Hero Gets Biggest Role (P4-5)

太原市外国语学校    王丽媛

 

I. Warming up

Who is Wonder Woman?

Wonder Woman is a female character created by DC Comics in 1941. She always fights for fairness and peace. She appears in comics and movies. 

On her 75th birthday on Oct 21 this year, Wonder Woman was named by the United Nations as its new Honorary Ambassador for the Empowerment of Women and Girls.

Television shows and movies of the same name have been on now and then. In the summer of 2017, a new movie with the same name will come out. 

Here is its trailer:

Wonder Woman (2017)

 

II. Pre-reading   

Characters created by Marvel and DC Comics:

Some of the heroes:

Spiderman, the X-Men, Iron Man, Batman, Superman, Green Lantern, Captain America and the Incredible Hulk

Many of the heroines:

Wonder Woman, Catwoman, Spider-Woman, Supergirl, Sif 

 

III. Reading

Read the article and try to answer the following question: 

What is the article mainly about?

Different views toward Wonder Woman being named by the UN as its new Honorary Ambassador for the Empowerment of Women and Girls.

Try to answer the following questions:

1. Who is Wonder Woman? 

She is a female cartoon character in the world of Marvel and DC Comics. 

2. When was the cartoon character of Wonder Woman created? 

She was created in 1941.

3. Why was Wonder Woman named by the UN as its new Honorary Ambassador for the Empowerment of Women and Girls? 

This is because she always fights for fairness and peace, and she has made a lot of women want to make a difference, especially in times when women have often been looked down on.

4. Why were a lot of people upset about this decision？ 

For starters, as a white woman who wears very few clothes and has a perfect body, Wonder Woman cannot stand for millions of other women in the world with different skin colors and bodies; protesters also think that choosing a cartoon figure to deal with the serious issues of women’s rights and gender equality is not very appropriate.

5. How did the UN respond to i

They responded that they chose a cartoon figure to reach a bigger group of people, especially young people. What matters is not what Wonder Woman wears, but what a powerful, good person she is.

 

Try to judge whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F) according to the article you have read:

1.Marvel and DC Comics created many female characters, and Wonder Woman is one of them.                                   

2.Wonder Woman has made a lot of women want to make a difference.

3.The US has named Wonder Woman its new Honorary Ambassador for the Empowerment of Women and Girls . 

4.Lynda Carter, the actress who played Wonder Woman in the 1970s TV show, is an American.

5.Many people were upset about the decision that Wonder Woman, a cartoon character, was chosen by the UN as its new Honorary Ambassador for the Empowerment of Women and Girls.                

6.  Compared with a real-life woman ambassador, those who protested against the decision believed that a cartoon character was a better choice to deal with the issues of women’s rights and gender equality.

7.  The young fans of Wonder Woman see her beauty in her characteristics, not her appearance. This means that at least in one way, it was right for the UN to choose Wonder Woman as an ambassador.                            

Key: FTFTTFT

 

IV. Discussion 

You can choose either Topic 1 or Topic 2: 

Topic 1:

Have you ever seen any works by Marvel and DC Comics? Of all their characters like Wonder Woman, Batman, Iron Man, Captain America and the Incredible Hulk, who is your favorite? Why? Have a discussion with your group members over this topic and try to describe your favorite hero or heroine from Marvel and DC Comics to others.

Topic 2:

Until now, Wonder Woman has made a lot of women want to make a difference, especially in times when women have often been looked down on. We can be influenced by the characters that we read about in books or those we see in movies and TV shows, or the people around us. Up to now, who has influenced you the most? For what reasons? Try to share with your group members the person or character who has influenced you the most.

 

V. Writing 

Choose either Topic 1 or Topic 2 according to the discussion you have chosen. 

Topic 1:

Write an article introducing your favorite hero or heroine from Marvel or DC Comics to people who have never heard of him or her.

Topic 2:

Write an article about the person or character that has influenced you the most.

 

Wear old clothing(P4)

中国人民大学附属中学  宋玖青

 

I. Warming up   

What do you do if you have things that you don’t need any longer?

 

II. Pre-reading

Have you ever heard of thrift shops? From the pictures below, can you guess what thrift shops are? 

 

III. While reading 

lScanning 

Read the article and answer the following questions. 

1.Were secondhand clothes as popular in the past?

No. They used to be much less popular. 

2.What’s the song Thrift Shop about?

It’s about “looking for a come up” (searching for a bargain) in a thrift store. 

lClose reading 

Read the article again and decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F). 

1.Only young people are interested in secondhand clothing.

2.People sell their secondhand things to the thrift shop at very low prices.

3.In the past, people were ashamed of buying used clothes.

4.More and more people have started coming to thrift shops because of the recession. 

Key: FFTT

Fill in the chart, then use it to explain what thrift shops are.

Thrift shop

The origin Run by _________________ to get money to _________________. 

Old ideas 1. Secondhand clothes used to be ____________;2. People thought wearing used clothes meant you were ____________ .

