(共30张PPT)
Unit 6
Period 4
Reading
新 课 导 入
1
Look at the infographic below and answer the questions.
Facts about DDT:
DDT was first produced in 1874 and was later used as pesticide.
It stays in the environment.
It is highly poisonous to living organism, including humans.
Now banned in many countries, it is still used in some for malaria control.
1 How does DDT reach the human body in the food chain
2 What harm does DDT cause
1 How does DDT reach the human body in the food chain
2 What harm does DDT cause
When DDT is sprayed onto plants in order to kill insects, it is absorbed by the plants and subsequently consumed by animals; humans in turn eat those animals. DDT also leaks through the soil and into rivers and lakes, where it contaminates fish consumed by humans.
DDT is highly poisonous to living organism, including humans.
课 堂 学 习
2
Read the book review on Silent Spring, a book that led to the banning of DDT. Predict what will be mentioned in the passage.
Silent Spring
1 There was a strange stillness. The birds, for example - where had they gone Many people spoke of them, puzzled and disturbed. The feeding stations in the backyards were deserted. The few birds seen anywhere were moribund; they trembled violently and could not fly. It was a spring without voices. On the mornings that had once throbbed with the dawn chorus of robins, catbirds, doves, jays, wrens, and scores of other bird voices there was now no sound; only silence lay over the fields and woods and marsh.
Now read the passage and check your prediction.
2 Rachel Carson was a scientist by profession, but these lines from the opening chapter of her 1962 book Silent Spring,“A Fable for Tomorrow”, show her talent as a writer. By imagining a world without birds, she aimed to alert not only the scientific community but also the general public to the damaging effects of human activity on natural ecosystems - in particular, to the harmful use of pesticides, such as DDT. She believed that the chemical industry was knowingly causing harm to plants, animals and even humans, and wished to see pesticides used in a more responsible, limited and carefully monitored way.
3 Carson urged people to make themselves aware of the facts and do something about the situation. Silent Spring contains a lot of scientific research and case studies. The book details the gypsy moth eradication programme, which killed birds, in addition to gypsy moths. Another case study was the fire-ant programme that killed cows, but not fire ants. The book also gives dozens of other examples of eradication programmes that did nothing to reduce the problems they were originally designed to solve. The 50 or so pages at the end of the book list Carson's sources, showing how thorough and precise she was as a scientist.
4 Carson's message was very alarming, causing a great increase in environmental awareness. Its impact was immediate and far reaching: the use of DDT was banned and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was established in the US. Silent Spring was therefore regarded as a milestone in the launch of the green movement in the Western world. It also earned Carson a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom and put her face on the 17-cent US stamp.
5 Silent Spring was not, however, received positively by everyone. Though Carson's research was strong and was supported by most scientists who reviewed her work, the book quickly became a target for critics in the pesticide industry. They said that Carson did not understand the science behind her arguments because she was a marine biologist rather than a chemist. Some also said that her work was more emotional than scientific. These were attempts to damage Carson's reputation and stop her work from influencing public policy, but she remained determined to stand by her research. Carson appeared in public and on television to defend her claims - and today, more than 50 years after it was published, the voice of Silent Spring is still ringing loud and clear.
6 Personally, I enjoy Carson's book. She made a crucial but potentially difficult-to-understand subject interesting and accessible to millions of people. This is not so much because of the quality of her arguments, strong though they are, but because of the beauty and elegance of her writing. Her book not only changed the world; half a century later it remains a book that deserves to be reread today, so that we can once again feel ourselves warm to the fire of its passionate message. For unless we do listen to Rachel Carson's warming, one day we may wake up to the strange and quiet horror of another silent spring.
Read the passage and check your prediction about what will be mentioned in the passage.
It is a book review on Silent Spring, so the following parts may be mentioned in the passage: 1) basic information about the book, including the author, year of publication, theme and main idea; 2) the reason why this book is published; 3) features of the writing; 4) comments on this book; 5) influence of this book.
Read the passage quickly and find out the main idea of each paragraph.
Para. 1 An excerpt from Silent Spring
Para. 2 The author, year of publication and the aim of Silent Spring
Para. 3 The content and features of Silent Spring
Para. 4 The influence of Silent Spring
Para. 5 The negative comments on Silent Spring and its author
Para. 6 The writer’s comment on Silent Spring
3
Organise information from the passage and complete the notes about Silent Spring.
Answers:
1 1962
2 the damaging effects of human activity
3 more responsible, limited and carefully monitored
4 scientific information, examples and research
5 beautiful and elegant
6 The pesticide industry
7 defend her claims
8 The use of DDT
9 Presidential Medal of Freedom
10 environmental awareness
Now work in pairs. Talk about which aspects of the book review make you want to read the book.
Think Share
1 Why was Silent Spring so successful
2 What is the moral lesson behind “A Fable for Tomorrow”
3 Why did some people challenge Carson’s findings
4 In what different ways do First Snow and Silent Spring raise people’s awareness of nature
1 Silent Spring was so successful because it alerted the general public to the dangers of DDT. It planted important new ideas in the public mind, such as that spraying chemicals to control insect populations has an impact on other wildlife, and that the chemicals got into the food chain.
2 The moral lesson is that financial profit should not come at the expense of the environment and the creatures living in it.
3 Some people challenged Carson’s findings because they were concerned about the negative impact they would have on business in the pesticide industry.
