高二2019-2020学年度第33-38期总第78-791期
New dates revealed for Tokyo 2020 (P4)
扬州大学附属中学 孙宁宁
Lead-in
Brainstorm
What comes to your mind when seeing the following title?
New dates revealed for Tokyo 2020

Skimming
Read the text quickly and summarize the main idea
It talks about rescheduled dates for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Scanning
Judge whether the following statements are True/ False
1. On March 30, the IOC announced that the summer Olympics would be held from July 25 to August 8 in 2021.  F
2. Despite being postponed for a year, the Games will still be known as Tokyo 2020.  T
3. The biggest impact will be felt financially by local venues, businesses and the wider Japanese economy.  T

Detail reading
1. Why did officials bow to the pressure and postpone the biggest event in the sporting calendar? 
2. How many COVID-19 cases were confirmed in Japan by March 29?
3. Why did officials have to prioritize “the health of the athletes and everyone involved [in the Games]”?
4. What could a 12-month postponement trigger?
 
1. Why did officials bow to the pressure and postpone the biggest event in the sporting calendar? 
…because of the continued spread of COVID-19.
2. How many COVID-19 cases were confirmed in Japan by March 29?
In Japan, there were almost 2000 confirmed cases by March 29.

3. Why did officials have to prioritize “the health of the athletes and everyone involved [in the Games]”?
Because the global number of cases rose to over 600,000.

4. What could a 12-month postponement trigger?
A 12-month postponement could trigger a further $5.8 billion in economic losses, made up of tourist income, sponsorship cancelations and equipment rentals.

Discussion
What could the world do to get over the crisis? 
Share their knowledge about COVID-19.
Non-profit organizations could work together and donate resources.

Language Focus
Useful expressions:
1. the continued spread of COVID-19
2. bow to the pressure
3. postpone the biggest event
4. stage a sporting event
5. speed up future preparations
6. be largely unaffected
7. earn a slot
8. come together to get over this crisis

1. 新冠病毒的持续传播
2.向压力 低头
3. 推迟最大的比赛
4. 举办体育比赛
5. 加速未来的准备
6. 未受影响
7. 赢得一个名额
8. 共克时艰

Fill in the blanks with expressions from the article.
1.But with global number rising to over 600,000, officials had to  _________ “the health of the athletes and everyone involved”.
Key: prioritize 
prioritize  v. to treat sth as being more important than other things 优先处理
• The organization was formed to prioritize the needs of older people.
这个机构是为优先满足老年人的需要而成立的。

2. The health and well-being of human life must always be our number one ________and staging a sport of any kind during this pandemic is simply not possible.
Key: priority
priority n. something that you think is more important than other things and should be dealt with first 优先事项；最重要的事；首要事情
• Education is a top priority . 教育是当务之急。
• Our first priority is to improve standards. 我们的头等大事是提高水平。
• Financial security was high on his list of priorities. 在他的心目中，金融安全是十分重要的一环。

3. The fans and athletes will be largely unaffected by the __________.
Key: postponement
postponement n. the act of delaying it or arranging for it to take place at a later time than originally planned. 延期
•  The postponement was due to a dispute over where the talks should be held.
 延期是因为在会议地点上有争议。

4. Humankind currently finds itself in a dark _____.
Key: tunnel
tunnel n. a passage built underground, for example to allow a road or railway/railroad to go through a hill, under a river, etc. 地下通道；地道；隧道
•  So in spite of the troubles over the past two years, there could be light at the end of the tunnel.
所以，尽管在过去的两年里麻烦不断，但我们应该相信在隧道的另一端一定可以看到光亮。