2019-2020学年度第13期总第812期
Inheriting our features (P6)
山东省烟台第二中学 孔洁

Activity 1 Lead-in
We all know that genes are carried on strands of DNA that are packaged into 23 pairs of chromosomes.

Activity 2 Skimming
1. What type of article is it?
Expository article

2. What does the passage focus on?
It focuses on which parent we are genetically more similar to.

Activity 3 Scanning
Read and complete the flow chart.

Keys:

Activity 4 Group work
Work in groups. Talk about the analysis of the influence of parents’ genes on our features.  

Plan your talk by organizing the following information.
• 1. What is the general view?
• 2. What did the studies find?
• 3. What is the final conclusion?

Activity 5  Language focus
Paraphrase the following sentences.

• 1. We all know that genes are carried on strands of DNA that are packaged into 23 pairs of chromosomes.
• 2. However, if we switch the focus from which parent contributes more genes to which parents’ genes do more, we may get a different conclusion.
• 3. Most differences we see between people are not due to the genes themselves, but to a series of chemical “switches” that sit on top of our DNA.

• 1. We all know that genes are carried on strands of DNA that are packaged into 23 pairs of chromosomes.
• As we all know, our DNA is packaged into 23 pairs of chromosomes and genes are carried on strands of DNA.
• 第一个that从句为宾语从句；
• 第二个that从句为定语从句，修饰DNA。

• 2. However, if we switch the focus from which parent contributes more genes to which parents’ genes do more, we may get a different conclusion.
• However, if we focus on which parents’ genes do more instead of which parent contributes more genes, we may get a different conclusion.
• switch from … to …
• 从一个模块转换到另一个模块。
• Switch from one module to another.

• 3. Most differences we see between people are not due to the genes themselves, but to a series of chemical “switches” that sit on top of our DNA.
• Most differences between people are due to a series of chemical “switches” that are on top of our DNA. The genes themselves are not the cause.
• Not due to …, but to …
• 在这种情况下，更高的产量不是由于基因工程而是由于传统繁殖。
In such cases, higher yields are not due to genetic engineering, but to conventional breeding.