Unit 12 Reflections on Life
Teaching Aims,
In this unit students are required to,
1) get to know some useful information concerning the topic of the reading passages in this unit and to know more about English culture;
2) do some preparation activities such as discussion,group work,etc,to practice their spoken skill and communicative skills;
3) grasp some new words and try to use these words which help them to enrich their vocabulary;
4)read the in-class reading passage in a limited time and grasp some expressions and grammatical points in the in-class reading passage to improve their reading comprehension;
5) do some post-reading exercises and some after-class reading to practice what they have got to know in class to improve their English comprehensive skills.;
6) translate some typical sentences into Chinese or English by using some expressions learned in the reading passages to acquire some translating skills and better their translating abilities.
I,Useful Information
One of the most well-known sculptures in the world is called,The Thinker”,It was created by the French sculptor,Auguste Rodin,in the late 1800s,It shows a strong,powerful man sitting with his elbow propped on his knee and his chin in his hand,This sculpture is both an illustration of Rene Descartes’ famous affirmation,I think,therefore I am” and a portrayal of a man captured in a moment of deep thought,The capacity to think and to reflect is unique to humans,Rodin’s sculpture symbolizes the essence of mankind.
There are many types of thought processes including deductive and inductive reasoning,contemplation,meditation,and daydreaming,Reflection usually implies careful and deliberate thinking about actions,events or experiences,Most people take time to reflect before doing something really important or to analyze significant events in their past.
II,Preparation
Where Does Your Mind Fly?
Directions,Work in groups to discuss the questions.
Do you often daydream? Exchange your daydreams with your group members.
Sample
I’ve daydreamed of having a plane so that I can fly around the world;
I’ve daydreamed of winning a lottery;
I’ve daydreamed that one day the world may stop revolving;
I’ve daydreamed of being a successful businessman;
I’ve daydreamed of becoming the president of the country;
I’ve daydreamed of being a prominent scientist and giving lectures to thousands of people.
III,Reading-Centered Activities
Pre-Reading
Directions,Discuss the three questions in pairs：
How did you feel when you entered college and started a new life?
Have you thought carefully about your past and your future? Do you think this kind of thinking is necessary in life?
Do you think you know yourself?
Sample 1
I felt I was having a brand-new start,Life was different as I was beginning to live in a totally different surrounding and meet a lot of new people,Many things were strange at first and I believed I would adjust to the new life quickly.
Sample 2
Yes,I have thought carefully about my past and my future,I think it is absolutely necessary to think about them because by doing so we can learn from our past experiences and profit from our mistakes,And we can set goals and make plans for the future,It will help us to avoid making mistakes and to have a brighter future.
Sample 3
Sometimes I think I know myself quite well,but sometimes not,It is difficult to analyze oneself,We may behave differently in different circumstances,That is why I think it is difficult,or to be more exact,impossible to say what kind of person I am.
Passage Reading,A Diary of the Century
Words,Phrases and Grammatical Points
1.should （用在某些从句中，表示惊讶、不以为然等情绪，有时译为,竟然”）
e.g,It seems so unfair that this should happen to me.
It wasn’t right that such near neighbours should not know one another.
It is natural that you should forget it first.
2.judging from…从…来看，根据…判断
e.g,judging from his appearances/ his conduct/ my observation
Judging from what you say,he ought to succeed
Judging from the number of cars,he thought,there were not many people at the club yet.
to judge from
I judge from his manner that he is innocent.我由他的态度评定他无罪。
to judge by 以…来判断
Don’t judge a man by his looks,by his words.勿以容貌、言语评断人。
I judge by his dress that he is a man of means.我从他的衣服判断，他是有钱/富有的人。
3.to breed (bred,bred)
1)give birth to young繁殖，养殖
e.g,Birds breed in the spring.
Many farmers breed cows and sheep.
Some animals will not breed when kept in cages.
2)educate,bring up教养，培养，使长大
e.g,He is a countryman born and bred,and he doesn’t like big cities.
Northern countries breed people who can live cold weather.