4 First Snow shows the beauty of nature - and in particular the snow - through its words and imagery, while Silent Spring describes an unnatural spring without the beauty of birdsong. They each raise people’s awareness of nature by highlighting the interplay between nature and human behaviour.
4
Work in groups. Write an award speech for Rachel Carson.
1 Read the passage again and make notes about Rachel Carson’s contributions to environmental protection. Consider the following:
her most influential work what points she tried to make
difficulties she met with. her personal qualities
2 Rachel Carson received her Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously in 1980. Read the excerpt from President Carter’s award speech and note the language features.
3 Write your own award speech of about 100 words and share it with the class.
Never silent herself in the face of destructive trends, Rachel Carson fed a spring of awareness across America and beyond. Always concerned, always eloquent, she created a tide of environmental consciousness that has not ebbed.
Now think about your performance in group discussion. Were you able to make an objective judgement about Rachel Carson
Language points
1. On the mornings that had once throbbed with the dawn chorus of robins, catbirds, doves, jays, wrens, and scores of other bird voices there was now no sound; only silence lay over the fields and woods and marsh.
原本喧闹的清晨，再也没有了知更鸟、北美猫鸟、鸽子、松鸦、鹪鹩的奏鸣曲以及其他小鸟的鸣叫声；只留下一片寂静，笼罩在田野、树林和沼泽的上空。
(1) that引导定语从句，修饰先行词mornings。
(2) 本句中表示对比关系的单词once和now，通过对比过去春天生机盎然的早晨和现在春天万簇俱寂的早晨这两种不同的景象，感知这些本应该属于春天的美好事物（the dawn chorus of robins, catbirds, doves, jays, wrens, and scores of other bird voices）的消失，体会现在的春天没有一点儿声音的凄凉和恐怖。
2. Rachel Carson was a scientist by profession, ...
蕾切尔·卡森的职业是科学家，……
by profession 在职业上；就职业来说
e.g. They're both doctors by profession. 他们两人的职业都是医生。
3. She believed that the chemical industry was knowingly causing harm to plants, animals and even humans, and wished to see pesticides used in a more responsible, limited and carefully monitored way. 她认为化学工业正在明目张胆地对动植物，甚至对人类本身造成伤害，她希望人们在使用杀虫剂时能够更加负责、节制，并且严加监管。
(1) that引导宾语从句。
(2) and连接两个并列谓语believed和wished。
4. Carson urged people to make themselves aware of the facts and do something about the situation.
卡森敦促人们认清事实，并且为此做出努力。
(1) urge sb. to do sth. 敦促某人做某事；强烈要求某人做某事
e.g. We urge Congress to increase farmland conservation.
我们敦促国会加强耕地保护。
(2) make sb. aware of sth. 使某人意识到某事
e.g. His failure in the test made him aware of the importance of reviewing the lessons.
他的考试失败使他意识到复习功课的重要性。
5. The book details the gypsy moth eradication programme, which killed birds, in addition to gypsy moths. 在灭除舞毒蛾项目这一案例中，她细致讲述了人们在消灭舞毒蛾的同时，也杀死了鸟类。
which引导定语从句，修饰the gypsy moth eradication programme。
6. Another case study was the fire-ant programme that killed cows, but not fire ants. 另一个案例则是在开展消灭火蚁计划时，人们杀死的是奶牛，而非火蚁。
that引导定语从句，修饰the fire-ant programme。
7. The book also gives dozens of other examples of eradication programmes that did nothing to reduce the problems they were originally designed to solve. 书中还讲了几十个其他灭除计划的案例，都未能像预期那样解决问题。
(1) dozens of 几十
e.g. Dozens of homes had been completely destroyed.
数十家房屋已被完全毁坏了。
(2) that引导定语从句，修饰eradication programmes；“they were originally designed to solve”为定语从句，修饰the problems。
8. The 50 or so pages at the end of the book list Carson's sources, showing how thorough and precise she was as a scientist.
这本书最后的五十几页列出了卡森的资料来源，显示出她作为一名科学家的周密和严谨。
(1) or so 大约，左右
e.g. We stayed for an hour or so. 我们待了一个小时左右。
(2) showing在本句中作伴随状语修饰前半句。本句中的how作为程度副词引导宾语从句，修饰 thorough和 precise。本句表明了Carson作为科学家所具有的深入、严谨的品质。
9. Silent Spring was therefore regarded as a milestone in the launch of the green movement in the Western world.
《寂静的春天》因此被视为西方发起绿色运动的里程碑。
be regarded as 被视作是……；被认为是……
e.g. Honesty is regarded as the traditional virtue of our Chinese nation.
诚信被认为是我们中华民族的传统美德。
regard...as... 将……认为是……
e.g. I regard this as a serious matter. 我认为这是一件重要的事情。
10. It also earned Carson a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom and put her face on the 17-cent US stamp. 这也使卡森在去世后获得了“总统自由勋章”的荣誉，美国17美分的邮票上也印上了她的头像。earn sb. sth. 为某人赢得某物
e.g. His outstanding ability earned him a place on the team.
他非凡的能力为他在队中赢得了一席之地。
11. Though Carson's research was strong and was supported by most scientists who reviewed her work, the book quickly became a target for critics in the pesticide industry.
