A Needs Analysis Of The Selection Of Teaching Contents For College English

English is very important in the modern society. Under the influence of globalization, especially after China entered WTO in 2001, more and more foreign companies, organizations, institutions have flooded into China main land, and at the same time, our government, enterprises also have more connections with the whole world. Nowadays, social needs of English talents show a tendency of diversity and specialization. Our society requires more college students with a good command of practical English. Under this circumstance, traditional college students who only have been taught general English can no longer meet the demand of our society.However, what majorities of Chinese colleges and universities offer their students in the course of college English is English for general purposes(EGP). Since the objective of the EGP course is to develop the students’ skills and strategies in English reading, writing, speaking and listening, the course can’t meet college students varied wants, especially their wants of occupational English related to their own majors. Naturally they get distrustful and develop negative feelings about English learning.To improve the effectiveness of college English course, fulfill the requirements of the course and satisfy students’ needs, the following question shall be figured out first: “What should be taught in college English?” Debates arise in the answer to this question.In the study, the author aims to investigate what should be taught in college English for non-English major students on the basis of needs analysis. In this paper,the design of the questionnaire to understand students’ needs is basically based on Dudley-Evans& St John’s model. The purpose of this survey is to conduct an investigation on students’ needs in college English learning. Both qualitative approach and quantitative approach are adopted in the research. Questionnaires, interviews, and previously used examination papers all serve as useful means of research. After collecting data from the survey, it can safely come to the conclusion that whatstudents need most is ESP course; at the same time, EGP is also necessary for most of the students who haven’t a good foundation of English.At the same time, social needs for English talents are also analyzed. According to the feed backs from enterprises, it’s easy to find the results of the analysis for learners’ need are consistent with the survey of social needs, that is, both the society and college students desire the college English teaching is closely related to professional knowledge. Obviously, ESP course is their common choice.Based on the results of needs analysis, suggestions on selection of Teaching contents for college English are put forward, including the designing of college English course, manifold roles of English teachers in ESP course and the difficulty in training them, and designing of ESP teaching materials.