Unit One Why College?Lead in1. Ask the students to look at the pictures on Page 1 in the textbook and discuss in pairs why some high school graduates go to college and why some do not, and then ask some pairs to tell their opinions to the whole class.2. Ask the students to find out about the advantages and disadvantages of going to college and of finding a job or, of joining the army after high school, and then to tell the reasons to the whole class.Read InI. Background InformationEducation in the United States The national system of formal education in the United States took shape in the 19th century. It differed from educational systems of other Western countries in three fundamental respects. First, Americans were more inclined to regard education as a solution to various social problems. Second, because they had this confidence in the power of education Americans provided more years of schooling for a larger percentage of the population than other countries. Third, educational institutions were primarily run by local authorities rather than by federal ones. The most notable characteristic of the American educational system is the large number of people it serves.College and Universities Colleges and universities are degree granting institutions of higher education. In the original sense of the word, a college was a group of students who gathered to share academic and residential facilities. Each college was a component part of a corporate body called a university. Today, esp. in the United States a college may be affiliated with a university or be independent. The undergraduate program generally is four years, and each year is split into two or three semesters.Degrees Students who pass the regular program of courses receive a bachelor’s degree in arts, science, commerce, engineering, education, or any of several other fields. Bachelor’s degrees in law and theology are granted to those possessing a bachelor’s degree from a college. Graduates may continue their course of study for at least one more year for a master’s degree. A master’s thesis or project may be required for a degree. The university offers doctor’s degrees and special certificates. Topic-related words or phrases:School:1. pre-school (nursery, nursery school, kindergarten)2. primary school3. high school (secondary school, middle school, vocational school)4. university (college, institute, community college)Degree: bachelor, master, doctorTeacher: assistant, lecturer, professorOthers:academic dress, academic credit, lecturer, associate professor, tenured professor, vocational education, compulsory course, visiting scholar, online learning, MBA(Master of Business Administration), MPA(Master of Public Administration), GRE(Graduate Record Examination), GMAT(Graduate Management Admission Test) TOEFL(Test of English as a Foreign Language)IELTS(International English Language Testing System)II. Study of the TextRead In Questions1. Why are people paying more and more attention to education?Answer: People are now paying more and more attention to education because they have realized education can prepare them for better careers as well as future life. 2. Why are high school students making every effort to go to college?Answer: High school students are making every effort to go to college because they understand diplomas and advanced degrees will give them better chances for well-paid jobs in future.3. As a college student, have you ever asked yourself why you go to college? Answer:We go to college in hopes of either good jobs in a very competitive job market or preparation for further study in university.Comprehension Questions1. How do you understand “the more you learn, the more you earn”?Answer: That means you can make more money if you receive more education.2. What is the purpose of college education according to Paragraph 2?Answer: On the one hand, a college education is preparation for a career. On the other hand, it is a kind of preparation for one’s future life. (Topic Sentence)3. Why is it that high school graduates no longer dominate the college campuses now?Answer: Because more and more adult students com back to college for continuing education nowadays.4. What does the rising number of Americans with a bachelor’s degree show?Answer: The rising number of Americans with a bachelor’s degree shows the faith of Americans in the value of education.5. Why is college education not viewed as a privilege for the wealthy or the academically talented?Answer: Because almost everyone who wants to can go to college.Language Points (T explains first, then gives Ss Chinese and asks Ss to translate them into English)1. The more you learn, the more you earn.