Objectives:

After finishing this unit, students will be able to:

● talk about qualities they ca find in their friends

● exchange their opinions on love and friendship

● learn to use the key words and expressions in this unit

● learn to use punctuation correctly

● learn to adopt the reading skill Minor supporting details while reading

● learn to write invitations

 

Section I Listen and Talk (2 periods)

Step 1 Lead in (25 mins)

1. Warm up questions:

What are love and friendships?

Love: fondness, affectionate and tender devotion

Friendship: being friends

2. Listening: (Listen to passage and fill the missing words in the blanks. Listen three times)

Keywords: dream, love, sound, romantic, relationships, honor, views, expect, describes, come true

3. Words and Phrases:

honor: vt. 尊敬

describes: 描述，形容

rosy dream: dream of love

4. Look at the pictures and try to say something about them or how you make friends on campus. (Pair works, discussing)

Tips:

Friendly, smile and show their kindness

Freshman party, someone who helped you

Sports team and match

Some activities organized by the Students Union

 

Step 2 Dialogues (40 mins)

1. Listen to the two sample dialogues and try to answer some questions

Dialogue 1 Making friends

What would Daniel like to do at the party?

Whom will Yu Feng introduce Daniel to?

Dialogue 2 At a wedding

What’s the difference between young people’s relationship in America and China?

2. Practice

  Read two dialogues in pairs (pair work)

3. Learn some useful phrases and expressions:

pretty busy: very busy

get acquainted with sb.: 和某人认识一下，打交道

break up: 分手

speak for oneself: introduce oneself

deal with: 处理

We are busy making new friends. 我们太忙于交新朋友了。

 

Step 3 Communicative Tasks (25 mins)

Work in pairs and act the dialogues to the whole class

Task 1: After becoming better acquainted, they are making some plans for the evening or the weekend.

Tips: 

   Nice to meet you.

   It’s a nice party.

   What are you doing later in the evening?

   Would you like to make some plans for tomorrow night or for the weekend?

   We thought we might go to a movie.

   Would you like to go alone?

Task 2: Talk about some differences between young people’s relationships in the two countries.

Tips:

make friends

fall in love

decide to get married

maintain old friendships

 

Step 4 Assignments

1. Read the dialogues and practice communicative tasks;

2. Preview new words of Passage A.

 

Section II Read and Explore (4 periods)

Passage A Freshman Friendship

Step 1 Pre-reading Tasks (15 mins)

1. Greeting and a brief revision (pair work or group work)

Ask one or two pairs (groups) to act out their own dialogue

2. Lead-in questions:

How strong are your college friendships likely to remain in your adult life? Are they stronger than your childhood friendships or your relationships with future colleagues?

Which kind of friendships do you usually keep the longest?

3. Culture notes:

1) Roommates and Majors in American Colleges

Freshman roommates are usually assigned randomly, with no attention to their majors, and may have little in common with one another either academically or personally. They may take none of the same classes, and do not have to choose their majors the first year. In future years it’s very easy to change roommates, and in the junior or senior year it’s quite common for students to move to off-campus apartments. So there’s much less likelihood that freshman roommates will become lifelong friends.

2) American and Chinese Friendships

　　 Americans are very adapt at making new friends, while Chinese people are very skillful at keeping their old friends. The main reason for this is that Americans experience more changes in their personal circumstances, such as changing jobs, moving to another town, or getting divorced. At any given time an American may have only a few close friends but many casual acquaintances. Over the course of a lifetime an American will probably have more friends than a Chinese person has but a Chinese person may have more lifelong friends.

 

Step 2 While-reading Tasks (75 mins)

1. Read the text as quickly as possible and try to find the answer to the following questions:

1) When and where did Alisa tell her story?

    Alisa told the story almost two years ago on a dormitory balcony.

2) How did four girls spend the last day of their freshman year?

    They had lunch in the sandwich shop, tried on each other’s clothes and watched movies.

3) What was the most important lesson they learned from each other outside the classroom?

     It’s the definition of friendship.

4) Where did Karen say she and her three friends grew up?

     They grew up in the dormitory where they lived first two years of college.

5) What is the author’s advice to freshman reading the article?

     The author’s advice is to cherish freshman moments.

2. Language Points

1) join hands: to hold hands

e.g. We all joined hands and danced round in a circle.

    Before exchanging rings, the bride and groom joined hands with each other.

2) intimate: having an extremely close relationship

e.g. Intimate relationships in unhappy families can create much stress.

   We are not on intimate terms with our neighbor.