虽然卡森的研究很有说服力，而且得到多数审阅过这本书的科学家的支持，但是这本书很快成为了杀虫剂行业批判的对象。
Though引导让步状语从句；who引导定语从句，修饰most scientists。
12. They said that Carson did not understand the science behind her arguments because she was a marine biologist rather than a chemist.
他们说卡森并不理解她论证背后的科学原理，因为她是一位海洋生物学家，而非化学家。
that引导宾语从句，because引导原因状语从句。
13. Some also said that her work was more emotional than scientific.
还有一些人说她的作品过于情感化，科学性并不强。
that引导宾语从句。
14. These were attempts to damage Carson's reputation and stop her work from influencing public policy, but she remained determined to stand by her research.
他们想要通过破坏卡森的名声来削减她的作品对公共政策的影响，但卡森仍然坚持自己的研究。
stand by 坚持
e.g. I stand by my results and my testimony.
我坚持我的结果和我的证言。
15. Carson appeared in public and on television to defend her claims - and today, more than 50 years after it was published, the voice of Silent Spring is still ringing loud and clear. 卡森在公众面前、在电视节目中捍卫自己的观点。时至今日，《寂静的春天》已经出版五十多年了，但它的影响力依旧深远绵长。
(1) “more than 50 years after it was published”是插人语，修饰 today，说明书的影响和警示作用很深远，一直持续到该书出版五十多年后的今天；after引导时间状语从句。
(2) loud and clear意为“容易理解，清楚明白”。
e.g. The message came through loud and clear.
那消息传达得清清楚楚。
16. This is not so much because of the quality of her arguments, strong though they are, but because of the beauty and elegance of her writing. 这并不都是因为她书中高质量的论点是多么强有力，而是因为她美丽和高雅的文笔让读者喜欢。
(1) 本句的主体结构是This is not so much because of... but because of...。this指代的具体内容是She made a crucial but potentially difficult-to-understand subject interesting and accessible to millions of people。后半中的 the beauty and elegance of her writing 是本书有趣、易读的主要原因。
(2) 本句中的though引导让步状语从句，从句在这里作为插入语修饰her arguments，表明虽然书中的论据并不是它有趣、易读的原因，但这些论据也是强有力的。though引导让步状语从句时，为了语气或者正式文体的需要，通常可以改为倒装句式。e.g. Young though he was, he knew how to behave well.
虽然他很年轻，但是他知道如何举止得体。
17. Her book not only changed the world; half a century later it remains a book that deserves to be reread today, so that we can once again feel ourselves warm to the fire of its passionate message.
她的书不仅在当时改变了世界，就是在半个世纪后的今天，它仍然值得人们重新阅读，以感受她充满感情的文字带给我们如火焰般的温暖。
that引导定语从句，修饰book；so that引导结果状语从句。
18. For unless we do listen to Rachel Carson's warning, one day we may wake up to the strange and quiet horror of another silent spring.
因为如果我们不听从蕾切尔·卡森的劝告，可能有一天在我们醒来之后，真的会面对一个古怪而又相当恐怖的寂静的春天。
For引导原因状语从句；unless引导条件状语从句；do在句中起强调作用。
Retelling Silent Spring
Para. 1 An excerpt from Silent Spring
Para. 2 The author, year of publication and the aim of Silent Spring
Para. 3 The content and features of Silent Spring
Para. 4 The influence of Silent Spring
Para. 5 The negative comments on Silent Spring and its author
Para. 6 The writer’s comment on Silent Spring(共15张PPT)
Unit 6
Period 2
Grammar
课 堂 学 习
1
Look at the sentences from the reading passage and answer the questions.
a … I saw the ground so fantastically carpeted.
b … wake up to find yourself in another quite different, …
c … I can see the children flattening their noses against the window, …
d … flattened my nose against the cold window to watch the falling snow…
Review: non-finite forms as attributive, adverbial and complement
1 What is the difference between the verbs in bold in sentences (a) and (c)
“Carpeted” in sentence (a) is a past participle used as complement and “flattening” in sentence (c) is a present participle used as complement.
2 In sentence (b), does “to find” indicate purpose or result
In sentence (b), “to find” indicates result.
3 In sentence (d), does “to watch” indicate purpose or result What is the function of “falling”
In sentence (d), “to watch” indicates purpose; ”falling” is an attributive used to describe the snow.
Now look for more sentences with these structures in the reading passage.
1. ..., whom I found all looking through the window at the magic outside and talking away as excited as if Christmas had suddenly come round again.
2. ..., and last year I was out of the country, sweating in hot climate, ...
3. ... with the faintly flushed snow lining its branches and artfully disposed along its trunk, ...
4. ..., and all the trees so many black and threatening shapes.
5. There were indeed something curiously disturbing about the whole prospect.
【语法讲解】
分词的三类用法：
1）分词作定语
现在分词作定语和被修饰词之间为主动关系，表示动作正在进行或经常发生，也可表示特征。例如：the falling leaves = the leaves which are falling；the rising sun = the sun which is rising.
过去分词作定语和被修饰词之间是被动、完成关系，表示动作已经完成或表示特征。例如：the risen sun= the sun which has risen；fallen leaves = leaves which has fallen。
2）分词作状语
分词作状语在句中可以表示时间、条件、原因、结果、让步、方式、伴随等，在这种用法中要注意判断分词和逻辑主语的关系，当分词与句子主语形成逻辑上的主谓关系时，用现在分词。例如：Hearing the news, they got excited. （听到这个消息，他们很兴奋。）当分词与句子主语形成逻辑上的动宾关系时，用过去分词。例如：Taken around the city, we were impressed by the city’s new look.
