In modem society, advertising plays a very important role in people＇s daily life. We can not imagine the world without advertisements. Advertisers try every means to design persuasive advertisements for their product...In modem society, advertising plays a very important role in people＇s daily life. We can not imagine the world without advertisements. Advertisers try every means to design persuasive advertisements for their products by attractive patterns, photos and colors, as well as commonly shared resources of language. The use of presupposition in advertising language, which is an important topic in pragmaties, can serve the function fairly well. This paper first presents a general review of previous studies on presupposition phenomena in advertising language, then investigates the use of presuppositions in advertising language by both qualitative and quantitative analyses. By qualitative analysis, the author tries to explore the functions of each type of presuppositions in advertising texts; by quantitative analysis, 100 sentences selected from various advertisements for different products are examined.展开更多
This article is an empirical study on the washback of the writing section （i.e. writing subtest as in this paper） of College English Test Band Four （CET-4） on ELT in Chinese colleges and universities so as to prom...This article is an empirical study on the washback of the writing section （i.e. writing subtest as in this paper） of College English Test Band Four （CET-4） on ELT in Chinese colleges and universities so as to promote the positive effects and diminish the negative ones. The study collected data from 181 college English learners, nine college English teachers and two CET-4 raters through interview, observation and documentary analysis. Findings indicate that CET-4 writing subtest produces more negative impacts than positive ones. Moreover, the findings also indicate that the washback of CET-4 writing is weakened by other sections of the test.展开更多
Chinese intemational students studying at American universities are generally believed to be intelligent, hard-working and high score achieving, which are confirmed by many sources. People tend to believe that it is s...Chinese intemational students studying at American universities are generally believed to be intelligent, hard-working and high score achieving, which are confirmed by many sources. People tend to believe that it is simply easy for Chinese students to excel academically at US universities, but this is not necessarily true, especially for students fresh from China. Based on a survey of Chinese students studying at US universities and interviews with American professors, this essay reveals Chinese students＇ academic frustrations and struggles that have been overlooked due to their high scores, and points out that it is the mismatch between Chinese and American teaching and learning styles that leads to this difficulty. Furthermore, this essay concludes with the author providing suggestions for both Chinese and American educators to help future Chinese students make the most of their higher education opportunity at American universities.展开更多
Different cultural backgrounds result in a different way of thinking and cultural characteristics, and this difference are reflected in the life, production, culture, education and other aspects. Chinese and Westerner...Different cultural backgrounds result in a different way of thinking and cultural characteristics, and this difference are reflected in the life, production, culture, education and other aspects. Chinese and Westerners have different social and historical and cultural traditions, forming a distinctive way of thinking. Such as the differences between marginal thinking and logical thinking, differences between comprehensive thinking and analytical thinking, differences between focusing on ＂unity＂ and tending to ＂opposite＂, differences between focusing on perceptual and on rational thinking, all of these ways of thinking result in different ways of expression and language in cross-cultural teaching, different ways of behavior and interactions and different view of life and values.展开更多
English writing is gaining great attention and emphasis in Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Technology syllabus, and having an important role to play in learning and communicating. However, of the five items of ...English writing is gaining great attention and emphasis in Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Technology syllabus, and having an important role to play in learning and communicating. However, of the five items of CET-4 （listening, reading, vocabulary, cloze and writing）, writing remains the most difficult. Some new methods and activities are needed to maximize the efficiency of traditional methods and keep students interested in this course. This paper provides a step-by-step description of an integrated approach and activities in a writing course for non-English major students, which combines reading with writing and makes teaching writing become an integrated and interesting process.展开更多
Appalachian inspired Pentecostal radio preaching maintains the Protestant legacy of that region first settled through the medium of radio. These sermons are characterized by high levels of affect in delivery, and serv...Appalachian inspired Pentecostal radio preaching maintains the Protestant legacy of that region first settled through the medium of radio. These sermons are characterized by high levels of affect in delivery, and serve to differentiate ＂preacher culture＂ from those denominations that abandoned their original heritage for admittance into middle class status. Thus, preacher culture is an act of both religious and class descent because they are ＂inspired＂ by the Holy Spirit （that is, not composed before delivery）. Gramscian notions of hegemony are used to interpret how ＂preacher culture＂ has maintained itself since the settlement by the northern British and the Scots to Appalachia. The genre of melodrama and ＂preacher culture＂ share significant parallels and content, dynamics of presentational styles, and because of these basic parallels, theories of melodrama offer analytical methods for analysis of the content of the inspired sermons and the way of life they elaborate. Gramscian notions of negotiation and consent are used to analyze the maintenance of ＂preacher culture＂, which maintains both tradition and cultural specificity that is characteristic of southern Appalachia.展开更多
