具体描述
Summit is a two-level high-intermediate/advanced course that provides the post-intermediate learner with an integrated set of skills for global communication.
Essential model conversations and extensive opportunities for role play, discussion, debate, class presentations, and collaborative projects build learners' fluency.
Intensive coverage of grammar, pronunciation, word skills, and writing conventions build learners' accuracy.
Development of critical thinking skills and reading and listening strategies prepares learners for successful comprehension of authentic materials.
Goals-and achievement-based lessons confirm progress and ensure learners' motivation.
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Ascent: Mastering English for Global Communication (Workbook) Unlocking Advanced Proficiency and Real-World Application Ascent: Mastering English for Global Communication (Workbook) is meticulously designed to complement the core Ascent Student's Book, offering a comprehensive and engaging pathway for intermediate to advanced learners aiming for true fluency and effective communication across diverse international contexts. This workbook moves beyond rote memorization, focusing instead on the practical application of complex grammatical structures, nuanced vocabulary, and sophisticated discourse skills necessary for success in academic, professional, and social spheres. Core Philosophy: Application Over Abstraction The philosophy underpinning Ascent is rooted in the belief that language mastery is achieved through active use. Therefore, this workbook is heavily weighted toward tasks that require students to manipulate language creatively, solve communication problems, and produce coherent, contextually appropriate output. We move learners from recognizing patterns to generating original, idiomatic language. Detailed Section Breakdown and Content Focus: This workbook is structured into thematic units mirroring the Student’s Book, but each section offers unique, rigorous exercises that demand deeper engagement with the material. Unit 1: Navigating Complexity – The Art of Nuance This section focuses on refining subtle distinctions in meaning and tone. Grammar in Context: Advanced Conditional Structures and Inversion: Exercises challenge students to rewrite sentences using complex inversion (e.g., Not only… but also, Hardly had… when) to add emphasis, requiring precise control over syntax. Scenario-based drills necessitate choosing the most appropriate conditional form (mixed conditionals, future perfect in the past) to accurately describe hypothetical past situations impacting the present. Vocabulary Building: Collocations and Register Shift: Focuses on mastering high-frequency academic and professional collocations (e.g., render a verdict, exert influence, deem appropriate). Workbook tasks include gap-fills where the surrounding context dictates the required register—switching seamlessly between formal report language and more conversational professional dialogue. Phrasal verb usage specific to problem-solving scenarios is heavily emphasized. Writing Skills: Developing Sophisticated Argumentation: Students practice outlining and drafting short analytical paragraphs. Exercises involve analyzing model arguments and then restructuring them, focusing on transition words that signal complex relationships (e.g., conversely, notwithstanding, consequently). Prompt examples center on ethical dilemmas requiring balanced presentation of viewpoints. Unit 2: Discourse Management – Cohesion and Flow This unit concentrates on organizing extended spoken and written text to ensure logical progression and reader engagement. Listening Comprehension: Inferential Skills and Note-Taking: Audio excerpts feature rapid native-speed speech, often containing hedging devices and indirect requests. Workbook tasks move beyond simple comprehension checks to require students to identify the speaker’s attitude, predict outcomes, and synthesize information from different parts of the recording into structured notes (e.g., using Cornell-style margins for summarizing). Speaking Fluency: Managing Turn-Taking and Repair Strategies: Practice dialogues require students to deliberately interrupt politely, redirect a conversation that has strayed off-topic, and use effective repair strategies (e.g., What I mean to say is…, Let me rephrase that). Role-plays simulate challenging professional meetings where clarity under pressure is paramount. Text Organization: Paragraph Coherence: Extensive exercises involve unscrambling sentences within a paragraph to establish the ideal logical flow. Students are then tasked with rewriting weak connective sentences to strengthen the overall cohesion of short essays on abstract topics like globalization or technological impact. Unit 3: Precision in Expression – Lexical Depth This section targets the expansion and accurate deployment of less common but highly expressive vocabulary. Word Families and Derivational Morphology: Students analyze how prefixes and suffixes drastically alter meaning (e.g., credible vs. incredulous vs. credulity). Workbook activities include word-formation charts and exercises where students must correctly adapt a base word to fit the required part of speech within a complex sentence structure. Idioms and Figurative Language in Context: Unlike simple matching exercises, Ascent requires students to rewrite sentences that use literal language, replacing them with appropriate idioms or figurative expressions that convey the same meaning with greater impact (e.g., replacing "He was very angry" with a suitable idiom reflecting the severity of the anger). Contextual footnotes explain the cultural origin where relevant. Synonymy and Antonymy: Selecting the Precise Term: Students are given a target word and several closely related synonyms. They must choose the only synonym that fits the context of a provided passage, often requiring deep semantic understanding (e.g., distinguishing between enormous, vast, and colossal based on the subject being described). Unit 4: Grammar in Practice – Mastering Complex Structures This unit solidifies understanding of challenging grammatical constructs through intensive, controlled practice. Passive Voice Variations and Causative Structures: Students practice transforming active sentences into various passive forms (simple, continuous, perfect), paying close attention to the appropriate placement of the agent (by someone). Causative exercises focus on differentiating between have something done (arrangement) and get something done (persuasion/informal arrangement). Relative Clauses and Non-Finite Clauses: Exercises involve combining several simple sentences into one complex sentence using defining and non-defining relative clauses, practicing correct comma usage. Further drills involve reducing relative clauses into participle phrases (e.g., The man who is standing over there becomes The man standing over there), demanding brevity and precision. Reported Speech: Tense Backshifting and Reported Modals: Focus shifts to complex reported speech scenarios, including indirect questions and commands involving multiple subordinate clauses. Special attention is paid to correctly reporting modal verbs (might, should, must) and understanding when backshifting is optional or required. Unit 5: Communicative Competence – Functions and Pragmatics This final section bridges grammar and vocabulary with real-world communicative functions. Expressing Opinion and Persuasion: Students practice escalating levels of certainty when stating opinions (from tentative suggestions to firm assertions). Workbook tasks include constructing persuasive responses to editorials, requiring the integration of rhetorical questions and balanced concession statements. Speculation and Deduction: Exercises require students to analyze visual or textual evidence and formulate logical deductions using a range of modal verbs for speculation (must have been, could possibly be, can't have happened). Scenarios involve interpreting ambiguous evidence. Formal Correspondence and Email Etiquette: Guided practice in drafting professional communications. Students receive outlines for complex emails (e.g., lodging a formal complaint, requesting detailed technical clarification) and must fill in the body using appropriate formulaic language, tone modulation, and concise structure expected in international business settings. Workbook Features Designed for Independent Study: Self-Correction Keys (End of Book): Provides immediate feedback on objective tasks, allowing students to identify and correct errors instantly. Explanatory notes are often provided alongside the answers for more complex grammatical transformations. Review Sections (After Every Two Units): Cumulative tests that blend skills from preceding units, designed to mimic the cumulative nature of real-world language use rather than testing isolated concepts. Pronunciation Guide Supplement: A dedicated section focusing on stress, intonation patterns crucial for conveying meaning, and minimal pair drills to enhance auditory discrimination of challenging English sounds. Ascent: Mastering English for Global Communication (Workbook) ensures that every student achieves not just competence, but true command over the English language, ready to engage fluently and effectively wherever their path leads.
