Ancient history behind British city names (P4)

辽宁沈阳二中 常虹

I. Warm-up 

Discussion:

•Do you know the meaning behind the following place names?

•Do you know what your hometown’s name means? Share with your fellow classmates.

Actually, in many countries, people can confidently tell you the meaning of their town or city.

But how about people who live in Manchester, Oxford or Birmingham? Could they explain what the name of their city means?

II. While reading

•Scanning: 

Read the article and answer the following questions. 

1. Could people who live in Manchester, Oxford or Birmingham explain what the name of their city means? And why?

Most people wouldn’t be able to explain what the name of their city means. Every British town and city has a long history.

2. What do the place names “Britain” and “Llantrisant” have in common?

Both of them come from Celtic.

3. How many ways are there to explain the meaning of London? What are they?

Three. First, the Romans called the city Londinium but they were not the first inhabitants. Second, people once believed that the United Kingdom's capital city got its name from the castle of a King called Lud but this is very unlikely. The best guess today is that the name comes from a Celtic word meaning a fast-flowing river.

Reread the passage. Put the following sentences in order of time.

a. the Anglo-Saxons attacked Britain.

b. the Vikings came to England from Scandinavia.

c. England became Norman

d. most people living in Britain were Celts.

e. the Romans arrived and built camps.

d e a b c

Complete the table by reading carefully.

 

Fill in the blanks.

    In many countries, people can _________ (confidence) tell you the meaning of their town or city, but most people in Manchester, Oxford or Birmingham would not be able to explain ____ the name of their city means.     Two thousand years ago, most people ____(live) in Britain were Celts. Then the Romans arrived and built camps which became cities called "castra". This is _____there are so many place names in England which end ____ "-chester" or "-caster" - Manchester, for example.  

    The Romans never reached Wales ____ Scotland and many place names there are Celtic. For example, Welsh place names that begin _____"Llan" come from the Celtic word _____ church. 

    After the Romans left Britain, it _________(attack) by tribes called the Anglo-Saxons who were from the area of Europe _____ is now Germany and Holland. ______ the Roman army, it was impossible to protect the country ______these people. 

Language work

Translate the following sentences into English.

1. 维京人和安格鲁撒克逊人交易，他们的村庄名字经常以“-by” or “-thorpe”结尾，。比如说，Kirkby意味着一个有教堂的村庄，还有Scunthorpe意味着这个村子由一个叫Skuma的人统领。

The Vikings traded with the Anglo-Saxons and their village names often ended in "-by" or "-thorpe". For example, the name "Kirkby" means "a village with a church" and Scunthorpe was the village of a man called Skuma. 

2. 对于伦敦名字由来最好的猜想就是这个名字是来自于一个凯尔特词，意思是一条水流湍急的河。但是就像很多英国的地名一样，伦敦名字由来的历史随着时间消逝了。

Our best guess about how the place name of London came is that the name comes from a Celtic word meaning a fast-flowing river. However, like a number of British place names, its history is lost in time. 

III. Post-reading

Discussion: (open)

Watch the video. Discuss what impressed you most after watching it.

IV. Homework

Do you know the meaning of Manchester, Oxford or Birmingham? 

If not, search the internet and try find out.

 

Power of “dougong” (P6)

辽宁沈阳二中 常虹

I. Lead-in

Are you familiar with this toy from your childhood?

Building blocks

Toy building blocks let us make many beautiful and creative things. 

But, maybe you’ve also experienced this…

The building falls down easily because it’s too weak

II. While reading

Scanning: 

Read the article and answer the following questions. 

•Why does the author think the Forbidden City is still managing to serve up surprises?

Since it was built during the Ming Dynasty, it’s estimated that the Forbidden City has survived more than 200 earthquakes. 

•What happened to the model palace when it was subjected to a simulated earthquake of 9.5 on the Richter scale?

Instead of falling apart, the model was just moved gently during the test. 

•How can dougong help a building resist natural disasters?

The framework changes in shape when under pressure, much like the shock absorbers of a car. 

Read the article again and decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F). 

1.The Forbidden City managed to serve up surprises for 600 years.

2.Only Chinese carpenters know how to make the model in the story.

3.Ancient Chinese craftsmen had a talent for both architecture and art.

4.According to the experiment, the model would survive any earthquake in the world.

5.Dougong functions better with nails and glue.

Enjoy this video about dougong. 

Can you think of some words to describe it?

Language focus

Find out the expressions in the passage according to the explanation.

1. ____________  : a. to put food onto plates and give to people  b. to give or offer sth. 

2. _____________: used after a negative statement to say that the next thing you mention is even more unlikely

3. _____________: with strong wind or storms

4. _______________: be forced to experience something very unpleasant

5. __________: be caused by

Language focus

高考链接一词多义之draw

1.The Forbidden City draws visitors because of its rich history and cultural significance.

2.Katie had drawn a cottage with a little stream running next to it.

3.It would be unwise to draw firm conclusions from the results of a single survey.

4.He didn’t want to draw attention to himself.

5. Christmas is drawing near. 

6. Sally had drawn 8,000 in cash from a bank in Toronto.

7. She drew a deep breath .

8. Bobby drew a chair up to the table.

III. Post-reading 

Discussion:

What other examples show how smart ancient Chinese people were?

IV. Homework

Make a poster about what you know about dougong and show it to the class.