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全国国际商务英语考试（二级） Listening to and Writing in Business English YU Hongliang Yangzhou Univ. [email protected] 2015/7/21 1 Overview: The need for skills training Test-takers need to know how to conduct their business in English They are most likely to be doing this with other non-native speakers of English because of: Increased diversity in the workplace Explosion of multi-nationals Increase in use of multi-skilled teams Ever-evolving degrees of responsibility 2015/7/21 2 Soft skills in business English Soft skills are often the “deal breaker” in business: 2015/7/21 delegating listening presenting (of self – interviews –or of business) negotiating problem-solving contributing effectively to meetings/seminars/debates social interaction – networking Soft skills framework allows emphasis on interpersonal forces of language-use in a work context 3 Part I: Listening to business English 2015/7/21 Problems in common Anything special in BE listening? What to be assessed in BE listening? Test structure Sample analysis 4 Problems in common Common: Good feel but failed Challenging: content, speed, accent, information processing What: General vs specific How: Working memory training; input frequency effect; multimodal trigger/prompt; note-taking skills 2015/7/21 5 Anything special in BE listening? Doing business in English Contextually-loaded Culturally-loaded Content-based Strategy-based Information accuracy required 2015/7/21 6 What to be assessed in BE listening? 2015/7/21 能够听懂语速为150词/分钟左右、句子结构比 较复杂的商务材料 能掌握其要点和相关细节，通过分析和推理领 会说话人的态度、感情和真实意图，能做简单 笔记。 内容涉及招聘面试、组织会议、旅程安排、工 作计划、工作报告、产品广告、使用说明、业 务洽谈（如价格谈判、订购货物、货物运送、 支付方式等）、投诉处理、演讲等商务会话 7 Structure 2015/7/21 Matching Gap filling Multiple Choice Total question items: 20 Time limit: 35 min. 8 Sample analysis (I) 2015/7/21 9 Text type: Monologue/One-part turn of conversation Test format: Matching based on a chart or a table What to be assessed: Information in general (e.g. what the speaker says; the intent of the speaker) Difficulty: The monologue too short to be able to respond to 2015/7/21 10 Sample analysis (II) 2015/7/21 11 Text type: Dialogues/small talk Test format: Gap filling based on a chart or a table What to be assessed: Tracking specific (missing) information in business context Difficulty: Note-taking skills required; answers indeterminate somehow and sometimes 2015/7/21 12 Sample analysis (III) 2015/7/21 13 Text type: Short conversations/passage Test format: Usual multiple-choice questions What to be assessed: general comprehension in business context Difficulty: Linguistic competence; Listening while reading; No time allowed for note-taking 2015/7/21 14 Part II: Writing in business English 2015/7/21 Problems in common Anything special in BE writing? What to be assessed in BE writing? Scoring operationalized criteria Sample analysis 15 Problems in common Common: Good at linguistic forms but pragmatically failed Challenging: Highly contextualized, unfamiliarity with topics What: Prompted by variety of genres and multimodal discourse How: Established schemata for business writings; Memorize good patterns of sentences and prototypes of business writings 2015/7/21 16 Anything special in BE writing? Pragmatically appropriate Contextually-loaded Culturally-loaded Situation-based Different from ordinary writings Special topics with multimodal triggers Special wording and expressions Special formats 2015/7/21 17 What to be assessed in BE writing? 目标：能够完成商务信函、电子邮 件、经贸文章摘要、简单商务报告、 计划书、合同等写作任务 要求：结构清楚、内容准确、重点 突出，逻辑性强。 写作速度:300词/60分钟 2015/7/21 18 Scoring operationalized criteria General requirements 2015/7/21 满分为20分。 总体要求: 内容和形式 具体要求：内容是否贴切、结构是否完整、格式是 否正确、书写是否规范、风格是否得体、词汇语法 使用是否准确。 评分标准：分A、B、C、D四个等次，各等次区间为 5分，即：A（16~20分）；B（11~15分）；C（6~10 分）；D（1~5分）。 白卷、作文与题目毫不相关或只言片语表达不清的， 不给分。 计分只按整分计算。 