作者序

In the 21st century, English continues to be the lingua franca of the world.  As a common language shared by so many different peoples in various different parts of life, including business, education, science and the arts, having a good grasp of English can greatly enhance your appreciation of the world around you.  However, fluency in a foreign language is not something that can be achieved overnight.

Becoming fluent in English takes a lot of dedication, determination, and hard work.  It is a lifelong commitment, as language constantly adapts as the world around us evolves.  Just think of all of the language associated with the internet; discussing ‘streaming,’ ‘downloading’ and ‘posting on Facebook’ would not have made any sense at all just a couple of decades ago!  For our communication with others to be meaningful, the language used has to be relevant to the situation.

Different situations require us to employ different types of language, which is why this book is divided into clearly headed units related to everyday situations or topics of interest to many people.  In each unit, there is a wide variety of sentences that elementary, intermediate, and advanced speakers of English may use, or hear others use, in real life situations.  This book is not designed to be read cover to cover, but rather to allow the learner to dip into whichever sections best meets his or her own interests and needs.  For example, the vocabulary and tone you might hear or use when participating in or discussing sport can differ greatly from that used in a business context.   No matter what topic is important for you to learn more about, there’s plenty of material here to help you do so more confidently.  Full sentences are used in realistic contexts to make key words and phrases more meaningful for the learner, and the translations into Chinese also make it easier to fully understand the meaning of each sentence.  

We wish you the best of luck in your learning journey!