| The study is undertaken to examine the lexical compatibility and distribution characteristics of the New Senior English Curriculum Standards (NSECS), NMET and two textbook versions (PEP version vs. BNUP version) with high frequency counts and the NSECS vocabulary as a starting point. The study aims to help the widest audiences—middle school teachers resolve the various puzzles about the NSECS, NMET and the two textbook versions. As a result, reference information is provided for creative use of teaching materials by the teachers, for efficient course designing by materials writers and for rational test development by NMET developers. It is believed that more and more attention will be paid to this field of research with the development of vocabulary study and materials evaluation.The collation of 5 five high frequency word lists indicates that students with a general graduation purpose (NSECS Level 7) should have a command of 2531 high frequency words while those with the intention to pursue academic study in tertiary education (NSECS Level 8) should include 834 academic words in their high frequency word list, reaching a cumulative total of 3365. However, deficiency in academic words is found not only in the two textbook versions and NMET but also in the NSECS. Besides, the target research materials are different in their selection of high frequency words and the NSECS vocabulary. The NSECS doesn't exert its influence as an authoritarian document. Research results also show that the two textbook versions are complementary in nature with the PEP version having a more challenging vocabulary demand and the BNUP version more harmonious with the NSECS in its level transition.The research is quantitative in nature and computer software is adopted for statistical calculation and analysis. The results are of both theoretical and practical value for senior English curriculum reform in Fujian Province. |
