Application of Communicative Language Teaching Approach in China-Taking Senior High Schools' English Teaching as an Example

Deriving from Hymes' theory of Communicative Competence, the Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) method has profound impact on the language teaching both at home and abroad. Yet it has not achieved the intended results in China for various reasons. This paper is dedicated to introducing the status quo of CLT application in China's senior high schools, the reasons behind the phenomena, the features and principles of CLT and their correlations with the New Curriculum Standards of China and what we can do to ensure a better application of CLT in the Chinese environment.