Since no language can exist in a cultural vacuum, and since no two cultures are exactly identical, second or foreign language learners will inevitably encounter cultural confrontations on their learning route. However...Since no language can exist in a cultural vacuum, and since no two cultures are exactly identical, second or foreign language learners will inevitably encounter cultural confrontations on their learning route. However, it does not mean that learners must abandon their own culture in order to avoid the potential cultural collision. What they need to do is to accumulate the knowledge pertaining to the target culture so as to develop cross-cultural awareness. This paper will draw on previous research in this arena as well as the author＇s personal knowledge to further explore the relationship between socioculture and second language acquisition from the perspectives of culture and language, cultural confrontation, and culture familiarization.展开更多
For many years, the lack of English for Specific Purposes （ESP） classes and training has led to many difficulties in Chinese college students＇ writing English academic papers. This paper is designed to offer genre-...For many years, the lack of English for Specific Purposes （ESP） classes and training has led to many difficulties in Chinese college students＇ writing English academic papers. This paper is designed to offer genre-based methods to Chinese teachers of English concemiug teaching the college-level writing of the introduction for academic papers. It argues that genre-based teaching approaches can teach students to write in terms of move structures or conventional sections of academic papers （Swales, 1990） and its underlying motivation which not only makes students aware of the stylistic features of introductions but provides them with the strategies to reproduce these features in their own writing. The teaching approaches proposed in this paper include modes for teachers to present the findings of generic analysis of research article introductions as well as task-based activities for students＇ practice.展开更多
This paper focuses on the female English teachers＇ work-related stress in the School of Foreign Languages, Xi＇an Jiaotong University. A survey produced some results that are worth studying. The teachers in this spec...This paper focuses on the female English teachers＇ work-related stress in the School of Foreign Languages, Xi＇an Jiaotong University. A survey produced some results that are worth studying. The teachers in this special group are keeping their heavy-burdened teaching job by finding ways to escape their work-related stress and at the same time trying to save face. Answers to the questionnaire have proved that Chinese cultural characteristics have been deeply rooted in the SFL teaching staff even though they have accepted and learned western culture over a period of many years.展开更多
The paper first introduces to readers what culture really is, and then focuses on the lexical differences in Chinese and English ——lexical vacancy and lexical association. Through a detailed analysis, it is conclude...The paper first introduces to readers what culture really is, and then focuses on the lexical differences in Chinese and English ——lexical vacancy and lexical association. Through a detailed analysis, it is concluded that lexical differences between Chinese and English result from cultural diversities, with which particular languages are associated. Obviously, culture plays a significant role in determining the uniqueness of a lexical system. Therefore, the lexical differences caused by culture should be taken into account in any cross-cultural exchange.展开更多
The paper investigates Saudi English textbooks in order to trace the ways in which culture was dealt with in the English curriculum in the last 33 years. To this end, the three textbooks which were published one after...The paper investigates Saudi English textbooks in order to trace the ways in which culture was dealt with in the English curriculum in the last 33 years. To this end, the three textbooks which were published one after another for the third-grade secondary school students in the last three decades were analyzed. The paper finds that in the first book published in 1982, the writer introduced only those cultural elements from outside Saudi Arabia, which could be subordinated to the self-enclosed cohesive Saudi national culture that rested and was shaped on and around the faith of Islam. The same cultural pattern is maintained in the second book published in 1998, but in the third book published in 2013, a huge number of western and multicultural elements were accommodated without any attempt to assimilate them to Saudi national culture. The paper concludes that in these textbooks, culture was taken either as Parsons＇s ＂system＂--pattern-maintaining national culture-or as Rothkopf＇s and Friedman＇s ＂pattern-breaking＂ western culture, but it was seldom treated as Bauman＇s ＂matrix＂.展开更多
English is widely taught and learned in China nowadays. Wherever you go, you may find English language is taught and learned as a compulsory course from the third year of primary school onwards from 2001. In addition,...English is widely taught and learned in China nowadays. Wherever you go, you may find English language is taught and learned as a compulsory course from the third year of primary school onwards from 2001. In addition, adults who have not had any education in English before are now encouraged to take up English lessons in formal teaching or take English courses in self-taught ways. Why English is so widely learned in China？ This research will help us to find the factors encouraging this phenomenon either from the historical background, or from our education policies and people＇s learning motivation.展开更多
