkill and it seems
this book is best used in unison with other material. All in all the
presentation and use of language is excellent.
PASS Cambridge
- Vantage
This is book is aimed
at students preparing for the Cambridge BEC Vantage exam. However, it can be
used by anyone studying business English. It is very user friendly, well set
out with colourful pictures and interesting tasks. The contents are a bit
more detailed than many business English books, which may suit many learners,
especially university business students. Such themes are brand power,
relocation of premises and cash flow. It incorporates student learner strategies,
and integration of all 4 skills as well as exam practice.
Quick Work
(Oxford University Press)
A short 30-hour course,
ideal for in-company training. It comes at 3 levels, from Elementary to
Intermediate. It covers themes relevant to people in business such as
exchanging information and receiving visitors. Each unit highlights key
vocabulary so students know which words are important to know how to use and
which they only need to recognise. Each unit also has an output tasks, where
students are given a chance to work actively in groups. Good presentation and
user friendly.
Also has a website
which offers complementary materials to use with the book.
Some relevant links
to publishers if you want to find out more:
http://www.onestopenglish.com/Booksandcourses/catalogue/index.htm
http://www.oup.com
http://www.cnpeak.com/info/overseapub/cambridge/Welcome%20to%20Cambridge%20University%20Press.htm
http://www.cambridge.org/elt/
http://www.esp.com.cn/
http://www.fltrp.com/
And for a more
complete list of publishers go here!
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