（参观完这个城市后，我们对它的新面貌印象深刻。）
3）分词作补语（宾语补足语）
常接分词作宾补的动词有感官动词（see，look at，watch，observe，notice，hear，listen to，feel 等），使役动词（have，get等）以及其他类动词（leave，keep，catch，set等），其中，当分词作补语表示动作正在进行，宾语与作补语的分词之间是主动关系时，用现在分词。例如：I saw them playing games on the playground yesterday.（昨天我看见他们在操场上玩游戏。）
当分词作补语表示完成意义的行为或状态，或者宾语与作补语的分词之间是被动关系时，用过去分词。例如：I had my leg broken last week.（上周我的腿摔断了。）
不定式的三类用法：
1）不定式作定语
不定式作定语时，要放在修饰的词语后面。例如：Is this the best way to help him （这是帮助他的最佳方法吗？）
不定式作定语时，与其被修饰的词在逻辑上有主谓关系、动宾关系等。例如：He’s always the first one to get up.（ 他总是第一个起床。）
Please give me something to drink.（请给我点儿喝的。）
当不定式作定语，且与被修饰的词有逻辑上的动宾关系时，不定式动词应该是及物动词；如果不定式动词为不及物动词，则该动词必须与介词连用，组成及物的动词短语。例如：Because the room was very crowded, I needed a tall bench to stand on.（因为房间里很拥挤，我需要一条高板凳站上去。）
He wanted to find a new house to live in.（他想找一所新房子住。）
2）不定式作状语
动词不定式用作状语时，可以表示谓语动作发生的原因、目的、结果。
① He came here to attend an important meeting. （目的）
② Sam was very surprised to hear the news. （原因）
③ He went home to find his old friend George waiting for him. （结果）
3）不定式作补语（宾语补足语）
带to的不定式：
① I'd like you to keep everything tidy.
我希望你能保持每样东西都整洁。
② The teacher asked us to finish the work today.
老师要我们今天完成工作。
③ Can you remind me to phone Ann tomorrow
你能提醒我明天给安打个电话吗？
不带to的不定式：
用于使役动词let、make和have后面
① Her parents wouldn’t let her go out alone. 她父母不会让她独自出门。
② The boss made the workers work 14 hours a day.
老板让工人们每天工作14小时。
③ The teacher often has his students read aloud in class.
老师经常让他的学生在教室里大声读。
用于感官动词一感feel, 二听hear, listen to, 五看see，notice, observe, look at, watch等后面
① I felt something crawl up my arm. 我觉得有个东西顺着手臂往上爬。
② Did you hear him go out 你听到他出去了吗？
③ They saw the boy fall suddenly from the tree.
他们看见那小男孩突然从树上跌下来。
动名词的三类用法：
1）动名词作定语
动名词作定语位于被修饰名词的前面，表示被修饰者的作用或功能。
swimming pool 游泳池 reading material 阅读材料
2）动名词作状语
动名词（短语）可以和about, against, at, before, after, by,f or, besides, from, in, on, upon, without等介词构成短语，在句中作状语，如：
They broke in loud cheers on hearing the news.
She left without saying good-bye to us.
Besides cooking and sewing, she had to take care of the children.
3）动名词作补语（宾语补足语）
动名词作宾语的补语时，就像名词作宾补那样，用来表示宾语“是什么”。如：We call the activity hiking. 我们把这种活动叫做徒步旅行。 动名词用作宾语的补语的情况并不多见。
2
Complete the passage with the correct form of the verbs in brackets.
The Lake Poets were a small group of poets 1____________ (live) in the Lake District of England in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The Lake District, 2____________ (know) for its beauty, is in the north-west of England. The first of the poets 3____________ (come) there was Robert Southey, one of the most 4____________ (respect) poets of his time. He was followed by William Wordsworth, perhaps Britain’s most 5_______________ (celebrate) 19th century poet, and then Samuel Coleridge, who had written the 6____________ (pioneer) work Lyrical Ballads with Wordsworth. Soon, 7____________ (draw) both by its natural beauty and a desire to be near these famous poets, other poets came 8____________ (live) in the Lake District. All of these poets were seen as part of the Romantic Movement.
living
known
to come/coming
respected
celebrated
pioneering
drawn
to live
3
Look at the picture and complete the travel journal entry with the words in the box. Use the structures you have learnt in this unit where appropriate.
Today, whilst walking along a peaceful river running through a university campus, I was amazed to find...
find blow go see fall relax enjoy run
________________________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
4
Work in pairs. Talk about a travel experience of your own that brought you closer to nature, using the structures you have learnt in this unit where appropriate.
1. Talk about the use of non-finite forms as attributive, adverbial and complement.
2. Make some sentences with non-finite forms as attributive, adverbial and complement.(共17张PPT)
Unit 6
Period 5
Writing & Presenting ideas
新 课 导 入
What do you know about poems
课 堂 学 习
1
Read the poems and tick the correct box(es) for each question.
b Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky.
(from "The Star" by Jane Taylor)
c She wore her yellow sun-bonnet,
She wore her greenest gown;
She turned to the south wind
And curtsied up and down.