This research aims at developing RCPS （revised creative problem solving） teaching model, besides the authors designed the instructions of chemical reaction to promote eight grade students＇ scientific learning motiv...This research aims at developing RCPS （revised creative problem solving） teaching model, besides the authors designed the instructions of chemical reaction to promote eight grade students＇ scientific learning motivation and scientific concept learning. We adopted quasi-experiment study, the experimental group and controlled group all 28 students were chose, go on the parameter is analyzed together compared with textbook instructions, scale of scientific learning motivation and test of scientific conception learning were used for the two groups in prior test and post test, then they used statistical ANCOVA （analysis of covariance） to analyze the differences between the two teaching models. The result of this study finds that RCPS teaching model improved student＇s scientific learning motivation and learning scientific concept was superior to textbook instructions in controlled group, p = 0.001 （〈 0.01）, and all with high experimental treatment effects （〉 0.14）. The study also proposes that when RCPS teaching model was applied to scientific concept teaching, RCPS teaching model should be joined the conception introducing stage, and pay attention to students＇ scientific learning motivation.展开更多
文摘In modem society, advertising plays a very important role in people＇s daily life. We can not imagine the world without advertisements. Advertisers try every means to design persuasive advertisements for their products by attractive patterns, photos and colors, as well as commonly shared resources of language. The use of presupposition in advertising language, which is an important topic in pragmaties, can serve the function fairly well. This paper first presents a general review of previous studies on presupposition phenomena in advertising language, then investigates the use of presuppositions in advertising language by both qualitative and quantitative analyses. By qualitative analysis, the author tries to explore the functions of each type of presuppositions in advertising texts; by quantitative analysis, 100 sentences selected from various advertisements for different products are examined.
文摘This article is an empirical study on the washback of the writing section （i.e. writing subtest as in this paper） of College English Test Band Four （CET-4） on ELT in Chinese colleges and universities so as to promote the positive effects and diminish the negative ones. The study collected data from 181 college English learners, nine college English teachers and two CET-4 raters through interview, observation and documentary analysis. Findings indicate that CET-4 writing subtest produces more negative impacts than positive ones. Moreover, the findings also indicate that the washback of CET-4 writing is weakened by other sections of the test.
文摘Chinese intemational students studying at American universities are generally believed to be intelligent, hard-working and high score achieving, which are confirmed by many sources. People tend to believe that it is simply easy for Chinese students to excel academically at US universities, but this is not necessarily true, especially for students fresh from China. Based on a survey of Chinese students studying at US universities and interviews with American professors, this essay reveals Chinese students＇ academic frustrations and struggles that have been overlooked due to their high scores, and points out that it is the mismatch between Chinese and American teaching and learning styles that leads to this difficulty. Furthermore, this essay concludes with the author providing suggestions for both Chinese and American educators to help future Chinese students make the most of their higher education opportunity at American universities.
文摘Different cultural backgrounds result in a different way of thinking and cultural characteristics, and this difference are reflected in the life, production, culture, education and other aspects. Chinese and Westerners have different social and historical and cultural traditions, forming a distinctive way of thinking. Such as the differences between marginal thinking and logical thinking, differences between comprehensive thinking and analytical thinking, differences between focusing on ＂unity＂ and tending to ＂opposite＂, differences between focusing on perceptual and on rational thinking, all of these ways of thinking result in different ways of expression and language in cross-cultural teaching, different ways of behavior and interactions and different view of life and values.
文摘English writing is gaining great attention and emphasis in Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Technology syllabus, and having an important role to play in learning and communicating. However, of the five items of CET-4 （listening, reading, vocabulary, cloze and writing）, writing remains the most difficult. Some new methods and activities are needed to maximize the efficiency of traditional methods and keep students interested in this course. This paper provides a step-by-step description of an integrated approach and activities in a writing course for non-English major students, which combines reading with writing and makes teaching writing become an integrated and interesting process.
文摘Appalachian inspired Pentecostal radio preaching maintains the Protestant legacy of that region first settled through the medium of radio. These sermons are characterized by high levels of affect in delivery, and serve to differentiate ＂preacher culture＂ from those denominations that abandoned their original heritage for admittance into middle class status. Thus, preacher culture is an act of both religious and class descent because they are ＂inspired＂ by the Holy Spirit （that is, not composed before delivery）. Gramscian notions of hegemony are used to interpret how ＂preacher culture＂ has maintained itself since the settlement by the northern British and the Scots to Appalachia. The genre of melodrama and ＂preacher culture＂ share significant parallels and content, dynamics of presentational styles, and because of these basic parallels, theories of melodrama offer analytical methods for analysis of the content of the inspired sermons and the way of life they elaborate. Gramscian notions of negotiation and consent are used to analyze the maintenance of ＂preacher culture＂, which maintains both tradition and cultural specificity that is characteristic of southern Appalachia.