The development Began to become popular due to ______________. 

Current ideas 1. People need the service because _______________ ________________;2. Secondhand clothing and vintage items are showing up in ________________________;3. The song Thrift Shop even won _________________;4. New shoppers think it’s _________; old shoppers think that ____________________.

Key: not-for-profit organizations; charitable causes; much less popular; either poor or homeless; economic reasons; they need a place to let go and get rid of the excess; Western high fashion and street wear; a 2013 Billboard Music Award; great; it’s not great/the competition is tough

lParaphrase 

Paraphrase the following sentences. Pay attention to the underlined parts.

1.However, thrift store culture may be great for new shoppers and for business, but it’s not so great for shoppers like Charles who are still “looking for a come up”.

The popularity of thrift shops is good for new shoppers who can buy things at very low prices, and meanwhile, shops are earning much more money. But for people who have been purchasing clothes in thrift shops for years, it has become more difficult to get the best things at the lowest prices.

2.The competition is tough now. You’re in the thrift stores, and you’re seeing so many other people, but it’s still better than shopping at a department store. 

More and more people want to get the best deals from thrift shops, but supply fails to meet demand. However, even if the prices are not as low as they used to be, they are still lower than those in department stores. 

 

IV. Post-reading 

lDiscussion 

Think about your answers to the following questions, and discuss them in groups of four. Then share your thoughts with the class.

1.Do you like the idea of thrift shops? Do you think the reason for their popularity is in conflict with the original purpose of thrift shops?

2.Can you explain why Charles is worried? Can you give another example of a group of people who may have the same kind of worries as Charles? Why do people have this mentality (心理)? 

 

V. Homework 

lWriting 

If you were the owner of a thrift shop, how would you run it in order to both satisfy the new shoppers and the old shoppers, and remind them of the purpose of thrift shops too? 

 

Earth finds friend (P6)

沈阳市第二中学 常虹

Pre-reading 

Let’s review what we know about space

1.What is a star?

A star is a huge ball of plasma (very hot gas) held together by gravity (重力). The Sun is a star. There are many other stars like the Sun in the universe.

kidskonnect.com/science/stars-constellations/

 

 

2.How is a planet different from a star?

Stars sometimes seem to twinkle in the night sky while planets shine steadily. Stars keep a constant position over time, while planets appear in different areas at different times. 

 

Our Solar System The Sun and other planets

 

 

 

 

Earth II?

•What makes life possible on a planet?

Gases like oxygen and carbon dioxide that support life; 

Water;

The temperature should not be too cold or too hot. 

 

While reading

•Scanning: 

Read the article and answer the following questions. 

ØWhat is Earth II?  Why are scientists excited about its discovery?

ØWhat has the US done to attract aliens' attention?

ØCan we visit Proxima b now?

 

What is Earth II?  Why are scientists excited over its discovery?

  It is a planet "more or less" like Earth that is orbiting Proxima Centauri, the star nearest to our solar system. Therefore, scientists are wondering if there is life on this new planet.

 

The imaginary landscape of Proxima b

 

 

 

 

While reading 

What has the US done to attract aliens' attention?

In the early 1970s the US sent its Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11 space probes with pictures of a man and a woman, diagrams of the solar system and space postcards. Gold records were also launched into space on Voyager probes in 1977. 

Aliens might also have heard a message from former US President Jimmy Carter.

 

While reading

Can we visit Proxima b now?

   It might not be time to plan a visit to Proxima b just yet. Even if it has an atmosphere, we would need to invent a way to get there in less than the 78,000 years and it would take at 36,000 mph (about 57,900 km/h).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

英国著名物理学家霍金（Stephen Hawking）正着手研发一只以1千亿瓦特的光束进动、能以时速近1.61亿公里的小型太空船，可望20年内便能到达“Proxima b”。

 

While reading

Part Part 

Paragraphs

Main idea

Part 

Paragraphs

Main idea

 

Paragraphs

Main idea

 

 

 

Language bank

create, attempt, slight, go south, hit the jackpot, promise

1. Proxima b is _________ bigger than our Earth. 

2. The sky on its world is orange without any blue at all, ________ an everlasting sunset effect.

3. He ________. He won a great deal of money.

4. We are _________ survive our time so we may live into yours. 

5. Proxima b looks to us like a _______ Plan(et) B.

6. Never give up, even if your efforts _______.

Key: slightly, creating, hit the jackpot, attempting to, promising, goes south 

 

Post-reading

Discussion: (Choose a topic)

1.Do you believe there are aliens in space? Why or why not?

2.What would be your message to the aliens? 

Homework 

ØWrite a short message to the aliens in space.

ØWrite a mini sci-fi story about what people will experience when they finally land on Proxima b.

 

To the teachers: reference articles

http://cnews.chinadaily.com.cn/2016-09/01/content_26670984.htm

http://language.chinadaily.com.cn/bbc/mediaenglish/2016-09/06/content_26713501.htm

Reference website about space 

http://kidsastronomy.com  http://www.nasa.gov