(The structure is used to show that two things happen together.)e.g. The more practice you have, the fewer mistakes you will make.The harder he studies at present, the more he will earn in the future.The more we looked forward to his arrival, the more disappointed we became.The happier he pretended to be in public, the sadder he felt in private.2. Although Cyndi made it without a high school degree, most people don’t.make it: be successful (in one’s career, etc.)e.g. He failed to make it as a writerIt’s hard to make it to the top in show business.3. preparation fore.g. It is a good preparation for my future career to take a part-time job.I was making preparations for my journey when you phoned me last night.4. in addition to: as well as; besidese.g. In addition to reviewing my lessons, I often play basketball with my classmates.In addition to the dictionary he wanted, I also bought him some reference books.In addition to Chinese and mathematics, we also learned English, physics, chemistry, and so on, in high school.5. … or whatever else interests them.whatever: (a pronoun or adjective) no matter whate.g. Whatever happens, don’t forget to write to me.You can take whatever book you like on the bookshelf.6. no longer = not any longere.g. My parents no longer live in this city after my father’s retirement.Jack always tells lies, and we no longer trust him. (we don’t trust him any longer.)I don’t play basketball any longer as I am getting old now.7. either… or…e.g. Several weeks later, I realized either he was wrong or I was wrong.Either you or she is to go to the meeting. (就近原则)8. In the U.S.A., a college education is not viewed as a privilege reserved for the wealthy or the academically talented.view… as…: consider sb. or sth. in certain waye.g. I view that painter as one of the most talented artists in his field.She views her office as a cage.Though he has been here for many years, I still view him as a person with little experience.privilege: special right given to a persone.g. The wealthy seem to have a great many privilege.reserve: keep for a special purpose; make a reservation;e.g. The first three rows of the hall are reserved for special guests.I have reserved a table for two at the restaurant.reserved(adj.): unwilling to express oneself freely or kept for special use.e.g. Jane is a shy, reserved girl.Sorry, we haven’t a reserved table.Paraphrases of Difficult SentencesLines 3~4: “Although Cyndi made it without a high school degree, most people don’t.”●In spite of the fact that Cyndi was successful in her career without a high schooldegree, most people usually are not so successful without a high school degree. Lines 14~15: “In addition to courses in their major field of study, most students have time to take elective courses.”●Many students not only take required courses but also select other courses inwhich they are interested.Lines 21~22: “Today, it is quite common for adults of all ages to come back to college either for career advancement or personal growth.”●Nowadays, it has become common for people of different age groups and withwork experience to return and study at college for better job opportunities and the development of personal interests.Lines 31~32: “In the U.S.A., a college education is not viewed as a privilege reserved for the wealthy or the academically talented.”●In the United States, a college education is not regarded as a special advantageor right for the rich or the bright only.Read afterI. Study of the Words and PhrasesE-E: When T says a word or an expression you’ve learned before, Ss respond with the new one in this text.need sth.→ requireoutside the range of → beyondcomplete your education at high school→ graduateearn more than → outearna person who has a first academic degree → bachelorthe money that you earn → incomeahead in knowledge or skill → advancedthe ability to do sth. well → skilla person who is good at or who often does sports → athletea job or profession → careera series of lessons → coursesvery large or important → majorworking or studying for normal hours → full-timeworking or studying for part of the normal hours → part-timeallow someone to attend school → enrollhave control of → dominateordinary and not special → commona right or advantage belonging to someone → privilegekeep sth. for special use → reservegifted: having talent → talenteda person who sings pop songs → a pop singera certificate from a high school → a high school diplomatraining in certain skills → technical trainingfree-chosen courses → elective coursesprogress or development in one’s job → career advancementone’s own development → personal growthmany different kinds of → a variety ofa strong belief in → faith inthe importance of education → the value of educationconsider sb. / sth.as → view … as …go to college→ attend collegeC-E: when T says a phrase or an expression in Chinese, Ss try to find the English equivalent learnt in the text.