Unit1LearningaForeignLanguage

Unit 1 Learning a Foreign Language

I. Objectives of the unit

1. read about how one student learned English using a computer.

2. learn some new vocabulary

3. develop study skills

4. write paragraphs

II. Speaking activities

Some questions for students to reflect and answer

What is your first impression of our campus?

Are you homesick?

What is your plan of your college life?

What do you think of your new teachers?

What do you expect of your new teachers? More specifically what do you expect of your English teacher?

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Have you ever wanted to have more control over your own education? Now, freedom to study what interests you is possible through the use of personal computers. The passages in this unit introduce you to studying by computer.

(Listening passage)

English language learning is not easy and at times frustrating. I started to learn English when I was in junior middle school and just like every one of us I was happy with my successes and cried at my failures. Only when I had a chance to learn English through a computer course did I finally succeed. I found the computer course was just as difficult as classroom study but I succeeded in learning English. Besides, I gained many other things from it. It taught me the value of hard work and helped understand another culture. Background Information

1. New Horizon College English: the current online EFL learning course for college students.

2. SAT: the Scholastic Aptitude Test is held in America for high school graduates.

To sum up, the better combination there is of the unfamiliar and the familiar in your study, the greater interest you will take in the course.

So the best course open to us now is to apply what we have learned from books to

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what we are familiar or concerned with in our daily life. For instance, we are going to learn the sentence “ Now that I speak a foreign language, instead of staring into space when English is being spoken, I can participate and make friends”. We can use the pattern to express what is on our minds, such as “Now that the new college life is here to challenge us, instead of staying only in our dreams, all we can do is to face it cheerfully”. In short, where there is a better application of your knowledge to your life there is more progress.

Talking with people is one of my favorite activities, so being able to speak a new language lets me meet new people, participate in conversations, and form new, unforgettable friendships. Now that I speak a foreign language, instead of staring into space when English is being spoken, I can participate and make friends. I am able to reach out to others and bridge the gap between my language and culture and theirs.

Text structure analysis

Main idea of the text A: Learning a foreign language was one of the most difficult yet most rewarding experiences of my life.

At the very beginning, the author reveals the theme of the texts: for him, foreign language learning is a difficult yet rewarding experience. Then the author presents the reader his own language learning experiences of different stages, from junior middle school to online learning, and for each different stages of learning he describes an effect that results from some causes. At the end of the passage, the author echoes his theme: he treasures the trying experience of foreign language learning so much that he wouldn’t trade for anything.

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Look at how the author writes in Paragraph 3.

In Paragraph 3, the author puts forward his main topic for the paragraph--\"When I went to senior middle school, I was eager to continue studying English; however, my experience in senior school was very different from before\". Therefore the topic of the paragraph is: my learning experience in senior middle school is different from before.

Then the author goes on to tell us the cause why his learning experience is different from before--My new teacher was not patient and was quick in punishing the students. Whenever we answered incorrectly, she pointed a long stick at us and, shaking it up and down, shouted, \"No! No! No!\" Then the cause leads to an effect--It didn't take me long to lose my eagerness to answer questions. Not only did I lose my joy in answering questions, but also I totally lost my desire to say anything at all in English. Here the cause-effect way of writing is very clear to us.

Just follow this model that has been presented clearly in a chart on the students' textbook. The students are required to make an analysis of a paragraph, which is of the similar structure--cause and effect.

Devices for developing it

Deduction Organization(演绎法): (从‘general’ 到‘specific’)

General statement (Topic): Learning a foreign language was one of the most difficult

yet most rewarding experiences of my life.

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Specific statements:

1)My experience in junior middle school (Para. 2):

a kind and patient teacher who praised all of the students … positive method…eagerly answered questions, at the top of my class

2)My experience in senior middle school (Para. 3):

an (impatient) teacher…punished those who made mistakes…shaking it up and down…shouted…lose my eagerness / desire to say anything in English 3) My experience at college(Para. 4):

far from perfect…very large class and better students… feel intimidated… afraid to speak…at the same level forever

4)My experience with the online course (Para. 5-7):

require commitment and discipline …virtual classroom…practice all the time…cry with frustration…feel like giving up…reaped the benefits of hard work

5) Conclusion (Para. 8):

a most trying experience, but one that I would not trade for anything…teach me the value of hard work…give me insights into another culture…my mind …opened to new

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ways of seeing things…the most wonderful result of having learned a foreign language …communicate with many more people than before…one of my favorite activities…bridge the gap between my culture and theirs

Comparison and Contrast(对比法)

The comparison and contrast is centered around “the most difficult” and “the most rewarding”.

