2018-2019学年度第10期总第663期

 

Living honestly (P1)

山东省烟台第二中学  孔洁

 

I. Lead-in

What is your opinion about rappers?

Canadian rapper Aubrey Drake Graham

In February 2013, Drake won his first Grammy Award for Rap Album of the Year with his 2011 album Take Care. In July 2013, Drake took home two top honors at the BET Awards - Video of the Year and Best Collaboration.

 

II. Skimming  

Read the passage and summarize its’ main idea. 

It introduces Canadian rapper Aubrey Drake Graham and explores what makes him special. 

 

III. Scanning  

Judge whether the following statements are true or false. 

•1. Drake has faith that he is different from his peers. 

•2. The Beatles set a record by having 11 top 10 hit songs in one year. 

•3. Drake had 12 top 10s, which broke the record set by Beatles. 

•4. It is breaking a chart record alone that makes Drake special. 

Read & answer  

•1. How is Drake different from other rappers?

Unlike many rappers, who try to be cool by deliberately acting differently from others, Drake always stays true to himself. 

•2. What is special about Drake’s songs?

Drake has been known for including his personal life and honest feelings in his songs.

•3. What do you know about Look What You’ve Done and Emotionless?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

•4. What kind of criticism has he received? 

Some people don’t like his honesty. In fact, these emotional moments have led people to label him as “soft” – not exactly a compliment in the rap world – and there are even memes (表情包) online of men crying to Drake’s music.

•5. According to Michael Paterniti, what makes Drake stand out?

According to Michael Paterniti, it is talking about his own life that makes Drake stand out. 

“It’s raw material – powerful, personal, and cautionary (警示的),” wrote Paterniti. “And it’s what makes Drake ‘Drake’: his willingness to go there and say it out loud.”

His songs are powerful, personal and cautionary. Drake has the courage to speak out and be true to himself. 

 

IV. Deep thinking

What’s the author’s attitude toward Drake? Does the author appreciate him or not?

The author shows appreciation for Drake. 

Indeed, Drake is special, but certainly not in a “soft” way – he is as powerful as any other rapper.

 

V. Summary 

What do you know about Drake?

• Drake has just ____ a US chart record by _____ the most top 10 hit songs in one year. 

• ____ many rappers, Drake stays true __ himself, which makes him special. His songs include his _________ and _________. 

• However, some people don’t like his _____. They even ______ him as “soft” and there are even memes online of men ____ __ Drake’s music. 

• But to GQ magazine editor Michael, _________ his own life is exactly what makes Drake ________.

• All in all, Drake is special, in a _____ way. 

 

VI. Language focus

 Paraphrase the following sentences 

• 1. I wanted to prove that there’s a distance between me and the people you consider to be my peers.

I want to prove that I’m different from people who are similar to me.

• 2. Unlike many rappers, who try to be cool by deliberately acting differently from others, Drake always stays true to himself. 

Many rappers often act differently from others on purpose to make themselves look cool. But Drake is different. He always shows his real self. 

•3. I’m not making a big enough impact because I’m not enough of a loose cannon.

I’m not that influential because I’m not unpredictable.

•4. Talking about his own life is exactly what makes Drake stand out.

Talking openly about his personal life is what makes Drake unique. 

Figure out the meanings of the following expressions.

A与B之间存在距离there’s a distance between A and B

结果是it turns out that

打破纪录break the record

远非be far from

保持自我stay true to oneself

产生很大的影响make a big impact 

成为头条make headlines

情绪化的时刻emotional moments

给……贴上标签label sb as

突出/与众不同stand out

 

Table tennis champ retires (P4)

江苏省南菁高级中学  范克强

 

I. Pre-reading: brain-storming   

Have you ever heard of these table tennis players?

Zhang Yining; Ding Ning; Li Xiaoxia; Ai Fukuhara

A brief introduction to Ai Fukuhara 

Ai Fukuhara (born on 1 November 1988) is a retired Japanese table tennis player and Olympic medallist, winning silver at the 2012 Summer Olympics and bronze at the 2016 Summer Olympics with the Japanese women’s team.

Fukuhara began playing at the age of 3 and became a professional at age 10. The following year, she became the youngest player ever to become a member of the Japanese national team. Because of her age, she was regarded as a “child prodigy” in table tennis. At age 13, in 2002, she became the youngest-ever Japanese representative for the Asian Games. In 2003, she reached the quarter-final, losing to top-seeded Zhang Yining, in her World Championships debut（初次登场） in Paris. In 2004, she took part in the World Team Championships and helped Team Japan finish third.

 

II. While-reading  

Fast reading

Read the article and answer the following question:

What’s the main idea of the passage?

The passage analyzes how Japanese table tennis champ Ai Fukuhara won Chinese fans’ admiration. This was due to her undefeated spirit, strong determination, hard work, and emotional openness.

How did Ai Fukuhara become famous in China?

Chinese people were moved and impressed by her “never give up” attitude toward competition and her commitment to practice, strong confidence, honesty about ambition. 

 

Detailed reading

Read the passage in detail and fill in the blanks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How did many Chinese people feel when Fukuhara announced her retirement from table tennis?

Many people had a strong feeling of sadness about her retirement. 

 

What challenges did Fukuhara face? What was her attitude towards these challenges?

She was defeated by several Chinese rivals, such as Zhang Yining, Ding Ning and Li Xiaoxia, in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2016 Rio games. 

To many people’s surprise, she didn’t lose confidence. Instead, she devoted more time to practicing and gave stronger performances. 

 

III. Understanding-sentences

Analyze the following sentences and pay attention to the words in bold.

1. It seems that no Japanese athlete is more popular than table tennis star Ai Fukuhara in China.  

• It 作为 形式主语， 真正的主语从句为：no Japanese athlete is more popular in China than table tennis star Ai Fukuhara.

•此句可改为：No Japanese athlete seems to be more popular in China than table tennis star Ai Fukuhara.

2. When Fukuhara, who is affectionately known as “Ai-Chan”, announced her retirement from table tennis last month, many people felt very sorry to say goodbye.

• 此句为主从复合句，主句为 many people felt sad.

•who:引导非限制性定语从句，指代人Fukuhara.

3. She continues to compete, even though the Chinese table tennis team is difficult to defeat.

even though: 引导让步状语从句，相当于 even if

to defeat: 主动形式表示被动意义，动词不定式前有形容词. 

sb/sth be adj. (had, difficult, easy...) to do. 

Eg: He is easy to get along with. 

 

IV. Language points

Phrases

深情地，挚爱地affectionately

放弃give up

而不是rather than

屈服give in

就……而言in terms of

（对工作）奉献，投入 commitment 

雄心，野心，抱负ambition