Unit 8Text comprehensionI. Decide which of the following best states the author’s purpose of writing.AII. Judge, according to the text, whether the following statements are true or false.1.T2. T3. F4. F5. FIII. Answer the following questions.1.The answer to this question can be found in Paragraph2. People’s concern for global warmingis based on fear of low-lying nations being awash in seawater, frequent hurricanes and change of rain and drought patterns.2.Refer to Paragraph3. Humans are responsible for the rising concentration of greenhouse gasesfor the emission of carbon dioxide from their power plants and cars, the decomposition of their trash, their breeding of cattle and use of fertilizers.3.The concentration of greenhouse gases traps excessive heat and prevents it leaving the Earth,hence the global warming.4.The change of climate would bring disastrous consequences to humans. An increase in heatand rain would cause more diseases in equatorial regions. More intense rains would bring about severe flooding and more deaths. And even moderate rise in sea level could threaten the low-lying islands and nations. Besides, high temperature could lead to more cases of deaths from heart disease and respiratory problems.5. A number of actions should be taken. In the short term, we should reduce the emission ofheat-trapping gases and mitigate the impact of global warming through careful planning. In the long term, we should adopt policies that encourage the use of alternative and clean fuels, and stop deforestations.IV. Explain in your own words the following sentences.1.Global warming will probably be the most serious threat to our Earth, if we do not take intoaccount of some other possible disasters, such as another world war, collision of our Earth with some small orbiting planet, or spread of incurable diseases.2.In terms of human health, it is those who live in the poorer countries who will suffer most,because they do not have money to protect themselves as climate changes.VocabularyI. Explain the underlined part in each sentence in your own words.1. except, apart from2. essentially, basically3. whenever it is possible4. over a long period5. different, replacementII. Fill the blank in each sentence with a word taken from the box in its appropriate form. 1. focus 2. much the same 3. consciousness 4. threat 5. deserved 6. decomposed 7. revealed 8. frequentIII. Fill the blanks with the appropriate forms of the given words.1. perusal2. intensified3. excessive4. speculative5. abundance6. inclusive7. emits8. locally IV. Choose the word or phrase that can replace the underlined part in each sentence without changing its original meaning.1. A2. D3. B4. C5. D6. A7. C8. AV. Give a synonym or an antonym of the word underlined in each sentence in the sense it is used.1. mainly, basically, firstly2. unfortunately, unluckily3. exclude4. part, division5. decrease, lowering6. unavailable7. weak, insecure, unsafe8. irresponsibleVI. Write in each space one word that has the same prefix as underlined in each given word.1. centimeter2. kilometer3. synthetic4. superior5. submerge6. astronomy7. microwave8. overloadGrammarI. Complete the following sentences using the appropriate verb forms.1. began; have had2. Have; talked; have talked; talked3. has invented4. have telephoned; went5. have been6. has got/ has gotten7. has been8. have forgotten9. has gone; did he go10. was; has disappearedII. Make sentences using the time adverbials given.The answers are open. We use the simple past when the time adverbial specifies a particular time in the past. We use the present perfect when the time adverbial indicates the duration of an event or state.III. Compare the following pairs of sentences and explain the difference.1. a. The verb here is in simple present form. “Has got” signals stative possession. “Got” is oftenomitted in written style. b. “Has gotten” means “has obtained” and conveys the sense of an accomplishment.1. a. It reflects the speaker’s point of view. The speaker just heard the news and wants to know ifthe listener just heard it too. b. This sentence is spoken more likely with the listener’s perspective in mind (i.e. the listener has just heard the news).2. a. It is a definite query about a past event. b. It is a question about an indefinite past event.3. a. It conveys the sense that he is still suffering from the pain. b. It refers to a past event thathas no present relevance.4. a. Jim’s is in Italy now or he is on his way there. b. Jim has now left Italy.5. a. It is in the morning that the speaker asks the question. b. It is in the afternoon or eveningthat the speaker asks the question.6. a. The present perfect tense suggests that “today” is not finished at the time of speaking.Perhaps the speaker will drink more before today is finished. b. The past tense here is used to present a fact that happened today.7. a. It implies that he has passed away. b. He is still living in the village.IV. Correct the errors, where found, in the following sentences.1.have had → have2.have → been beying → lying4.bore → bear5.Rang → Rung6.rised → risen7.cleaned → clean; created → create8.the first “had” → hasIV. Fill in the blanks with because, as, since, seeing that, for or because of.1. As/Since2. because/as3.As/Since/Seeing that4. because5.because of6. As/Since7. for8. as/because9. because of 10. forVI. Make sentences of your own after the sentences given below, keeping the parts in italics in your sentences.1. e.g. I’ve no complaint. As far as I’m concerned, everything was perfect.I don’t enjoy traveling, I’m afraid. As far as I am concerned, it would just be a waste of money.2. e.g. According to the continental theory, the surface of the Earth is like the cracked shell of a soft-boiled egg.According to the recent polls, sixty to seventy percent of Americans consider themselves to be moderately happy and one in twenty persons feels very unhappy.TranslationI. Translate the following sentences into Chinese.1. 到因特网上查一查就可以证明，全球变暖这个主题在公众意识中已经和麦当娜和微波炉一样根深蒂固了。
Unit 8 Culture and traditionLearning objectives:✧talk about Chinese culture and tradition using new vocabulary✧analyze a text with the knowledge of lexical cohesion✧explain the reasons for the Chinese trait of being hard-working✧talk about the cultural difference between the Chinese dragon and theWestern dragon✧write on a traditional Chinese virtue embodied in a famous sayingProject forecast:Your college is going to hold an event called Chinese Culture Day to introduce Chinese culture to overseas students on campus. There is an open call for essays that introduce traditional Chinese virtues embodied in famous Chinese sayings. Your class is assigned to write an essay on a traditional Chinese virtue embodied in one of Confucius’ sayings. Can you think of a saying and explain the virtue it reflects? You will be able to complete the task after studying this unit.1.Understanding the texts.(1) The typical Chinese people in Westerners’ eyes are industrious,conservative, timid, modest, obedient… What are the typical Chinese like in your mind?(2) Read the text in iExplore 1, and answer the following questions:➢Some Chinese American immigrants receive American education and they still work hard, what are the reasons?➢Do you have a sense of shame when you are idling way? Do you havea sense of satisfaction when you are busy at your work? Why？(3) Read the text in Iexplore 2, and answer the following questions:➢What are the other symbols that could stand for China? Compare these Chinese symbols with American symbols.➢Find a Western dragon story online and tell it to your partner.2.Building your language.1.Enrich your Word Bank by making your list of the words and expressionsthat are related to culture from these two texts. You can make your list longer by adding more words and expressions you learn through other references.2.Scan the QR code on page 181 to learn about suffix -ful. Try to work out atleast another five words with the suffix and list them in your Word Bank.plete the exercises on page 178-181 and 186-188.3. Sharpening your skills.(1) Try to write a paragraph of exposition.(2) Scan the QR code on page 188 to learn about the translation skill of amplification. Then do the translation exercises.。
