Unit1
How I Learned to Learned English
Last year, I did not like my English class. Every class was like a bad dream. The teacher spoke so quickly that I did not understand her most of the time. I was afraid to ask questions because of my poor pronunciation. I just hid behind my textbook and never said anything.
Then one day I watched an Enlish movie called Toy Story. I fell in love with this exciting and funny movie! So I began to watch other English movies, too. Although I could not understand everything the characters said, their body language and the expressions on their faces helped me to get the meaning by listening for just the key words. My pronunciation improved as well by listening to the conversations in English movies. I discovered that listening to something interesting is the secret to language learning. I also learned useful sentences like “It’s a piece of cake” or “It serves you right”. I did not understand these sentences at first. But because I wanted to understand the story, I looked them up in a dictionary.
Now I really enjoy my English class. I wanted to learn new words and more grammar so that I can have a better understanding of English movies.
How Can You Become a successful Learner?
Everyone is born with the ability to learn. But whether or not you can do this well depends on your learning habits. Research shows that successful learners have some good habits in common.
Creating an interesting in what they learn
Students show that if you are interested in something ,your brain is more active and it is also easier for you to pay attention to it for a long time. Good learners often connect what they need to learn with some interesting. For example，If they need to learn English and they like music or sports, they can listen to English songs or watch sports programs in English. This way they will not get bored.
Practicing and learning form mistakes
Good learners think about what they are good at and what they need to practice more. Remember, “Use it or lose it “. Even if you learn something well ,you will forget it unless you use it. “Practice makes perfect.” Good learners will keep practicing what they have learned, and they are not afraid of making mistakes. Alexander Graham Bell did not invent the telephone overnight. He succeeded by trying many times and learning from his mistakes.
Developing their study skills
It is not enough to just study hard. Good learners knows the best way they can
study. For example, they may take notes by writing down key words or by drawing mind maps. They also look for ways to review what they have learned. They may do this by reading their notes every day or by explaining the information to another students.
Asking Questions
Good learners often ask questions during or after class. They even ask each other and try to find out the answers .Knowledge comes from questioning.
Learning is a lifelong journey because every day brings something new. Everything that you learn becomes a part of you ,so learn wisely and learn well.
Unit2
Full Moon, Full Feelings
Chinese people have been celebrating Mid-Autumn Festival and enjoying mooncakes for centuries. Mooncakes have the shape of a full moon on
mid-autumn night. They carry people’s wishes to the families they love and miss. There are many traditional folk stories about this festival. However, most people
think that the story of Chang’e is the most touching. Chang’e was Hou Yi’s beautiful wife. After Hou Yi shot down the nine suns, a goddess gave him a ma
gic medicine to thank him. Whoever drank this could live forever, and Hou Yi planned to drink it with Chang’e. However, a bad man, Feng Meng, tried to steal the medicine when Hou Yi was not home. Chang’e refused to give it to him and drank it all. She became very light and flew up to the moon. Hou Yi was so sad that he called out her name to the moon every night. One night, he found that the
moon was so bright and round that he could see his wife there. He quickly laid out her favorite fruits and desserts in the garden. How he wished that Chang’e could come back!
After this, people started the tradition of admiring the moon and sharing mooncakes with their families.
The Spirit of Christmas
Many would agree that when we think of Christmas, we probably think of gifts, Christmas trees and Santa Claus. But behind all these things lies the true meaning of Christmas: the importance of sharing andgiving love and joy to people around us. The story in A Christmas Carol is perhaps the best example of this.
A Christmas Carol is a famous novel written by Charles Dickens. It is about an old
man named Scrooge who never laughs or smiles. He is mean and only thinks about himself, and doesn’t treat others nicely. He just cares about whether he can
make more money. And he hates Christmas. One Christmas Eve, Scrooge sees the ghost of Jacob Marley, his dead business partner. Marley used to be just like Scrooge, so he was punished after he died. He warns Scrooge to change his ways if he doesn’t want to end up like him. He also tells Scrooge to expect three spirits to visit him. That night, three ghosts visit Scrooge. First, the Ghost of Christmas Past takes
him back to his childhood and reminds Scrooge of his happier days as a child. Then the second spirit, the Ghost of Christmas Present, takes him to see how others are spending Christmas this year. Everyone is happy, even poor people. The last one, the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, takes him to the future. He sees that he is dead but nobody cares. Scrooge is so scared that he wakes up in his bed and finds out it is already the next morning on Christmas Day!