She turned to the sunlight
And shook her yellow head,
And whispered to her neighbour:
"Winter is dead."
("Daffodowndilly" by A.A. Milne)
Which poem a b c
... use its shape to help convey message
... has rhyming words at the end of the lines
... uses metaphor
... uses simile
... use personification
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
Learning to learn
Rhyme is a typical feature of English poetry. A rhyme is a repetition of similar sounds (or the same sound) in two or more words. Children’s poems, called “nursery rhymes”, usually contain strong rhymes so they are easy to be remembered. In modern poetry, however, features other than rhyme are more important. Lines of modern poetry can be of variable length, the shape of the words on the page is more important, and rhyme is not often used.
2
Think about words and expressions related to nature and add them to the mind map.
3
Work in pairs. Plan a poem. Consider the following:
what your poem will be about
what kind of poem you are going to write
what figures of speech you will use
what words you can use for that rhyme (if using rhyme)
Now write your poem.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
4
Work in pairs. Make improvements to each other’s poems and share them with the class.
Sample:
There once was a boy who thought,
He could eat all the sweets he had bought.
He gobbled them down,
Then started to frown,
'Cause he’d eaten more than he ought.
Now discuss the similarities and differences between Chinese and English poems.
5
Work in groups. Share with each other a book about nature you have read. Consider the following:
What is the theme of your book
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
What is the genre of your book
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
What content will you include in your book
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
What makes your book interesting
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Now plan your own book about nature based on your research. Think about the questions and make notes.
6
Discuss how many chapters the book will have and make a brief table of contents.
Table of Contents
Chapter One _______________________________
Chapter Two _______________________________
Chapter Three ______________________________
Chapter Four _______________________________
7
Think of a catchy title for your book and design a book cover if possible.
8
Prepare a short introduction to the book.
Consider the following:
1 the structure of your introduction
2 useful words, expressions and structures
9
Give your introduction to the class. Vote for the most creative book about nature.
1. How can we write a poem about nature
2. Talk about your own book about nature.(共31张PPT)
Unit 6
Period 1
Starting out & Understanding ideas
课 堂 学 习
Watch the video and answer the questions.
1 What literary forms are mentioned in the video
2 What other nature writers do you know of Tell the class about him or her.
1
Starting out
1 What literary forms are mentioned in the video
Poems, letters, travel journals, essays and novels are the literary forms mentioned in the video.
2 What other nature writers do you know of Tell the class about him or her.
William Wordsworth
Robert Southey
Henry David Thoreau
Listen and read the poem by Emily Dickinson. Answer the questions.
2
1 What images are used to symbolise nature
2 What message does the poem try to convey
3 What does nature mean to you
“Nature” Is What We See
by Emily Dickinson
“Nature” is what we see –
The Hill – the Afternoon –
Squirrel – Eclipse – the Bumble bee –
Nay – Nature is Heaven –
Nature is what we hear –
The Bobolink – the Sea –
Thunder – the Cricket –
Nay – Nature is Harmony –
Nature is what we know –
Yet have no art to say –
So impotent Our Wisdom is
To her Simplicity.
1 What images are used to symbolise nature
2 What message does the poem try to convey
3 What does nature mean to you
Nature is symbolised by simple images of animals (“Squirrel”, “the Bumble bee”, “The Bobolink”, “the Cricket”) and features (“The Hill”, “the Afternoon”, “Eclipse”, “the Sea”, “Thunder”), which are in turn symbolic of the poet’s thoughts and feelings about the simplicity of nature. Nature is also symbolised in a metaphorical sense when it is described as “Heaven” and “Harmony”.
The message of the poem is that although what we see and hear in nature appears to be simple, within that simplicity lie great beauty, mystery and magnificence that humans cannot truly appreciate or capture in their art.
1
Read the short introduction to the author of First Snow and answer the questions.
Understanding ideas
John Boynton Priestley (1894-1984) was born in the English county of Yorkshire, and knew early on that he wanted to become a writer. When World War I broke out, Priestley joined the army, and escaped death on a number of occasions. After the war, he gained a degree from Cambridge University, and then moved to London, where he worked as a freelance writer. During World War II, he presented a weekly radio programme, which became immensely popular. Priestley wrote many successful articles, essays, novels and plays, but is best remembered for his play An Inspector Calls. Priestley loved snow and expressed a desire to live in a country where it often snowed.
1 What careers did Priestley have in his lifetime
Priestly joined the army in World War I before going on to study at Cambridge University. After graduation, he worked as a freelance writer and radio presenter.
2 What kind of person do you think Priestley was
Do more research if necessary.
talented, productive, observant, imaginative, quick-minded
2
Describe snow in your own words. Then read the passage and underline the expressions the author uses to describe the first snow.
First Snow
1 Mr Robert Lynd once said of Jane Austen's characters: “They are people in whose lives a slight fall of snow is an event.” Even at the risk of appearing to this fair and witty reviewer as another Mr Woodhouse, I must insist that last night's fall of snow here was an event. I was nearly as excited about it this morning as the children, whom I found all looking through the window at the magic outside and talking away as excitedly as if Christmas had suddenly come round again. The fact is, however, that the snow was as strange and fascinating to me as it was to them. It is the first fall we have had here this winter, and last year I was out of the country, sweating in a hot climate, during the snowy season, so that it really does seem an age since I saw the ground so fantastically carpeted.
