UnitIn My Day

1、Unit 8 In my Day一、授课时间：第14周3次课, 15周2次课二授课类型：理论课8学时、实践课2学时三授课题目：In my Day四授课时数：10五教学目的和要求：To know about the aging prolems; to realize the generation gap and try our best to bridge the gap; to care more for our parents; 六教学重点和难点：1）背景知识的传授：Russel Baker, Great Depression2）文章的体裁分析3）语言点的理解：Word and phrase

2、s: tumble down, argue sb back to reality, amount to; be guilty of Grammar Focus: absolute construction 4) 写作技巧分析七教学基本内容和纲要Part One Warm up1.questions:(1)When do people attain old age?(2)What changes would occur to the elderly?(3)Why do the aged like to talk about their past lives?(4)What are your th

3、oughts on age and aging? Typically, the beginnings of change in the five senses are as follows: Hearingthe mid 40s Visionthe mid 50s Touchthe mid 50s Tastethe late 50s Smellthe mid 70s 2 .Generation gap refers to the difference in ideas, feelings and interests between older and younger people, which

4、 often causes misunderstanding. In the U.S.A, "Never trust anyone over thirty" had even been a very common belief among young people. How to bridge it ? mutual understanding and love . 3. The Image of the Mother 4 Years of Age My Mommy can do anything!8 Years of Age My Mom knows a lot! A w

5、hole lot12 Years of AgeMy Mother doesnt really know quite everything.14 Years of AgeNaturally, Mother doesnt know that, either. 16 Years of AgeMother? Shes hopelessly old-fashioned.18 Years of AgeThat old woman? Shes way out of date! 25 Years of AgeWell, she might know a little bit about it.35 Years

6、 of AgeBefore we decide, lets get Moms opinion. 45 Years of AgeWonder what Mom would have thought about it?65 Years of AgeWish I could talk it over with Mom! 4.Tell us a story about your parents that touches your heart and is rooted deeply in your memory.Part Two Background Information1. Author: Rus

7、sell BakerBorn in Virginia in 1925In charge of "The Observer" column for the New York Times from 1962 to 1998.Won his first Pulitzer Prize in 1979 for distinguished commentary as a columnistReceived his second Pulitzer Prize in 1983 for his autobiography Growing upRegarded as one of Americ

8、a's leading wordsmiths and humorists 2. Russell Bakers main worksGrowing upRussell Bakers book of American HumorFear and Loathing in George W. Bushs WashingtonPoor Russell Almanac(The text is extracted from the first chapter of Growing Up.) 3. Russell Bakers memoir Growing up This book traces hi

9、s youth in the mountains of rural Virginia. When Baker was only five, his father died. His mother, strong-willed and matriarchal, never looked back. These were depression years, and Mrs. Baker moved her family to Baltimore. Baker's mother was determined her children would succeed, and her unfail

10、ing faith in the talents of her young son was not misplaced. He did everything from delivering papers to hustling subscriptions for the Saturday Evening Post. As is often the case, early hardships make the man. 4. Popularity of the bookreviews from the book reviewers and readers§ This is a wond

11、rous book, funny, sad, and strong as funny and touching as Mark Twain's.-Mary Lee Settle of the Los Angeles Times Book Review§ This is an iconic and magical piece of literature, a story of courage and love, of the bonds of family in spite of tension and disagreement.-One reader§ Growin

12、g Up is carefully crafted by this experienced writer. The many characters come to vivid life with all their virtues and foibles(小缺点), and Baker's narrative flows smoothly from beginning to end.-One reader5. Quotations of the author The worst thing about being a tourist is having other tourists r

13、ecognize you as a tourist. In an age when the fashion is to be in love with yourself, confessing to be in love with somebody else is an admission of unfaithfulness to one's beloved. An educated person is one who has learned that information almost always turns out to be at best incomplete and ve

14、ry often false, misleading, fictitious, mendaciousjust dead wrong. 6. The Great Depression（The Great Depression is what we refer to the global economic recession between 1929 to 1933 ,which ,especially in the US, is usually identified with the stock market crash of 1929.during that time ,some towns

15、in the U. S. , Canada and Germany even introduced their own scrip during the Great Depression. and the societies are full of sorrows.）One of the most critical economic periods in the United States history was the Great Depression. A majority of the U.S. citizens did not know much about the Depressio

16、n. The only information that they knew was what they read from textbooks. Many citizens never really had to face the hardship like others were forced to face. Growing Up by Russell Baker is an autobiography on the problems he and his family endured during this era. Causes of the Great Depression: Sp

17、eculation in the 1920s caused many people to buy stocks with loaned money. The stock market boom was very unsteady, because it was based on borrowed money and false optimism. Politicians believed that business was the key business of America. Thus, the government took no action against unwise invest

18、ing. Stock Market crash on October 24, 1929 (black Thursday) Misery and personal sufferings were widespread.Living conditions changed when multiple families crowded into small houses or apartments. Unemployment rate was very high. Thousands went hungry. Children suffered long term effects from a poo

19、r diet and inadequate medical care. Women continued to doing womens work such as nursing, and even if they were able to get an industry job which seldom hired women, they usually were paid less than men. Part Three Text Appreciation1. Theme of the storyIt is the responsibility of both parents and ch

20、ildren to bridge the generation gap. On the one hand, young people should have more interest and respect of what their parents stand for. On the other hand, old people should show understanding to young peoples great interest in the future.2. Structure of the textPart 1 (1-45) about: Understanding o