3)be the cause of产生，造成
e.g,This will breed trouble for all of us.
Careless driving breeds accidents.
4.compared with
e.g,Compared with what he had already,the new stamps were not very interesting.
They considered this speech mild compared with his former ones.
Compared to
Compared to many women,she was indeed very fortunate.
5,while
1) although( put it at the beginning of a sentence)
While they are my neighbors,I don’t know them well.
While I like the color of the hat,I don’t like its shape.
2) whereas,but
I have no money to spend,while you have nothing to spend money on.
Some people waste food while others haven’t enough.
While their country has plenty of oil,ours has none.
3) during the time that..
We must strike while the iron is hot.
Make hay while the sun shines.
He fell asleep while(he was) reading his book.
4) as long as
While there is life there is hope.
6,to be confronted with/by,be faced with
e.g,When confronted with the evidence of her quilt,she confessed.
As soon as he was confronted with the evidence,he admitted his quilt.
to confront sb with sth/sb; make sb face or consider sb/sth unpleasant/ difficult出现在…面前，…前面的（以任务困难作主语）
The next big issue confronting the workers is the question of wages.
Another urgent problem confronting the new kingdom was that of the education of its citizens.
7.to be optimistic about对…乐观的
e.g,He was optimistic about the future of mankind.
The stockholders are optimistic about the company’s future.
She is not optimistic about the outcome.
to be pessimistic about sth 对…悲观的
He is pessimistic about the future of his country.
8.to let alone; without considering,not to mention更不用说
e.g,He won’t even thank you,let alone pay you.
We have no hospital,let alone an isolation ward.
He hasn’t enough money for food,let alone amusements.
let /leave sb/ sth alone,not interfere with 别打扰/别管/别理
I think we should leave her alone for the moment at least.
Some people can never let things alone.
1)to solve or settle/deal with(problems,doubts etc)解决，消除
To resolve an argument/a difficulty/a crisis解决争端/解决困难/解决危机
This book will resolve all your difficulties.
His letter resolved all our doubts.
2) to decide firmly,determine决心，决定
Have you resolved where to go next?
He resolved to do better work in the future.
3) to make a decision by a formal vote表决，决议
It was resolved that our school (should) have a lunch room.
to resolve sth into分为，分解，解析
Water can be resolved into hydrogen and oxygen.
The chemist resolved the mixture into different parts.
10,now that,because (sth has happened); because of the fact that既然，因为（引起原因状语从句，不表示直接原因，只是用来说明一种情况。要表示直接原因，需用because,since,as.)
e.g,Now that you have come you may as well stay.
Now that you are well again,you can travel.
Now that we are alone,we can speak freely.
11,regardless of,paying no attention to sb/sth,worrying about
regardless of the consequences/ danger/expense不顾后果/危险/代价
e.g,He continued speaking,regardless of my feelings on the matter.
He bought her what she wanted,regardless of the expenses.
12,early on; at an early time; soon after the start of an event在初期，开始不久
e.g,I knew early on in the film that was not going to enjoy it.电影一开演我就知道我不会喜欢这部电影的。
I realized early on I couldn’t become a good teacher.
13,to lose touch with,to lose contact with; to be/get out of touch with
e.g,I don’t want to lose touch with you.
I used to see him quite often but we have lost touch with each other.
The pilot lost touch with the control tower.
to keep in touch with
to get in touch with
to come /draw to the end to an end; finish
The year was drawing to end.
to come to a climax达到高潮
to come to a conclusion/decision
to come to a stop停顿/停下来
IV Post-Reading
1,Question for Group Discussion：
1）Do you agree that curiosity is important for success? If so,why?
2) Do you agree that,it is the differences among people that make them interesting?” Explain your answer.
Possible answers:
1) Yes,I think curiosity is important for success,Curiosity means that you are eager to know about things,people or places,If you are curious,you will ask and you will always try to increase your knowledge,To become successful,to reach your goals,you have to think of improving yourself all the time.
2) Yes.
If everybody in society were exactly the same,it would be a very boring world;
Friends usually have many things in common,but often it is because of their differences that they get along well.