2 The first fall of snow is not only an event but it is a magical event. You go to bed in one kind of world and wake up to find yourself in another quite different, and if this is not magic, then where is it to be found The very secrecy and quietness of the thing makes it more magical.
3 When I got up this morning the world was a cold place of dead white and pale blues. The light that came through the windows was very strange, and it made the familiar business of splashing and shaving and brushing and dressing very strange too. Then the sun came out, and by the time I had sat down to breakfast it was shining bravely and flushing the snow with delicate pinks. The dining-room window had been transformed into a lovely Japanese print. The little plum tree outside, with the faintly flushed snow lining its branches and artfully disposed along its trunk, stood in full sunlight.
4 An hour or two later everything was a cold sparkle of white and blue. The world had completely changed again. The little Japanese prints had all disappeared. I looked out of my study window, over the garden, the field, to the low hills beyond, and the ground went on and on, the sky was thick grey, and all the trees so many black and threatening shapes. There was indeed something curiously disturbing about the whole prospect. It was as if our kindly countryside, close to the very heart of England, had been turned into a cruel grassland. At any moment, it seemed, a body of horsemen might be seen breaking out from the black trees, so many weapons might be heard and some distant spot of snow be reddened. It was that kind of landscape.
5 Now it has changed again. The glare has gone and no touch of the disturbing remains. But the snow is falling heavily, in great soft flakes, so that you can hardly see across the shallow valley, and the roofs are thick and the trees all bending, and the weathercock of the village church, still to be seen through the grey loaded air, has become some creature out of Hans Andersen. From my study, which is apart from the house and faces it, I can see the children flattening their noses against the window, and there is running through my head a rhyme I used to repeat when I was a child and fattened my nose against the cold window to watch the falling snow:
Snow, snow faster:
White alabaster!
Killing geese in Scotland,
Sending feathers here!
(Adaptation from First Snow by John Boynton Priestley)
Read the passage and underline the expressions the author uses to describe the first snow
The expressions used by the author to describe the first snow: an event, so fantastically carpeted, a magical event, a cold place of dead white and pale blues, faintly flushed, artfully disposed, a cold sparkle of white and blue, falling heavily, in great soft flakes...
Choose the author’s purpose in writing the passage and give your reasons.
3
1 By describing the magical scenery of the first snow, the author encourages readers to come to England and experience its beauty for themselves.
2 By depicting the beautiful, near-magical scenery of the first snow, the author wants to convey his love for snow.
3 By recalling his memories as a child during the first snow, the author expresses his longing for the innocent happiness of childhood.
The author uses picturesque language to depict the first plete the diagram with the expressions you have underlined in the passage.
4
Answers:
1 cold place of dead white and pale blues
2 delicate pinks
3 a lovely Japanese print
4 lining its branches and artfully disposed along its trunk
5 cold sparkle of white and blue
6 went on and on
7 thick grey
8 so many black and threatening shapes
9 like a cruel grassland
10 falling heavily, in great soft flakes
11 thick
12 all bending
Now work in pairs and talk about how the author organises the structure of the passage. Then talk about the main idea of each paragraph.
First Snow
The snow was fascinating.
Paragraphs 3-5
Description of the scenery of the snow
Paragraphs 1-2
Introduction of the snow
The first snow is a magical event.
The snow made the world dead white and pale blues.
The world is full of a cold sparkle of white and blue.
The snow was falling heavily
1 Why does the author mention Jane Austen at the beginning of the passage
2 What images does the author use to enhance the description of snow
3 What other literary works about snow do you know Share them with the class.
4 Have you encountered any difficulties in understanding this passage Can you use visualisation to better understand the passage
Think & Share
1 Why does the author mention Jane Austen at the beginning of the passage
2 What images does the author use to enhance the description of snow
3 What other literary works about snow do you know Share them with the class.
4 Have you encountered any difficulties in understanding this passage Can you use visualisation to better understand the passage
By referencing the characters of Jane Austen, who is known for her witty, perceptive observations of early 19th century English country life, the author is emphasising the irony and self-awareness with which he goes on to make his statement about the first snow.
Images used by the author to enhance the description of snow: a cold place of dead white and pale blues, flushing the snow with delicate pinks, a cold sparkle of white and blue, falling heavily, in great soft flakes…
1. Mr Robert Lynd once said of Jane Austen's characters: “They are people in whose lives a slight fall of snow is an event.”
罗伯特·林德先生曾这样评论过简·奥斯汀笔下的人物：“在这些人的生命里，场场小雪皆是大事。”
(1) in whose引导定语从句，修饰先行词people。
(2) event意为“（重要、有意思或不寻常的）事件”
e.g. This election is the main event of this year.
这次选举是今年的主要事件。
Language points
2. Even at the risk of appearing to this fair and witty reviewer as another Mr Woodhouse, I must insist that last night's fall of snow here was an event. 在这位公正睿智的评论家面前，即便是冒着让自己看起来像伍德豪斯先生那样的风险，我也得坚持说：“昨晚这儿的那场雪是件大事。”
(1) “that last night’s fall of snow here was an event”为宾语从句。
(2) insist意为“坚决认为”，后接that从句，从句常用陈述语气。
e.g. She insisted that she was right. 她坚决认为自己是正确的。
insist还可以表示“坚持主张，坚决要求”，后接that从句，从句常用 should型的虚拟语气。
e.g. Jane insisted that he should be present. Jane坚持要他出席。
3. I was nearly as excited about it this morning as the children, whom I found all looking through the window at the magic outside and talking away as excitedly as if Christmas had suddenly come round again.
