2019-2020学年度第15期总第773期
Magical mystery box (P4-5)
河北师大附中  赵乃平

I. Lead-in  
As a teenager, do you still love toys? If you do, what toys do you like?

II. Skimming  
The article is mainly about ___________________________.
(Answer: tiny cute toys hidden in mystery boxes)

II. Scanning  

What is a blind box?
A blind box toy is hidden inside uniform packaging but invisible from the outside. You don’t know what will be inside, although the toys typically come from pop culture, ranging from movies to comics and cartoons.

When and from where were such toys first introduced to China?
In 2014, from Japan. 

How popular are they in China?
According to a 2019 Tmall report, the mini-series of Labubu blind box, designed by Hong Kong-born Kasing Lung, was named Champion of Unit Sales with 55,000 sold in just 9 seconds during the Singles Day shopping event. 

Why are they so popular?
Because of their cute appearances and tiny sizes.
Because of the mystery and uncertainty of the process.

What does Miss Cao like blind boxes?
She enjoys the mystery of the unknown that blind boxes have. 

IV. Summary  

Write a summary about this article, using about 50 words.
You can begin like this:
Blind boxes have gained popularity among young people in China.
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
(Answer: Blind boxes have gained popularity among young people in China. Young people love them partly because of their lovely appearances and tiny sizes. But the major reason lies in the mystery of the unknown, as you will never know what they are until you open them.)   

V. Language focus

1. ... the toys typically come from pop culture, ranging from movies to comics and cartoons.
  range from ... to ...    范围从……到……
The children’s ages range from 8 to 15.
Prices range from $ 119 to $ 199, depending on the materials. 

2. The typically cute cartoon figurines come in miniature sizes, making them suitable for display almost anywhere..
  making... 现在分词短语作状语
The boy fell down, striking his head on the door. 结果状语
He stayed up late, preparing for the exam.伴随状语

2019-2020学年度第15期总第773期
Everybody’s a big mouth (P6)
吉林省吉林毓文中学 刘媛

Lead-in
Do you have friends with big mouths? 
How do you get along with them?

Scanning
According to the title “Everyone’s a big mouth”, what can you predict about the article?
Style – Expository writing
Main idea – to explain the reasons why it’s difficult for people to keep secrets

Detailed reading 
1. What did Asim Shah find in his research?
People feel that keeping a secret is burdensome because they can’t help sharing with others.

2. Why is the study led by Anita E. Kelly mentioned?
It is mentioned to prove that previous research has arrived at a similar conclusion, thus supporting the author’s statement. 

3. Why do people like to share secrets?
For one thing, it helps them keep a person as a friend. For another, keeping secrets from someone close to them may cause a sense of guilt. 

4.  How can we decide whether to share a secret with a particular man? 
Put yourself in the shoes of others and think about how they will feel when having to keep a secret. 

Post-reading
Do you often share secrets with others?
When sharing a secret, what kind of person would you like to choose?
talkative sincere quiet serious
 
Summary
        People who cannot keep a secret are described as 
“having a big mouth”. As a matter of fact, according to some researchers, they aren’t _______ (blame).
        With secrets in mind, people are easy to suffer from depression, ______ (anxious), and body aches, thus _______ (cause) stress. So both talkative and quiet people are likely to ______ your secrets.
        So next time, when you judge ______ to tell 
someone a secret, you’d better put yourself in his or her ______ and think twice before you act. 

Discussion
Guess the meanings of the following phrases with “mouth”. 
1. live from hand to mouth 
2. heart in one’s mouth
3. put words into one’s mouth
4. born with a silver spoon in one’s mouth

(Answer:  1. to spend all a person earns. 
2.to be nervous and scared
3.to say someone said something that he or she never actually said
4. – to be born into a wealthy and privileged family)

Language focus
1. Another reason people share secrets is guilt over keeping it from someone close to them. 
guilt n. 内疚，犯罪
guilty adj. 内疚的，有罪的
eg. She had feelings of guilt about leaving her children and going to work.
I feel guilty about visiting her so rarely.

2. He added that talkative people could let secrets slip out. 
slip v.  滑落；悄悄移动；遗忘；忽略
slip out (秘密等由于说漏嘴）被泄露
eg. The car slipped at the bend in the road.
      It is impossible to slip into the conference room unnoticed.
     Her request completely slipped my mind. 
     I didn’t mean to say it. The words slipped out.

3. But with secrets so often getting out, why do people share them at all? 
With的复合结构，其中getting out作宾补，get out此处的意思是“泄露”。
eg. A little boy ran into the room, with one of his teeth missing out. 

4. Shah also recommended that if you accidentally give up someone’s secret you should come clean about it. 
that引导的宾语从句使用了虚拟语气。
recommend that sb (should) do …；come clean (with sb) about sth （向某人）和盘托出某事
eg. The teacher recommended that students (should) read the latest novel. 

Expressions
1.    describe … as…
2.    turn out 
3.    have an urge to do
4.    a sense of 
5.    suffer from
6.    slip out/get out
7.    cause stress

Answer: 
1.    把……描述成
2.    结果是，证明是
3.    有……的渴望
4.    ……感
5.    遭受，患……病
6.    被泄露
7.    造成压力

Homework
Surf the internet and find more idioms with the word “mouth”. Share them in class next time.