The group of “difficult”:

frustrating, punish, shout, lose my eagerness / desire to say anything in English, very large, far from perfect, feel intimidated, afraid to speak, (my English)stay at the same level, cry with frustration, feel like giving up

The group of “rewarding”:

well worth the effort, at the top of my class, eager to study, understand about everything, reap the benefits of all that hard work, teach me the value of hard work, give me insights into another culture, able to bridge the gap between cultures

Part I (Para. 1)

Learning a foreign language was one of the most difficult yet most rewarding experiences of my life.

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Devices for developing it ? Explanation(释义法)

Difficult →frustrating

rewarding→well worth the effort

Part II (Para.2-4)

My different experiences with the regular course in junior and senior middle schools and at college

Devices for developing it ? Cause and Effect (因果法)

Part III (Para.5-7)

My experiences with the online course helped me reap the benefits of hard work.

Devices for developing it ? Deduction (演绎法) (para. 7)

General statement: St. 1 of Para. 7

Specific statements: St. 2-5 of Para.7

Conclusion: St. 6-7 of Para. 7

Part IV (Para.8)

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Learning English brings me benefits: the value of hard work, insights into other cultures, new ways of seeing things, ability to bridge the gap between different cultures.

Devices for developing it ? Induction(归纳法)

Vocabulary

reward vt. Give sth. in return for good and vavuable doings 报答，酬谢奖励 不接受双宾语

因…奖赏How can I reward you for all your help?

用…酬谢He rewarded me with a $5 note.

award 授奖 award sb. a medal 授予…奖章

rewarding a. 值得做，有价值的，“即使物质上未得到多少，但由于做某事重要或有用而感到满足”指精神上的愉悦以及对以后带来的好处。

Nursing can be a very rewarding job.

worthwhile 主要指值得花时间、钱或精力，主语一般是名词。

frustrate

使挫败，使受挫折

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The prisoner’s attempt at escape was frustrated by a watchful guard. 阻止了 警觉的

使灰心，沮丧 frustrated (因做不成某事而)失意的，泄气的

She feels very frustrated now that she can’t see well enough to read.

frustrating

It’s very frustrating not being to watching TV.

Positive

1) effective; helpful

Don’t just watch me; give me some positive advice.

2) sure; having no doubt about sth.

We still don’t have a positive answer as to how he died.

Are you positive that he’s the man you saw yesterday?

unlike prep.

Her recent report is quite unlike her earlier work.

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Unlike me, my son likes to get up early.

opportunity, chance and occasion 辨析

You can use chance or opportunity when by good luck you have time to do something.

chance（机会）强调其偶然性opportunity强调适逢其会，正好便利行事的意味。

When you are talking about possibility alone, use chance, not opportunity.

There is a slight chance that this plane will crash. （=possibility）

We usually use occasion to refer to a time when something happens. 某事发生的某一时间。

He met the president on several occasions.

Language notes

1. to be well worth the effort (L. 3) 很值得去努力

Not everything in life is well worth our risk.

生活中并非一切都值得去冒险.

2. to be at the top of the class (L. 7) .在班里名列前茅

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On the list of good policies in social contact, honesty should be at the top.

在社交方面所有的良策中, 诚信应列在首位。

3. to lose my desire / eagerness to say anything in English (L.14) 失去说英语的欲望

As a result of her dishonesty, I lost my desire to form further friendship with her.

由于她的不诚实，我失去了和她进一步建立友谊的欲望。

4. to be far from perfect (L. 19) 远不尽人意

Although our environment is still far from perfect, we haven’t lost the desire to change it for the better. 尽管我们的环境还远不尽人意，我们并没有失去使其改善的意愿。

5. to stay at the same level forever （L. 26）永远停滞不前

Sometimes our English learning seems to stay at the same level forever, but, in fact, this is not necessarily the case.

