The First Period Speaking

Teaching Goals 教学目标

1.Target language 目标语言

a.重点词汇和短语

bulletin, civil, canal, cliff, dam, gorge, reservoir, structure, terminal, accommodate, date from

b.重点句子

1. The original wall was 6, 300 kilometres long.

2. The airport is within five hours’ flying time of half the world’s population.

3. Its reservoir is more than 500 kilometres long.

2.Ability target 能力目标

Enable students to learn about old and new buildings.

3.Learning-skill target 学能目标

Let students talk about buildings around them.

Teaching important points 教学重点

How to improve students’ speaking ability.

Talking about famous buildings.

Teaching difficult points 教学难点

How to describe buildings around us.

Teaching methods 教学方法

1. Listening to the tape.

2. Discussing.

Teaching aids 教具准备

A recorder and a blackboard

Teaching procedures & ways 教学过程与方法

Step Ⅰ Greetings and Lead-in

T: Good morning/afternoon, boys and girls!

Ss: Good morning/afternoon, Mr…

T: As we know, nowadays we can travel faster and more easily than before. Many foreigners come toChinato visit places of interest. Who would like to tell me the names of some places of interest?

S1: The West Lake, the Forbidden  city, the Great Wall and the Summer Place.

T: Good job! Thank you! Which of them can be seen from the sky?

S2: The Great Wall.

T: Quite well!

StepⅡ Introduction

Pre-speaking

(Ask and answer questions.)

Ask several students individually the four questions.

T: Now please open your books on P51. Look at Part 1 Introduction. Here are four questions for you. You may discuss them with your partner. Then I will ask you to give me your answers.

(A few minutes later, ask several pairs of students to ask and answer the questions.)

S1: Zhang Yan, do you know how far the Great Wall is from our city?

S2: I think it’s about 1, 500 kilometers.

S3: Can you tell me which is the biggest airport in the country?

S4: I’m not sure which airport is the biggest. But I know some big famous airports. They are the Capital Airport in Beijing, Baiyun International Airport in Guangzhou, Hong Kong International Airport. How about you?

S3: I know Hongqiao  Internatinal Airport is also very big. Besides, another big airport—Pudong Airport, which will be completed in Shanghai soon.

S5: Is there any dam near our town?

S6: Yes. There is well-known dam, Foziling Reservoir, which is called the First Dam of New China. It was completed in 1954 and controls the waters of Huaihe River.

S7: Do you know the names of the reservoir that provides water for our town?

S8: Yes. The water of our city is mostly from Foziling Reservoir.

1. How far is the Great Wall of  China from where you live?

2. Which is the biggest airport in the country?

3. Is there a dam near your town?

4. Do you know the names of the reservoir that provides water for your town?

Various answers are possible.

Learning new words

(Teach students the words in the box one by one. Explain several important words. )

Reading and speaking

T: Now we are going to read three short passages. Read them carefully and try to remember as much information as possible. After that I’ll ask some of you to retell them.

(Several minutes later)

T:  OK. Time is up. Who would like to retell the first passage?

S1: The first passage is about the Great Wall of  China. It is the longest man-made structure ever built.

T:  Good. Who wants to say something about the second passage?

S2: The second passage is about Hong Kong International  Airport. It took six years to build and cost US $20billion. It is the largest covered space in the world and is planned to accommodate 80 million passengers a year.

T:  Well, the last one. Any volunteers?

S3: This passage mainly talks about the Three Gorges Dam. It is the largest hydro-electric dam in the world. Its reservoir is more than 500 kilometers long.

Function and Everyday English

T: I’m glad that all of you can describe the buildings in your own words. You told me that the Three Gorges Dam is the biggest one in the world. Yes, it is big. But what can you do if you want to say it is very big and express your strong feelings? Well, you can use some strong adjectives. Now please turn to P58. First match the adjectives on the left with the strong adjectives on the right. And then finish the two conversations. Finally writes a similar conversation.

(Give the students several minutes to do this job and then check their conversation and ask some pairs to act out their own conversations.)

Example:

A: Are you feeling tired!

B: Tired? I’m feeling exhausted!

A: Do you think Hong Kong International Airport is a good airport?

B: Good? Excellent!

A: Was the coffee hot?

B: Hot? It was boiling!

Discussion

(Group work)

T: Please turn to P52. Discuss the three questions with your partner. After that I’ll ask several of you to answer. You’ll have four minutes to do this job.

(A few minutes later)

T: Xu min, please. Have you ever visited any of the places in the passage?

S1: Last year, I visited the Three Gorges Dam with my parents. It is very beautiful and magnificent. I think only when you see it with your own eyes can you understand the words by Mao Zedong “Walls of stone to hold back clouds and rain till a smooth lake rises in the narrow gorges.”

T: Pang Yi, please. Which one is nearest to your town or city?

S2: As you know, I live in An Hui province. So the Three Gorges Dam is nearest to our city.

T: Now what other things do you know about them?

S3: The Three Gorges Dam is the most beautiful part of the Yangtze River.

S4: I know the Three Gorges Dam refers to Qutang Gorge, Wu Gorge and Xiling Gorge.

S5: The First Emperor started built the Great Wall in order to keep the tribes of Huns and Tartars outside his country

S6: The Great Wall has often been rebuilt through the centuries, and much of it is still standing today.

Various answers are possible.

stepⅢ Discussion (Speaking P55)

T: The Three Gorges Dam generates a great deal of electricity for the central region of our country. It saves a lot of coal and has reduced the serious air pollution caused by burning coal. However, there are problems when the Three Gorges Dam is built. Many towns and villages have disappeared. What do you think about this? Has the Three Gorges Dam affected the lives of people in your area or anyone you know? Discuss these two questions with your partner. You can debate with your partner about the first question.

(A few minutes later, ask two pairs of student to make a debate in the front.)

Example:

S1—The Positive side S2—The negative side

S1: In my opinion, the Three Gorges Dam brings us more economic returns and social benefits. Firstly, the Yangtze  River, which is the world’s third longest river, has been harnessed by the Three Gorges Dam. The people living along the river will seldom suffer floods. Secondly, at present, three quarters ofChina’s energy is produced by burning coal, which causes serious air pollution and increases global warming. The dam will generate electricity equal to about 40 million tons of coal without causing so much air pollution.

S2: I think we had better not build the Three Gorges Dam. Firstly, it’s a pity that many towns and villages with long history will be flooded as a result of the Dam, because they were built by many generations’ hard work and wisdom. Secondly, many historical and cultural relics have been covered by the water, because we have no ability enough to save them now. Thirdly, more than a million people have to leave their homes. Although our government has been offering them great help, they still have difficulty in setting up new homes, hunting jobs and offering children going to school.

T: Excellent! Now who can tell us if the Three Gorges Dam has affected the lives of people in your area or anyone you know?

S3: Yes. In our county there is a “The Three Gorges Dam Immigrants Village”. All the people in the village are farmers from the Three Gorges area. The local government had built the new houses for them before they arrived. Each family has also got a piece of farmland. Now, some of them have founded new jobs, doing business, driving cars and so on. The immigrants from the Three Gorges area have been part of us. The village has new scenery of our county.

Various answers are possible.

StepⅣ Summary and homework

T: It’s time to end this class. In this class, we have learned some important words and how to describe buildings. We’d better practice more after class.

Homework: Preview the part of Reading.