He decides to change his life and promises to be a better person. He happily celebrates Christmas with his relatives. He also gives gifts to people in need. He now treats everyone with kindness and warmth, spreading love and joy everywhere he goes. And that is the true spirit of Christmas!
Unit3
3a Read the conversation and answer the questions below.
Fun Times Park — Always a Fun Time!
[Alice and He Wei are in Space World]
Alice: I wonder where we should go next. He Wei: How about that new ride over there? Alice: Oh ... it looks pretty scary.
He Wei: Come on! I promise it’ll be fun! If you’re afraid, just shout or hold my hand.
[After the ride]
Alice: You were right, that was fun! I was scared at first, but shouting really did
help.
He Wei: See, that wasn’t so bad, right? You never know until you try something. Alice: Yes, I’m so glad I tried it. Now I know I can do it and it’s actually fun! He Wei: Do you want to go to Water World now?
Alice: Sure, but I’m really hungry. Do you know where we can get some good
food quickly?
He Wei: Of course! I suggest Water City Restaurant in Water World. It’s a fast
food place. It serves delicious hamburgers and hot dogs.
Alice: That sounds perfect!
[On their way to Water City Restaurant, Alice and He Wei pass by Uncle Bob’s.]
Alice: Oh, look! This restaurant looks interesting. It seems a rock band plays
there every evening.
He Wei: Maybe we can come here for dinner later. Let’s ask what time the band
starts.
[Alice and He Wei walk up to a staff person at the door.]
He Wei: Excuse me, could you tell us when the band starts playing this evening?
Staff: Eight o’clock. It’s
always busy, so
come a little earlier
to get a table.
He Wei: OK, thanks!
Could You Please ...?
When you visit a foreign country, it is important to know how to ask for help politely. For example, “Where are the restrooms?” or “Could you please tell mewhere the restrooms are?” are similar requests for directions to a place. Both are correct English, but the first one sounds less polite. That is because it is a very direct question. It is not enough to just ask a question correctly. We also need to learn how to be polite by being less direct — or more indirect — when we ask for help.
In English, as in Chinese, we change the way we speak when we talk with different people. The expressions you use might depend on whom you are speaking to or how well you know them. If you say to your teacher, “When is the school trip?”, this might sound impolite. But if you say, “Excuse me, Mr. West. Do you know when the school trip is?”, this will sound much more polite. However, it is all right to ask direct questions in some situations, like with your classmates.
Usually polite questions are longer and include more language such as “Could you please ...?” or “Can I ask ...?” It sounds more polite to say, “Peter, could you please tell me your e-mail address?” than “Peter, tell me your e-mail address.” Sometimes we even need to spend time leading in to a request. For
example, with a stranger on the street, we might first say, “Excuse me, I wonder if you can help me” or “I’m sorry to trouble you, but ...” before asking for help.
It might seem more difficult to speak politely than be direct. However, it is important to learn how to use proper language. This will also help you become better at English, or any other language you wish to speak.
Unit4
From Shy Girl to Pop Star
1 For this month’s Young World magazine, I interviewed 19-year-old Asian pop star Candy Wang. Candy told me that she used to be really shy and took up singing to deal with her shyness. As she got better, she dared to sing in front of her class, and then for the whole school. Now she’s not shy anymore and loves singing in front of crowds.
2 I asked Candy how life was different after she became famous. She explained that there are many good things, like being able to travel and meet new people all the time. “I didn’t use to be popular in school, but now I get tons of attention everywhere I go.” However, too much attention can also be a bad thing. “I always have to worry about how I appear to others and I have to be very careful about what I say or do. And I don’t have much private time anymore. Hanging out with friends is almost impossible for me now because there are always guards around me.”