有时候我们的英语学习似乎总停滞不前，但事实并一定如此。

6. to get access to the necessary equipment (L. 30) 接触到必要的设备

Through online learning we get access to many new patterns of thinking.

通过网上学习我们接触到许多新思维模式。

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7. to keep up with the flow of the course (L. 33) 跟上课程进度

To keep up with the flow of world trade, China decided to join WTO.

为了跟上世界贸易的进程，中国决定加入世贸组织。

8. to cry with frustration (L. 37) 因挫折而哭泣

It often happens that while some jump with victory, others sigh with defeat.一些人因胜利而雀跃，而另一些人因失败而叹息，这种事情经常发生。

9. to reap the benefits of hard work (L. 42) 尝到刻苦学习的甜头

Online chatting made it possible for me to reap the benefits of English learning.

网上聊天使我能尝到学英语的甜头。

10. to teach me the value of hard work (L. 45) 使我懂得了刻苦努力的价值

Much personal contact with him taught me the value of true friendship.

与他频繁的私人交往使我懂得了真挚友谊的价值。

11. to give me insights into another culture (L. 46) 使我认识了另一种文化

Good reading has given me insights into what good taste means. 读好书使我认识了高雅

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12. to keep my mind open to new ways of seeing things (L. 46)

使我从心里乐于接受新的看待事物的方式

13. As long as we keep our mind open to anything helpful to social progress, our nation will be filled with hope. (L. 52)

只要我们从心里乐于接受任何有助于社会进步的东西，我们的民族就充满希望。

14. to bridge the gap between different cultures 弥合不同文化之间的鸿沟

The couple tried to bridge the gap between their emotions, but without any success.

夫妇二人试图弥合两人之间的感情分歧，但未能成功。

句型提炼

1.（line 6） Because of…, sb adv. does sth / is + adj. to do sth, never worrying ／ caring much about…由于……, 某人很……做某事，从不怎么担心….

Because of his undue interest in online surfing, he is likely to put all his mind on this business, never caring about his school work.

由于他对网上冲浪的兴趣过浓， 他很有可能 一门心思上网，而不会关心自己的功课。

2. （line 50）Now that sb. does / has done sth., instead of …, he / she can ／should do sth. else. 由于／ 既然某人做某事，而不再……, 他／她就能做另一事。Now that you can

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keep your mind open to new ways of thinking, instead of turning a blind eye to them, you stand a good chance to keep up with the flow of the times.

既然你能从心里上乐于接受新的思维方式，而不再对其视而不见，那你就有机会跟上时代的潮流。

3. While sth / sb is / does…, sth / sb else is / does… : (line 9)

某事 ／某人……, 而另一事 ／ 另一人……When things go wrong, some work hard to find a way out while others totally lose the desire to think out any solution to the problem.当事情进展得不顺利时，一些人努力去寻求出路，而另一些人则压根不去想解决问题的办法。4. Unlike sb. / sth. else(that…), sb. / sth. is / does…不像另一人/物（……）那样(与另一人/物不同)，某人/物……Unlike the girl I came across in the senior middle school, she is very self-important, never looking me in the eye.与我在高中时遇到的女孩不同,她很高傲自大，从不正眼看我一眼。5. Doing sth. is a most + adj. experience for sb., but one that he / she would not trade / give / exchange for anything. 做某事对某人来说是非常……的经历，但却是一种用什么他／她都不换的经历。(line 44)Seeking after happiness has been a most painstaking experience, but one that I would not trade for anything. 追求幸福对我来说是非常艰辛的经历，但却是一种用什么我都不换的经历。

6. The most wonderful result of having done sth. / doing sth. is that…(从句) 做某事最令人兴奋的收获／结果是……(line 47)For some students, the most amazing result of having come to college is that they have learned how to lead a romantic life.在一些大学生看来， 上大学最令人兴奋的收获是他们学会了如何过一种罗曼蒂克式的生活。

The most exciting result of chatting online is that I can share joy and happiness with

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many people. 上网聊天最令人激动的收获是我可以和许多人分享欢乐与幸福。Story Summary (dictation)

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