Sound of World’s Cities (P1)

中国人民大学附属中学  宋玖青

 

I. Warming up

lHow would you describe the city you live in?

lDo you know the two cities? What are they famous for?

       Detroit

      Miami

 

II. Pre-reading

Speaking of the sound of a city, what comes to your mind first?

 

III. While-reading

Scanning

Read the article and answer the following questions.

1.What drove Tod Machover to collect noises?

The question of, “Can we listen to this place in a more sophisticated way?”

2.How many sound samples did Machover receive when making the symphony for Detroit?

15,000.

 

Close Reading

Read the article, and try to divide it into different parts, then summarize the main idea of each part.

Possible answer:

Part 1 (Para. 1-3): To introduce Tod Machover’s project to turn everyday noises into classical music and explain what drove him to do so. 

Part 2 (Para. 4-6): Two examples in Tod Machover’s project. What kinds of sounds were used to describe Detroit and Miami. 

Part 3 (Para. 7-9): Machover also invited local people to offer recordings for his music composition.

 

Read paragraph 4-6 again, and fill in the chart.

 

 

IV. Post-reading

Paraphrase

Paraphrase the following sentences.

1.What Machover wanted to do is to write a symphony not “for” the city, but “with” the city. (Para. 7)

Not only does Machover want to write a symphony for the city by himself, but he also wants local people to participate in the process of composing the symphony together with him.

2.“That all tells a very specific message, a firsthand message that would have been secondhand in any other way.”(Para. 9)

The sounds collected from local people show the daily lives of the city in a more direct, unique and accurate way. 

 

Discussion

lWhat do you think of Machover’s idea of composing a symphony for a city? 

lAre there any difference between using music and using pictures to show the image of a city? Which one do you prefer?

 

V. Homework

Speech

  Tod Machover has chosen sounds and noises as a way to describe a city, so what about you? In what ways are you going to describe your city? Why? How do you plan to do that?

  Prepare a speech within three minutes to talk about your idea, and share it with the class.

 

 

 

Opinion split on daylight saving time  (P5)

邵博雅 天津四十三中  

I. Warming up

What do you know about daylight saving time?

Why do you think daylight saving time is used?

 

II. Skimming

What is the article mainly about?

It mainly describes the daylight saving time system, its origin and the debate around it. 

 

III. Scanning

Read the article and answer the following questions:

1. What is daylight saving time?

It is kind of a society-imposed jet lag. Under this system, time skips forward an hour each March, and in the fall, clocks are turned an hour back. 

Clue: Para 2, the second sentence; para 3

2. Why was daylight saving time started originally? 

It was started to save energy.

Clue: Para 7, the first sentence

3. What does the last sentence say about the future of daylight saving time? 

Daylight saving time won’t be abolished in the near future.

 

IV. Structure

1.Under this system, time skips …, at the expense of everyone’s sleep.

at the expense of 在损害……的情况下,以……为代价

Translate: 他完成了工作，但损害了健康。

He finished the job at the expense of his health.

2. In World War I, governments were concerned about saving fuel,…

be concerned about 关心; 挂念

Translate: 他唯一关心的就是他的成绩。

The only thing he was concerned about was his grades.

 

V. Discussion

1. Do you think we should use daylight saving time in China? Why or why not?

2. What should we do to save energy?

ØTurn off our lights before leaving our homes

ØTry to use solar energy

ØBe efficient in our work 

 

 

Ending Family Fights (P6)

哈尔滨市第一中学    张婳

I. Pre-reading

Have you ever had a fight with a family member? What caused the fight?

 

II. Reading 

Read the article, and try to answer the following questions:

1.What is the article mainly about? 

It gives advice on dealing with family conflicts. 

2.What can we learn from the first two paragraphs?

Family fights can be turned into something good. It may be a good chance for family members to become closer.

3.What does the writer advise us to do?

Put aside your needs, and give the other person some time to express his or her feelings.

Listen for the right information. 

If the situation starts to get out of hand, it is wise to just calm down and leave the problem until later.

 

III. Vocabulary

Look at some sentences and try to figure out the meanings of the underlined words.

lWhat if it could be different?

如果…将会怎么样？

lIn a short moment, emotions can be brought out…

使显现，使激发；产出，出版

E.g. He’s bringing out a new album next month.

E.g. The spices really bring out the flavor of the meat.

lSo if you can put aside your needs for a few minutes, the situation will change quickly.

把…暂放一边

E.g. You must put aside your pride and call her. 

lThe best way to do this in emotional situations is to ignore most of what is said.

忽视，（故意对知道的事）置之不理

The telephone rang, but she ignored it.

近义词neglect ：疏忽;忽略；疏于照看

E.g. Many of these ideas have been neglected by modern historians.

 

IV. Structure

Look at the sentences and pay attention to the structure of the sentences.

lIn any fight, you have a need to be listened to.

lBut you always seem to forget that the person you’re fighting with has the same need to be listened to.

注意介词不要省略。

lThere is nothing for us to worry about.

lShe is a very nice person to work with.

lHe has a lot of things to attend to. 

他有许多事要管。

 

Translate the sentences.

1.给我一把椅子坐。

Give me a chair to sit on.

2.他没有钢笔写字。

He has no pens to write with.

3.我得找一个大袋子来装这些东西。

I have to find a large bag to put these things in.

 

1.It is too small a room for us ________. 

A. to live

B. to live in

C. living

D. living in

Answer: B

2.No one likes ___; it makes you feel uncomfortable.

A. being stared 

B. being stared at 

C. glaring at 

D. looking at

Answer: B

 

V. Discussion

What do you think of the author’s advice? Do you know of any other good ways to deal with a family fight? Share them with us.