Unit 5 Writing Three Thank You Letters

1、unit 5 how to celebrate holidays text a writing three thank-you letters text b where is home objectives students will be able to: vunderstand the main idea and the structure of the text vgrasp the key language points and grammatical structures in the text. vunderstand how people celebrate festivals

2、vlearn how to be thankful vlearn how to write a thank-you letter text a writing three thank-you letters part one pre-reading activities a: reading comprehension native traditions of giving thanks the american custom of giving thanks did not begin with the arrival of european colonists. spirituality

3、was (and is) a deeply sacred and personal part of wampanoag (one indian tribe in america) life. everything is sacred, and giving thanks for the creators gifts is an integral part of daily life. from ancient times up to the present day, the native people of north america have held ceremonies to give

4、thanks for successful harvests and other good fortune. according to the oral information of tribal elders, giving thanks was the primary reason for ceremonies or feasts. giving thanks was an important part of the celebrations, called nickommo, which are still held by the wampanoag. give-away ceremon

5、ies, feasting, dancing and sports and games were common features of these occasions. give-away ceremonies show gratefulness to the creator who provides for the people and makes possible the blessings celebrated. the act of giving away material things shows respect and caring for others, while remind

6、ing the participants that material objects are only secondary to ones spiritual life. thankfulness was woven into every aspect of wampanoag life. if an animal was hunted for food, special thanks were also given to the creator and to the spirit of the animal. if a plant was harvested and used for any

7、 purpose, or a bird or a fish, if an anthill was disrupted, gratitude and acknowledgement were given for the little ones lives. to this day it is the same with most native people. questions: 1.when did the custom of giving thanks begin? 2.what is the key reason for native americans ceremonies? 3.exc

8、ept giving thanks, are there any other activities in these feasts? 4.why do they give away those material things? 5.what kinds of things do they give thanks to? b: learning quotations: u life is a festival only to the wise. - ralph waldo emerson u to give thanks in solitude is enough. thanksgiving h

9、as wings and goes where it must go. - victor hugo u your friend is your field which you saw with love and reap with thanksgiving. - kahlil gibran part two: a brief introduction of alex haley alex haley(1921-1992) journalist, novelist the author of the widely acclaimed novel roots was born in ithaca,

10、 new york on august 11, 1921, and reared in henning, tennessee. the oldest of three sons of a college professor father and a mother who taught grade school, haley graduated from high school at fifteen and attended college for two years before enlisting in the united states coast guard as a messboy i

11、n 1939. he severed there till 1959. his first major work the autobiography of malcolm x (1965), was an authoritative and widely read narrative based on haleys interviews with the black muslim spokesman. the work is recognized as a classic of black american autobiography. haleys greatest success was

12、roots: the saga of an american family (1976). this well-researched genealogy-born of the history recited by haleys maternal grandmother-covers seven american generations, from the enslavement of haleys african ancestors to his own genealogical quest. the work forcefully shows relationships between g

13、enerations and between races. part three: comprehension questions pair work: 1. when and where did the writer write the three “thank you” letters? 2. what made the writer extremely busy on the thanksgiving day ? 3. what was the writer thinking about on the deck after the days hard work? 4. what then

14、 did he decide to do? 5. why did the writer feel ashamed when he thought about the people that he wanted to express his gratitude to? 6. who did he finally decide to write to? 7. what did the writer learn from the writing of the three letters? 8. what did the writer wish for all people when another

15、thanksgiving was drawing near? group work: 1.how is thanksgiving celebrated in the united states? do you think the way the writer celebrated the holiday makes sense ? 2. why do you think the writer printed “find good and praise it” at the bottom of all his stationery? 3.do you praise others more oft

16、en than criticize them or the other way round? part four: cultural notes 1.thanksgiving: thanksgiving is celebrated in the us on the fourth thursday in november. for many americans it is the most important holiday apart from christmas. schools, offices and most business close for thanksgiving, and m

