2017-2018学年度第4期总第626期 

Telling the tale of our past (P1) 

Vinegar could end hunger (P6) 

 

 

Telling the tale of our past (P1)

江苏省南菁高级中学    李现宝

I. Lead-in: 

Have you ever been to Gulangyu Island in Xiamen?

•If so, please share your experiences with us.

•If not, can you share something you know about it with us? 

Gulangyu Island, to the southwest of Xiamen Island, covers an area of 1.87 square kilometers. Its rugged rocks, winding coast, green hills and clear waters create beautiful and intriguing scenery.

 

 

 

II. Skimming:

1. When was Gulangyu Island certificated a world heritage site?

On Sept 4 this year. 

2. What is Gulangyu Island famous for?

It is famous for its natural delights and its mixture of foreign and Chinese architecture. 

Gulangyu is a tiny island located on the estuary (河口) of the Chiu-lung River, facing the city of Xiamen. With the opening of a commercial port at Xiamen in 1843, and the establishment of the island as an international settlement in 1903, this island off the southern coast of the Chinese empire suddenly became an important window for Sino-foreign exchanges. Gulangyu is an exceptional example of the cultural fusion (融合) that emerged from these exchanges, which remain legible (清晰的 ) in its urban fabric (城市结构 ). There is a mixture of different architectural styles including Traditional Southern Fujian Style, Western Classical Revival Style and Veranda Colonial Style (殖民地外廊式). The most exceptional testimony (证明 ) of the fusion of various stylistic influences is a new architectural movement, the Amoy Deco Style (厦门装饰风格 ), which is a synthesis (综合体 ) of the Modernist style of the early 20th century and Art Deco (装饰艺术运动 ).                                            

            -- From UNESCO

 

III. Scanning: 

 

 

IV. Conclusion:

1.Every world heritage item __________________.

2. They are reminders of _____________________.

（Key: is worthy of care and protection; our rich and various cultural pasts, and the things that made us who we are）

 

V. Further thinking: 

What are the benefits of something being certificated a world heritage by UNESCO? 

1. It helps advocate and pass down local history and unique culture;

2. It raises the image and influence of local cities;

3. It promotes cultural exchanges;

4. It raises people’s awareness of preservation. 

 

VI. Homework: 

1.Search for more information about Gulangyu Island and share it with your classmates.

2. Make posters about different world heritages in China. 

 

 

 

Vinegar could end hunger (P6)

浙江省金华市外国语学校    翁冰玫

I. Warming up   

What do the following two idioms mean? 

Oil and vinegar （totally different things）截然不同 

Cry up wine and sell vinegar （advertise a superior product and replace it with a much worse one）挂羊头卖狗肉 

Free talk: Can you list some uses of VINEGAR in everyday life? 

Vinegar is a kind of flavoring (调味品);

Vinegar can help remove stains (污渍) in clothes; 

Frozen meat or fish can be defrosted more easily using vinegar;

A glass of water with some vinegar is helpful to those who suffer from insomnia. (失眠);

         …

 

II. Pre-reading 

Predicting:

Predict what the article is about according to the title “Vinegar could end hunger”. 

 

III. While-reading 

1. Read through the article and check if your prediction of it is correct.

  What is the article mainly about? 

  It’s about how vinegar could be used to grow crops in dry conditions. 

2. Read through the article, and say whether the following statements are TRUE or FALSE :

1) The new discovery about vinegar should free people from worries about climate change. （False ）

2) The Arabidopsis produces acetate when it is placed in very dry conditions. （True）

3) The newly discovered method of survival has helped farmers keep their crops alive. （False）

4) The researchers targeted staple foods and various plants in the experiment. （False）

3. Read the article again, think, discuss and answer: 

  1) What is acetate? 

    Acetate is a chemical and the main component of vinegar. 

2) Why may vinegar help people survive climate change?

Because acetate in vinegar could help crops survive extreme climate such as droughts. 

3) How did the scientists make this discovery?

By doing experiments. 

4. Read carefully, and paraphrase some sentences

1) Researchers from the RIKEN CSRS in Japan found that growing plants in vinegar makes them

more resistant to droughts. (Para. 2)

The results show vinegar is useful for helping plants grow in very dry weather.

2) Although at this point keeping thirsty plants alive isn’t as easy as just pouring vinegar over

them, Kim said he and his team are working on making the process as simple as possible.

(Para.7)

Though the use of this method isn’t so simple right now, scientists are trying to make it easy. 

3) And for those of us who always forget to ask our neighbors to water our plants when we go

away, hopefully this means the end of returning home from a trip to find our favorite flowers

have died. (Para. 8)

It is rather likely that this new discovery will benefit those who have trouble taking care of

their plants. (It implies that the new method will probably be applied in everyday life one

day.)

 

IV. Post-reading 

Opinion- sharing

   1. Do you think the method will help end hunger? Why do you think so?

   2. Study the title “Vinegar could end hunger”, and discuss: what is the writer’s attitude toward this new method ?