对于这场雪，我今早近乎像孩子们那样兴奋。孩子们透过窗子看着外面奇妙的世界，兴奋地说个不停,就像圣诞节突然又要来了一般。
whom引导定语从句，修饰children；“as if Christmas had suddenly come round again”本句中用了虚拟语气。
4. The fact is, however, that the snow was as strange and fascinating to me as it was to them.
事实上，这场雪于我而言，也是同样的奇异，同样的迷人。
that引导表语从句，第二个as引导比较状语从句。
5. It is the first fall we have had here this winter, and last year I was out of the country, sweating in a hot climate, during the snowy season, so that it really does seem an age since I saw the ground so fantastically carpeted. 这是今年冬天我们在这里的第一场雪，而在去年的雪季，我身在异国，在酷热的天气里汗流不止，所以离我上次欣赏到这银装素裏的世界，着实过了些时日了。
“we have had here this winter”为定语从句，修饰先行词fall；so that 引导结果状语从句，does其强调作用；since引导时间状语从句。
6. You go to bed in one kind of world and wake up to find yourself in another quite different, and if this is not magic, then where is it to be found
入睡时，世界是一个模样，醒来则是完全不同的另一番模样，若非有魔力，如何才能这般
(1) 补充完整后的前半句为“You go to bed in one kind of world and wake up to find yourself in another quite different world”；
(2) if引导条件状语从句，句中this指代前半句You go to bed in one kind of world and wake up to find yourself in another quite different的内容；
(3) it指代magic。
7. When I got up this morning the world was a cold place of dead white and pale blues. 今早我起床时，世界是一片寂然的白色与浅淡的蓝色， 到处清清冷冷。
When引导时间状语从句。
8. The light that came through the windows was very strange, and it made the familiar business of splashing and shaving and brushing and dressing very strange too.
窗子透进来的光线很是怪异，使得洗脸、刮胡子、刷牙、 穿衣服这些熟悉的日常行为也显得离奇古怪。
that引导定语从句，修饰先行词light。
9. Then the sun came out, and by the time I had sat down to breakfast it was shining bravely and flushing the snow with delicate pinks.
接着太阳出来了，等到我坐下来吃早餐时，太阳的光彩已是绚烂夺目，给雪地添了一抹柔和的粉红色。
(1) by the time引导时间状语从句；
(2) bravely是副词，修饰shining；flush是动词，意为“（使）发红”，与shine并列，一起描述阳光洒下的情形，这两个词生动地描写了阳光的状态，将阳光拟人化，体现了它的明媚、耀眼；delicate是形容词，意为“柔和的，淡雅的”，修饰pinks，delicate pinks 表示“淡粉红色”。
10. The little plum tree outside, with the faintly flushed snow lining its branches and artfully disposed along its trunk, stood in full sunlight.
在阳光的普照之下，屋外的李子树的树干和枝丫被淡粉的积雪精致巧妙地装点着。
with的复合结构作伴随状语。
11. It was as if our kindly countryside, close to the very heart of England, had been turned into a cruel grassland. 就好像我们这个靠近英格兰中心位置的亲切小乡村变成了暴躁的草原。
(1) as if引导表语从句，从句内容不是真实的情况，故用虚拟语气。
(2) “close to the very heart of England”是插入语，修饰countryside，指出它的具体方位，即“靠近英格兰的中心”。这样的描写加强了气氛的渲染，使读者更加清楚地感受到countryside原本的样子。
12. At any moment, it seemed, a body of horsemen might be seen breaking out from the black trees, so many weapons might be heard and some distant spot of snow be reddened. 仿佛随时可能看见一群骑兵从黑黝黝的树丛中冲出，可能听见武器的交错响声，最后好像看见远处的白雪一点点被血液染红。
(1) at any moment 随时
e.g. But things may change at any moment.
但情况可能随时有变化。
(2) “a body of horsemen might be seen breaking out from the black trees, so many weapons might be heard and some distant spot of snow be reddened”为主语从句。
13. But the snow is falling heavily, in great soft flakes, so that you can hardly see across the shallow valley, and the roofs are thick and the trees all bending, and the weathercock of the village church, still to be seen through the grey loaded air, has become some creature out of Hans Andersen. 大片柔软的雪花铺天盖地地飘落，遮挡了你的视线，让你几乎看不到浅浅的山谷，屋项上存了厚厚的雪，树木被压得弯下腰来，村庄教堂的风信鸡在灰蒙蒙的空气中依稀可见，像是从安徒生童话里走出来的活物。
(1)作者使用了许多形容词和副词描写雪景。作者用falling heavily，in great soft flakes 描写雪的形态；用 the roofs are thick，the trees all bending 描写雪后的场景；用hardly see across the shallow valley，the grey loaded air描写这是一大雪；用Hans Andersen 笔下的生物借代描写教堂上风信鸡的美与奇，描绘出一个雪后的童话世界。
(2) so that引导结果状语从句。
14. From my study, which is apart from the house and faces it, I can see the children flattening their noses against the window, and there is running through my head a rhyme I used to repeat when I was a child and fattened my nose against the cold window to watch the falling snow: ...
