unit 1 This Year It’s Going to Be Different

Part 1 (Para 1)
1. What’s the writer’s opinion about New Year’s resolutions? 2. What’s implied in “Judging from results of other years, I had never put enough in”? 3. What did the writer do for this new year? 4. Why couldn’t the writer wait until New Year’s Day?
Maggie My wife was angry and asked me to sit and watch a game.
Part 3 (Paras 23-38)
• 1. How did his wife and children react to his considerateness, good mood, and helpful attitude? • He tried to be considerate and helpful, but failed. All his efforts to be a good husband went contrary to his expectations. The whole family was thrown into disorder and confusion. His wife was annoyed by his good manners and smart remarks, thinking they were affected and that he was being sarcastic on purpose. She attributed his cheerfulness, good temper and thoughtfulness to not feeling his best after staying out late.
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Eric
Unit 1 This Year It’s Going to Be Different
• 1. How do you understand the title? • 2. Will you try to make a difference at the beginning of a new year? • 3. What does “New Year’s resolution” mean?
2. A sincere compliment is worth imy wife
said “You are looking lovely”
Maggie
Maggie
She shrieked and dropped a cup.
My wife got angry.
Most Popular Goals
Success Rate
• Recent research shows that while 52% of participants in a resolution study were confident of success with their goals, only 12% actually achieved their goals. • Men achieved their goal 22% more often when they engaged in goal setting, a system where small measurable goals are used (lose a pound a week, instead of saying "lose weight"), while women succeeded 10% more when they made their goals public and got support from their friends.
Kit
Kit was angry.
Kit
Kit felt sick.
6. Encourage creativity in the young.
suggested that the boys carve a spoon
Roy My wife got and angry; the boys Sammy whittled the spoon. Maggie My wife said I sarcastic.
Sammy
Sammy thought I was a fool.
Gretchen Gretchen cried.
5. Show your interest in asked Marilyn about your children’s friends. her Holidays. (Be tolerant of children’s bad habits.) picked up Kit’s sweater
Text
• • 1. How many people are there in this family? Who are they? 2. How many resolutions has the writer made altogether? 3. How many have been mentioned in the text? Are they easily found? 4. What are the results of the man’s efforts to carry out his resolutions?
Part 2 (Paras 2-22)
Read and think of Part 2 more carefully. Find out details about the resolutions!
Resolutions
Things Done
People Involved
Results
1. Be spontaneous in showing affection.
Text Appreciation
What type of writing is this text? In what style is the text written?
informal narration
Has the writer used any special techniques?
Contrast (in content and style)
•
•
The Writer’s Family
father Kit
Mother (Maggie)
(14-year-old daughter) (Sam’s brother)
Roy
(5-year-old son)
Sammy
(little daughter)
Gretchen
Text Comprehension and Analysis
Structure of Text Part 1 Part 2 Part 3
Para 1: I’m going to carry out my NY’s resolutions
Paras 2-22: I carried out my resolutions, but in vain.
Paras 23-38: I told my family about my resolutions and returned normal.
Any other special points?
1. American flavor; 2. Effective beginning 3. good choice of words…
Language Study
• Para 1---the brief introduction of the writer’s first New Year’s resolution and his strong desire to carry them out. • 1. New Year’s resolutions are like anything else--you get out of them what you put in: • AS the saying goes, “ As you sow, so will you reap”, which means whatever a man sow he will reap. Making New Year’s resolutions also follow this maxim. The more resolutions you make at the beginning of the year, the better results you will have. • Resolutions: the decision or mental pledge to do or not to do sth; resolve • Eg: Most of people like to make New Year’s resolutions in order to achieve more.
• 2. Why did all his efforts to be a good father and husband end in failure? • He wanted to do better but did not know how to do it appropriately. The result in every case proved to be just the opposite to what he had expected. The writer behaved like a changed man. What he did was suddenly totally different from what he used to do, so his family was unprepared for this change. That’s why, to them, his behavior, his temper and his thoughtfulness were too good to be true—his temper was too good to be believed, and his thoughtfulness was too great to be natural..
7. The most trivial willingly took the chore can garbage out prove rewarding if approached with zest 8. Take over one took down the of your Christmas tree wife’s chores, she’ll love you for it.
3. Always encourage your child’s curiosity.
4. Meet your child at his own level.
explained the escapement mechanism
suggested that Gretchen Take her doll to Dr. Sam
Warming-Up Activity
•A New Year’s resolution is something one makes up one’s mind to do at the beginning of a new year in order to be or to do better in the year ahead. It is a ritual commitment to selfimprovement, and a goal people set to make their lives better. In many Western countries, New Year’s resolutions are usually made at New Year’s Eve.