文摘Since no language can exist in a cultural vacuum, and since no two cultures are exactly identical, second or foreign language learners will inevitably encounter cultural confrontations on their learning route. However, it does not mean that learners must abandon their own culture in order to avoid the potential cultural collision. What they need to do is to accumulate the knowledge pertaining to the target culture so as to develop cross-cultural awareness. This paper will draw on previous research in this arena as well as the author＇s personal knowledge to further explore the relationship between socioculture and second language acquisition from the perspectives of culture and language, cultural confrontation, and culture familiarization.
文摘For many years, the lack of English for Specific Purposes （ESP） classes and training has led to many difficulties in Chinese college students＇ writing English academic papers. This paper is designed to offer genre-based methods to Chinese teachers of English concemiug teaching the college-level writing of the introduction for academic papers. It argues that genre-based teaching approaches can teach students to write in terms of move structures or conventional sections of academic papers （Swales, 1990） and its underlying motivation which not only makes students aware of the stylistic features of introductions but provides them with the strategies to reproduce these features in their own writing. The teaching approaches proposed in this paper include modes for teachers to present the findings of generic analysis of research article introductions as well as task-based activities for students＇ practice.
文摘This paper focuses on the female English teachers＇ work-related stress in the School of Foreign Languages, Xi＇an Jiaotong University. A survey produced some results that are worth studying. The teachers in this special group are keeping their heavy-burdened teaching job by finding ways to escape their work-related stress and at the same time trying to save face. Answers to the questionnaire have proved that Chinese cultural characteristics have been deeply rooted in the SFL teaching staff even though they have accepted and learned western culture over a period of many years.
文摘The paper first introduces to readers what culture really is, and then focuses on the lexical differences in Chinese and English ——lexical vacancy and lexical association. Through a detailed analysis, it is concluded that lexical differences between Chinese and English result from cultural diversities, with which particular languages are associated. Obviously, culture plays a significant role in determining the uniqueness of a lexical system. Therefore, the lexical differences caused by culture should be taken into account in any cross-cultural exchange.
文摘The paper investigates Saudi English textbooks in order to trace the ways in which culture was dealt with in the English curriculum in the last 33 years. To this end, the three textbooks which were published one after another for the third-grade secondary school students in the last three decades were analyzed. The paper finds that in the first book published in 1982, the writer introduced only those cultural elements from outside Saudi Arabia, which could be subordinated to the self-enclosed cohesive Saudi national culture that rested and was shaped on and around the faith of Islam. The same cultural pattern is maintained in the second book published in 1998, but in the third book published in 2013, a huge number of western and multicultural elements were accommodated without any attempt to assimilate them to Saudi national culture. The paper concludes that in these textbooks, culture was taken either as Parsons＇s ＂system＂--pattern-maintaining national culture-or as Rothkopf＇s and Friedman＇s ＂pattern-breaking＂ western culture, but it was seldom treated as Bauman＇s ＂matrix＂.
文摘English is widely taught and learned in China nowadays. Wherever you go, you may find English language is taught and learned as a compulsory course from the third year of primary school onwards from 2001. In addition, adults who have not had any education in English before are now encouraged to take up English lessons in formal teaching or take English courses in self-taught ways. Why English is so widely learned in China？ This research will help us to find the factors encouraging this phenomenon either from the historical background, or from our education policies and people＇s learning motivation.
文摘This research aims at developing RCPS （revised creative problem solving） teaching model, besides the authors designed the instructions of chemical reaction to promote eight grade students＇ scientific learning motivation and scientific concept learning. We adopted quasi-experiment study, the experimental group and controlled group all 28 students were chose, go on the parameter is analyzed together compared with textbook instructions, scale of scientific learning motivation and test of scientific conception learning were used for the two groups in prior test and post test, then they used statistical ANCOVA （analysis of covariance） to analyze the differences between the two teaching models. The result of this study finds that RCPS teaching model improved student＇s scientific learning motivation and learning scientific concept was superior to textbook instructions in controlled group, p = 0.001 （〈 0.01）, and all with high experimental treatment effects （〉 0.14）. The study also proposes that when RCPS teaching model was applied to scientific concept teaching, RCPS teaching model should be joined the conception introducing stage, and pay attention to students＇ scientific learning motivation.