流行歌手a pop singer 中学毕业文凭 a high school diploma技术培训technical training 大学毕业生college graduate学士学位bachelor’s degree 硕士学位master’s degree蓝领工人blue-collar worker 推销员salesperson管理人员executive 科研人员scientific researcher大学教授college or university professor 职业准备preparation for one’s career 除…之外in addition to 主要学科领域the major field of study 修选修/必修课程take elective courses / compulsory courses录取上大学enroll in college 不再；再不no longer大学校园college campus 各年龄段的成年人adults of all ages事业发展career advancement 个人成长personal growth各种各样的a variety of 教育价值the value of education不断上升的数字the rising number of 至少at least大部分其他大国most other major nations 被看作be viewed as为…而保留be reserved for 上大学attend collegeRead More Ss read the two passages and find their topic sentences.Homework Ss use at least 10 of above words & phrases to write an article about education or a summary of the text.Unit Two Who’s Afraid of Maths Anyway?Lead in1. Ask the students to look at the pictures on Page 16 in the textbook and discuss in pairs if they had a choice, would they choose to be men or women, and then ask some pairs to report their findings to the whole class.2. Ask the students to find out both strong and weak points of man and woman in relation to the various social parts they play, and then report to the whole class. Read InI. Background InformationLiberal arts Liberal arts refer to college or university subjects such as literature, history, and political science. They are different from prevocational or preprofessional studies, which more directly prepare a student for specific kinds of employment. Examples of prevocational or preprofessional studies include programs in the health sciences, engineering, architecture, and computer programming. Prevocational or preprofessional courses of study constitute an increasing majority of higher education programs worldwide. In the United States fewer than a third of all college students graduate with bachelor’s degrees in liberal arts subjects. Nonetheless, liberal arts education still has passionate advocates. Defends of the liberal arts claim that a broad-based non-specialized education prepares young people for the variety of experiences and occupations they expect to pursue over the course of a lifetime.Some successful women in scienceAlthough science and mathematics are usually regarded as “masculine”subjects, many successful women in these fields proved that those subjects do not belong to men alone. For example, Marie Curie (1867-1934), a French physicist and Nobel Prize winner, working together with her husband, performed ground-breaking studies of radioactive elements, including the discovery of two such elements, radium andpolonium. Their work contributed greatly to the understanding of atoms on which modern nuclear physics is based.One of the Curie’s daughter, Joliot Curie (1897-1956) shared the 1935 Nobel Prize for chemistry with her husband for their work in the synthesis if radioactive substances. Emmy Noether (1882-1935), a German mathematician, was noted for her work in abstract algebra. Her work on the theory of invariants was used by Albert Einstein in formulating some of his relativistic concepts.Marie Goeppert Mayer (1906-1972), a German-American physicist, was best known for her study of nuclear structure. She shared the 1963 Nobel Prize in physics. Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin (1910-1994), a British chemist and Nobel laureate, was well-known for her use of X-ray diffraction to study the structure of macromolecules. She was awarded the 1964 Nobel Prize.Topic-related words or phrases:Sex discrimination; sex role, etc.II. Study of the TextRead In Questions1. Why do boys achieve more in science and mathematics?Answer: Although both tend to think maths difficult, boys are encouraged to do well in such science subjects as maths, which is supposed to be masculine territory, so as to prove their competence and competitive spirit. Girls on the contrary, so as to be more attractive, avoid science subjects just because they don’t want to make great efforts in masculine subjects an compete with boys.2. Are boys brighter? Or are the girls being held back for one reason or another? Answer:Although there are slight biological differences between girls and boys, there are many other factors critical in the explanation for the subjects boys and girls choose.Comprehension Questions1.In the 1st paragraph, what does the “general picture” refer to?A: The universal difference boys and girls show while choosing subjects.2.What prevents girls from further study of math according to a recent report? A: Social attitudes should take the blame.3.Why didn’t girls learn to solve problems on their own as boys did in nurseryschool?A: They were not asked to work on their own and complete tasks, while boys were greatly encouraged.4.Why do girls avoid mathematics courses?A: They avoid such courses mainly for social reasons rather than being afraid of the difficulty5. Why don’t girls want to take up maths an science when they become teenagers? Language Points (T explains first, then gives Ss Chinese and asks Ss to translate them into English)1.Scientists have tried to come up with biological explanations for the differencebetween boys and girls.come up with: To bring forth or discover (an answer, a solution,etc.):宣布或发现：came up with a cure for the disease.发现疾病的治疗方法He couldn't come up with an answer.他答不上来。
