English For Business and Management, Elementary Level

PREFACE

         English For Business and Management, Elementary Level, is the first book in a two-level course especially designed for business and management students and professionals who are studying English as a Foreign Language (EFL) at an elementary level.

Unit Organization

The book attempts to emphasize and integrate the basic skills of speaking, reading, and writing in the context of academic and everyday usage, with particular emphasis on the former.  Grammar, arising from the reading passages, is restricted so as to aid consolidation of the above basic skills.  The introduction of language is carefully controlled in accordance with the principles of elementary language acquisition.  Vocabulary items are systematically treated in each unit, and lexical items are recycled throughout the book as frequently as possible.

The reading passages have been carefully selected so as to remain within the elementary level of language instruction.  They are arranged in ten units.  Each unit is preceded by a five- to ten-minute oral exercise to motivate the reading lesson.  The introductory questions serve to present the topic of the unit, to stimulate interest, and to involve students actively in the lesson.  A vocabulary preview explains difficult or unusual vocabulary items from the text and gives practice with a gap-fill exercise.  Associated with the reading are exercises that develop and reinforce effective reading strategies:  skimming and scanning, getting the main idea, finding specific information, classification, cause and effect, comparison and contrast, outlining, referencing, etc.  Techniques for identifying, reading, and understanding the given form of organization are explained.  Specific grammar points from the reading passages lead to writing and speaking exercises.  Finally, each unit concludes with a listening exercise on related business topics recorded on an audio CD.