Unit 2 A Good ReadSection 1 Lead-in1.Free discussion(P18)Read the first lines and titles of this 4 novels, then discuss or predict:Which beginning looks:Most traditional?Least traditional?Most memorable?Most interesting?Group 1: Discuss the Grapes of WrathGroup 2: Discuss the Fourth HandGroup 3: Discuss the Salmon Fishing in the YemenGroup 4: Discuss the Time Traveler’s WifeGroup 5-6: Discuss your impression on the 4 novelsThe Grapes of WrathScenery description.Describing scenes in a traditional way. A traditional way to begin a novel(The Grapes of Wrath focuses on a poor family of sharecroppers, the Joads, driven from their Oklahoma home by drought, economic hardship, and changes in the agriculture industry. In a nearly hopeless situation, partly because they were trapped in the Dust Bowl, they set out for California along with thousands of other "Okies" in search of land, jobs and dignity.)The Fourth HandStory depiction.Unusual to begin a story. The action starts immediatelyCreate suspense.The audience expects a dramatic incident in which the man loses his left hand. (While reporting a story from India, Patrick Wallingford, a New York television journalist, has his left hand eaten by a lion. Doris Clausen, a married woman in Wisconsin, wants to give Patrick her husband’s left hand after her husband dies. Patrick quickly falls in love with Doris. Jr. Doris, however, will not return Patrick's love, and only allows him to touch her intimately with her late husband's hand, now Patrick's. One year after the surgery, Patrick's body rejects his hand. Being visited repeatedly, Doris agrees to marry Patrick at a Green Bay Packers game.)The Time traveler’s WifeStory depiction.Unusual to begin a story.Claire seems to be daydreaming.Create suspense.The audience expects a romantic story between the time traveler and his wife.(a love story about a man with a genetic disorder that causes him to time travel unpredictably, and about his wife, an artist, who has to cope with his frequent absences and dangerous experiences.)Salmon Fishing in the Y emenA typical business or bureaucratic letter.(The inspiration for the novel stemmed from Torday's interest in both fly fishing and the Middle East. From these two strands, he weaves a political satire that centres around the world of political spin management.)2.Bridging information gapWatch a video clip about The Time Traveler’s Wife to see how interesting it is and answer the questions.(1)By watching the video clip, which word or phrase may describe your response?(2)Is there anybody who thinks that reading or watching it would be “dangerous”?3. Listening in1). Listen to the Francis Bacon’s “Of Studies” and fill in the missing words.Studies serve for delight, for ornament, and for ability. Their chief use for delight, is in privateness and retiring; for ornament, is in discourse; and for ability, is in the judgment and disposition of business. Reading makes a full man; conference a ready man; and writing an exact man.And therefore, if a man write little, he had need have a great memory; if he confer little, he had need havea present wit; and if he read little, he had need have much cunning, to seem to know that he does not.2). Translation.读书足以怡情，足以傅彩，足以长才。
1. How do you understand the sentence "No amount of rehearsal will help you come up with the right answer" (Para. 2)?Reference:The sentence means that it is very difficult, or even impossible, for a man to give a right answer when a woman asks him how she looks, no matter how hard he thinks about it and how many different answers he tries.2. According to the text, in what way do men and women evaluate their appearance differently?Reference:Men are satisfied with being average-looking, paying little attention to their looks. In contrast, women pay great attention to their body and image, considering their appearance as not good enough even if they are in fact attractive.3. What causes women to be always dissatisfied with their looks?Reference:The interaction of many psychological and societal factors, for example, their childhood experiences with toys, and the influence of the media.4. In what way do the toys girls play with differ from those boys play with?Reference:Girls' toys are proportioned to have extreme measures of the body (e.g. in terms of height, weight and waist size), whereas boys' toys can look weird rather than handsome.5. What does the sentence "You could not imagine him saying to the others, ‘Is this accessory the right shade of violet for this outfit?'" (Para. 6) imply?Reference:It implies that men pay little attention to the details of their appearance.6. Why is the supermodel Cindy Crawford mentioned in Paragraph 7?Reference:Cindy Crawford is mentioned as an example to show that the beauty industry and the media have great influence on women's devotion to physical beauty and the use of beauty products.7. What is the author's attitude toward the claim that women care much about their appearance due to pressure from men?Reference:The author thinks that the claim is not right since men in fact pay little attention to the details of women's appearance.8. Why do women think that men are not qualified to judge whether a