At present, English has an absolute advantage in many fields in the world. English will have an important influence on learners' ideas and cultural awareness. At the same time, English is no longer exclusive to native speakers, and many non-native speakers are also using and transforming English. Therefore, it is necessary for us to reflect on the goal orientation of English teaching in China in the past: what kind of people should be trained in English teaching in China? Is he an "American-born Chinese" who is proficient in using foreign languages and cultures, or a China native who can express his unique voice in English? It has long been an indisputable fact that basic English education in China belongs to foreign language education. However, in recent years, whether English should be a second language or a foreign language has aroused widespread concern and controversy in theoretical and practical circles. The view that English education in China belongs to a "foreign language" rather than a "second language" holds that the learning environment of a foreign language is different from that of a second language (referring to learning English in an English-speaking country). This view is self-evident. However, how should the basic English education in China be positioned? The author thinks that from the perspective of development, the orientation of basic English education in China should be different from the traditional foreign language teaching. In recent years, many scholars at home and abroad have put forward some new viewpoints on the basis of analyzing the functions of English and the current situation of English use, such as "imperialism in the field of language", "world English", "English as an international language", "English as a common language" and "native linguistism". The background of these views is not learning English in the so-called inner circle English-speaking countries (such as Britain, America and Canada), but mainly learning English in countries where English is not the mother tongue, which is what we usually call a "foreign language" environment. Is there "imperialism" in English teaching? English has an absolute advantage in many fields in today's world and has become a common language. This "advantage" inevitably reduces the value of other countries' languages and cultures, leading to the phenomenon of "imperialism in the field of languages". In the field of English education, it is generally believed that the language proficiency of native English speakers is the reference for evaluation, and familiarity with British and American cultures is the teaching goal. Holiday called this phenomenon "native linguistism". The "nativism" in English teaching reflects people's deep-rooted thinking mode. For example, only native-speaking teachers such as Britain and the United States are the best candidates to teach English, and teaching is to make learners reach the proficiency of native speakers. The practice and understanding of "mother tongue doctrine" may make English learners in other countries feel that their language and culture are inferior. It is an indisputable fact that British and American cultures have influenced various fields, and English vocabulary is increasingly introduced into Chinese through other industries. At the same time, English culture has also had a great influence on all aspects of our social life. Objectively speaking, this is beyond the control of English education. However, English education based on western culture will inevitably have an impact on students' ideological concepts and cultural awareness, which has both positive and negative effects. When interviewed in some schools across the country, the author asked junior two students what they had learned in English class besides language, and the students all said that they had also learned culture. When the author asked them specific cultural issues, they said, "The way of life in western culture is different from that in China. We in China praise others, and others are especially modest, saying' where, where'. Foreigners say' thank you' directly. "They also mentioned that in western culture, women don't ask about age, don't interfere in other people's privacy, and so on. When asked which culture they think is better, many people think western culture is better. When I visited a poor county, I learned that junior two students there thought English was easier to write than Chinese. Of course, there is something wrong with this view, but I just want to explain here that English teaching does have an impact on learners' ideology, mother tongue and cultural understanding. English can be shared by all who use it? In view of the international advantages of English, other western scholars have adopted a more positive view. They believe that since English has almost become a necessary condition for entering an "international village", English teaching must meet the actual needs of people's development. It is precisely because more and more nations and countries use English that English itself has undergone many changes, so English has become an international language. In addition, some scholars put forward the concept of "World English". They believe that "World English belongs to anyone who speaks it, but it is not anyone's mother tongue". Some scholars prefer to use the concept of "second language". The second language here no longer refers to learning English in English-speaking countries, but taking English as another language, which refers to a second language other than the mother tongue. Statistics show that 65% of English communication is conducted between people whose mother tongue is not English. These scholars believe that English is no longer unique to a few western English-speaking countries, but has become the common property of all users. The thinking of taking English as an international language is divorced from the traditional concept of English teaching. English belongs to anyone who uses it and to any place where it is taught. There are several reasons for this statement: in the past, people used native speakers as the benchmark of language ability, and most people thought that learning English was to communicate with people whose mother tongue was other languages, but now English is used for communication between most people whose mother tongue is other languages. With the different use of English in different countries, English itself has been localized, and users in various countries are creating new ways including pronunciation, vocabulary, syntax and pragmatics. Crystal, for example, said that when English was used in Egypt, the British were also influenced by the local people and imitated the local usage. When he arrived at gypt, the Egyptian who picked him up said, "Welcome! Welcome to Egypt! ) "and the standard English expression should be:" WelcometoEgypt! Welcome to Egypt! Later, the local driver said the same thing, but he disagreed. Finally, I arrived