Series wins heart (P4-5)

云南省昆明市第八中学 艾莺

 

I. Pre-reading   

1) What is the job that you dream of?

EngineerTeacher 

DoctorTailor

DriverTranslator

ScientistActor 

Architect    Singer

2) Answer “yes” or “no” to these questions. If you answered “yes” to all these questions, then maybe you will enjoy doing the work mentioned in the following passage. 

QuestionsYesNo

Are you a patient person?

Do you enjoy looking for preciseness and perfection?

Can you put up with a little loneliness?

Do you like working quietly?

 

II. While reading

1) Notes taking:

This passage mainly talks about a film.

Movie name: Maters in the Forbidden City 

Time released: on Dec 16

Based on: the hugely popular three-episode TV documentary of the same title

Focuses on: ordinary people – the restorers of relics and antiquities

What is the craftsman spirit?

Looking for preciseness and perfection, 

devoting yourself to work, 

strong patience, endurance, loneliness ... all these qualities

2) Find out the things a restorer should and shouldn’t do

DosDon’ts

endure hours of work sitting on a chairwear any make-up or perfume

be quiet and get used to being quietcan’t do their nails

have not only skill, but also faith and spirit

3) Vocabulary Building: Find the word or expression for each of the following meanings from the text.

1.dwell on focus on sth for a long time

2.came out was released

3.deadly causing or likely to cause death

4.time-consuming taking or needing a lot of time

5.precious rare and worth a lot of money

6.humdrum/dull boring and always the same

7.comment sth you say or write which gives an opinion on or explains sb/sth

8. enthusiasm a strong feeling of excitement and interest in sth and a desire to be involved in it.

 

mall talk makes us happy (P5)

云南省昆明市第八中学 艾莺

I. Pre-reading

1. What do you do when you are on a train or a plane?

Do you start talking to the strangers beside you?

2. Why do most people not talk to the strangers they meet?

3. What is the passage mainly about?

Some studies about whether it is good to make small talk or have a deep conversation with a stranger.

II. While-reading

1. Compare the two studies mentioned in the passage.

The first oneA 2010 study

participantsreal-life people at Chicago train stations79 college students 

resultspeople who chat to strangers enjoy a better ride than those who sit in silence or bury themselves in their phones. having a deep and meaningful conversation gives you even more happiness than small talk. 

2. True or false questions

1) Scientists believe that small talk is useful and meaningful.

2) Most people refuse to start conversations with fellow travelers because they are too busy with their phones.

3) Most strangers would like to be talked to; however, they think it is a waste of time.

4) If people are often smiled at, made eye contact with and spoken to, they will not feel ignored.

5) It is hard and meaningless to have a deep conversation after making small talk.

6) When you make small talk, your opening line should only be as simple as “The weather today is beautiful, isn’t it?”

3. Analyze the difficult long sentences below, find their main parts and try to understand them.

1) But a study by the University of Chicago in the US found that people who chat to strangers enjoy a better ride than those who sit in silence or bury themselves in their phones. 

A study found that some people enjoy a better ride than others.

2) Previous studies found that when people are frequently smiled at, made eye contact with and spoken to at coffee shops, they tend to have a stronger sense of belonging instead of feeling like they are being ignored and left out. 

Studies found that people who have contact made with them tend to have a sense of belonging.

3) Participants in the study – 79 college students – reported after the four-day experiment that they were much happier when they had a third as much small talk and twice as many in-depth conversations. 

Participants reported they were happier.

4) And who knows, maybe an opening line as simple as “I like your hat” could lead to a serious conversation in which you learn something new from a stranger.

An opening line could lead to a serious conversation.

III Post-reading

Icebreaker topics you can use to start small talk

Icebreaker: weather, hobbies, history, film stars, delicious food, TV shows, favorite colors, sports, shopping, hats/scarves, scenery, vacation

 

 

Plan to deal with errors (P6)

山东省烟台第二中学  赵娟

I. Lead-in

PowerPoint is widely used in small business meetings, classroom teaching, lectures, big conferences, etc. 

A good presentation with PowerPoint can make your words more powerful and effective. It, as a result, will give you a strong sense of accomplishment, thus making you feel more confident and proud.

With an awkward PowerPoint, you may suffer embarrassment, or even worse, a failure in your work – “Death by PowerPoint”.

 

II. Before reading

Quickly read the title and the first paragraph and guess what the article is mainly about.

Title: Presenting a better you

•a speech

•forgot what she was going to say.

How can you give a good presentation?

 

III. Fast reading

Questions:

1. In the article, what tips are given on how to present a better you?

1) Focus on what’s in for the audience rather than yourself

2) Be prepared

3) Engage the audience

2. What is the purpose of mentioning Sally Chopping’s experience at the beginning of the article?

To introduce readers to the topic – a good presentation requires strategies and skills.

3. Why does Doug Carter get to the location of his presentation the day before?

To make sure all the electronic aids work and to ensure the screen, lighting and inputs all work properly.

4. How many ways of engaging the audience are mentioned in the article? What are they? 

1) Storytelling

2) Pausing

 

IV. Careful reading

1. What is an exit plan and how to build an exit plan before you present your speech?

Having a point from which you know you can conclude your main idea helps when (you’re) approaching the end of your given time, or if you are given an unexpected five-minute warning.

在你展示的时间快要结束，或者突然有人提醒你只剩最后五分钟时，知道从哪个点可以总结概括会很有用。

An exit plan= an exit strategy

It is a plan for ending your involvement in an activity. In this article, it refers to a plan for ending a presentation. 

注意:

Having a point … main idea为非谓语动词做主语, 句子谓语动词用单数形式helps.

e.g. 每天早上做运动已经成了我们的日常常规。

Exercising every morning has become part of our daily routine. 

2. What does the underlined phrase mean in the following sentence?

For years, Sally Chopping, a speech coach for the US training company Acting for Business, had feared the day she would draw a blank during a presentation. 

A. be unable to speak

B. be unable to remember sth

C. be unable to stop

key: B

lTranslation

Stories paint even the most complex of topics in a new light and can show something new and enhance the message. 

通过故事以全新的角度进行描述，甚至是最复杂的话题也会呈现出新意，从而突出主题。

in a new light 用新的眼光，以新的见解

For example:

但其中任何一件事件的发生，都可能使我们从全新的角度来看待中国及其未来。

But any one of the events could make us see China and its future in a new light. 

 

V. Grammar focus

Fill in the blanks with the proper conjunctions.

1. _____ that taught me is the audience doesn’t care ____ you mess up, and what they care about is _____you are going to do about it.  

2. Having a point ______ you know you can conclude your main idea helps _____ approaching the end of your given time.

3. The hardest thing for people to do is say nothing, ________ it can be an effective tool. 

4. _______ possible, he gets to the location of his presentation the day before to make sure all the electronic aids (电子辅助设备) work. 

Key: 1. what; if; what 2. from which; when 3. although 4. When/If

 

VI. Post-reading

Discussion

Apart from the tips given in the article, what other advice would you offer on how to do presentations?

lLess is more

lBe bold

lMove around

lAvoid technology problems

lAnswer questions in time

lPractice makes perfect…