woman looks good or not?Reference:Women think so because men do not even care about their own appearance. For instance, a man often does not bother to clean the cream in his hair or ears after shaving.1. What are the factors that make women pay much greater attention to their appearance than do men?Reference:I think there are three main factors accounting for women's greater attention to appearance. The first are cultural traditions. It is common in many cultures that people put high value on beauty when they look at women. The second is the requirement of certain jobs. For example, in China airline companies set certain criteria for appearance (e.g. in terms of height and weight) when they recruit stewards and stewardesses. Finally, the influence of the media is another strong factor which shapes women's pursuit of physical beauty. There are a lot of advertisements of cosmetics and skincare products in various media such as TV, magazines and newspapers. They often havecelebrities as the spokesperson for the advertised products, which makes women have an illusion that they could look as good as those famous stars if they use the products. In short, these three factors exert immense influence on how women value appearance.2. Are there any occasions in life where it is necessary for a person, either a woman or a man, to look good? Why or why not?Reference:• Yes. On certain formal occasions, a person, either female or male, has to pay attention to his attire. Sample cases are job interviews, business meetings, weddings, and banquets. This is because to dress properly is an important element of successful completion of these events.• No. People do not have to care what others think of them as long as they feel comfortable and satisfied with their looks themselves. After all, this is the most important source of happiness to people.3. What do you consider as the most important traits that make a person beautiful?Reference:In my opinion, the important traits of human beauty include two types, one for appearance and one for inner qualities. Features that characterize a beautiful appearance are a good-looking body, proper clothes and accessories, as well as use of makeup that matches the occasion or event one is attending. Inner qualities that make a person beautiful mainly include good manners and positive personality traits such as honesty, bravery or friendliness.4. What do you think of the relationship between wearing makeup and female beauty? In other words, do women have to apply cosmetics in order to look beautiful? Why or why not?Reference:• Yes. Women should pay great attention to their appearance and hence need to wear makeup. This is because beauty is, believe it or not, usually an important quality for women to succeed, for example, when they want to look for a job or an ideal husband.• No. What really makes a person beautiful is inner beauty rather than physical appearance. A beautiful look can't last long, but inner beauty, for example, intelligence and honesty, may make a person successful and happy throughout his life.5. If you were the head of a cosmetics company, how would you market or promote a new product?Reference:I would market a new product by three means. First, I can ask a celebrity, for example a famous movie star or a supermodel, to be the brand spokesperson on TV. This is a common practice in the advertising industry, and I think it is very effective. Second, I will hire people to distribute flyers and give away free samples of the product on the streets, so the product can reach potential customers directly. In addition, I may post advertisements on public transportation vehicles such as buses and subways. In this way, the commercials can be seen by a large number of people.Fill in the blanks with the words given below. Change the form where necessary. Each word can be used only once.Done with this activity. Time submitted: 2017-03-07 21:43 (Tuesday)Your score: 0%1.We need to improve the quality of education so that our children willnot leave school (deficient)in literary and reasoning skills.2.In a society governed by the rule of law, every citizen is subjectto possible (prosecution)if he violates the law.3.The pay gap between average workers and top corporate officers hasled to pubic (outrage)as executives receive large packages despite falling share prices.4.The delicious meal (appeased)our hunger and made us feel warmagain after having walked in the snow all day.5.The military insists on (conformity)in many areas, forexample, dress and haircut, with the primary objective of promoting group unity.6.My daughter used to play with the dog by taking a(n)(strand)of its hair and then spending a long time rubbing, combing and twisting it.7.When she left for the party, she took great care to make her necklaceand shoes (complement)her dress.8.It was necessary to provide living places for(transient)immigrants passing through the area on their way to more permanent dwellings.9.They had just moved in, so they needed to buy a number of kitchen(appliances), including a microwave oven, a toaster, and a coffee maker.10.She wanted a beautiful and elegant (outfit)to attend thewedding of a friend, but couldn't find