Issue 325
南京三中  王玉香
山东师大二附中 房静
High-climbing kid raises hopes (P3)
Do you know the Willis Tower, the highest building in the US?

Pre-reading (Discussion)
1. Have you ever climbed anything really tall, like a mountain or a tower?
2.  Do you think a kid who has no legs can climb the Willis Tower, the highest building in the US?
3.  What do you think is the most important personality trait to help a person to finish something difficult?

While reading
Tell True or False
1. Michael McCarthy got to the last step and fell down, and that stopped him.
2. The boy finally finished 1451 steps and arrived at the top.
3. McCarthy was born without legs.
4. McCarthy was proud of himself.
5. McCarthy is the most driven athlete Kohn has ever trained.

Comprehension check:
1. They spent more than ____ hours practicing climbing stairs and keeping balance on the steps every day.
A. 14     B. 10     C. 4    D. We don’t know

2. The Willis Tower has _____ steps.
A. 442 B.1451 C. 2109 D. 10

3. _____accompanied McCarthy for the climb.
A. His karate teacher        B. His parents
C. His classmates             D. His friends

4. Through climbing the tower, McCarthy wants to show ____.
A. anyone can do it    
B. he can do it
C. a kid with no legs can do it  
D. he is strong

Post-reading
1. Imagine you were McCarthy. If the reporter interviewed you, what would you say?
2. Write some interview questions for McCarthy and write what you imagine he would answer.

Don’t be a fool on April Fools’ Day (P4-5)
1. Do you know April Fools’ Day?
2. Have you ever been fooled on April Fools’ Day?
3. Do you like April Fools’ day?

While reading
Read the article and finish the following tasks:
4. What was on the chalkboard when the writer entered the classroom? __________________________
5. Translate the sentence into Chinese:
I could have written a much better paper than Amelia!
____________________________

Choose the best answer:
6. Everyone else was fooled except ____.
A. the teacher         
B. three students
C. the writer  
D. the teacher and three students

7. Next year the writer will play jokes on ____.
A. the teacher         B. Amelia
C. the writer      D. the teacher and three students

Put the following sentences in order:
① I looked around at my classmates in disbelief.
② The bell rang and a few students gave large piles of papers to the teacher.
③ Amelia stood up and walked to the front of the room.
④ There were four words on the chalkboard.
⑤ Amelia cleared her throat and announced...
The right order should be:_________

Post reading
1. Role play: Work in groups. Imagine it’s April Fools’ Day. Think of a joke to play on the other students.
2. Write a story that you have heard about April Fools’ Day.
3. If you were the writer, what joke would you play on the students and teacher?

Kids know life’s rules (P6)
Pre-reading (Discussion)
1.  Do you remember your life in kindergarten? Were you happy?
2.  What did you learn in kindergarten?

Comprehension check
 1. What did the writer learn in kindergarten?
     A. how to live        B. what to do
     C. how to be          D. what he needs to know

2. What is included in a balanced life according to the writer?
A. cleaning up your own mess
B. playing and working some every day
C. sharing everything and playing fair
D. saying sorry when you hurt somebody

3. What’s the meaning of “We are all like that” in the third paragraph?
A. We are like the little seed.
B. We are like the plastic cup.
C. We are like the roots going down.
D. We are like the plant going up.

4. Which is not true according to the passage? The world would be better _____.
A. if we could eat some food and have a rest after work
B. if everyone obeyed the rules and kept the world clean
C. if we hold hands and stick together when going out
D. if we could have lots of cookies and milk

5. What can we learn from this story?
A. Knowledge is power.
B. Out of sight, out of mind.
C. The best of life’s rules are simple.
D. Where there is a will, there is a way.

Vocabulary in use
1. He ____________ (not) the danger at that moment.
2. _________ badly she had slept she was always up early.
3.  I’m going to _______ for a while.
6. _______ the room before the guests arrive.
5. __________ watched the astronauts walking on the moon.

Post-reading
1. Which do you think is more important, the things learned in kindergarten or in middle school?
2. If you were a kindergarten teacher, what would you teach your students?

Colorful spring skies (P8)
Pre-reading
Discussion:
1. Do you like flying kites?
2. Do you know the history of kite flying? 
Comprehension check

Choose the best answer:
1. What activity is very popular in spring?
A. eating peaches
B. feeding swallows
C. flying kites   
D. going to competitions

2. Why do thousands of people visit the city of Weifang in April every year?
A. because they are kite fans
B. because of the beauty of Weifang
C. because they have new styles of kites
D. because they are the winners of the “Kite King”

3. When did Chinese people invent the kite?
A. in 2008
B. in 1782
C. about 1000 years ago
D. over 2000 years ago

4. Which statement is true according to the story?
A. The largest kite was about 1,100 meters long.
B. The kite was first used to send news by soldiers.
C. Westerners have flown kites for about 2,000 years.
D. Kites had no influence on the earliest aircraft.

Vocabulary in use

1. ________ the news, it will be sunny tomorrow.
2. The book ______________ his life.
3. This room is ____________ that one.
4. I don’t want to go. ____, I have no money.
5. Africa is_________ the lion.

Post-reading
 Discussion:
  1.Can you make a kite by yourself? What should you pay attention to?
  2.Now, it is spring. Are you going to go fly kites?

Key:
P3: FFTTT BCAA
P4-5 1. Research paper due today. 2. 我本可以写一份比Amelia写得更好的论文。DD 4-2-1-3-5
P6 DBADC
P8 CADB