Get back to reality (P1)
邯郸市第一中学  王永仙

I. Warming up  
What do you usually do with your digital devices?
How often do you use them?

II. Pre-reading
Would you be able to give up your digital devices for a whole day?

III. While-reading
Scanning
Read the article and answer the following questions.
1. According to studies, how does reliance (依赖) on technology affect our life?
Overuse of electronics can affect our sleep, the quality of our social interactions (社交), and our ability to focus on study and work.

2. What are people encouraged to do on the US National Day of Unplugging?
People are encouraged to put away their electronics for 24 hours.

3. What happens in the days before the unplugged day that makes them busy and stressful?
People are busy informing their close friends and family, and preparing materials that they usually get in real time from their devices.

4. What do people feel about the unplugged day? 
Many people find that the unplugged day seems longer than a typical day. Others see the experiment as a way to experience what life like before the rise of electronics. 

5. What might the author’s attitude towards the US National Day of Unplugging be?
Although it’s difficult nowadays to live without electronics, this day allows people to slow down and reflect on life.

IV. Sentence analyzing
1. To help people take a break from their always-on lifestyles, the US National Day of Unplugging, which falls on the second Friday of March each year, was created in 2010 to encourage people to put away their electronics for 24 hours.
解析：1. which引导定语从句，修饰先行词the US National Day of Unplugging。
2.To help 为目的状语。
译为：为了帮助人们在忙碌的生活能够休息一下，2010年，美国把每年三月的第二个星期五定为拔插头日，鼓励人们一天24小时不用电子产品。

2. Although living without electronics seems impossible in today’s world, unplugging from time to time allows people to slow down and reflect (反思) upon life.
解析： 1. Although引导让步状语从句。
2. living without electronics 和 unplugging from time to time allows 分别为为动名词短语作主语。
译为：尽管现在生活中没有电子产品看起来是不可能的，但是时不时尝试不用电子产品能够让人们放慢节奏，思考生活。

V. Post-reading
Discussion and Debate
Think about your answer to the following question, and discuss it in groups of four. Then, share your thoughts with the class.
Electronics connect people, so they make friends and family members closer in today’s world.
Electronics take up too much time and make people ignore their friends and family members.
What’s your opinion?

Making life more meaningful (P3)
邯郸市第一中学 黄珍珍
I. Lead-in  
What kind of life is the most meaningful to you?
Do you think her life is meaningful? Why?
 

II. Skimming
Read the article quickly and answer the question.
What is the main idea of the article?
The article tells the inspiring story of Olivia Ports, who was born with a compromised immune system but makes her life more meaningful by playing guitar and helping young patients.

III. Scanning
Read the article carefully and answer the following questions.
•1. What can we know about Olivia Ports according to the first five paragraphs?
She has a nice personality and a great talent for music.

•2.What made Olivia Ports want to help children in the hospital?
During a 15-day treatment (治疗) last Christmas, she realized it was very sad for children to be in hospital during the holidays.

•3.What’s Olivia’s plan for the future?
Speaking of the future, the high school senior plans to take a semester off after graduation to “figure things out”. She wants to head to college with the goal of opening a music school for those with health challenges.

IV. Language study
Translate the sentences. Pay attention to the sentence structures.
1. I knew before I found out how a condition she was born with changed her childhood.
•句子包含限定性定语从句，先行词为condition，
在从句中作介词宾语，还原从句为she was born with a condition
• 句意为：在了解到她出生时遭遇的情况是如何改变
童年生活之前, 我就知道(她是个特别的孩子)。

2. In addition to her impressive musical talents, Olivia is just so friendly, funny and grateful to those who made her first show such a success.
•be grateful to对…..感激，代词those 为先行词，who引导限制性定语，those who  ……的人
• 句意为：除了她那令人印象深刻的音乐天赋外，Olivia 是如此友好，有趣，对助她首秀成功的人心存感激。。

3.  It was during a hospital visit that she met Classical Blast, a popular band that invited Olivia to join them as a guest performer on their annual (一年一度的) Christmas tour.
•• it is …that…为强调句，被强调部分是during a hospital visit;
• 第二个that引导定语从句，在从句中作主语。
•句意为：在一次去医院的时候，Olivia遇到了流行乐队Classical Blast，她受邀在他们一年一度的圣诞巡演中担任演出嘉宾。

4. It was yet another treatment (治疗) that led to her most recent passion. Recovering (恢复) in her room for 15 days last Christmas, Olivia saw first-hand “how sad it can be” for children to be in hospital during the holidays..
•此处it was…that…强调句强调的是主语。
• recovering为现在分词作时间状语。
•句意为：去年圣诞节，Olivia康复治疗住了15天院，在这期间，她亲眼目睹了孩子们在节日期间待在医院是多么难过。

5. That’s why this year, Olivia decided to do a benefit (义演), asking guests to bring a toy that could be taken to young patients.

• that’s why 那是……的原因 。
•Asking为现在分词作伴随状语
•that 引导定语从句，修饰先行词toy。
•句意为：这是为什么今年Olivia 决定进行义演，同时要求观众带玩具给医院的年轻病人。

V. Language focus----words&phrases
impressive, recover, admit, grateful, regular
 

Translate sentences using the words we learned.
1.  我们定期收到他的来信。
We hear from him on a regular basis.

2. 这些数字看上去确实很可观。
The figures certainly look impressive.

3.他心脏病发作住院了，正在康复之中。
He’s in hospital, recovering from a heart attack.

4. 我衷心感谢你的帮助。
I’m so grateful for all your help.

5. 你也许不喜欢她，但你不得不承认她工作做得很好。
You may not like her, but you have to admit that she’s good at her job.

V. post-reading  
1.What have you learned from Olivia Ports’s story?
2.Do you know any other people who inspire you a lot?

VI. Assignment  
Write a passage about a person you admire, and describe how they make life more meaningful.