【作者序－Corné Viljoen、Elmari Viljoen】
What is the goal of TOEIC? By simply looking at the name of the test one can see that it purposes international communication. A further goal of the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) is to test a student’s ability to communicate in a business environment. The concepts of “business” and “international” are key factors in the reasons why so many students take the test. There is no doubt that this test, which is recognized by language schools, multinational corporations and governments, is a good thing. International communication is a very broad and challenging concept. Culture and tradition play immeasurable roles in how we perceive people and act toward them. It is needless to say that the domain of international communication is fraught with potential problems that might arise from cultural differences. Then we haven’t even mentioned the problems that come from the business perspective. Corporations, companies, takeovers and mergers: all these concepts and ideas just beg to be misunderstood. That is why there is a book like this one.
We want the reader, you, to not only learn the English words and their meanings. We would like you to actively take part in imagining the scenarios that we create with our examples. In your mind you can even role-play the situations, actions and feelings of the characters we created. This will give you a richer experience of the vocabulary and help you take the first step into the practical use of your newly acquired knowledge. So, when considering the aforementioned goal of the TOEIC, to test a student’s ability in business English on an international level, we thought it wise to keep exactly that in mind as we wrote. In the process of writing this book we thought it best to use examples from multiple fields in the business arena. You will read about salesclerks, managers, CEOs and even plumbers. You will get an idea of how a small business owner might act and talk, and even how the president of a multinational company or a country’s leader, might voice his opinions.
This book can be used as a teaching aid by the teacher who quickly needs a new
perspective or example. It can be a guide to the student who desperately needs an
answer, or the one who is simply looking for trivial information. It should be used by all TOEIC students as a reference during their studies. Don’t try to read the book from cover to cover. It will be of little use, as our cognitive processes need previous references to make learning possible. If you don’t have such a reference, either from a question that you want to answer or a sentence you heard, you won’t learn much. Many of the words we use in the examples come from the book itself. Follow up on the words you don’t know to give yourself a richer and more rewarding experience. It would be naïve to believe that you will learn all there is to learn in the world of trade and finance in a short period of time.
Learning is a lifelong process, and when learning is concentrated into a specific period of time (as with a test such as the TOEIC) some facts are sure to be forgotten or overlooked. So, be patient with yourself. It is our hope that, after you pass the test and take up your dream position in the international business world, you will use the book from time to time. Make this book one of your favorite reference guides as you become a success in the whirlwind-world of international business.
多益考試的目的是什麼？從考試的名稱就可以知道它與國際溝通有關，進一步來說，國際溝通英語測驗的目的，主要是檢測學生在商務環境的溝通能力。「商務」和「國際」的概念是吸引這麼多學生來考的主要原因，更況且這個檢定受到語言學校、跨國公司以及政府單位的承認。國際溝通是廣泛且具挑戰性的概念，文化和傳統在我們如何瞭解與對待別人上扮演非常重要的角色，但不需要認為國際溝通必定會有文化差異的問題，商業領域中有些概念才是需要被釐清的，例如：財團法人、公司；接管、合併等，而向讀者釐清這些概念，就是我們出這本書的用意。
我們希望讀者，你，不僅僅只是學英文單字和字義，我們更希望你能主動地投入在我們創造出來的情境中，你可以扮演情境中的任何一個角色，想像他們的動作與情緒，這會賦予你更豐富的單字經驗，並幫助你跨出實際運用新知的第一步。因此，當考慮到多益檢定目的—檢測學生國際商用英文的應用能力時，我們認為最聰明的方法是將書中所寫的銘記在心。在寫這本書的過程中，我們力求提供多元商業情境的例子，因此你可以看到銷售員、經理、總裁甚至是水電工，你可以瞭解小公司老闆的行為與言談，也可以知道跨國公司總裁或國家領導如何發表他的意見。
這本《NEW TOEIC新多益單字放口袋》不僅可以成為老師的教學輔具，立即提供新的概念或例子，它也可以成為求知若渴的學生的入門書、或為只是用來搜尋的工具書。所有準備多益檢定的學生手邊都應該要有這本書作為參考。提醒你，不要嘗試一頁頁地閱讀，這樣是沒有用的，因為在認知過程中，我們都需要一個前提來學習，如果你沒有一個想回答的問題，或是沒有你聽到的一句話，那你就只能學到一點東西。我們在例子中所使用的單字大多來自於這本書中，跟著你所不知道的單字，並給自己一個豐富且有益的經驗。但如果你認為能在短期之內學到所有關於貿易和金融的一切的話，那就太天真了。
學習是一輩子的事，如果只在特定一段時間內密集地學習（就像準備多益考試），那很快就會忘記了。所以，對自己要有耐心。我們希望在你通過考試或是在國際商界取得你夢想的位置之後，你還會不時的翻閱這本書，讓它幫助你在競爭激烈的國際貿易中成功，成為你最喜歡的參考書之一。
2024專利防護中