I am an energetic extrovert but my best friend is a quiet,thoughtful person,It is because we are different that we enjoy doing things together;
Society needs people with all kinds of talents and personalities;
Different people see things and do things differently and add depth and richness to life.
2,Translation
When he returned to his office,he was confronted with an enormous pile of work.
The captain of this football team scored two wonderful goals early on in the game.
Provided they are fit,I don’t know why they won’t go on playing for another three or four years.
In emergencies he can still make sound judgments.
While I admit that there are problems,I don’t agree that they cannot be solved.
He went on listening to her,at times impatient and at times fascinated.
We must find a way to resolve these problems before it is too late.
Parents cannot always have the school of their choice for their children.
3,Writing
Write s composition on,the virtues of being young and being old”,Your composition should be no less than 100words,Remember to write neatly.
The Virtue of Being Young and Being Old
Sample 1
Man’s youth is a wonderful thing,We are always trying to find methods to keep ourselves young forever,When you compliment someone on his young appearance,he will feel proud and happy,Why is youth so magical? It’s because youth is the bright and colorful scenery of life,Young people have glorious ideas and struggle to attain them,They have energy,time and all the optimism in the world,Youth is a time for fulfilling dreams,Thinking back on one’s youth will bring the finest memories.
Being old is also wonderful,The aged are respected by society,They have experience so people turn to them when they are in trouble or when they need advice,Old people are a source of knowledge and experience for the young.
Being young,we must take every opportunity to improve ourselves so that when we are old,we will have no regrets about our youth.
Sample 2
Life is strange,When you are young,you can’t understand the meaning of life,But when you are old,you can see life more clearly,There are many differences between young people and old people.
Yong people have a good memory,They can learn lots of things,Youth is the most important time of a man’s life,Young people are vigorous and energetic,but they are impulsive and lack experience,They face challenges with passion and often have to recover from disappointing failures.
The advantage of being old is that your strength is your experience,You can do things quickly without too much energy or vigor,The most important virtue of old people is that they can teach the young how to do things well.
Teaching Aims,
In this unit students are required to,
1) get to know some useful information concerning the topic of the reading passages in this unit and to know more about English culture;
2) do some preparation activities such as discussion,group work,etc,to practice their spoken skill and communicative skills;
3) grasp some new words and try to use these words which help them to enrich their vocabulary;
4)read the in-class reading passage in a limited time and grasp some expressions and grammatical points in the in-class reading passage to improve their reading comprehension;
5) do some post-reading exercises and some after-class reading to practice what they have got to know in class to improve their English comprehensive skills.;
6) translate some typical sentences into Chinese or English by using some expressions learned in the reading passages to acquire some translating skills and better their translating abilities.
I,Useful Information
One of the most well-known sculptures in the world is called,The Thinker”,It was created by the French sculptor,Auguste Rodin,in the late 1800s,It shows a strong,powerful man sitting with his elbow propped on his knee and his chin in his hand,This sculpture is both an illustration of Rene Descartes’ famous affirmation,I think,therefore I am” and a portrayal of a man captured in a moment of deep thought,The capacity to think and to reflect is unique to humans,Rodin’s sculpture symbolizes the essence of mankind.
There are many types of thought processes including deductive and inductive reasoning,contemplation,meditation,and daydreaming,Reflection usually implies careful and deliberate thinking about actions,events or experiences,Most people take time to reflect before doing something really important or to analyze significant events in their past.
II,Preparation
Where Does Your Mind Fly?
Directions,Work in groups to discuss the questions.
Do you often daydream? Exchange your daydreams with your group members.
Sample
I’ve daydreamed of having a plane so that I can fly around the world;
I’ve daydreamed of winning a lottery;
I’ve daydreamed that one day the world may stop revolving;
I’ve daydreamed of being a successful businessman;
I’ve daydreamed of becoming the president of the country;
I’ve daydreamed of being a prominent scientist and giving lectures to thousands of people.
III,Reading-Centered Activities
Pre-Reading
Directions,Discuss the three questions in pairs：
How did you feel when you entered college and started a new life?
