2-05-Part 2

Cowslips
Book 2-Unit 5
Probe the Text
1. Where do the majority of English people prefer to live ? In the lowlands. 2. What are the attractions of an English village? It is situated in a valley, overlooked by the hills, clustered about an ancient church, with a river nearby, mills, animals such as swallows and birds, plants on weirs such as watercress and osiers, children playing along the banks, men leaning on weirs watching birds flying across the river, gardens in front of a cottage, pastures near around, village has a church in the middle, clustered around by the farm houses, growing and gathering of osiers for homely occupation: weaving baskets, animals grazing on the pastures in the valley.
Part II Reading Comprehension
Book 2-Unit 5
Reading Comprehension
Pre-reading Task Comprehension Work Language Work
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Book 2-Unit 5
Read the words and expressions on page 64 and match them with the pictures below.
Book 2-Unit 5
overlooked from the hills
in a valley
ered about its ancient church of a more or less commodious homestead in a valley
Book 2-Unit 5
Differences
Gathering watercress. (It did not show on the pictures.) Growing osiers for basket weaving. (It did not show on the pictures.) Mill-wheels (in left side of the second picture in the worksheet) are silent now and clogged by weed. …
woods orchards valley
Book 2-Unit 5
In small groups, identify important ingredients, which constitute the typical English countryside as shown in the pictures below.
Popular idea of an English village
General conception of a farm with broad fields with a river flowing not far away
sheltered by ample trees small and insignificant
Book 2-Unit 5
3. What are the differences in rivers between England and other European countries? (1)The rivers in English villages, generally small and insignificant, judged by Continental standards. (2)No national songs are composed for them as in the case of the Volga, the Danube or the Rhine. (However, the song Jerusalem mentions the sweet brooks (streams) of home.)
In small groups, study the 2nd paragraph and draw a picture of the views from the writer’s cottage.
•Cottage • The Cotswolds •Meadow •The Severn Valley •The Malverns •The Welsh Mountains •The estuary •Garden •Orchards •Pastures
Book 2-Unit 5
Traditional English Rural Landscape in the 18th Century
Traditional English Rural Landscape in the 19th Century
Typical English Rural Landscape: Yorkshire English Rural Landscape in the 20th Century
Book 2-Unit 5
Book 2-Unit 5
The Cotswolds
Book 2-Unit 5
The River Severn
Wide tree-lined waters of the River Severn
Severn estuary
Book 2-Unit 5
Cottage
The Malverns Bee-orchis
Useful Words and Expressions mountains, hills in the mist, trees dotting the field, broad cultivated fields with footpaths dividing the land, village/farm houses nearby, valley, streams, sheep, cattle, river, stone bridge, villagers fishing on the river farmhouse, old trees, riverbanks, dogs, mill, pasture on which cattle is grazing
Reading Comprehension Difficult Sentences Story Reproduction
Activity
Book 2-Unit 5
Reading Comprehension
In small groups, read the text and find out the similarities and differences between the pictures above and the description in the reading passage. List the similarities and differences. Report the similarities and differences to another group.
Book 2-Unit 5
Similarities
The homestead is in the lowlands instead of the highlands, overlooked from a hill . The homestead is very large, and faces a broad field (a commodious homestead) sheltered by ample trees . Rivers are small and not useful for trade and transport, but broad fields are delicate and beautiful. Children or villagers may still bathe in the river. Farmers may still fish in the river, and they may lean over the weirs on summer evenings and watch the swallows across the clear water under the bridges.
pastures footpath
Pre-reading Tasks
coast mountain ridges
Book 2-Unit 5
cultivated fields
lawn
bay
cliff cornfield rice pad
Book 2-Unit 5
brook beach bushes estuary waterfall
4. What does the writer mean when he says “The Severn was
part of my view; it was even part of my consciousness” ?
The writer was so familiar with the views of the river and the valley, and therefore, the landscape tended to be part of his consciousness–that is, he is able to see the view with his mind eyes.