摘要：The emergence of English as a global language has imposed a profound influence on the methodology of foreign language teaching. Communicative Language Teaching, an influential approach in language teaching, came into being decades ago and later was introduced into China. Nowadays, it has become one of the most important approaches in the field of foreign language teaching worldwide. The present paper discussed the historical and theoretical background of Communicative Language Teaching and its two versions and its main characteristics. After having explored its application in China, directions for future improvement are pointed out.
关键词：communicative language teaching;historical and theoretical background;application
