Environmental Issues in the Media and English Conversation Tasks is a two-part text designed specifically for EFL students in the Environmental Department Language Communication I & II
courses at Nagasaki University. The text begins with Environmental Issues in the Media which represents a practical approach to English language study through media articles and comprehension
tasks. Twenty-five selected media articles on environmental issues are divided into four sections—Environment, Pollution, Living Organisms, and National Parks. Environmental issues were
selected to cover a variety of interests while promoting English study through media articles. English Conversation Tasks, the later portion of the text contains fifteen thematically based
conversation units. The units are organized into five sections: Dialogue, Drill, Writing, Presentation, and Conversation Questions. Each unit is straightforward with no excessively complex
exercises. The focus is on improving expression and communication skills. This text contains no grammar exercises. Rather, students learn grammar intuitively by imbibing common sentence
patterns from dialogs and conversation questions. The purpose of this text as well as the purpose of the language communication courses at Nagasaki University is to promote English language
oral communication skills. Rather than complete mastery of English pronunciation, grammar or vocabulary, the ultimate goal for students is communicative competence, or the ability to use
English effectively and appropriately in a variety of situations. To encourage communicative competence as such, students using this text will be exposed to numerous linguistic situations and
tasks that they must respond to creatively. The author hopes that this textbook provides both the student and the educator a positive and memorable learning experience.