3) end up: finally arrive

e.g. After dinner we ended up at the movie.

   If he goes on like this he’ll end up in prison.

4) try on: to put on to test the fit

e.g. You don’t need to try this shirt on, it’s just like your other one.

    It’s a good idea to try on a new pair of shoes before you buy them.

5) acquaintance: a person who one knows, but who is not a close friend

e.g. He has a wide circle of acquaintances.

    We began the semester as acquaintances and ended it as friends.

6) Your freshman year moments are irreplaceable:

You are only a freshman once, so you should cherish this experience.

7) grow apart from: to gradually become less intimate

e.g. He has grown apart from his old friends.

    We were freshman year roommates but moved to different dorms and gradually grew apart from one another.

8) compare… to: 和…相比

e.g. I couldn’t help comparing my wife’s cooking to my mother’s.

to show that two things are alike

e.g. When we won the local basketball championship we naturally compared ourselves to the NBA.

9) even if: no matter if

e.g. I’ll ignore you even if you give me a dozen of red roses.

   I’ll get there, even if I have to walk.

10) barely: almost not; hardly

e.g. The scar on her cheek is now barely noticeable.

    We barely had time to catch the train.

11) You will do a lot more growing up:

You will experience many things before you become more mature.

12) take sb. on a tour of: to serve sb as a tour guide, show sb around

e.g. He took his new foreign friend on a tour of the city.

   She took her family on a tour of the park behind her dormitory.

13) motion: gesture

e.g. She motioned to the waiter for another chair.

   The passenger mentioned to the driver to stop the bus and let him get off.

14) a shoulder to cry on: someone from whom one gets sympathy

e.g. The embarrassed child needed his mother’s shoulder to cry on.

    When the student got the score from the entrance exam she needed a shoulder to cry on.

15) … no matter how far we drift apart…: regardless how much our friendship declines

no matter how: it makes no difference; however

e.g. Don’t believe the rumor, no matter how often you hear it.

drift apart (from): same as “grow apart (from)”

e.g. We are best friends now but someday we may drift apart.

16) incline: to influence or encourage to have a particular feeling

e.g. I incline to the view that we should take no action at this stage.

    The government is more effective than we incline to think.

17) recall: to bring back to the mind

e.g. However, I can recall everything we did together on the day we first met.

    Can you recall exactly what happened?

18) …couldn’t agree more: completely and enthusiastically agree

e.g. I couldn’t agree more with your excellent choice of friends.

    I couldn’t agree more with his speech about the environment.

19) far from (over): likely to continue for a considerable time

e.g. On graduation day your education is far from over.

    The dispute over the missing money is far from over.

20) with the companions they wanted in…: with comfortable relationships such as those with…

e.g. We traveled with the companions we wanted in our close friends.

   We studied with the companions we wanted in our smartest classmates.

21) occasionally: happening from time to time; not regular

e.g. Some of the students only went to the net bar occasionally, but most of them went there more often.

22) make it back: return (but perhaps with some difficulty)

e.g. I’ll go shopping, and I’ll try to make it back for dinner.

   I’ll make it back to our next college reunion if I can.

23) succeed in: to achieve the desired end

e.g. It’s harder that it may seem to succeed in school while also working off campus.

   I tried to discuss it with her but only succeeded in making her angry.

 

Step 3 Post-reading Tasks (90mins) (individual work)

1. Summarize the passage

Summary: Four good friends were looking back on their college years. The freshman year was very special for them. They came together from different places with different interests. By the end of the year they were close friends, and remained that way in future years. It was hard to say goodbye the last day of the freshman year. One of them told a story in which their friendship might continue forever, and of course they all hoped it would. Not all college friendships can be as good as this. But even if they’re not, college is a rare opportunity to develop new relationships.

2. Check the answers of the Exe. 4, 5 and 6

3. Assignment

1) Oral Practice---Talk about it

2) General writing---College Friendship

 

Passage B Love Beyond the Grave?

Step 1 Pre-reading Tasks (15 mins)

1. Greetings and a brief revision (individual work)

Ask students present their dialogues according to “Talk About It”

2. Lead-in questions:

1) What kind of gifts symbolizes love best?

2) Can love last after death/ Can it last forever?

1)      What kind of love is truly affectionate?

3. Culture notes:

  1) Flowers in American Culture

The giving of flowers on special occasions is very important in American culture. These flowers are usually given by the male to the female, especially to sweethearts, wives, or mothers. The times during the year when it is most appropriate to give flowers are wedding anniversaries, birthdays, Mother’s Day, and especially Valentine’s Day.