17、any people make the whole weekend a vacation. it is associated with the time when europeans first came to north america. in 1620 the ship the mayflower arrived, bringing about 150 people who today are usually called pilgrims. mayflower cultural notes: thanksgiving today people celebrate thanksgiving

18、 to remember these early days. the most important part of celebration is a traditional dinner with foods that come from north america. the meal includes turkey, sweet potatoes and cranberries. the turkey is filled with stuffing or dressing, and many families have their own special recipe. dessert is

19、 pumpkin made into a pie. on thanksgiving there are special television programs and sports events. in new york there is the macys thanksgiving day parade, when a long line of people wearing fancy costumes march through the streets with large balloons in the shape of imaginary characters. thanksgivin

20、g is considered the beginning of the christmas period, and the next day many people go out to shop for christmas presents. 2. pilgrims the term is referred to the 102 english people who sailed to america on the mayflower in 1620. their group included 35 puritans whose aim was to create a safe religi

21、ous community in the new world. the pilgrims landed at plymouth rock, and they established the plymouth colony. they arrived at the beginning of the hard winter and could not find enough to eat, so many of them died. in the next summer native americans showed them what foods were safe to eat and so

22、they could save food for the next winter. they held a big celebration to thank god and the native americans for the fact that they had survived. 3. native americans native americans were living in north america for many of hundreds of years before europeans reached the continent. for a long time whi

23、te people called them indians. today many people do not like this name since it is based on a mistake: it was given to the people living in the americas by christopher columbus who thought he had landed in india when he arrived in americas. instead, people prefer to use the term native americans. 4.

24、 the united states coast guard the us coast guard the us military service that is controlled by the us department of transportation but becomes part of the us navy during a war. it was established in 1915. the coast guard stops ships suspected of carrying drugs and other illegal goods, and can make

25、arrests. it also keeps watch to see that other laws of the sea are obeyed, rescues ships in danger and has a weather service. text structure part one on thanksgiving day 1943, as a young coastguardsman at sea, the writer came up with the idea of expressing his gratitude to people who had helped him

26、before. part two the writer three thank-you letters to his father, the rev. nelson and his grandmother. part three the writer got three letters in reply. part four the writer wishes everyone to find the good and praise it. vpart six: language points under way: in motion or operation, having started

27、and making progress 航行中航行中,工作中工作中 vthe nationwide medical reform is now under way. v2008奥运会的准备工作正在进行中奥运会的准备工作正在进行中. vpreparations for the 2008 olympic games are now well under way. all the way自始至终自始至终 any way 无论如何无论如何 by way of 经由经由,通过通过的方法的方法 by virtue of 依靠依靠,借借 助于助于 i was one of the murizm(“军市一军市

28、一“号号)s several cooks and, quite the same as for folk ashore, this thanksgiving morning had seen us busily preparing a traditional dinner featuring roast turkey. paraphrase: i was one of the murizms cooks at that time. on the morning of thanksgiving day, we, just like people ashore, were busy with pr

29、eparing a traditional dinner that features roast turkey. put away: 把把放好放好, 收好收好; n她有个习惯就是她有个习惯就是, 看完书后就把书收好看完书后就把书收好. nshe has a habit of putting away her books after reading them. n you wash the dishes and ill put them away in the cupboard. 储蓄储蓄,存钱存钱 nthe old couple has put away a considerable sum

30、of money for their future life. i made my way out there, breathing in great, deep draughts while walking slowly about, still wearing my white cooks hat. 译译: 我信步走去我信步走去,一边深深呼吸着空气一边深深呼吸着空气,一边慢慢一边慢慢 地踱着步地踱着步, 头上还戴着那顶白色的厨师帽头上还戴着那顶白色的厨师帽. get to sth./doing sth.: 开始考虑开始考虑, 做做事事 vrecently ive got to wonder

31、ing why i am doing the part- time job. vill get to the accounts as soon as possible. v经历了这次事件之后, 他开始对他周围的人好了. vhaving gone through the accident, he got to treating people around him kindly. and the rest: and so on 等等等等 vthe patient can have apples, apple sauce, and the rest. vthe citizens are intere