anything satisfactory in the nearby shops.Add-ion,-er,or-ist to or remove them from the following words to form new words.For each blank you can only fill in one word.Correct answerdominationorientationconfrontationcomposerbinderscannermanufacturereraseimperialistleftistterroristhumanistFill in the blanks with the newly formed words. Change the form where necessary. Each word can be used only once.1. The Internet challenges the (domination) of traditional media such asnewspapers and television as the main sources of news in modern society.2. Some scientists warn that the X-ray (scanners) now being used toscreen passengers at many airports may be harmful to the human body.3. Many people think that a(n) (humanist) should have very strongmorals, in addition to beliefs in a philosophy that focuses on human values and concerns.4. The police interviewed all six witnesses, but none of them could describeclearly how the (confrontation) began and who opened fire first.5. In politics, (leftists) are people who generally support social changesto create a more equal society and show concern for those who sufferdisadvantages.6. A study of mid-level administrators' career (orientation) showed thatmany of these managers view their current position as a temporary step on an upward path.7. The idea that the United States is a melting pot implies that racialdifferences are to be (erased)and that immigrants should give up their own cultural traditions.8. Effective measures should be taken to prevent (terrorists) fromattacking civilians, people who have no power to defend themselves from bombs and guns.9. Toyota is one of the world's largest (manufacturers) of cars, withmore than 50 plants across the globe outside Japan.10. He sent his parents some of his recent news articles in a(n) (binder) ,arranged according to their publication dates.11. This island became a colony after European (imperialists) decided touse it as their trading port in the 19th century.12. The concert to be held next month promotes music by(composers) from Africa and South America.Drag 10 words from the list to their proper places to complete the passage. Each word can be used only once.Double click on a particular blank to reset it if necessary.I was once in a relationship with a woman who was the most brilliant, creative and driven person I'd ever known. I told her these things often because she didn't see herself this way, despite (1)(achieving) great success and acclaim (称赞) in her professional field. She was also (2)(gorgeous) and sexy, though she seemed not to realize this either, so I told her these things too. But while I thought it was more important to praise her brilliance, it seemed to mean more to her that she was (3)(considered) attractive.My experience with this girlfriend exemplifies a common phenomenon in life —when it comes to complimenting a woman, men often walk a very difficult line. Of course, (4)(context)matters. In a professional setting, talking about appearance is often inappropriate, but at a singles club, it may be important. She will be very pleased if a man thinks her clothes and (5)(accessories) are pretty, or her hair looks wonderful. However, things inbetween these two cases are unclear. Women have every right to be recognized and (6)(appreciated) for their intelligence and creativity. But at the same time, they want to be admired for their looks as well, for example, their perfect skin (7)(complexion) and elegant outfits.Unfortunately, most guys don't understand this. If we receive compliments from women, they're usually about our achievements, not our looks. Most of us don't expect a woman to tell us how (8)(handsome) or sexy we are, and some of us would find it hard to regard such a(n) (9)(comment) as sincere. I'm not saying it's very hard to be a guy these days. It is important for every man to understand how to treat women with both respect and (10) (admiration). But as far as the right balance of these two is concerned, we really have no frame of reference, especially when it comes to looks.Fill in the blanks with the expressions given below. Change the form where necessary. Each expression can be used only once.1. Every month, the Community Services Center offers several lectures onhealth and fitness (in hopes of) introducing people to healthierlifestyles.2. Do you know who (came up with) the idea of having cheesecake fordessert yesterday? It was delicious and made everyone happy.3. The pain medication left Claudia feeling rather dull and sleepy, and soonafter dinner she apologized for being such poor company and(excused herself) to bed.4. When I was young, I (was obsessed with) maps, and I sometimesspent the whole day charting land routes from one point to another.5. To make immigrants comfortable (reaching out to) police for help,more than 70 cities now bar police from asking them to prove their legal status.6. Mary was often accused of "having a strong personality" because she wasnot afraid to (voice an opinion on) subjects about which she wasknowledgeable.7. At the end of his term in office, the governor was criticized for failure to(live up to) his campaign promise.8. Results of a survey revealed that of the top 10 automobile makers (interms of) customer satisfaction, six were Japanese and two wereGerman.Write a contrast essay of no less than 200 words on the topic "How do women and men groom themselves?". You can follow the outline given below.Done with this activity. Time submitted: 2017-03-07 21:53 (Tuesday) Outline:How do women and men groom themselves?Women and men take care of their appearance in very different ways, which are mainly shown in three areas.