2020-2021学年度第39期总第832期

Unifying civilizations (P4-5)

邯郸市第一中学       许蕾蕾
Lead-in 
Who or what comes to your mind when India is mentioned?
 

Lead-in: guessing game 
1.    This May marks the 160th of his birth. He was a poet, artist, educator, philosopher and humanitarian.
2.    He contributed to various genres of writing, such as novels, short stories, plays, dance-dramas and essays.
3.    He also composed roughly 2,230 songs. His songs, Jana Gana Mana and Amar Śonar Bangla, later became the national anthems for India and Bangladesh respectively.
4.    In 1913 he became the first non-European to receive the Nobel Prize for literature.

Appreciate some of  his beautiful sentences

Read for prediction
What will the text talk about, according to the title?

Skimming: match the main idea with the paragraphs 
Para 1-2        Tagore’s poems remain great influence on us.  
Para 3-6        Tagore’s 160th anniversary of his birth was celebrated. 
Para 7-9        Tagore’s poems also express the unity of human civilization.   
Para 10         Tagore’s poems show love, patriotism and childhood. 

While-reading 
3 Tagore is most widely known as a poet. His poems mainly deal with love, patriotism (爱国主义), nature, childhood and humanity (人性).
4  For example, his poem Where the Mind is Without Fear (《心无所畏时》) talks about what he would like his country to be like – where knowledge is available to everyone and guided by knowledge and reason, everyone works hard for self-perfection(自我完善). The poem The Champa Flower (《金色花》) shows an innocent (天真的), lovely child’s love for the mother.
5 “Tagore was a bit of all things to all people, whatever one wanted to believe, he seemed to have an answer,” Shanghai-based historian Paul French told China Daily. 
6 His poems are full of imagination.

Q1. What are the features of Tagore’s poem?
His poems mainly deal with love, patriotism, nature, childhood and humanity. His poems are full of imagination. 

Q2. What was Tagore’s dream country like?
Knowledge is available to everyone and guided by knowledge and reason, everyone works hard for self-perfection. 

While-reading
5 “Tagore was a bit of all things to all people, whatever one wanted to believe, he seemed to have an answer,” Shanghai-based historian Paul French told China Daily. 
6 His poems are full of imagination. In his writing, kids are waves and moms are banks. Flowers are children in underground schools. They sing and dance. Due to his profoundly (深刻地) sensitive, fresh and beautiful poems, Tagore became the first Asian to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913.

Q3. Why could Tagore win the Nobel Prize in Literature？
Due to his profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful poems, Tagore became the first Asian to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913.
due to: owing to; because of thanks to as a result of 

While-reading
7  Though Tagore’s poems were written in Bengali（孟加拉语）, his influence has spanned the world. According to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, his great influence comes from “humanism (人本主义) at the root of his creations”. 
8 Tagore believed that people should think positively about every human being around them, and that nations around the world should find a “true basis of reconciliation (和谐一致)” through cooperation and mutual (互相的) help. 
9 “I believe,” Tagore wrote, “the unity of human civilization can be better maintained by linking up in fellowship (友谊) and cooperation of the different civilizations of the world.”

Q4. Why does Tagore have great influence on the world?
His poems help us think positively about people around us and influence us to find a true basis of reconciliation through cooperation and mutual help, we can also see humanism at the root of his creations, that’s why he has great influence on the world.  

While-reading
10.    The idea is one that remains relevant today. As the world is still under the shadow of COVID-19,  “Tagore’s poems can open our heart and mind, and hand in hand we can overcome the difficulties together,” Jing Ying, vice-president of Shanghai People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, told Xinhua. 

Q5. How Tagore’s poem help us during COVID-19?
Tagore’s poems can open our heart and mind, and hand in hand we can overcome the difficulties together

After-reading
1. After you read the passage, how do you understand the title “Unifying civilizations”?
    people around the word work together to make it a better place;
    countries cooperate with each other to prevent the COVID-19;
    ......

2. What’s the significance of the activity in honor of Tagore? 
    Strengthen friendship between India and China;
    Learn Tagore’s spirits so as to unite together to fight against COVID-19 with people around the world.
    ......

Language points
Words:
1.    anniversary 
2.     recite 
3.     humanity 
4.     innocent 
5.     profoundly 
6.     playwright 
7.     philosopher 
8.     composer 
9.     anthem
10.     inspire 
phrases: 
1.    unify civilizations
2.    tourist attractions
3.    come to the mind 
4.     is available to
5.     self-perfection
6.     due to
7.     spanned the world
8.     win the Nobel Prize in Literature
9.     at the root of his creations
10.     cooperation and mutual (互相的) help
11.     be maintained by 
12.     overcome the difficulties
13.     remain relevant 

Homework
1.    Choose your favourite poem of Tagore, read it emotionally while recording it via video.