Describing cold season  (P4-5)
邯郸市第一中学 黄珍珍
I. Lead-in  
vDo you like winter? Why or why not?
vHave you ever read A Christmas Carol ?
vWhich scene impressed you most?

II. Skimming
Read the article quickly and answer the question.
What is the main idea of the article?
The article explains what winter is like in literary works.

III. Scanning
Read the article carefully and answer the following questions.
Q1. What features does winter have in Shakespeare's literary works?
In Shakespeare's works, winter is often compared with the ugly side of humanity because of its unpleasant and even frightening aspect.

Q2. What has winter in literary works often featured since Charles Dickens?
Since Charles Dickens, the representation of winter in literature has often featured happy Christmas celebrations.

Q3. Why did the author cite Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone as an example?
The author wants to show Christmas is still a symbol of joy in modern literature.

V. Language focus---words&phrases
 

IV. Language focus----words & phrases
Translate sentences using the words we learned
 
 

IV. Language study
Translate the sentences and pay attention to the sentence structure
1. He is out in the winter cold, suffering things that are usually reserved for the poorest and most wretched（不幸的） human beings.
现在分词短语suffering …作伴随状语，that引导定语从句，修饰先行词things。
释义：严寒的冬季他漂泊在外，经受着那些通常是命运多舛的穷苦人家才会遭受的一切。

2. Once winter became less of a threat to human beings, literary works featuring it became more positive.
•feature 意为“以......为特色”,现在分词短语featuring … 此处作定语修饰literary works。
once此处为连词，意为“一旦”，引导条件状语从句。
句意为：一旦冬天变得不再是人类的威胁，以冬季为特色的文学作品变得更为积极。

3. Although winter still isn't the most cheerful season in novels and poems, it's safe to say that writers have certainly “warmed up” since Shakespeare's days.
although引导让步状语从句 ，it’s safe to say that意为 “可以肯定地说”，that 引导宾语从句。
释义：尽管冬季并不是小说和诗歌中最令人愉悦的季节，但从莎士比亚时代以后，冬季的描写已经变得“温暖”了。

IV. Language focus----words & phrases
Find the expressions in your newspaper, and figure out their meanings according to the context.
1.give away
2.bring out
3.provide a contrast to…
4.It’s almost as…

Try to make sentences with the expressions, and share them with your partners.

V. Post-reading  
1.According to the text, winter can feature downbeat situations and also happy scenes in different literary works. Which feature do you prefer? Please give your reasons.
2.Do you know any other literature works with distinctive winter features?

VI. Assignment  
Write an article describing your impression of winter or the winter in a literary work.

Time to be smarter (P6)
河北省邯郸市第一中学  余云娟

I. Lead-in  
Have you ever been driven crazy by math?
Are you good at memorizing historical facts?
Do you have any ideas to improve your studies?

Follow the passage and see if you can make time to become smarter.

II. Skimming
Read the passage quickly and answer the question.
How could teenagers improve their math and history skills, according to the study?
The study found that teenagers could get higher marks in math if they studied in the mornings and get better grades in history if they were taught in the afternoons.

III. Scanning
Read the passage carefully and answer the following questions.
1. How did the researchers carry out the study?
Key: The researchers studied academic (学术的) records, class timetables and absence (缺席) rates at a secondary school in Bulgaria over nine years.

2. What did the results of the study show?
Key: 1. When teenagers had math classes earlier in the day, they scored on average 7 percent higher in tests than when they were taught in the afternoon.
2. Lower-ability students suffered most when they were studying math in the afternoon.
3. In history, students taught in the afternoon scored on average 6 percent higher than when they were taught in the morning.
4. However, there was no sign that similar patterns work for other subjects such as languages or geography.

3. Why do we perform better at different times of the day? Look at the key words and try to give an answer.
morning
better and fresher
are better at
repetitive…problem solving
require
attention

afternoon
slow down
be better suited to
creative
open to
discussion

4. What does Velichka Dimitrova believe schools should do and why?
Key: Dimitrova believes schools should jump at this chance to improve their students’ performance just by changing their timetables because rearranging school schedules in a more optimal (理想的) way does not require investment (投资) of extra resources (资源) and could be a cost-effective intervention (干预), leading to improvements in academic performance.

IV. Language study
Translate the sentences. Pay attention to the sentence structures.
1.The results showed that when teenagers had math classes earlier in the day, they scored on average 7 percent higher in tests than when they were taught in the afternoon.
•score 动词， 意思是得分；获得
• on average 意思是平均；通常
•句意为：结果显示，当青少年在一天中早些时候上数学课时，他们的考试成绩平均比他们在下午上课时的成绩高出7%。

2. In the morning, our brains are better and fresher, so we are better at doing something repetitive (重复的) like problem solving, where we require (要求) more speed and attention and focus.
• fresh 形容词，意思是精神焕发的
• are better at 意思是更擅长于……
• where 引导定语从句， 先行词是 problem solving
•句意为：在早上，我们的大脑敏捷而又精神焕发，所以我们更擅长做一些重复的事情，比如解决问题，这需要更高的速度和注意力。

3. Rearranging school schedules in a more optimal (理想的) way does not require investment (投资) of extra resources (资源) and could be a cost-effective intervention (干预), leading to improvements in academic performance.
• extra resources 意思是额外的资源
• cost-effective 意思是划算的；性价比更高的
• leading to 是现在分词作结果状语
•句意为：以更理想的方式重新安排学校课程时间不需要投资额外的资源，很划算，会提高学生们的学习成绩。

V. Learn to use
Fill in the blanks with proper words.

VI．Discussion:
Can you work out a better study schedule based on what you’ve learned today?