Trips sum up US (P4-5)

云南昆明八中 艾莺

 

I. Warming Up

What do you want to do when you graduate from high school?

 

Where would you like to travel to?

 

II. Reading

Let’s see what US students usually do after they graduate.

 

III. Skimming

Match the paragraphs with their main ideas. 

A. Road trips are quite common in the US.

B. Road trips are traditional for graduates, and different destinations show the same kind of adventure.

C. US road trips show the spirits of freedom and openness.

D. The most famous of all road trip journeys is traveling across the US on Route 66.

E. What a classic US road trip is.

Key: 23541

 

IV. Scanning

Information about Route 66:

• Begins in _____ and ends in __________

• Goes past ____________________

• Filled with _________, ________ and ____________. 

Key: Chicago; Los Angeles; many of the lesser-known states; gas stations that look like they did back in the 1950s, small restaurants known as “mom and pop restaurants”; Unusual, but still fascinating, wonders

Note taking about “road trips”:

•Popular destinations: _____________

• Busiest travel time:____________

• Spirits:____________________

• Aims:_________________ ___ 

key: Yellowstone National Park, the Grand Canyon, the Hoover Dam and Redwood National Park in California; Thanksgiving holiday; Openness and freedom; To enjoy the freedom of having a car – to escape, to discover, to find yourself and to lose yourself

 

V. Language focus

It’s the bizarre (奇异的) and wonderful small attractions that draw many road trippers to them.

强调句结构：

It + be + 被强调部分 + that/who +其他成分

1. _____ is only when the disease has progressed to AIDS that a person begins to look sick.

A. ThatB. This C. ItD. What

2. I’m the one who ____ going to Japan next week.

A. wasB. isC. amD. were

3. It was in his small house, ____ was built with stones by his father, ____ he spent his childhood.

A.which; that    B. that; which

C.which; whichD. that; where 

4. It was ____ he came back from Africa that year ____ he met the girl he would end up marrying.

A. when;thenB. not; until

C. not until; thatC. only; when

Key: CBAC

 

Bees change directions (P5)

山东省烟台第二中学    朱洪图

 

I. Warming Up

Have you ever seen bees at work?

Do you know how bees move around and take pollen (花粉) between flowers?  

 

II. Skimming 

Read the article and find out the main idea of the text.

What is the main idea of the text?

Results of a recent experiment found that bees are clever enough to save time and energy when they fly around to different flowers.

 

III. Scanning

lRead the text again and answer the following questions.

1. What was the aim of the experiment according to the article?

To examine the journeys that bees take and how they save energy when they do this.

2. When the flowers were relocated, how did the bee react to the change in the experiment?

The bee changed its route and flew a shorter distance.

3. Why does the author compare the problem that the bee solved to a math puzzle called the “traveling salesman problem”?

Because the bee that worked out a shorter distance to take the pollen between flowers is like a salesman who goes to different places to sell things and wants to travel the shortest distance to do this. 

4. Why are the experiment’s results significant? 

They could help us to understand how pollen is moved around. 

They could help us to improve communication networks. 

They might help humans to reduce traffic jams when there is an accident.  

lDecide whether these statements are true or false.

1. The bee was taught to save energy while visiting flowers to collect nectar.

2. The experiment was conducted at the University of London’s Royal Holloway.

3. The bee quickly figured out a shorter route when the flowers were relocated.

4. The scientist drew their conclusions from the experiment by measuring the energy the bee had consumed. 

Key: FFTF

 

IV. Language points

Study the following words and phrases.

examine           vt. 检查

artificial           adj.人工的, 人造的; 假的

a large amount of   大量的

location           n. 位置; 場所, 所在地[C]

route              n. 路线

made notes         n. 做笔记

distance            n. 距离

puzzle             n. 难题，谜题

tiny               adj. 极小的

in addition          另外，还有

reduce traffic jams   减轻交通拥堵

 

V. Post-reading

Fill in the blanks with proper words based on the text.