2) Valentine’s Day

　　 A holiday occurring on February 14th when flowers, gifts, chocolates, cards, and other symbols of love are often exchanged by affectionate persons.

3) Standing Order

　　 Instructions given to a merchant or other person to deliver a product or provide a service at regular intervals or whenever it is needed. For example, some standing orders are carried out weekly, monthly, or annually. Others, such as an order to shovel snow from a sidewalk or driveway, are only carried whenever they are needed. There are three main kinds of standing orders: a purchase order; a delivery order; and a service order.

 

Step 2 While-reading Tasks (75mins)

1. Read the text as quickly as possible and try to find the answer to the following questions:

1) Why did the man give roses to his wife instead of some other kind of flowers?

Her name was Rose, and roses often symbolize love.

2) How long had the husband been dead when the flower arrived?

Over a year.

3) Who paid for the flowers? How and when?

The husband paid the florist before he died.

4) What were the woman’s feelings as she read her husband’s card?

She was crying and her fingers were shaking.

5) What nice things did the man say about his wife in the card?

She was a prefect wife, ideal companion, lover, and friend.

2. Language points

1) favorite: something or someone that is loved above all others

e.g. That song is one of his favorites.

2) tied with pretty bows: fasten with beautiful knots

3) pass away: to die; disappear

e.g. His grandfather passed away peacefully this morning.

  As soon as the sun came out, the mist passed away.

  4) enclose: to put inside an envelope

e.g. A reply card is enclosed with this invitation for your convenience.

   I enclosed my resume with the letter.

5) in advance: ahead of time; beforehand

     e.g. It’s unwise to spend your income in advance.

We had to pay the rent two weeks in advance.

  6) occupy: to cause to spend time; keep busy

e.g. He is occupied in translating a French novel.

       The dinner and speeches occupied three hours.

  7) work out: to have a result; develop

        e.g. I wonder how their ideas worked out in practice.

           Despite many problems the road construction project worked out OK.

  8) insert: to put or place something in

e.g. They want to insert an advertisement in the newspaper.

   If you insert a coin into the slot, the machine will work.

  9) blankly: empty or expressionless; without understanding or interest

e.g. The nervous young man peered blankly at his partner in the dance class.

   I looked at him blankly without knowing what I was supposed to be doing.

  10) endure: to bear patiently or for a long time

e.g. I can’t endure to see animals suffer like that.

       They endured many hardships during the war.

  11) identical: the same

e.g. Their views on education are almost identical.

    The fingerprints of no twp persons are identical.

  12) astonishment: great surprise or wonder; amazement

e.g. To our astonishment he actually arrived on time.

   To my utter astonishment, she remembered my name.

  13) provoke: to be the sudden cause of

e.g. Her amusing song provoked a lot of laughter.

   The teacher’s criticisms provoked intense anger from the students.

  14) proceed: to begin or continue in a course of action or set of actions

e.g. We can now proceed to the main business of the meeting.

   He paused to consult his notes, and then proceeded with his questions.

  15) He left nothing to chance: He did not permit any uncertainty.

e.g. If you learn all the words on the list you will leave nothing to chance.

  16) fulfill: give anything one need

e.g. The five star hotel fulfilled our every need as tourists.

    The nurse fulfilled every need of the doctor and the patients.

  17) in case: so as to be safe or prepared if; in the event that

e.g. In case you can’t come to the meeting, I will call you tomorrow.

    Take a taxi in case you are late for the class.

 

Step 3 Post-reading Tasks (45mins)

1. Summarize the passage

Summary: A woman named Rose always received roses from her husband on Valentine’s Day. When her husband died she did not expect any more roses. But a year later the roses arrived as usual anyhow. Not knowing who had sent the roses, she called the florist and learned her husband had ordered them for that year and many future years before he died. As she discovered from the not he had written, he had even told the florist exactly what to do if she too was dead. The loving husband thought he was being considerate, but perhaps he should have also considered his wife’s pain.

2. Check the answers of Ex.12 ,13 and 14

3. Assignments

1)      Read Passage B.

2) Review the words and phrases in Passage B

 

Section III Write and Produce (2 periods)

Step 1 Revision (10 mins)

Dictation of words and phrases in Passage A and B

 

Step 2 Grammar (35 mins)

General writing Punctuation

 

Step 3 Practical Writing (40 mins)

Practice writing Invitations

An invitation should very clearly states who is getting married, where and when, and when, and how and when to reply.

 

Step 4 Assignments (5mins)

Write an invitation according the given information.