Anybody can be a hero (P4-5)

中国人民大学附属中学  宋玖青

I. Warming up   

Imagine you were a war movie director. What aspect(s) would you focus on to show a big event in a war?

 

II. Pre-reading

Have you seen the film Dunkirk? Do you know who the director is? 

Christopher Nolan 

•British director

•Famous directorial works:

•The Prestige

•The Dark Knight Trilogy

•Inception

•Interstellar

•…

 

III. While-reading 

Scanning 

Read the article and answer the following questions. 

1.When did Nolan’s new film Dunkirk come out in China?

On September 1st. 

2.Do the characters in the film talk much?

No, they don’t. 

 

Close Reading 

Read the article, divide it into sections, then summarize the main idea of each section.

Possible answer:

Part 1 (Para. 1-2): A lead-in and attention holder to this topic.

Part 2 (Para. 3-4): An introduction to the storyline of Dunkirk.

Part 3 (Para. 5-8): The difference between Dunkirk and other war movies. 

 

Read Para 3, and fill in the chart about the storyline. 

 

 

Read Para. 5-8, and decide whether the following statements are true or false.

1.The characters in Dunkirk have backstories.

2.The hero can be any ordinary man in Dunkirk.

3.Nolan thinks the periods of silence are stronger than people’s words and help show characters’ minds.

4.Dunkirk is a story about fighting for triumph.

F T T F 

 

IV. Post-reading 

Paraphrase 

According to the article and your own understanding, paraphrase the following sentences.

1.On screen, it twists and dances excitingly; off screen, it disappears. (Para.1) 

Nolan used several separate timelines in one film. The timelines mix with each other, jumping back and forth. This twists in time can only be felt when we are watching the film. When the movie ends, we are back to reality and can no longer sense the interweaving of time. 

2.His new film, Dunkirk, …, is so great that it seems to be over in just a minute. (Para.2) 

Nolan’s new movie is so breathtaking that people seem to become totally immersed in it and forget the time. 

 

V. Homework 

Review 

Watch the film Dunkirk, and write a short essay about the scene in the film that impresses you most. The following questions may help you to organize your essay.

1.What is the scene about?

2.Why did it impress you the most?

3.What might have been the director’s intention to create such a scene? 

 

 

Smile is important

•山东省烟台第二中学   朱洪图

I. Warming up 

Which smile do you like best? What do you think that makes a good smile?

 

 

II. Skimming 

What is the text mainly about ?

A recent study by scientists in the US found that certain types of smiles have a better impact (影响) on people than others. 

 

II. Skimming 

Read the text again and try to work out the outline of the text.

Match the paragraphs to the descriptions below.

 

 

III. Scanning

Answer the questions below. 

•1. What types of smiles have a better impact on people than others?

The “best” smiles are the ones where the mouth is at an angle (角度) of between 13 and 17 degrees, and the mouth isn’t too broad or perfectly straight.

•2. How did the scientists come to their conclusion?

A group of 802 members of the public, aging from 18 to 82, were shown a 3-D animated 

(动画的) face. The face displayed different types of smiles, and the subjects (实验对象) were asked to rate them, from “creepy (诡异的)” to “pleasant”.

•3. What can the findings be used for?

It’s believed that the findings could be used in a number of ways, including making video game characters appear more realistic. The scientists also hope their work will help doctors who are trying to restore (恢复) facial movement to patients who have suffered from strokes (中风) or other conditions.

•4. What are Stephen Guy’s opinions about the perfect smile ？ 

Nobody should feel bad if they don’t match up to his study’s definition of perfection.

 

IV.Homework

Write a summary of this article, including the study’s results, significance and applications. In the last paragraph, give your own understanding of the “best” smiles.