第二单元自学内容和词组.doc

1 Questions and Answers a) What were the author and his children playing that night?b) What was the question the father put to his children?c) What was the oldest childs answer to the question? And what did the father think of his answer?d) What answers did his 4-year-old and his 6-year-old children give?e) Why did the 9-year-old and the middle one add to the answers?1. Detailed Reading1.took time out from their food fight to teach me about paradigm shifts, and limitations of linear thinking and how to refocus parameters.2. Sesame Street & “What Doesnt Belong”3. I agreed that this was the right answer despite the fact that some purists insist a tomato is a fruit. 1) purist2) insist 4. To those of us forced as kids to eat them in salads, tomatoes will always be vegetables.1) “forced as kids to eat them”2) Translate the sentence into Chinese. 5. It was messier than a food fight and much more important than whether a tomato is a fruit or vegetable. 1) messy:2) Translate the sentence into Chinese. 6. My kids were doingthey were doingthey were doing7. Maybe that explains why so many of the worlds most brilliant scientists and inventors were failures in school, the most notable being Albert Einstein, who was perhaps this centurys most potent paradigm-shifter.Q: What is the implied meaning of the sentence?8. This is not meant to be a critique of schools.be meant to do sth.9. I bring this up because we seem to be at a point in the evolution of our society where everyone is clamoring for more technology, for instant access to ever-growing bodies of information.3)Translate the sentence into Chinese.10. But unless we shift our paradigms and refocus our parameters, the super information highway will lead us nowhere. 1) the information highway3) Translate the sentence into Chinese.11. We are not now, nor have we recently been suffering from a lack of information.What can we infer from the sentence?12. And he didnt do anything less Earth-shattering (pun intended) than completely change the way the universe was viewed. 13. We need to discover, as my kids did, that there is more than one right answer, there is more than one right question and there is more than one way to look at a body of information. Analyze the sentence.II.Background information:1.SesameStreetSesameStreetisaneducationalAmericanchildrenstelevisionseriesdesignedforpreschoolers,andisrecognizedasapioneerofthecontemporarystandardwhichcombineseducationandentertainmentinchildrenstelevisionshows.ItisproducedintheUnitedStatesbySesameWorkshop,andbroadcastedonNovember10,1969ontheNationalEducationalTelevisionnetwork.Becauseofitspositiveinfluence,SesameStreethasearnedthedistinctionofbeingtheforemostandmosthighlyregardededucatorofchildrenintheworld.Notelevisionserieshasmatcheditslevelofrecognitionandsuccessontheinternationalstage.Theoriginalserieshasbeentelevisedin120countries,andmorethan20internationalversionshavebeenproduced.Initslongandillustrioushistory,SesameStreethasreceivedmoreEmmyAwardsthananyotherprogram,andhascapturedtheallegiance,esteem,andaffectionofmillionsofviewersworldwide.(a video clip)2.NicholasCopernicus(详见课件)3.Hagen-DazsandReubenMattus(详见课件)4.EdwardJenner(详见课件)III. Usage:1) fruitful: adj. producing good results; successful-It was a fruitful meeting; we made a lot of important decisions.扩展：fruitless: adj. 不结果实的 fruitfully: adv. 产量多地 fruitfulness: n. 果实累累2) limitation: n. being limited 限制，局限性，缺陷，不足e.g. 尽管这个调查有局限性,它确实表明一些总体趋势。-Despite the limitations of the survey, it did suggest some general trends.这是一部好车，但是它有其自身的不足。-Its a nice car, but it has its limitations.扩展： limit: v. 限定，限制 limited: adj. 有限的 limitless: adj. 无限的3) version: a) a particular form of sth. that varies from other forms of the same thing; 型式；改编形式；(电影，剧本，音乐等)版本 b) a description of an event, etc. from the point of view of one person; (个人的)说法，描述c) a translation 译本 -They are producing several versions of the TV commercial to see which one works better.- Her version of the accident was completely different from that given by the driver of the other car.-The English version of the novel is due for publication next year.4) despite: in spite of-Despite the heat, he wore a black leather jacket.5.) definitely: adv. clearly, undoubtedly-I cant tell you definitely when I will come.6) quest: a long search for sth. that is difficult to find-Man is fated to suffer many disappointments in his quest for truth.-She had come in quest of advice.7) contract: v.a) become smaller or narrower-Metals contract as they get cooler.b) sign a contract -We have contracted with a firm for the supply of fuel.c) get or develop (an illness)-My son has contracted malaria.8) notable: important and deserving attention -Most birds sing only in daylight, one notable exception being the nightingale.9) access: n. the way to enter a place, use sth., see sb., etc.Access to secret files is restricted to senior management only.gain/get access (to sth.)The police managed to gain access through an upstairs window.10) nowhere: adv. not anywhere 无处，哪里都不“这个周末你打算去哪里？”“没什么地方可去。”“Where are you going this weekend?”“Nowhere special.”扩展： get nowhere / get sb nowhere: to make no progress or have no success (让某人) 毫无进展 我们就此事讨论了一个上午，可是毫无进展。We discussed it all morning but got nowhere.和他谈话你会一无所获。Talking to him will get you nowhere.11) uncover: vt. to find out about sth. that has been kept secret 揭露，暴露e.g.揭露一起阴谋。uncover a plotIts the presss responsibility to uncover the truth.12) take out: remove 去掉，拿出，抽出你裤子上的这些墨迹不容易洗掉。It isnt easy to take out these stains from your trousers.13) think up: produce (a new idea, etc.) by thinking hard 想出来，发明她想出了一个有趣的游戏，让孩子们玩。She thought up a funny game for the children to play.14）in short: briefly, in a few words总之，简言之总之，如果我们想过四级，就要好好准备。In short, if we want to pass CET-4, we must prepare carefully.15) bring up: raise 提出(供讨论或促使注意)昨天的会议又提出了那个问题。The question was brought up again at yesterdays meeting. Post-reading ActivitiesProverbs and Quotations1. A man becomes learned by asking questions. 要长学问，就得多问；多问则业精。2. There is no royal road to learning. 学习无坦途。3. He who is ashamed of asking is ashamed of learning. 耻问之人耻于学。4. We build too many walls and not enough bridges. 我们造了太多墙，却没有造足够的桥。 5. Imagination is more important than knowledge. 想象力比知识更为重要。6. Something attempted, something done. 有所尝试，就等于有所作为。 7. The important thing in science is not so much to obtain new facts as to discover new ways of thinking about them. 在科学的世界里，创建新的思维方式要比获得新的数据更重要。8. There is nothing more dreadful than imagination without taste. 没有什么比缺乏想象力更糟糕的了。V. WritingThe Writing of Letters1.The format of envelopes2.The format of the letterl 1. Headingl 2. InsideAddressl 3. S