possible terrorist attacks.
7. isolate: set apart; cut off from others
e.g: When I'm angry, I find it best to isolate myself from other people for a little while.
In the early decades of its history, the United States was
relatively isolated from Europe and other parts of the world.
It would certainly be unnatural for someone to totally isolate themselves.
8. blink: shut and open the eyes quickly; flash on and off
e.g: Staring for hours at a computer screen dries out the eyes as people blink less.
We could see lights blinking on the ships out in the bay. 9. come around: visit someone at their house
e.g: Halfway through the party, a neighbor came around to complain about the noise.
Why didn't you come around while you were in Beijing on business?
10. knock down: 1) cause someone to fall to the ground by pushing or hitting them
e.g: The old man died in hospital after being knocked down by a car.
The driver was in serious trouble for knocking down a pedestrian
on a pedestrian crossing.
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2) destroy and remove sth.
e.g: The house is being knocked down to make way for a new road. We're planning to knock the dividing wall down so as to make one large room.
Post-reading tasks
1. 1. Pair work: informal speech versus formal speech (see Text Analysis)
1) 1) T dictates the following sentences to Ss: ---- Say what you want to say quickly and briefly.
---- I have only one close relative, my wife. ---- Are you foreigners? ---- I want you to leave right now.
2) 2) Ss pair browses the text to find how the sheriff expressed these ideas. (They are: ---- Spit it out.
---- My people? All I got’s a wife. ---- You guys foreigners? ---- Get the hell out of here.)
3) 3) Ss pair compares the speech style of the sheriff with that of the two Venusians. Which is formal, which is informal?
4) 4) Ss pair discusses the characteristics of informal and formal speech.
5) 5) Ss answer the following questions:
---- Why did the sheriff speak in an informal style?
---- Did the sheriff ever speak formally? If yes, when and why? ---- Why did the Venusians speak in a formal style? (25 minutes) 2. 2. T guides Ss through some after-text exercises. (25 minutes) 3. 3. T checks on Ss’ home reading (Text B). (3 minutes)
4. 4. Ss do Part IV: Theme-Related Language Learning Tasks. (1 period)
5. 5. T asks Ss to prepare for the next unit: 1) 1) do the pre-reading task; 2) 2) preview Text A. (2 minutes)
Text Analysis
Language is full of holes, which people fill up with perceptions and assumptions. This
saying is well illustrated by Sheriff Cameron. Because he judged the
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Venusians as Italians simply by their appearance, everything they said sound Italian to him. He mistook Venus for Venice, a watery place on earth.
When we learn another language, we must not learn it with the mindset of our mother tongue. Otherwise there will arise cultural misunderstandings, which may lead to conflict.
Sheriff Cameron usually spoke in a casual manner. Perhaps his town was so small that he knew all the townsfolk, therefore informal speech was proper. His sentences were short, colloquial, and sometimes incomplete. He preferred phrases to single, learned words. He liked shortened forms and abbreviations, with an occasional curse.
The Venusians spoke formally. Their sentences were long and involved, their word choice elaborate. They used passive voices and ―if‖ structures. Perhaps it was because they believe in the utter importance of their mission, or they might not have learned to speak freely in a strange tongue.
Unit 5 How to Celebrate Holidays Suggested Teaching Plan (5 periods) Objectives:
Students will be able to:
1. 1. understand the main idea and the structure of the text; 2. 2. learn to memorize words in association;
3. 3. grasp the key language points and grammatical structures in the text;
4. 4. conduct a series of reading, listening, speaking and writing activities related to the theme of the unit.
Time Allotment 1st period Pre-reading; 2nd period 3rd period 4th period 5th period While-reading While-reading; Post-reading; Theme-Related Post-reading (association map) Check students’ home reading (Text B) 23
While-reading (Parts I – III) (text organization, vocabulary prediction,
on Language Learning Tasks) Part I) Pre-reading tasks
1. 1. T asks Ss the following questions on the song:
---- According to the singer, why are people busy coming and going on holiday? (They want to go back to their hometown.)
---- In what way is Thanksgiving similar to our Spring Festival? (Both are occasions to families to get together.) (5 minutes)
2. 2. Group discussion: who should I thank for what 1) 1) T dictates to Ss the following questions:
---- What should I thank my parent(s) /teacher(s) / friend(s) for? ---- Have I expressed my gratitude to the person(s)?
---- If the answer to the previous question is yes, what have you done? If the answer is no, what do you plan to do?
---- Are holidays a good time to express gratitude? Which holidays are the most appropriate?
2) 2) Ss form group to discuss them.
3) 3) Some groups report discussion results to class. (15 minutes) 3. 3. T leads in to the text by saying: Do you remember a text in Book 1, All the Cabbie Had Was a Letter? Quite often we take for granted the people who are nice to us, then we realize all too late that we have never expressed our appreciation, just like the cab driver. At other times, when we are away from the holiday rush, we are able to recall the true significance of a holiday – a time to say how much we value others. The author of this text did exactly that. (2 minutes)
While-reading task
1. 1. T draws Ss attention to Text Organization Exercise 1, to see how the text is divided into four parts. T asks Ss to give the main idea of each part. (5 minutes)
2. 2. T tells Ss that the story took place on a ship. Ss take out a sheet of paper and write down any vocabulary items they can think of that are related to a boat or to people onboard T will explain that this list is for future reference (see Text Analysis). (8 minutes)
3. 3. T explains key language points in Part I and gives Ss practice (see Language Study). (20 minutes)
4. 4. Student pairs discuss why it was necessary for the author to offer so many details of his voyage. (possible answer: Details indicate that this Thanksgiving was unusual, explaining why the author felt the need to celebrate it in an unusual way.) (4 minutes)
5. 5. T explains key language points in Part II and gives Ss practice (see Language Study). (20 minutes)
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6. 6. Ss complete part of Text Organization Exercise 2. (8 minutes) 7. 7. T explains key language points in Part III and gives Ss practice (see Language Study). (20 minutes)
8. 8. Ss complete the rest of Text Organization Exercise 2. (8 minutes)
9. 9. T explains key language points in Part IV and gives Ss practice (see Language Study). (10 minutes)
Language Study
1. under way: in motion or operation, having started and making progress
e.g: The nationwide medical reform is now under way.
Preparations for the 100th anniversary celebration are now well under way.
2. put away: remove (sth.) to a place where it is usually stored e.g: The kids are asked to put all the toys away before they leave. You wash the dishes and I'll put them away in the cupboard. 3. in quest of: seeking
e.g: Tony went to the school library in quest of Mark Twain's novels. He has traveled half way round the country in quest of the truth about his son's death.
Mary told me that she was leaving New York City in quest of a tranquil life.
4. sincere: not pretending, honest
e.g: Any readers who feel annoyed please accept my sincere apologies.
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