19 2015/7/21 20 Key words 2015/7/21 信息传递/写作目标的有效性 内容的充实与逻辑性 语言使用的得体性 词汇语法的准确性（商务术语） 结构的完整性 格式的规范性 21 Sample analysis Letter writing Report writing Chart writing Summary writing 2015/7/21 22 Sample analysis –Letter writing Sample writing (Sample 1.1) Sample for observation Sample analysis Guided writing Practice writing 2015/7/21 23 Sample analysis –Report writing Sample writing (Sample 1.2) Sample for observation Sample analysis Guided writing Practice writing 2015/7/21 24 Sample analysis –Chart writing Sample writing (Sample 1.3) Sample for observation Sample analysis Guided writing Bar chart Line chart Pie chart 2015/7/21 Practice writing 25 Sample analysis –Summary writing Sample writing (Sample 1.4) Sample for observation Sample analysis Guided writing Practice writing 2015/7/21 26 More about summary writing 2015/7/21 A summary is a shortened passage, which retains the essential information of the original. It is a fairly brief restatement --- in your own words ---of the contents of a passage. Note: you simply report back what the writer has said, without making value judgments. 27 Characteristics of a good summary Can be understood without reference to the original; Is a faithful reproduction of, or contains only the ideas or information of, the original; Is brief without any unnecessary detail; Is a readable unified whole 2015/7/21 28 Techniques in summary writing Paraphrasing 2015/7/21 To paraphrase means to completely and correctly express other people’s ideas in one’s own words. You’ve cooked us all a hot potato. (a troublesome person or issue) Prevention is better than cure. (It is better to prevent something unpleasant from happening than try to put it right afterwards.) 29 The importance of paraphrasing It helps us understand the original better. It helps us grasp the central idea and the main points. It helps us write summaries that are brief and to the point, and in our own words. 2015/7/21 30 Steps of paraphrasing Read the original carefully and comprehend its meaning wholly and correctly. Consider the original article as a whole, not in isolated sentences. Grasping the central ideas. 2015/7/21 31 Ways of condensation 2015/7/21 Use synonyms or synonymous phrases: He had a good command of English. (He knew English well.) Change the complexities into simple sentences: My brother has an appreciation of modern art. (My brother appreciates modern art.) 32 2015/7/21 Turn complex sentences into simple sentences: He received a welcome that was as cold as ice. (He received an icy welcome.) Combine the sentences: Hurry up. If you don’t, you’ll miss the train. (Hurry up or you’ll miss the train.) Finding the topic sentence and making an outline: topic sentence / outline 33 How to write a summary? Necessary elements for a good summary Thesis statement 2015/7/21 Proper citation: title, author, source; date of publication and the text (journal articles) The topic or general subject matter of the text; the author’s major assertion, comment, or position on the topic 34 Supporting ideas major supporting ideas; relationships among these ideas; no specifics; the author’s purpose in writing; no personal opinions, ideas, and inferences. Grammar and the structure of writing avoid direct quotation; use transitional words. 2015/7/21 Length: 1/4 to 1/3 of the original 35 Steps in writing a summary Read the article To understand the article and find the general theme. Reread the article Divide into sections and label each section. Understand the important parts. Write one-sentence summaries Summarize each section of thought. 2015/7/21 36 Formulate the thesis statement Write the first draft 2015/7/21 Weave the one-sentence section-summaries together. In the first sentence or two: The author’s name The article’s or chapter’s name The author’s thesis statement Then the summary sentences for each paragraph or section. 37 Express in your own words, to avoid plagiarism. Occasional supporting ideas if necessary. Note: 2015/7/21 Eliminate unnecessary words and repetitions. Eliminate personal ideas and inferences. Use transitions for a smooth and logical flow of ideas. Conclude with a ‘summing up’ sentence. 38 Edit the draft Is all the important information in the summary? Am I listing things out? Am I saying the same thing over and over again? Have I left out my personal views and ideas? Does my summary ‘hang together’? Is my grammar, punctuation, and spelling correct? 2015/7/21 Write the final draft 39 Thank you! 2015/7/21 40