我的书房是和房子独立开来的，书房在房子的对面。从书房看去，可以看到孩子们把鼻子抵在窗户上看雪的样子，我的脑海里出现了一首儿歌，那是我小时候将鼻子抵在冰凉的窗户上看雪时会一直重复哼着的歌：……
which引导非限制性定语从句；“I used to repeat”为定语从句，修饰rhyme；when引导时间状语从句。
Retelling First Snow
First Snow
The snow was fascinating.
Paragraphs 3-5
Description of the scenery of the snow
Paragraphs 1-2
Introduction of the snow
The first snow is a magical event.
The snow made the world dead white and pale blues.
The world is full of a cold sparkle of white and blue.
The snow was falling heavily(共17张PPT)
Unit 6
Period 3
Listening and Speaking
新 课 导 入
What words or expressions will you use to describe nature
课 堂 学 习
1
Read the paragraph and answer the questions. Pay attention to the words in bold.
There is no month in the whole year in which nature wears a more beautiful appearance than in the month of August. Spring has many beauties, and May is a fresh and blooming month, but the charms of this time of year are enhanced by their contrast with the winter season. August has no such advantage. It comes when we remember nothing but clear skies, green fields, and sweet-smelling flowers - when the memory of snow, and ice, and bleak winds, has faded from our minds as completely as they have disappeared from the earth - and yet what a pleasant time it is!
Orchards and fields sing with the sound of work; trees bend beneath the thick clusters of rich fruit which bow their branches to the ground; and the wheat, piled in graceful sheaves, or waving in every gentle wind that sweeps above it, tinges the landscape with a golden colour. A soft, pleasant light appears to hang over the whole earth; the influence of the season seems to extend itself even to a passing wagon, whose slow motion across the well-reaped field is seen by the eye, but makes no loud noises upon the ear.
(Adaptation from The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens)
1 What does this paragraph mainly describe
2 What aspects does the author describe
This paragraph mainly describes the beautiful appearance in the month of August.
The author describes the skies, fields, flowers, orchards, trees, wheat and the quality of the light.
2
Put the words into the boxes. Find out what they are used to describe.
Colour
Sound
loud
fresh, blooming, clear, green, sweet-smelling, bleak, bend, thick clusters, rich, bow, piled, graceful sheaves, waving, gentle, sweeps, tinges, golden, soft, pleasant, makes, loud
clear, green, rich, golden
Shape
Smell
Action
blooming, bend, bow, piled, waving, sweeps, tinges, makes
Sensation
thick clusters, graceful sheaves
fresh, sweet-smelling
fresh, bleak, gentle, soft, pleasant
Now think of more words in each category and add them to the boxes. Then describe nature during your favourite season with the words you have learnt.
Open a dictionary, and you’ll be surprised to find that
there are many more words about nature than you would
think. There are various ways to describe the things we
see in the natural world, no matter whether it's a flower,
an animal or the rain. For example, there are many ways
to describe the different sounds of birds, such as chatter,
chirp, cluck, hoot and tweet These words can help us to
write vivid descriptions of nature.
Did You Know
3
Listen to the conversation and answer the questions.
1 What book was the man reading
2 Why was the man annoyed
3 What was the girl’s opinion
The man was reading a book called Landmarks.
Many words describing nature were now missing from the new version of junior dictionary.
Computers play a large part in our lives. Social media is as normal to young people as pasture to the old.
4
Listen to the conversation again and correct the mistakes in the man’s blog.
Recently I was reading a book called Landmarks by Robert Macfarlane. What the author wrote made me feel confused. He said that many words describing nature were being added to the new version of the junior dictionary. These are words like “pasture” and “bluebell”. A “pasture” is a dense forest for cows and horses to eat. “Bluebells” are fruit shaped like bells. The reason why they are doing this is that they think these words are irrelevant to children, so instead they’ve replaced them with terms like “film”. Perhaps the dictionary does have a point, because most children don’t get out into nature that much nowadays. They spend all their time watching TV instead. But it’s a pity. In my opinion, these words form part of our literature. They add colour to our lives, and shouldn’t be lost. My granddaughter has the same opinion as me. She says we are losing old words all the time. And as times change, old words become as normal to young people as the new ones are to me.
Answers:
1 "annoyed" instead of "confused"
2 "now missing from" instead of "being added to"
3 "field of grass" instead of "dense forest"
4 "blue flowers" instead of "fruit"
5 "blog" instead of "film"
6 "on computers" instead of "watching TV"
7 "history" instead of "literature"
8 "a different opinion from" instead of "the same opinion as"
9 "new words become as normal to young people as the old ones are to me" instead of "old words become as normal to young people as the new ones are to me"
Now work in pairs and act out the conversation.
5
Complete the boxes with the expressions from the conversation.
... such as... The main reason...
..., for instance. Two reasons, I think.
Consider...
Giving explanations
Giving examples
... such as... ..., for instance.
The main reason... Two reasons, I think.
Consider...
6
Work in pairs. Talk about your opinions of the issue discussed in Activity 5 using the expressions in this section.
Now think about your performance. Have you actively participated in the discussion What can you do to improve your performance
1. Talk about some words and expressions that used to describe nature.
2. Talk about some expressions about giving examples and giving explanations.