32、sted in the governments policies on such important issues as health, education, tax, and the rest. in quest of: seeking 寻求寻求,探求探求 vtony went to the school library in quest of mark twins novels. v他们去加州寻找金子他们去加州寻找金子. vthey went to california in quest of gold. vreverse vvt.反转，使倒转， vvi.反向，倒转 vn.相反的情况，反面

33、 v a.反向的，相反的 v【例句】writing is reversed in a mirror. v写出来的字在镜子里是倒着的。 vthe garage is open, so you can reverse in. v车房的门开着呢，你可以倒进去。 vchildrens shoes arent cheapquite the reverse. v儿童的鞋子并不便宜，反而更贵。 vstatistics showed a reverse trend to that recorded in other countries. v数字表明这种趋向与其他国家所示情况迥异。 turn over: thi

34、nk about 思考思考; veven when she didnt say anything you could see her turning things over in her mind. v他静静地坐在那里他静静地坐在那里, 思考着那个问题思考着那个问题. vhe sat quietly, turning over the problem. 移交移交(控制权控制权/所有权等所有权等) vthe old lady turned the shop over to her granddaughter when she retired. repay: pay back, reward 偿还

35、偿还 vshe repaid me the money. v我该如何报答你对我的好呢我该如何报答你对我的好呢? vhow can i ever repay you for your kindness? not one time had i ever bothered to express to any of them so much as a simple, sincere “thank you”. paraphrase: i had never expressed my thanks to them, even a simple, sincere “thank you.” so much a

36、s “甚至甚至” vhe doesnt so much as invite his best friends. v他甚至连他最好的朋友都没邀请他甚至连他最好的朋友都没邀请. vmike left all of a sudden, without so much as a simple “bye-bye”. summary for part one(para1-9): the writer came up with the idea of _ _. expressing his gratitude to people who had helped him before. i realized,

37、swallowing hard, that half of them had since died-so they were forever beyond any possible expression of gratitude from me. paraphrase: i feel terribly sorry since about half of them had died, so that they could never receive any expression of appreciation from me. language points in text a vsincere

38、 a.诚挚的，真实的 v【例句】she wasnt entirely sincere when she said she liked me. v 她说她喜欢我，这话有些言不由衷。 v【派生】sincerity n. sincerely ad. v i sincerely hope that you will be successful next time. v 我由衷地希望你下次成功。 vgratitude n.感激，谢意 v【例句】gratitude fills your heart with the joyful feeling and v allows you to fully appr

39、eciate everything that arises on v your path. v 心存感恩，呢的心灵就充满愉悦，你就能真正领会人生 v 路上的种种体验。 v【搭配】 with gratitude v i was overwhelmed with gratitude. you brought sunlight to my life. v 我充满了感激，你给我的生活带来了阳光。 language points in text a vspecific v a. 明确地，具体地，详尽地 特殊地，特种地，特定地 v【例句】 the new system made it easier for

40、 employers to v recruit workers based on specific needs. v 新的体制使得雇主更容易根据具体需要招聘工人。 v illnesses specific to workers in a particular occupation v are known as occupational diseases. v 某一特定职业的员工才有的病被称作职业病。 v【搭配】specific to n. 是特有的 v【派生】specify vt.指定，详细说明 v specification n.明确说明，详细说明书，清单 v specifically ad

41、.明确地 language points in text a vimpress vvt.使留下深刻印象，使铭记，印 v【例句】freds chinese is pretty good. i was impressed that he could use it with such confidence. v 佛雷德德中文相当好，他使用中文的那种自信，让我 印象深刻。 vhe wanted to impress a design on wax. v 他想在蜡板上压印出图样。 v【搭配】impress sth on /upon sb. v 使某人对某物的印象深刻 v impress sb. with