• The variety of beauty tools and products they use• The amount of clothes they have• The amount of time they spend on grooming themselvesWomen and men behave differently in how they attend to their routinegrooming chores.My writing:When you get yourself ready to go to school or work in the morning, or attend a party in the evening, you may have to do various preparations. What youconsider as essential to prepare largely depends on whether you are a female or a male. Women and men take care of their appearance in different ways, which are mainly shown in three areas.One difference lies in the variety of beauty products that women and men use. Women have a great variety of tools and skincare products; for example, combs and clips for hair, brushes for powder foundation, and eyeliners for eyebrows, creams for face, to name just a few. Men, however, do not use so many things. They may comb their hair, but they seldom use cosmetics. Another difference involves the amount of clothes women and men have. Females usually have many more clothes than men do. You may well be familiar with movie scenes in which a woman tries on the outfits in her wardrobe one after another and still hesitates about which one to wear. Unlike females, males do not buy themselves piles of clothes as long as they still have something at home.The third difference is that women spend much more time grooming themselves than men do. It can easily take a woman half an hour or even several hours to get a perfect hair style or apply makeup to her face. In contrast, it may just take a man several minutes to tidy himself. All he needs to do is to comb his hair and put on whatever clothes he finds in the drawer.To conclude, women and men behave differently in how they attend to their routine grooming chores. Such distinctions help create the typical images of females and males in human society.Translate the following paragraph into Chinese.Done with this activity. Time submitted: 2017-03-07 21:53 (Tuesday) The originalWilliam Shakespeare is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent (杰出的) dramatist. His plays have been translated into a vast number of languages and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. Shakespeare's early works were mostly comedies and histories, which have the reputation of being among the finestmasterpieces produced in these genres (体裁) even today. Later on, Shakespeare wrote mainly tragedies, some of which, like Hamlet and King Lear, earned him fame in the entire Western literature. The most striking features of Shakespeare are his brilliant use of language and his universal themes. He contributed thousands of words to English, many of which have become embedded in the language. His themes are so universal that they transcend generations to stir the imaginations of readers and audiences worldwide. Shakespeare has influenced and inspired many writers over the centuries. His writings remain highly popular today, and they are constantly studied, performed, and reinterpreted in diverse cultures throughout the world. Shakespeare will continue to have an enormous impact on future playwrights, novelists, poets, actors, and scholars.My translation人们普遍认为，威廉•莎士比亚是最伟大的英语作家和世界杰出的戏剧家。
Unit 2 When Cultures MeetI.Unit overviewAccording to Canadian scholar Marshall McLuhan, we are now living in a global village, indicating the entire world is becoming more and more interconnected. The 21st century has witnessed more frequent and active communication and interaction between different nations. Questions like how to better adapt to the intercultural communication and interaction are surfacing and becoming increasingly urgent at present. This unit tends to discuss those questions and provide certain answers.Text A in this unit is an excerpt taken from Maxine Hong Kingston’s masterpiece, The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts, which tells us how eager Brave Orchid was as an immigrant in the U.S. to meet her younger sister after 30 years’ separation, while how indifferent her children brought up in America were indifferent to this meeting. Text B, written by the Asian American writer Amy Tan, reveals her understanding of the English used by her immigrant mother and explores how the languages her mother has used also influence her own identity and writing career. The two texts together demonstrate that when different cultures meet, conflicts and misunderstanding will be definitely emerging but mutual understanding and agreement are also possible. Communication among cultures is never a one-way street, and nobody can escape from this intercultural involvement in the age of globalization, be it an active or a passive one.II.Teaching plan按照《指南》规定，综合英语总学时是64课时，每周4课时，每单元上8课时。
