Preface

NICE (New Interactive College English) is a communication course,blended in nature,specifically developed for Chinese Students of English (CSE).The course is divided into four levels (L4—L7).Students start at a<L4 CSE level [CEFR A1] (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) and progress to achieve a L7 CSE [CEFR C1] level.NICE is practical for English learning which can be shown in the following aspects:

Rationale

There are a number of important principles which have been applied when developing NICE.

First and foremost, this is a course written for Chinese students of English .Teachers and students should therefore expect to find language practice embedded in Chinese context and situations.This is also reflected in the fact that language is often explained through a contrastive approach.Chinese is also used to explain certain aspects of the language;very especially those elements pertaining to intercultural communication and cultural intelligence.

Language learning must be relevant (rooted in the world the learner lives in); meaningful (students learn language for one fundamental reason—to communicate with the world); engaging (driven by attractive instructional design;adapted to contemporary learning styles,and mobile—allowing students to learn anytime,anywhere),and memorable (the element which allows students to communicate in English from an early stage).

Learning a language is much more than acquiring a set of skills and capabilities.Language learning must include its own intercultural intelligence syllabus and thus encourage intercultural communication.This is particularly critical for Chinese students,who must understand the world to explain China at the same time as they learn to explain themselves effectively in English so that the world can understand China.

Language skills

The course concentrates on listening and speaking skills,its main aim being to get Chinese students to communicate effectively (i.e.understand and produce oral language) in English.For this reason,topics and situations are described using idiomatic,current and entirely relevant language.Listening and speaking are practiced both online and in a socialization context,the latter supported by the Communication Companion.

NICE is built around a strong grammar and vocabulary syllabus.It also offers students extensive opportunities to improve their knowledge of structures and vocabulary through reading passages of varied typologies and length.Grammar is introduced in the different video sequences and it is fully explained via animations.

Every unit offers students a great variety of activities to learn English through Bloom's Taxonomy (remember,understand,apply,analyse,evaluate and create).Every unit includes extra practice provided by video and audio sequences on the web,which are broken down to favour understanding.Besides,language is constantly reviewed through the different units.

Speak like a native

Many EFL (English as a Foreign Language) students tend to choose to translate directly from L1,or else use periphrases,to talk around a concept or an action when a direct expression already exists to convey the same meaning.

This section highlights idiomatic expressions which are commonly used.These expressions should be automated by students to get their message across clearly while sounding more proficient in English. Speak Like a Native often appears in a pop-up text box on the screen and may be fully expressed in Chinese.Vocabulary practice includes them and helps students incorporate them in their language corpus.

A good example is the extended use in English of "love" and "hate" when expressing likes and dislikes.A Chinese student may find the word"hate"too strong to express dislike and may choose to avoid using it altogether.She should know,however,that this particular use of"hate"in English does not convey the full meaning of hatred."Hate"is almost used as an emphasizer to express a strong feeling which goes beyond"I don't like"doing something.

Components

NICE contains the following parts:student book,online course,PPT (for teachers),teacher's tutorials (reference for teaching activity design).

So what is in the units of online course?

There is a variety of well-designed activities and exercises in which you discuss the topic of the unit,exchange ideas about it and gain more language skills.

Watch and Listen

You will watch a sequence of original videos acted by native speakers.You will develop listening skills by watching how native English speakers communicate and pronounce.

Speaking

You will develop communicative competence in practical everyday situations,such as asking directions,introducing people,talking about preferences,and using English in business and campus settings.Each unit contains some knowledge points with a short animated video each,which provides you with useful language skills.

Grammar

This section focuses on interpretation of grammar.You will become more accurate in your use of language.Each unit contains some knowledge points with audio,which provides you with useful grammar points.

Vocabulary

You will learn new words and phrases from Core Vocabulary.You can find definitions and examples,and listen to the pronunciation of new vocabulary.All the new words are related to the unit topic.

Reading

You will read authentic articles written by experienced writers from Oxford Press,Pearson Educational etc.You will develop your reading skills and learn essential vocabulary.You will also be able to understand other people's thoughts on various topics from the perspective of intercultural exchanges.

Review Quiz

This section is based on the knowledge points from the other five sections in the unit.It is designed with exercises so you can check your learning result.

Finally,we would appreciate you can give back your suggestions so that we make NICE better in the next version.