3 What does Candy have to say to all those young people who want to become famous? “Well,” she begins slowly, “you have to be prepared to give up your normal life. You can never imagine how difficult the road to success is. Many times I thought about giving up, but I fought on. You really require a lot of talent and hard work to succeed. Only a very small number of people make it to the top.”
He Used to Cause a Lot of Trouble
Li Wen is a normal 15-year-old boy who works hard in school and gets good grades.
It is hard to believe that he used to be a “problem child” until a conversation with his parents influenced his way of thinking. Li Wen lives in the Sichuan countryside. As a small child, he seldom gave his parents any problems, and they were proud of him. However, , the boy’s life became more difficult. He had to movein with his grandmother.
Li Wen began to cause problems for himself and his family. He was no longer interested in studying. He was often absent from classes, and he failed his examinations. Finally, his parents made a decision to send him to a boarding school. Li Wen no longer lived with his grandmother. He studied, ate and slept at the school, and he hated it. There were so many rules, and he used to keep breaking them. One day, he told his teacher he wanted to leave the school.
The head teacher advised his parents to talk with their son in person. His parents took a 40-hour train ride and a five-hour bus ride to go back to their hometown. To Li Wen’s surprise, their conversation changed his life. “It was exactly what I needed,” he said. “My parents helped me to understand how much they had given me. They also told me that even though they couldn’t be there to take care of me, they were always thinking of me and would take pride in everything good that I did. . I realized that since my parents moved away, I’ve been afraid ofbeing alone, and have tried to make my parents pay more attention to me.” He has been working hard and is
now one of the best students in his class. His parents’ love has made him feel good about
himself. “It’s very important for parents to be there for their children,” Li Wen says.
Unit5
The Difficult Search for American Goods in the US
If you go to another country, what kinds of things would you buy? Would you buy a camera in Japan, some beautiful clothes in France, or a watch in Switzerland? No matter what you may buy, you might probably think those products were made in those countries. However, you could be wrong. Kang Jian is a 17-year-old student from Shanghai. Last year he went to visit his aunt and uncle in San
Francisco. He found it interesting that so many products in the local shops were made in China. “I wanted to buy a toy car for my cousin, but even though most of the toys had American brands, they were made in China.”
Toys are not the only things made in China. “I wanted to buy a pair of basketball shoes,” he explains. “But I had to visit five or six stores before finding a pair made in America!” He realized that Americans can hardly avoid buying products made in China. “In fact,” he continues, “there are so many things made in China — footballs, handbags, pet food, mobile phones. Even American flags are made in China!” Kang Jian thinks it’s great that China is so good at making these everyday things. However, he wishes that in the future China will also get better at making
high-technology products that people can buy in all parts of the world.
Beauty in Common Things
Each different part of China has its examples.own special forms of traditional art. These usually try to show the things that are important in life such as love, beauty and family. The most common things, from paper to clay to bamboo, are turned into objects of beauty.
According to Chinese history, sky lanterns were first used by Zhuge Kongming. He sent them out to ask for help when in trouble. Today, sky lanterns are used at festivals and other celebrations. They are made of bamboo and covered with paper.
When the lanterns are lit, they slowly rise into the air like small hot-air balloons for all to see. They are seen as bright symbols of happiness and good wishes.
Paper cutting has been around for over
1,500 years. Paper cutting sounds very easy but it can be difficult to do. The paper, usually red, is folded before it is cut with scissors. The most common pictures are flowers, fish, animals, and things about Chinese history. During the Spring Festival, they are put on windows, doors and walls as symbols of wishes for good luck and a happy new year. Chinese clay art is famous because the clay pieces are so small but they look very real. The pieces are usually cute children or lively characters from a Chinese fairy tale or historical story. The pieces are carefully shaped by hand from a very special kind of clay and then allowed to air-dry. After drying, they are fired at a very high heat. They are then polished and painted. Finally, materials such as wood or paper are added to make different things. It takes several weeks to complete everything. These small pieces of clay art show the love that all Chinese people have for life and beauty.
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