This book adopts a multi-method and multi-phase approach to investigate the washback effects of Test for English Majors (TEM) on program administrators, teachers and students, shedding new light on TEM reform and the reform of English teaching and learning in China. TEM, a nationwide test used to measure the language proficiency of undergraduate English majors in China, is a major standardized test taken by nearly 400,000 students every year. The book's key features include: an in-depth discussion of the nature of washback and a framework for investigating it; a multi-method and multi-phase approach, employing both the quantitative method of questionnaire surveys and the qualitative methods of interviews and classroom observations; large-scale questionnaire surveys conducted among experts, program administrators, teachers and students, and involving over 30,000 participants; detailed assessments of TEM's washback effects on stakeholders' perceptions, classroom teaching practice, students learning activities, etc.; and essential insights into testing and teaching reforms.

This book addresses the integration of the Internet and finance which recently has been one of the most notable topics of discussion in the media, the business community, academia, and among policymakers, both in China and worldwide. As a comprehensive, in-depth analysis of the one of the fastest growing industries in China, the book covers all the most important areas and issues in the crowdfunding industry in China, including the definition, types, and history of crowdfunding, the scale of the crowdfunding market, the basic business models and risk analysis of crowdfunding, the characteristics of the typical crowdfunding platforms, case studies of the leading crowdfunding platforms in China, and the future development of the crowdfunding industry in China. The book combines theoretical analysis with conceptual discussions and best practices in the crowdfunding industry in China. It is of interest to a variety of readers around the globe, such as (1) existing and potential fund demanders; (2) existing and potential fund providers; (3) investors and professionals running crowdfunding platforms; (4) professionals and major shareholders of traditional financial institutions; (5) staff in regulatory government agencies; (6) academics; and (7) the general public.

This book, as a comprehensive, in-depth analysis of one of the fastest-growing industries in China, covers all the most important areas and issues in the country's online lending industry. It includes, but is not limited to, the history of online lending, the scale of the online lending market, the basic business models in and a risk analysis of online lending, the characteristics of typical online-lending borrowers and investors/lenders, the root causes of bankruptcy among failed online lending platforms, a comparative analysis of online lending platforms inside and outside China, the overall ranking of online lending platforms in China and finally, the outlook for the online lending industry in the future. The integration of Internet and finance has, in recent years, been among the most notable topics discussed in the media, the business community and academia, both in China and worldwide. The chapters are supplemented with detailed case studies, which include illustrations and tables and the book combines theoretical analysis with conceptual discussions of and best practices in the online lending industry. It will be of interest to a variety of readers worldwide, including: (1) existing and potential online borrowers; (2) existing and potential online lenders; (3) investors and professionals running online lending platforms; (4) traditional bankers and major shareholders in traditional financial institutions; (5) staff in regulatory government agencies; (6) academics; and (7) the general public.

The book is a collection of the dialogues between Xu Jun, a well-known expert in French literary translation and eminent "Changjiang" scholar in translation studies in China, and some celebrated literary translators in contemporary China, some of whom are also literary scholars, linguists, poets, prose writers, and editors. It is a fundamental achievement of research on the literary translation in the 20th century in China, involving multiple literary types, such as novels, poetry, dramas, prose, and fairy tales; and multiple languages, such as English, French, German, Russian, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, and Sanskrit. The dialogues are centered on fundamental issues in the theory and practice of literary translation, such as re-creation in literary translation, the relationship between form and content in literary translation, the subjectivity of literary translators, literary translation standards and principles, the gains and losses in literary translation, the principles and methods of literary criticism, and so on. Those translation experts' experience and multiple strategies not only play an active role in guiding literary translators in practice but also benefit theoretical development in literary translation. Thus, the book will contribute to worldwide translation studies and get well recognized by translation studies students, teachers, and scholars in the world.

Intumescent Coating and Fire Protection of Steel Structures establishes the thermo insulation characteristics of intumescent coating under various fire and hydrothermal aging circumstances and shows how to predict the temperature elevation of steel structures protected with intumescent coatings in fires for avoiding structural damage. Introduced are the features and applications of intumescent coatings for protecting steel structures against fire. The constant effective thermal conductivity is defined and employed to simplify the quantification for the thermo-resistance of intumescent coatings. An experimental investigation into the hydrothermal aging effects on insulative properties of intumescent coatings is presented, as well as the influence of topcoat on insulation and aging of intumescent coatings. Also described is a practical method for calculating the temperature of the protected steel structures with intumescent coatings in order to evaluate the fire safety of a structure. The book suits fire and structural engineers, as well as researchers and students concerned with the protection of steel structures.

This book addresses the integration of the Internet and finance which recently has been one of the most notable topics of discussion in the media, the business community, academia, and among policymakers, both in China and worldwide. As a comprehensive, in-depth analysis of the one of the fastest growing industries in China, the book covers all the most important areas and issues in the crowdfunding industry in China, including the definition, types, and history of crowdfunding, the scale of the crowdfunding market, the basic business models and risk analysis of crowdfunding, the characteristics of the typical crowdfunding platforms, case studies of the leading crowdfunding platforms in China, and the future development of the crowdfunding industry in China. The book combines theoretical analysis with conceptual discussions and best practices in the crowdfunding industry in China. It is of interest to a variety of readers around the globe, such as (1) existing and potential fund demanders; (2) existing and potential fund providers; (3) investors and professionals running crowdfunding platforms; (4) professionals and major shareholders of traditional financial institutions; (5) staff in regulatory government agencies; (6) academics; and (7) the general public.

This book adopts a multi-method and multi-phase approach to investigate the washback effects of Test for English Majors (TEM) on program administrators, teachers and students, shedding new light on TEM reform and the reform of English teaching and learning in China. TEM, a nationwide test used to measure the language proficiency of undergraduate English majors in China, is a major standardized test taken by nearly 400,000 students every year. The book's key features include: an in-depth discussion of the nature of washback and a framework for investigating it; a multi-method and multi-phase approach, employing both the quantitative method of questionnaire surveys and the qualitative methods of interviews and classroom observations; large-scale questionnaire surveys conducted among experts, program administrators, teachers and students, and involving over 30,000 participants; detailed assessments of TEM's washback effects on stakeholders' perceptions, classroom teaching practice, students learning activities, etc.; and essential insights into testing and teaching reforms.

The book is a collection of the dialogues between Xu Jun, a well-known expert in French literary translation and eminent "Changjiang" scholar in translation studies in China, and some celebrated literary translators in contemporary China, some of whom are also literary scholars, linguists, poets, prose writers, and editors. It is a fundamental achievement of research on the literary translation in the 20th century in China, involving multiple literary types, such as novels, poetry, dramas, prose, and fairy tales; and multiple languages, such as English, French, German, Russian, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, and Sanskrit. The dialogues are centered on fundamental issues in the theory and practice of literary translation, such as re-creation in literary translation, the relationship between form and content in literary translation, the subjectivity of literary translators, literary translation standards and principles, the gains and losses in literary translation, the principles and methods of literary criticism, and so on. Those translation experts' experience and multiple strategies not only play an active role in guiding literary translators in practice but also benefit theoretical development in literary translation. Thus, the book will contribute to worldwide translation studies and get well recognized by translation studies students, teachers, and scholars in the world.