Therefore, it is high time that teachers paid more attention to cultivating students’ multiliteracies in English reading teaching at senior high schools.源:自'优尔.·论,文;网·www.youerw.com/

2. Literature Review

     As is known to all, it has been a heated topic about multimodality in recent years. An increasing number of experts are interested in doing some research on multimodality. Therefore, It’s necessary to cultivate students’ multiliteracies in English reading teaching. In fact, western countries have made great efforts to study how to cultivate students’ multiliteracies. Halliday (1978: 123) put forward the social semiotic theory about information transmission, which has played an important role in the research of multimodal expression. Kress (2001: 13) holds that the conveyance of multimodal information are based on three principles. He thought All modes have potential expressions, which may be understood by particular groups of people. Besides, the American education circle has studied the Art Literacy, which is about the cultivation and promotion of students’ multiliteracies through the teaching of arts. In terms of practical application, western countries have set survival English class for new immigrants to teach them survival reading skills in order to enable them to understand non-word materials in English reading texts. In this way, new immigrants are able to understand train timetable, assorted advertisements, signal boards and tags, etc so as to be adapted quickly to lives in foreign countries. 文献综述

     In China, more scholars show great interest in the study of multimodality and multiliteracies. Hu ZhuangLin pays great attention to studying the characteristics of multimodality from the point of social semiotics. In his article of the MuItimodality of Social Semiotics (2007: 10), he compares between common semiotics and social semiotics, between multimodality and multimediality. What’s more, he believes that students have to understand various modes and semiotic resources of teachers. According to Zhang DeLu (2009: 24), the multimodality of modern discourse lies in simultaneously using two or more modes or symbolic systems, including both language symbols and body symbols like as well as non-body symbols. In the article of Wang Huiping (2010: 20), the Cultivation of Multiliteracies in English Reading Teaching, she focuses more on written texts as well as extracurricular activities by making full use of the multimodal resources beyond written ones. She also lists some multimodal resources such as typography, charts, pictures and genre. As for Cheng Wenling (2012: 07), the Cultivation of Multiplex Mode Reading Abilities in English Teaching teaching should train students how to read the multimodal discourse of English reading, i.e. to help students develop multimodal reading ability to adapt to the rapidly changing society under the effect of  the social, economic, scientific and technological development. It’s widely acknowledged, the traditional reading teaching centering on reading and writing ignores most types of non-verbal modes. A single ability to read and write is difficult to meet the need of today’s era of globalization. If things go on like this, it will inevitably result in a new generation of  illiteracy. In the article of Liang Guixia and Zang Yuantian (2013: 13), the Multimodality Teaching Modes and the Cultivation of Students’Multiliteracies in College English, they try to establish multiplex English teaching modes in university based on the theory of multimodal teaching methods so as to develop college students’ multiliteracies, which is a core idea of multimodal teaching. According to Tao Dandan (2013: 05), the Cultivation of Multiplex Mode Reading Abilities in Advanced English Teaching, the notion of multimodality was put forward under the effect of multiculturalism and communication persification. She emphasizes the importance of cultivating students multiliteracies in advanced English class. In her article, Tao uses the article of the Middle Easter Bizaar as an example to show the specific teaching designing steps by New London Group, i.e. situational practice, overt instruction, critical framing and transformational practice.