Unit 7  Unit Seven I. Teaching aims: 1) to learn the new words and expressions 2) to improve reading skills 3) to analyze the structure of the text II. Focus of teaching: 1) Key words: overwhelm, react, excess, attribute, emphasis, independent, stimulate, priority, deadline, dimensional, consequence, loyal, hazard, discharge, deny, schedule, indispensable, means 2) Key phrases and expressions: be out of control, blow one’s top, on one’s trail, cut down, keep sth. in mind, suffer from, at risk, tend to do sth., escape from, devote to, come in III. Teaching steps First period: Text A Lighten Your Load and Save Your Life I. Introduction Health, one of our most precious gifts, should never be taken for granted or abused. But in the world we live in, that is much more easily said than done. In this unit we learn how stress, out of control, can kill and then we are given some advice we can use to help us take charge of our reactions to life events. Also, we learn how it is possible to work so hard and long, that work seems like a drug which controls our lives. And, finally, we get to take a stress test to learn how well we handle stress right now in our lives. Taking care of our health so that we can live our lives fully is a lesson we need to learn well early in life. II. Language Points 1. like: conj. in the same manner as e.g. Do you make bread like/as you make cake? Like/as I said, I can’t get there on Saturday. 2. overwhelm: vt. 1) (of feelings) make sb. completely helpless, usu. suddenly e.g. He was overwhelmed with grief at the news of his son’s death in accident. The whole nation was overwhelmed with excitement because of its victory in bidding for hosting the 2008 Olympic Games. 2) defeat e.g. They were overwhelmed by the enemy. The policeman overwhelmed the robber by holding his arm. 3. spin: 1) vi. turn around and around quickly e.g. The coin spun on the table for a moment. I feel faint and the room is spinning. 2) vt. make sth. go round e.g. I used to sit in Grandpa’s study, spinning the globe and dreaming of the places I would visit. 3) n. a fast turning and spinning motion e.g. Place your bets before the spin of the wheel. Suddenly, the plane went into a spin. 4. out of (one’s) control beyond (one’s) control under control 5. take charge of: take control of (a situation, organization, or a group of people) e.g. Please take charge of my dog while I’m away. She took charge of the family business when her father died. 6. So says Dr. Robert S. Eliot, … It’s an inverted sentence. The normal order is: Dr. Robert S. Eliot … says so. e.g. So goes the story. 故事如此云云。 7. tense: a. 1) feeling very nervous and worried because of sth. bad that might happen e.g. He read the letter with a tense anxiety. The environment in the hospital waiting room was very tense. 2) unable to relax (part of) one’s body because one’s muscles feel tight e.g. After a long day’s driving I always feel very tanse. You cannot play the piano properly if your fingers are too tense. ※ 8. among other things: used to say that you are only mentioning one or two things out of a much larger group e.g. At the meting they discussed, among other things, recent events in Eastern Europe. 会上他们讨论了有关东欧最近发生的事情和其他一些事情。 She’s very keen on sport: among other things, she plays tennis twice a week. 她非常喜爱体育运动:除了其他活动外,她每星期打两次网球。 9. excess: 1) a. additional and not wanted or needed because there is already enough of sth. e.g. If you take more luggage than is allowed, you will have to pay for the excess luggage. The fat man went on a diet to get rid of his excess weight. 2) n. an amount that is more than what is needed or wanted; an act of doing too much of sth. e.g. This excess of losses over profits will ruin the business. He spends too much money; his excesses put him into debt. ※ in excess of: more than a population in excess of 5000 000 【派生词】excessive: too great in amount or in degree e.g. The prices at this hotel are excessive. She takes an excessive interest in clothes. 10. attribute … to…: say that a situation or event is caused by sth. e.g. They attributed their success to their teacher’s encouragement. 1,150 deaths a year can be attributed to drunk driving. 【派生词】attribute: n. a quality forming part of the nature of person or thing e.g. Kindness is one of his best attributes. 11. exterior: n. the appearance or outside surface of sth. e.g. The exterior of the house is very unattractive. You must not judge people by their exterior. interior: n. inner part; inside e.g. This office has a very modern interior. Both “exterior” and “interior” can be used as adjectives. e.g. the exterior walls of the prison interior decorator 12. delegate: 1) v. give (part of one’s rights, etc.) to sb. else for a certain time e.g. You can’t do all the jobs yourself — you must learn to delegate. 你不能什么事都一个人做,你得学会委托权限。 He delegated his responsibilities to an assistant. 他委托一名助手代司其责。 2) n. sb. who has been elected or chosen to speak, vote, or take decisions for a group e.g. Many nations send delegated to the United Nations. 13. blow one’s top: (slang) explode with anger, lose one’s temper e.g. My father will blow his top when he sees what happened to the car. When he told her how much it cost, she blew her top. 14. emphasis: n. special or extra importance that is given to one part of sth. put/place/lay emphasis on sth. e.g. In Japanese society there is a lot of emphasis on academic success. Some schools put great emphasis on language study. 15. stir: v. 搅拌;轻轻移动;激起,促使 n. 搅拌;轰动,震动 e.g. He stirred sugar into the tea. He stirred in his sleep. John did not even stir from his seat when his mother called him. The news stirred the anger of the people. The story stirred the boy’s imagination. These words could not stir him to take action. His film has caused a stir in America. The news of the terrorist attacks in New York caused quite a stir in the whole world. 