Most undergraduate English programs in China’s research universities are skill-training programs. Skill training neither benefits language learning nor facilitates the goals of the research university and of humanities. Skill training is also a repetition of what elementary and high schools in urban areas have been doing in their English courses offered to students of all ages. To satisfy the needs of students, humanities, and research universities, English programs have to be restructured. Incorporating more literature courses into the curriculum would be a feasible and effective initial step since literature may bridge the gap between language and thinking, between learning and research, and between pedagogy and research. Once this step is installed, the goal of improving both language ability and research ability through English may possibly be materialized.