Statue celebrated by US on birthday (P4-5)

浙江省金华市外国语学校   翁冰玫

 

I. Warming up   

Do you know any famous symbols of American culture? 

1) Before the Barbie dolls that are on sale now, there was just a single Barbie. Actually, her name was Barbara.

    Barbara Handler was the daughter of Elliot and Ruth Handler, co-founders of the Mattel Toy Company. Ruth came up with the idea for Barbie after watching her daughter play with paper dolls.     Since her introduction in 1959, Barbie has become known as the Queen of the Dolls. It’s said that the average American girl owns 10 Barbie dolls and two are sold somewhere in the world every second. 

 

2) Uncle Sam is a common national personification (拟人化) of the American government or the United States in general. According to legend, it came into use during the War of 1812 and was supposedly named after meat packer Samuel Wilson. Uncle Sam represents patriotic emotion. 

 

3) The Statue of Liberty is undoubtedly another famous symbol of American culture. The article gives more details about it. 

 

II. Pre-reading

Guess what is talked about in the article according to the title. 

The US celebrated the Statue of Liberty’s birthday.

Other reasonable answers could also make sense.

 

III. While reading 

1. Read through the article and get some information about the Statue of Liberty.

Who (designer): French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi 

What (material): copper and steel

When (completion): the statue alone was completed in 1884 

Why (purpose): a gift for the independence of the US

 

2. Read again, and decide whether the following statements are TRUE or FALSE. 

1) The Statue of Liberty was a gift from a French sculptor to the US government.

2) The building of the Statue began immediately after the idea was put forward.

3) At the time when the idea was suggested, both the French and New Yorkers held a welcoming attitude toward it.

4) Joseph Pulitzer and 125,000 New Yorkers helped to raise the money for the 47-meter pedestal.

 

Key: 1-4 FFFT

 

3. Read the last two paragraphs and discuss: Why was the statue a symbol of hope in the 20th century for those seeking a better life in the US?

For immigrants to the US in the 20th century, Ellis Island was the only gateway to set foot in the US. From there, they were able to see the Statue of Liberty, which meant a free, wealthy and hopeful world to them.

 

4. More background knowledge about immigrants to the US in the 20th century and Ellis Island.

Ellis Island, in Upper New York Bay, was the gateway for over 12 million immigrants to the United States as the nation’s busiest immigrant inspection station from 1892 until 1954. It was known to many as the Island of Hope because it was the entryway to the United States, where people hoped to escape from poverty and tyranny (暴政 ) and make a better life for themselves.  However, about 2% of the people who had made the long and uncomfortable voyage to the US were rejected at Ellis island for various reasons.  For them, it was the Island of Tears. 

  

IV. After reading

Read more about the Statue of Liberty.

The Statue of Liberty

In the mid-1870s, French artist Frederic Auguste Bartholdi was working on an enormous project called Liberty Enlightening the World, a monument celebrating US independence and the France-America alliance. At the same time, he was in love with a woman he had met in Canada. Bartholdi married her in 1876.

That same year, Bartholdi had assembled the statue's right arm and torch and displayed them in Philadelphia. It is said that he had used his wife's arm as the model, but felt her face was too beautiful for the statue. He needed someone whose face represented suffering yet also showed strength, someone more severe than beautiful. He chose his mother.

The Statue of Liberty was dedicated on an island in Upper New York Bay in 1886. It had his mother's face and his wife's body, but Bartholdi called it "my daughter, Liberty".

 

The following information is from New Concept English (Book 2 L93) 

One of the most famous monuments in the world, the Statue of Liberty, was presented to the United States of America in the 19th century by the people of France. The great statue, which was designed by the sculptor Auguste Bartholdi, took ten years to complete. The actual figure was made of copper supported by a metal framework which had been especially constructed by Eiffel. Before it could be transported to the United States, a site had to be found for it and a pedestal had to be built. The site chosen was an island at the entrance of New York Harbor. By 1884, a statue that was 151 feet tall had been erected in Paris.  

The following year, it was taken to pieces and sent to America. By the end of October 1886, the statue had been put together again and it was officially presented to the American people by Bartholdi. Ever since then, the great monument has been a symbol of liberty for the millions of people who have passed through New York Harbor to make their homes in America. 

 

Machines keep secrets (P5)

北京房山区教研员   王俊英

I. Warming up

Did you hear about this piece of news? How do you feel about it?

On March 15 this year, the matches between AlphaGo, an artificial intelligence machine built by Google, and South Korean Go grandmaster Lee Se-dol ended. The machine defeated Lee 4-1.  

1. In what ways do you think computers are better than humans?

2. In what ways do you think humans are better than computers?

 

II. While reading 

Read the article quickly and answer the question:

What’s the article mainly about?

The development of computing with neural networks.

 

Read, think and answer the following questions.

1. In what fields do computers do better than humans?

They do a better job in the fields of calculating and analyzing.

 

2. What skill do people think that only humans have, according to the article?

The ability to keep secrets.

