任务型语言教学的研究在国外已经有20多年的时间了。20世纪80年代Prabhu的Bangalore交际教学实验是任务型语言教学实践的第一步，而且该教学方法一出现，就立刻引起了语言专家和学者们的高度关注。随着20世纪90年代Nunan、Ellis、Willis等语言专家对任务的研究，任务型语言教学的理论研究逐渐开始走向成熟。我们现在已经无法找到谁最先为任务型语言教学正名，但毋庸置疑的是随着人们全方位、多角度的研究，这一研究方法正在逐步走向完善和发展。任务型语言教学是从英语Task-based Language Teaching翻译过来的，在英文文献里通常简称为TBLT。顾名思义，所谓任务型语言教学就是一种基于任务的语言教学方法。20世纪90年代末，任务型语言教学传入我国，从此之后，我国的英语教学掀起了一股任务型语言教学的研究浪潮。Nunan作为任务型语言教学的代表人物，由于其对该理论的深入研究和探讨，并将这一理论付诸实践，在任务型语言教学的历史上有着不可磨灭的重要地位。而且其理论对于指导我国中学任务型语言教学也有着极其重要的作用。 本文首先阐述了Nunan的任务型语言教学的基本理念，包括其理论基础和经验基础，分析了任务型语言教学的框架，总结出Nunan任务型语言教学的重要原则。然后分析了作为实践Nunan任务型教学理念的经典英语教材《新目标》(Go for it!)，包括教材框架分析、语法内容、语言功能和学习策略匹配分析。之后，分别在语法内容和听、说、读、写这些语言技能方面对其进行了深入分析。 通过分析，本文认为：《新目标》英语教材体现了Nunan坚持的任务型语言教学理念，同时也符合《英语课程标准》（实验稿）的要求。教材融会话题、交际功能和语言结构，形成了一套循序渐进的生活化的学习程序。话题由近及远，由具体到抽象；交际功能由低到高，由简单到复杂；语言结构由易到难，循环往复。交际功能、语言结构的编排呈阶梯式、螺旋式上升。每个单元都通过“任务链”把一个个反映了真实生活和英语文化的任务串起来。这套教材信息丰富，情景真实，贴近英语国家学生生活，并注重语言与文化的有机结合，富有趣味性。这些原则、方法如果可以借鉴到对外汉语教学中，无疑是给对外汉语教材的编写注入新鲜的血液。

It has already been 20 years for the research of Task-based Language Teaching abroad. In 1980s, Bangalore Communicational Teaching Project which was practised by Prabhu, was the beginning of the Task-based Language Teaching practice. As soon as Task-based Language Teaching appeared, it has been payed high attention by lots of language experts and scholars. As it developed by Nunan, Ellis, Willis, and so on in 1990s, Task-based Language Teaching research has attained to maturity gradually. Until now, we still can’t find the first man who started to name it. But there is no doult that this research is progressively approaching perfection. It was translated from Task-based Language Teaching in English, and usually called TBLT for short. As the name implies, Task-based Language Teaching is a kind of research which is based on tasks. At the end of 1990s, task-based language teaching was introduced into China. From then on, it starts a new way for our English teaching. As a representative of task-based language teaching, Nunan put this theory into practice, which occupies an indelible importance in the history of the Task-based Language Teaching researches. His theory is of great importance for our Task-based Language Teaching in junior schools as well. This paper, in the first place, expounds on the essence of Task-based Language Teaching from Nunan’s theory, concerning its conceptual basis and empirical basis, and analyzes a framework and principles for Task-based Language Teaching, which belongs to Nunan as its summary. In the second place, it analyzes the classic textbook Go for it!, as Nunan’s practical task-based language teaching idea, including its framework and the relations between the grammars, functions of language and learning strategies. At last, it analyzes thoroughly language structures and skills, such as listening, speaking, reading and writing. According to the analysis above, the paper draws the conclusion that Go for it! reflects Nunan’s TBLT theory. At the same time, it meets the needs of English Curriculum Standard. It digests topics, communicative functions and language structures, forming gradually lifelike learning procedure. The topics are from oneself to his/her around and from concrete to abstract. Communicative functions which concerned are from low to high and easier to more complicated. Language structures in the teaching materials are from easier to more difficult and follow the instructional cycle. Communicative functions and language structures performed in the book follow in order and advance step by step. Various tasks which reflect the authentic life and English culture, are organized and connected under the same topic in each unit to form a “task chain”. Go for it! is rich in information, and close to the life of students in English-speaking countries, more interesting and motivating. If these principles and methods can be used in the area of teaching Chinese as a second language, it is no doubt that materials and text books of teaching Chinese as a second language should be more developed.