at the office of the British Council in Egypt, and the British also said so. These facts prove that English itself is constantly developing and it will change under the influence of users all over the world. No country or nation, whether Britain or America, can be the guardian of English development. Under such thinking, people will naturally question some deep-rooted views in traditional English teaching concepts, such as: Is it appropriate to take a few "English-speaking countries in the circle" as the reference standard for language norms? Is it appropriate to achieve the language ability of native English speakers as the teaching goal? Is it reasonable to take the cultural norms of "English-speaking countries in the inner circle" as the cultural goal and the standard for evaluating language appropriateness? Should western culture be the main cultural goal of learning English? After breaking away from the thinking mode with "mother tongue" as the reference point, some scholars have questioned the current English teaching mode and teaching objectives. For example, after studying people's thinking state and the changes of two grammatical systems when learning English, some scholars suggest that the focus of second language acquisition research should be shifted to the study of the unique thinking mode of people who master the second language, rather than the process of studying how to reach the language level of native speakers with English as the goal. After abandoning the mother tongue thinking, Cook pointed out that no matter how high the language level of the second language users is, they are different from the mother tongue users according to the previous research on bilingualism, interlanguage, pronunciation and grammar. Second language users use two different grammatical systems. Scholars who hold this view believe that since English is unique as a lingua franca, we should abandon the foreign language model. Because foreign languages belong to others and have nothing to do with themselves. Because it is not a foreign language, it is naturally unnecessary to reach the language level of others, so there is no interlanguage. This concept can be said to subvert many standards that foreign language teaching circles take for granted. For example, Tomlinson suggested that since we can't reach and don't need to reach the pronunciation standard of so-called native speakers, do we still need to spend so much time pursuing the perfection of pronunciation? Because English is an international language, there will always be many different English. Is it necessary for us to distinguish British English from American English? Then, according to the curriculum goal of our country, is it necessary for us to introduce the culture of western English-speaking countries as the main cultural goal in the design of teaching content? English teaching needs to go beyond the "practical" goal. On the basis of these new concepts, some scholars put forward different views on teaching objectives, teaching contents and evaluation criteria. Cook put forward the concepts of "external goal" and "internal goal" in English teaching. External goal refers to the goal of personal interpersonal communication outside school; The intrinsic goal is the self-development goal of students' inner world, thinking and ideological development, such as cultivating different ways of thinking and becoming excellent citizens. Through English learning, students can think from different angles and learn different language learning methods. Communicating with people in English is only one of the goals of English education in these countries, but it should not be the whole goal. At the same time, he also put forward the following goals: personal development, new cognitive thinking methods, understanding of mother tongue, communication with people of different mother tongues, understanding and appreciation of other cultures, promoting cross-cultural communication, maintaining peace, and so on. In other words, letting students use another language is not only to let them master the communication tool of another language, but also to change their lives and thoughts through various channels. Zhang Zhengdong, a Chinese scholar, once pointed out: "Educational goals include cultural education goals and moral education goals, including the pursuit of world outlook, values, aesthetics, intellectual development and methodology. This is the goal that all disciplines should involve, and it is also the goal of foreign language courses that all countries attach great importance to. " When we talk about the importance of English teaching, we usually start from the demand of social development for English, for example, English is an international language, and students need to obtain information and communicate with other countries in the world through English, and so on. However, as a subject of basic education, English teaching should also have other goals, such as cultivating students' quality, thoughts and feelings, correct thinking methods, learning strategies and ability to obtain information. The author believes that we may have new ideas when thinking about problems from these angles. According to Filipson, people in the field of English teaching are used to taking English education as their profession, without analyzing the problems from the wider social, political and economic aspects. In fact, the deep thought of these views is still based on the language ability and cultural norms of native English speakers. On the basis of this kind of thinking, discussing the basic English teaching in China may find a hundred kinds of problems, but it is difficult to find a solution. We need to jump out of the foreign language thinking mode and challenge the traditional English teaching mode. We should help students enter the "international village" through English learning, so that students can express their values, identities and thoughts in English, spread the excellent culture of China and communicate with English-speaking people all over the world. Perhaps we need to rethink the teaching objectives, teaching contents and evaluation criteria, and consider whether it is necessary to reconstruct the multi-knowledge system of English language education, and whether it is necessary to re-plan the connotation of the original curriculum objectives or supplement new contents. The author believes that when determining the goal of basic English education in China, at least the following factors need to be considered: the needs of society and the state for basic foreign language education; The influence of foreign language education on the formation of learners' thought, culture and ideology; Students' quality education and personal development needs; The environment and conditions of basic foreign language education; Regional differences and educational equity; The particularity of the education system. These issues need further discussion in the future.