The scientists completed the experiment on the roof of Queen Mary, using _____ flowers and a large amount of nectar. They taught one bee to ____ all the flowers in one place at the same time. When the bee got to know the _____ of the flowers well, they saw how it ____ around and returned home with the nectar. After this, they ______ the locations of the flowers. The scientists thought the bee would _____ the route it knew already. This would mean that it followed a ______route than it needed to, and so it would use more _____. They watched the bee carefully as it traveled between the flowers in their new location, and they made _____. But in the experiment, the bee changed its route and flew a _____ distance.

Key: artificial; visit; location; flew; changed; follow; longer; energy; notes; shorter

 

V. Post-reading

Discussion:

American bees are in danger. Seven types of bees have recently been put on the endangered species list in the US for the very first time. Why do we need to protect them?

 

Help but don’t judge (P6)

 

I. Warming up 

Discussion：

Have you ever come across a beggar or a homeless person in the streets? If so, how did you react to them?

 

II. Skimming 

Skim the article and decide whether the following statements are true or false. 

1. The author gave the blind woman money in a polite way. 

2. The author is a native of Washington, D.C.

3. The author used to beg for money on the street.

4. When the author first came to America, he did some work that didn’t pay well.

5. The author regretted that he didn't tell the woman the way to the post office. 

Key: FFFTF

 

III. Scanning 

Read the article and choose the best answer for each of the following questions.

1. The author put the money in the woman’s hand without looking at her because ____.

A. he didn’t dare look at an elderly blind woman 

B. he felt embarrassed about his small amount of change

C. he was unwilling to give the woman any money

D. he had a hidden prejudice against beggars

1. D。从第2段最后一句“I was annoyed at being bothered by a beggar.”可知，作者对乞丐心生厌恶，所以不愿意直视。

2. The author recalled his past experiences to ____. 

A. remind himself that he also had a humble background 

B. prove that it used to be hard for foreigners to get honorable jobs in the US 

C. show that the beggar should have tried to help herself just like he had done

D. explain how he climbed the social ladder through hard work

2. A。作者回顾了他的职业生涯，“Through the years, I have been a dish washer, roofer, cashier (出纳员), mechanic, and pizza delivery driver among many other humble jobs,”其中大部分都是卑微的工种，所以也是藉此提醒自己，自己也是经历过苦难的人。

3. When the author worked as a busboy, he came across a father who ____.

A. encouraged him to work harder

B. hurt his dignity deeply

C. taught him to always be humble 

D. made him take pride in his job as a busboy

3. B。作者为了说明自己也经历过“many acts of prejudice”，举了在餐馆打工时被顾客当成反面教材教训孩子的例子，可以推断出，作者的自尊心在当时受到了伤害。

4. Through this story, the author mainly aims to convey the message that ____.

A. we should be generous to people in need

B. prejudice exists everywhere in society 

C. it is important for people to always stay humble

D. being blind doesn’t mean that you have a closed mind

4. C。从最后两段可以看出，作者反省了自己的不是，并把这次的经历总结为the priceless lesson，让他学会了“She reminded me of my belief in being humble, and to always keep my eyes and heart open”，所以选C。

 

IV. Language study

1. When I turned around, I saw an elderly blind woman with her hand extended.

释义：我转过身，看见一个双目失明的老妇人把手伸过来。

分析：with her hand extended是with的复合结构，即由“with+宾语+宾语补足语”构成。本句中，hand和extend是逻辑上的被动关系，因此用extend的过去分词形式。

2. I have also seen the same treatment of family and friends, so I know what it’s like, and I should have known better.

释义：我也看到我的家人或者朋友们有过同等遭遇，所以我清楚那是什么感觉，而且我本应该更清楚那种感受。

分析：should have done表示过去原本应该做某事但实际没做。

例如：It was raining so hard yesterday, you should have stayed at home.

 

V. Post reading

Further thinking:

Do you ever judge people by their appearance? Why is it wrong to judge people by their appearance?

Quotes About Judging People

Judging others makes us blind, whereas love is illuminating (富于启发的 ). 

                                                     ― Dietrich Bonhoeffer

People who judge others tell more about Who They Are, than Who They Judge.

                                                     ― Donald L. Hicks

Judging is giving too much value on the surface and missing the value beneath.

                                                     ― Dee Dee Artner