New Practical Chinese Reader is a new series of textbooks designed for native English speakers to learn Chinese. It consists of 70 lessons in six volumes, covering beginning to intermediate levels for three years of instruction. It has been compiled under the guidance of the new HSK Guideline and in consultation with NOTCFL Syllabus. The objective of this series is to develop the student's ability to communicate in Chinese through the study of language structure, language function, and related cultural knowledge along with the training of listening, speaking, reading and writing skills. In order to make the study of Chinese easier and more interesting, this textbook has the following features: the student will be in the cultural settings of Chinese society with several international students, Ding Libo (son of Gu Bo and Ding Yun), Lin Na and Ma Dawei. Through many interesting experiences, the student will not only learn authentic Chinese, but also understand Chinese society and culture. The instruction of functional items is emphasized. The student will learn to use Chinese from the very beginning of the learning process.Attention is paid to the instruction of pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary and discourse and a gradual increase in difficulty, orderly advances and multiple repeats are stressed along with the usage of four large cycles to help students understand the language structure of Chinese. A new method of teaching Chinese characters is utilized to help students read and write intriguing characters. Combined instruction of the four basic skills, listening, speaking, reading and writing, is emphasized. It offers tremendous flexibility. The instructional materials are suitable for users at different starting points and with different goals. Abundant practice materials are supplied for the student to use inside and outside the classroom.