Have you thought carefully about your past and your future? Do you think this kind of thinking is necessary in life?
Do you think you know yourself?
Sample 1
I felt I was having a brand-new start,Life was different as I was beginning to live in a totally different surrounding and meet a lot of new people,Many things were strange at first and I believed I would adjust to the new life quickly.
Sample 2
Yes,I have thought carefully about my past and my future,I think it is absolutely necessary to think about them because by doing so we can learn from our past experiences and profit from our mistakes,And we can set goals and make plans for the future,It will help us to avoid making mistakes and to have a brighter future.
Sample 3
Sometimes I think I know myself quite well,but sometimes not,It is difficult to analyze oneself,We may behave differently in different circumstances,That is why I think it is difficult,or to be more exact,impossible to say what kind of person I am.
Passage Reading,A Diary of the Century
Words,Phrases and Grammatical Points
1.should （用在某些从句中，表示惊讶、不以为然等情绪，有时译为,竟然”）
e.g,It seems so unfair that this should happen to me.
It wasn’t right that such near neighbours should not know one another.
It is natural that you should forget it first.
2.judging from…从…来看，根据…判断
e.g,judging from his appearances/ his conduct/ my observation
Judging from what you say,he ought to succeed
Judging from the number of cars,he thought,there were not many people at the club yet.
to judge from
I judge from his manner that he is innocent.我由他的态度评定他无罪。
to judge by 以…来判断
Don’t judge a man by his looks,by his words.勿以容貌、言语评断人。
I judge by his dress that he is a man of means.我从他的衣服判断，他是有钱/富有的人。
3.to breed (bred,bred)
1)give birth to young繁殖，养殖
e.g,Birds breed in the spring.
Many farmers breed cows and sheep.
Some animals will not breed when kept in cages.
2)educate,bring up教养，培养，使长大
e.g,He is a countryman born and bred,and he doesn’t like big cities.
Northern countries breed people who can live cold weather.
3)be the cause of产生，造成
e.g,This will breed trouble for all of us.
Careless driving breeds accidents.
4.compared with
e.g,Compared with what he had already,the new stamps were not very interesting.
They considered this speech mild compared with his former ones.
Compared to
Compared to many women,she was indeed very fortunate.
5,while
1) although( put it at the beginning of a sentence)
While they are my neighbors,I don’t know them well.
While I like the color of the hat,I don’t like its shape.
2) whereas,but
I have no money to spend,while you have nothing to spend money on.
Some people waste food while others haven’t enough.
While their country has plenty of oil,ours has none.
3) during the time that..
We must strike while the iron is hot.
Make hay while the sun shines.
He fell asleep while(he was) reading his book.
4) as long as
While there is life there is hope.
6,to be confronted with/by,be faced with
e.g,When confronted with the evidence of her quilt,she confessed.
As soon as he was confronted with the evidence,he admitted his quilt.
to confront sb with sth/sb; make sb face or consider sb/sth unpleasant/ difficult出现在…面前，…前面的（以任务困难作主语）
The next big issue confronting the workers is the question of wages.
Another urgent problem confronting the new kingdom was that of the education of its citizens.
7.to be optimistic about对…乐观的
e.g,He was optimistic about the future of mankind.
The stockholders are optimistic about the company’s future.
She is not optimistic about the outcome.
to be pessimistic about sth 对…悲观的
He is pessimistic about the future of his country.
8.to let alone; without considering,not to mention更不用说
e.g,He won’t even thank you,let alone pay you.
We have no hospital,let alone an isolation ward.
He hasn’t enough money for food,let alone amusements.
let /leave sb/ sth alone,not interfere with 别打扰/别管/别理
I think we should leave her alone for the moment at least.
Some people can never let things alone.
1)to solve or settle/deal with(problems,doubts etc)解决，消除
To resolve an argument/a difficulty/a crisis解决争端/解决困难/解决危机
This book will resolve all your difficulties.
His letter resolved all our doubts.
2) to decide firmly,determine决心，决定
Have you resolved where to go next?