16. substitute (for): 1) v. replace (with) e.g. They substituted red balls for blue, to see if the baby would notice. He substituted for the worker who was ill. 2) n. a person or thing acting or used in place of another e.g. Water isn’t a proper substitute for wine. Our teacher is having a baby, so we have a substitute. 17. stimulate: vt. make sb./sth. more active e.g. She was stimulated into new efforts. 她受到了鼓励,正在作出新的努力。 Success will stimulate a person into further efforts. 18. temper: n. state of the mind e.g. even-tempered 性情平和的 mild-tempered 温和的 hot-/quick-/short-tempered 脾气急躁的 sweet-tempered 性情温柔的 moody-tempered 喜怒无常的 good-/bad-/ill-tempered 脾气好的/坏的 19. cut down: reduce, make less in number or amount e.g. Your article is too long. Please cut it down to 1,000 words. 压缩到… If you can’t give up smoking completely, at least try to cut down. People concerned about cholesterol levels often try to cut down on meats. 担心自己胆固醇高的人常常减少肉类的摄入。 20. priority: n. 1) [C] sth. that needs attention, consideration, service, etc. before others e.g. What are your priorities in this matter? 在这件事中你优先考虑的是什么? Her first priority is finishing college. 她的首要任务是读完大学。 2) [U] the state or right of coming before others in position or time e.g. The badly wounded take priority for medical attention over those only slightly hurt. 重伤员较之轻伤员优先治疗。 We have a priority booking system for members of the club. 我们的订票制度是优先照顾俱乐部的成员。 21. troublesome: a. causing trouble or anxiety, causing pain e.g. David is a troublesome student in my class. The troublesome issue of the boundary conflict is sure to remain a problem. 边境冲突这个讨厌的事情始终是个问题。 【派生词】quarrelsome 好争吵的,动辄争吵的 burdensome 繁重的,成为负担的 tiresome 令人厌烦的,烦人的 lonesome 孤单的,孤寂的 22. flee: v. leave somewhere very quickly in order to escape from danger e.g. The news is just reaching us that the President has fled the country. 我们才得到消息说总统已逃到国外。 Up to five million political refugees have fled to other countries. 多达500万名政治难民已逃往他国。 III. Summary Stress can kill you. Being tense can damage your heart so it is wise to take charge of your life and realize you cannot control everything. But you can control stress which is caused by fear, uncertainty, doubt and lack of control. Anger may be the root of this stress, especially for hardworking professional women and people with no goals in life. To relax and take control, try the NICE factors: new, interesting, challenging experiences. And follow Ben Franklin’ example by writing down the major goals you want to achieve in your life. For the problems over which you have no control, you have to learn to go with the flow. IV. Homework: Translation Second period: Do exercises of Text A Third period: Text B Are You a Workaholic? Language points 1. involve: vt. have as a necessary part or result; consist of e.g. This war involved several countries. If “involve” is followed directly by a verb, the second verb is used in the –ing form. e.g. The plan involves my living in London. The job involves traveling abroad for three months each year. 2. other than: 1) instead of, except for e.g. Have we anything to drink other than milk? You can’t get there other than by swimming. 2) not; anything but; different from e.g. She can hardly be other than grateful. 她不可能不感激。 The truth was quite other than what he thought. 事实真相和他所想的完全不一样。 3. be drunk with: behaving in a strange, often unpleasant, way (because of the excitement of sth.) e.g. She is drunk with power. 她醉心于权力。 4. consequence: n. 1) [C] sth. that happens as a result of a particular action or set of conditions 后果 e.g. Such a mistake would perhaps lead to terrible consequences. These pilots must now face the consequences of their actions and be brought to trial. 这些飞行员必须为他们的行为承担后果并接受审判。 2)[U] importance e.g. a man of great consequence It is of little consequence to me. 5. to the contrary: showing that the opposite is true e.g. I’ll come next month, unless you write to the contrary. 我下个月来,除非你写信叫我不要来。 I know she’s unhappy, despite all her arguments to the contrary. On the contrary 相反 e.g. I believe you like your job. On the contrary, I hate it! 6. be loyal to: be faithful to e.g. A good friend is always loyal. She has remained loyal to him throughout his misfortune. 7. trap: 1) vt. cause to be in a bad situation from which one can’t escape e.g. Julia found herself trapped in a dead-end job. 朱莉娅觉得自己陷入了一个没有前途的工作里。 2) n. a dangerous or unpleasant situation from which it is difficult or impossible to escape e.g. The police set traps to make the thief tell where the money was. 8. not necessarily 未必 e.g. Good food is not necessarily expensive. “He was lying, of course.” “Not necessarily.” 9. need/want/require/deserve doing = need/want/require/deserve to be done e.g. The room needs cleaning.= The room needs to be cleaned 10. stand: vt. bear, accept successfully e.g. Do you think she can stand the pace of work here? If “stand” is followed directly by a verb, the second verb is used in the –ing form. e.g. I can’t stand seeing children smoking. I never could stand people telling me what to do. 11. equate…with…: connect in mind; consider as the same e.g. Wealth should not be equated with happiness. 财富不应与幸福等同起来。 He equates poverty with misery. 他认为贫穷就是不幸。 12. schedule: n. 时间表,日程表 v. 定于…时间 e.g. She always has a full schedule. The train was in an hour behind schedule. The task was completed ahead of schedule. The play was originally scheduled for October, but had to be cancelled. She is scheduled to arrive at ten tomorrow morning. 13. at least 至少 at most 至多 Homework: Review all the units that we have learnt this term.