 

3. What is the big step in the development of computers’ learning skills?

The creation of the computing systems called “neural networks” by the Google Brain team is considered to be a big step.

 

4. What attitudes does Joe Sturonas hold toward this “big step” in computers?

He thinks that computing with neural networks on this scale has only become possible in the last few years, so we really are at the beginning of what’s possible.

 

5. What’s the author’s attitude towards the development of artificial intelligence? How do you know?

A. Optimistic.   B. Worried.     C. Doubtful.     D. Neutral. 

A is the answer, because he thinks that computing with neural networks on this scale has only become possible in the last few years, so we really are at the beginning of what’s possible.

 

Read Paragraphs 2-8 carefully and draw a mind-map with the key information.

 

III. Post-reading 

III. Post-reading 

Discuss in groups:

l Based on your mind-maps, what are the differences between computers’ “neural networks” and neurons in the human brain?

lWhat’s your attitude to the development of computing and artificial intelligence? 

lWhat should people do in order to make future discoveries about the development of computing?

 

IV. Homework

Writing:

Choose one of the following.

1. Write a short summary of the article, adding what you’ve learned from the article if possible.

2. Based on your group discussions, write down your own attitudes to the development of computing. Add some details where necessary.

 

Drawing with love

云南昆明八中  艾莺

 

I. Warming up

•If you could choose a place to draw, where would you prefer to do it? 

•What kind of materials would you use?

 

II. Skimming

What did the author learn from her childhood drawing experience?

A. She had a talent for art.

B. Mothers should respect their kids’ interests. 

C. Drawing on the closet walls was really fun.

D. The artwork always reminded her of her mother's love.

Key: D

 

III. Scanning

The information of the artwork

•drawn by:________________

•with:__________________

•when:_________________

•where:________________

key: the author at the age of 4; crayons with 64 sticks of vivid color; on a damp, boring, stay-in-the-house kind of day; on the wall in her parents’ closet

The content of the artwork

on one walla brilliant rainbow

abovea cheery golden sun peeking out

belowa giant shade tree supported a swing for stick-figure children

aroundflowers bloomed 

thenthe reddish-brown cat with its green eyes and black whiskers

 

IV. Language learning

armed with equipped or supplied with

somehow    for a reason that is unkown

invitingattractive, tempting

forbiddennot allowed

reach...forstretch out in order to touch

swell    feel an emotion strongly

wind downgo slow and stop

pop upappear or occur

stillwithout movement or sound

mad    angry; furious

approach    come near or nearer

 

l虚拟语气

Only if there were hidden walls, walls that people could sometimes see and sometimes not.

语法：句中if only意为“要是……就好了”，表达一种强烈的愿望，尤其是不太可能发生的愿望，因此句子应该用虚拟语气，如句中的there were, could。

1. If she had worked harder, she _____.

A. would succeed B. had succeeded

C. should succeed    D. would have succeeded 

2. If my lawyer ___ here last Saturday, he ____ me from going. 

A. had been, would have prevented 

B. had been, would prevent

C. were; would prevent 

D. were; would have prevented 

3. Without electricity, human life ____quite different today.

A. is B. will be

C. would have been D. would be 

4. --If he ____, he  ____ that food.

--Luckily he was sent to the hospital immediately. 

A. was warned; would not eat 

B. had been warned; would not have eaten

C. would be warned; had not eaten

D. would have been warned; had not eaten

5. You didn’t let me drive. If we ____ turns driving, you ____ so tired.

A. took; didn’t get 

B. took; wouldn’t get 

C. were taking; wouldn’t get 

D. had taken; wouldn’t have gotten

Key: DABAC

l非谓语动词

1.Slipping quietly down the hall to the bedroom, I stood on tiptoe to reach the string for the closet light.

Slipping 充当方式状语，表示主动。

2.Using my whole body, I pushed aside the heavy clothes and shut the door behind me.

Using 充当方式状语，表示主动。

3.And in my own house, the closet walls are masterpieces, too, created by my own daughters when they were little girls.

Created 做定语，表示被动。

5. I got to the office early, ______the 7:30 train from Paddington.（全国统一考试）

A. caught   B. to have caught   C. to catch   D. having caught  

22. --They might just have a place ____on the writing course.  

--Why don't you try applying? （全国课标I卷）

A. leave   B. left    C. leaving    D. to leave

28. The driver wanted to park his car near the roadside but was asked _____ by the police. （全国课标I卷）

A .not to do B. not to   C. not do   D. do not 

35. The sunlight was white and blinding, ____hard-edged shadows on the ground.  (全国课标I卷) 

A. throwing    B. being thrown  

C. to throw      D. to be thrown

21．Volunteering gives you a chance ____ lives, including your own.（北京卷）

A．change  B．changing  

C．changed D．to change

24．____ the course very difficult, she decided to move to a lower level. （北京卷）

A．Find B．Finding 

C．To find D．Found

Key: DBAADB