He resolved to do better work in the future.
3) to make a decision by a formal vote表决，决议
It was resolved that our school (should) have a lunch room.
to resolve sth into分为，分解，解析
Water can be resolved into hydrogen and oxygen.
The chemist resolved the mixture into different parts.
10,now that,because (sth has happened); because of the fact that既然，因为（引起原因状语从句，不表示直接原因，只是用来说明一种情况。要表示直接原因，需用because,since,as.)
e.g,Now that you have come you may as well stay.
Now that you are well again,you can travel.
Now that we are alone,we can speak freely.
11,regardless of,paying no attention to sb/sth,worrying about
regardless of the consequences/ danger/expense不顾后果/危险/代价
e.g,He continued speaking,regardless of my feelings on the matter.
He bought her what she wanted,regardless of the expenses.
12,early on; at an early time; soon after the start of an event在初期，开始不久
e.g,I knew early on in the film that was not going to enjoy it.电影一开演我就知道我不会喜欢这部电影的。
I realized early on I couldn’t become a good teacher.
13,to lose touch with,to lose contact with; to be/get out of touch with
e.g,I don’t want to lose touch with you.
I used to see him quite often but we have lost touch with each other.
The pilot lost touch with the control tower.
to keep in touch with
to get in touch with
to come /draw to the end to an end; finish
The year was drawing to end.
to come to a climax达到高潮
to come to a conclusion/decision
to come to a stop停顿/停下来
IV Post-Reading
1,Question for Group Discussion：
1）Do you agree that curiosity is important for success? If so,why?
2) Do you agree that,it is the differences among people that make them interesting?” Explain your answer.
Possible answers:
1) Yes,I think curiosity is important for success,Curiosity means that you are eager to know about things,people or places,If you are curious,you will ask and you will always try to increase your knowledge,To become successful,to reach your goals,you have to think of improving yourself all the time.
2) Yes.
If everybody in society were exactly the same,it would be a very boring world;
Friends usually have many things in common,but often it is because of their differences that they get along well.
I am an energetic extrovert but my best friend is a quiet,thoughtful person,It is because we are different that we enjoy doing things together;
Society needs people with all kinds of talents and personalities;
Different people see things and do things differently and add depth and richness to life.
2,Translation
When he returned to his office,he was confronted with an enormous pile of work.
The captain of this football team scored two wonderful goals early on in the game.
Provided they are fit,I don’t know why they won’t go on playing for another three or four years.
In emergencies he can still make sound judgments.
While I admit that there are problems,I don’t agree that they cannot be solved.
He went on listening to her,at times impatient and at times fascinated.
We must find a way to resolve these problems before it is too late.
Parents cannot always have the school of their choice for their children.
3,Writing
Write s composition on,the virtues of being young and being old”,Your composition should be no less than 100words,Remember to write neatly.
The Virtue of Being Young and Being Old
Sample 1
Man’s youth is a wonderful thing,We are always trying to find methods to keep ourselves young forever,When you compliment someone on his young appearance,he will feel proud and happy,Why is youth so magical? It’s because youth is the bright and colorful scenery of life,Young people have glorious ideas and struggle to attain them,They have energy,time and all the optimism in the world,Youth is a time for fulfilling dreams,Thinking back on one’s youth will bring the finest memories.
Being old is also wonderful,The aged are respected by society,They have experience so people turn to them when they are in trouble or when they need advice,Old people are a source of knowledge and experience for the young.
Being young,we must take every opportunity to improve ourselves so that when we are old,we will have no regrets about our youth.
Sample 2
Life is strange,When you are young,you can’t understand the meaning of life,But when you are old,you can see life more clearly,There are many differences between young people and old people.
Yong people have a good memory,They can learn lots of things,Youth is the most important time of a man’s life,Young people are vigorous and energetic,but they are impulsive and lack experience,They face challenges with passion and often have to recover from disappointing failures.
The advantage of being old is that your strength is your experience,You can do things quickly without too much energy or vigor,The most important virtue of old people is that they can teach the young how to do things well.
