2020-2021学年度第36-37期总第829期
Focus on math (P2)
邯郸市第一中学 李松

Warming-up
Are you good at math?
Do you think it is important for us to learn math? Why or why not?
What do you think the government can do to encourage students to devote more effort to math?

Lead-in
Read the title of the text and predict what it talks about.

Read for gist
Read the text to see if your prediction is correct.
The article introduces:
1. Why our country has listed math and its applications as a major national project during the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) period;
2. how math will be pushed forward during the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25)

Read for structure
Read the text and work out a structure map of the text.
You can work in pairs.
Your charts may vary from person to person.
Share your structure map with the class.  

Read for detailed information

Read for language features
Look for direct and indirect quotes in the text and think about why the author used the quotes.  
Katherine Johnson (1918-2020), a former NASA mathematician who calculated (计算) and analyzed flight paths for many missions (任务), once said: “Some ....
...it’s unprecedented (前所未有的),” said Yuan Yaxiang, a mathematician and academician (院士) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
He also stressed that ...
According to Science and Technology Minister Wang Zhigang,...
...1.5 billion yuan in funding, according to Yuan.
According to the German newspaper Die Welt, ...

Key:
Quotes are used to make the statement clear, factual and convincing.

Think and share
1. What is the meaning of the word “prodigy” in the box that goes with the text?
A prodigy is someone who shows a great ability at a young age.

2. How do you think the inclusion of mathematics and applied mathematics in the 14th Five-Year Plan affects these mathematical geniuses?
Math geniuses like Chen Gao will make great contributions to the country and all mankind by giving full play to their ability under the support of powerful policies. Their intelligence and talent can greatly promote the development and progress of all industries in China and the world.

Language study
Analyze the structure of the following sentences.
1. The policy and financial support for the field of mathematics and applied mathematics will be greatly improved between 2021 and 2025 compared with the past five years...

2. According to Science and Technology Minister Wang Zhigang, basic scientific research, including mathematics, will have a larger focus during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, with funding expected to reach over 8 percent of all research and development (R&D) expenditure.

Key:

Language study
listed ... as...                         列为                                
financial support                    经济支持
stress                             强调
overcome current technology bottlenecks    克服目前的瓶颈
urge                            督促；敦促
funding                         资金
discipline                        学科
exhibit                          显示；展示
as far as those with an aptitude for math 在数学天赋方面