42、 sth. v 给某人留下。的印象 v impress sth. into sth. v 把。压进 diminish: make or become smaller or less vt/i. (使使)减少减少, 变小变小 vher patience with the children diminished as the hours went by. vtime will not diminish our friendship. v沉重的工作负担并没有降低他对户外运动的热情. vthe heavy workload does not diminish his enthusiasm for ou

43、tdoor sports. so many times i have felt a sadness when exposed to modern children so immersed in the electronic media that they have little or no awareness of the marvelous world to be discovered in books. paraphrase: have felt sorry for many times when i saw modern children immersed themselves in t

44、he electronic media to such an extent that it almost remained unknown to them that there is a marvelous world in books. language points in text a vexpose vvt. 使暴露，使接触 （于to 连用） 揭露，揭示，透露，揭发 v【例句】dont expose your skin to direct sunlight. v 不要让皮肤直接暴晒于阳光下。 v the crime of the corrupt official s must be ex

45、pose v without any reserve. v 贪官污吏的罪行一定要毫无保留的予以揭发。 v【辨析】reveal ,disclose, expose均有“暴露，揭露，透露”之意。 vreveal主要指无意的使人知道某事或提供事物的某些迹象证据。 v he was glad it was to him that she had revealed her secret. v 他很高兴她把她的秘密告诉了他。 vdisclose 指把有意隐藏的东西公布于众， v the president disclosed the fact that he was put into prison v w

46、rongly twenty years before. v 董事长透露说他自己在二十年前曾被冤枉地送进监狱。 vexpose 将被隐藏，被掩盖地事情公之于众。 immerse: vover completely in a liquid; absorb deeply 使沉浸(在水中); 专心于 vi held my breath and immersed myself in water, trying to stay under water for as long as possible. v约翰完全沉浸在电脑游戏中, 没有意识到周围发生的事情. vjohn was so immersed in

47、 playing the computer games that he was unaware of things happening around him. language points in text a vassemble vvt. 集合，装配 v【例句】the tour guide assembled the tourists outside the hotel. v导游在旅馆外面把游客召集起来。 vhe managed o assemble the model car according to the instructions. v他按照说明装配好了模型汽车。 v【辨析】 asse

48、mble v.集合，装配 resemble vt.像，类似 language points in text a vconsiderate va.体贴的，体谅他人的，考虑周到的 v【例句】management should be considerate of the well-being and interests of employees. v 资方应为员工的福利和利益着想。 v as a matter of fact, she is very considerate in this matter. v 事实上，她在这个问题上已经考虑非常周到。 v【派生】consider v.考虑，关心 v

49、considerately ad. v consideration n. language points in text a v【辨析】 considerable 开始开始, 从事从事, 着手做着手做 vhow shall we go about the job? v你怎样着手修理这台机器? vhow do you go about repairing this telex machine? go about with sb. 和常联系, 走动 vnowadays its quite common to see freshmen go about with their girlfriends.

50、 in the end we are mightily(在很大程度上在很大程度上, 非常非常) and merely people, each with similar needs. 译: 其实,我们都是十分相象的凡人, 有着相似的需求. summary for part four(para 24.26) the writer wishes everyone to _.find the good and praise it. 认真思考 graduate into a habit of 真挚的文字 由衷的感激 genuine statements give serious thought to

51、渐渐地变成一种习惯 很少了解 给撒下美妙遐想 电子媒体 heartfelt appreciation electronic media have little awareness of 按常规 sprinkle with stardust 个人经历 in the routine 最重要的事 personal experience topmost priority 围聚在周围 a rocking chair 一把把 发生迅猛的变化 fistful of cluster about 摇椅 靠当为生 使某人意识到 向表达充满 爱意的谢意 undergo swift changes express o

52、nes loving gratefulness to make a living as 有着相似的需求 give sb. an insight into 简单的常识 with similar needs 实现世界和平 simple common sense achieve world peace 对至关重要 be paramount for correspon- dents letters sent (paras13-15) letters received (paras 21-23) father the rev. nelson grand- mother thank him for teaching the writer from boy