21、f a mother from a sons point of view Part 2 (.46-53 ) about: Understanding of children from a fathers point of view Part 3 (54-55 ) about: Meeting of the two views 3. Text Analysis（1）What was the character of the mother when she was young?（Scan the text and list out the related information.）straight

22、- forwardI tell people exactly whats on my mind, strong-willedShe was a formidable woman, determined to speak her mind, determined to have her way, energeticShe had hurled herself at life with an energy that made her seem always on the run.never defeated by lifelife was combat, and victory was not t

23、othe lazy, the timed, the drugstore cowboy, （2）Question: What values do you think were reflected in the mothers way of life when she was young?The mother was always on the run and working hard because she believed that hard working is the necessary part of ones life. Life was a struggle, a fight, a

24、battle for survival, for salvation, and for the glory of God. Only by hard working can one be successful in the end. Those who were lazy, timid, loitering and afraid to tell others the true feelings were losers of the life. （3）How did the author react to his mothers senility from a sons point of vie

25、w? at the beginning· I could not accept the inevitable. My impulse was to argue her back to reality. later· I soon stopped trying to argue her back to what I considered the real world.· (I) tried to travel along with her on those fantastic journeys into the past.（4）Question: What made

26、 the author change his reaction to his mothers senility?At the beginning, he tried to argue his mother back to reality from his point of view because he believed that his mother being a normal person would be better for her and her family. But later when he began to look at it from his mothers point

27、 of view, he understood his mother was much happier when she could travel back to her childhood when she was loved and needed. So he would like to travel along with her into her past and understood his mother more.（5）How did the author understand the relationship with his children from a fathers poi

28、nt of view? in the past· I had developed the habit of lecturing them on the harshness of life in my day.· I tried to break the habit, but must have failed.now· Between us there was a dispute about time.(6) Question: What does the author mean by “a dispute about time”? (53)It is one of

29、 the reasons why there is generation gap between parents and children. The parents always like to talk about their past to the children because that was once their “future” they dreamed of and struggled for. But for the children, they are indifferent to the parents “future” because it is past for th

30、em. They are now dreaming for their future. This is the dispute of time.Further questions on appreciation· What happened to the authors mother at the age of 80? What became of her after her “last” fall?· What exactly is the problem with his mother? · What kind of a woman was the autho

31、rs mother when she was young? · Was she happy when she was young? Is she happy now? What are her main complaints?· Does the author feel that he has been a good son?· What do you think he is trying to say when he hopes that he can step into his mothers time machine?· How does the

32、author understand the generation gap? Whats his advice to the younger generation?4. Writing DevicesParallelism and RepetitionShe ran after chickens, She ran when she made the beds, ran when she set the table. she ran. (15)Repetition: ranranranranParallelism : She ran when sheran when sheRepetition i

33、s a major rhetorical strategy for producing emphasis, clarity, amplification, or emotional effect.Parallelism: more examples1. Words and phrases2. clauses3. Lists after a colonRepetition: more examples Would you please please please please please please please stop talking.(Ernest Hemingway, Hills L

34、ike Whites Elephants) Its like a windfall, like a godsend, like an unexpected piece of luck. Part Four Language Study1. bendv. a. to lean forwards and downwardsb. to become curvedc. to apply the mind closelyExpressions: bend sb.s ear/bend your mind/thoughts to sth./bend before/be bent on2. bore n. a

35、. sb. who talks too much about things that are not very interesting b. a boring or annoying activity or situation v. a. to make sb. feel impatient b. to make a deep hole in sth. hard3. burdenv. to create a problem or serious responsibility for sb.4. dismiss v.a. to force sb. to leave their job b.to

36、refuse to accept that sth. might be true or important c. to officially tell people they can leave a place d. to put out of court without further hearing5. fierce a. a. involving very strong feelings such as determination, anger or hateb. (of weather) strong and severec. very difficult or unpleasant6

37、. flagv. a. to become tired or weak, or begin to lack enthusiasm b. to mark sth. so that you will be able to find it againflagging: a. becoming weaker, more tired, or less enthusiastic7. formidable a. very impressive in size, power, or skill and therefore deserving respect and often difficult to dea

38、l with8. hover v. a. to remain floating, suspended, or fluttering in the air b. to remain or linger in or near a place c. to be in a state that may change at any time9. preside v. to be in charge of an official meeting or other event 10. radiant a. a. sb. who is radiant looks extremely happy b. very

39、 bright11. stirv. a. to move food around in a dish using a spoon or other objectsb. to make sb. feel upset, or enthusiasticc. to move or be moved slightly by wind.12. transparent a. a. clear or thin enough for you to see things throughb. easily seen through or detected; obviousc. not trying to keep

40、anything secret13. vein n. a. one of the tubes in your body that carry blood to your heartb. a layer of a metal or other substance inside the earthc. a particular mood, style or substanced. a supply or amount of a particular thing14. wearn. a. damage or changes that affect sth. when it has been used

41、 a lotb. fatigue, exhaustion c. clothes that are suitable for a particular activity or group of people15. 1. blood and bone your own flesh and blood16. mend ones ways to improve ones behavior after you have been behaving badly for a long timemend fences: to try to become friends again with sb. you h

42、ave argued with17. on ones mindto keep thinking about and worrying about sth.18. on the runa. while you are busy or hurryingb. trying to hide or escape from sb., especially the policec. in a weak position in an argument or competition19. pep talka talk during which sb. encourages you to do sth. better or to work harderpep up: to make sb. or sth. more active and lively20. silver lining a hopeful or comforting prospect in the midst of difficulty21. way outa. far from other places or buildingn. a way of dealing with a problemWord Buildi