Functionality functional is one of the basic characteristics of English intonation. In research, its functions are divided into such four categories as grammatical function, attitudinal function, accentual function and discourse function. Based on intonation function, a summary of English intonation application in college English listening materials and related statistics show that native speakers tend to use intonation to achieve communication purposes;use frequency of falling tone ranks the first;there is no one-to-one relationship between intonation type and sentence type and the choice of intonation relies on communication contexts. A trial of three kinds of English intonation teaching strategies within EFL learning environment will contribute to students’ improvement of communicative abilities.