大学英语精读第三版第二册U2教案

Unit 3 Lessons from JeffersonTeaching Time: 8 hoursStudents’ level: non-English majors of the second semester of the 1 st year.Teaching Objectives:1.Get to understand Jefferson and learn his ideas and its meaning in the present society. Understand “Go and see”, ”You can learn from everyone”, “Judge for yourself”, “Do what you believe his right”, ”Trust the future; trust the young”, "only a nation of educated people could remain free”. Try to understand the history of the Declaration of Independence; Jefferson’s devotion and achievements; the presidents: Washington and Lincoln.2.About the text, Ss should grasp the text content, text structure, basic vocabularies and required grammar points of the section.Words: action, agreement, appoint, conflict, constantly, create, custom, educate, error, existence, false, hesitate, influence,latter, obtain, hesitate, talent, threaten.Phrases & Expressions: get out of one^s way, leave to, act on, leave behind, in-existence, above allGrammar: omitting sentences, ...nor, sentences for emphasis3.About the reading, help Ss review the reading skills they’ve learnt.4.About the writing, Ss should get to grasp the skill of paragraphdeveloping —topic sentences.5.About the listening, Ss finish the Unit 2 directed by the teacher. Teaching Procedures:I.Pre-reading Activities1.Background introduction: the Declaration of Independence, social class, Jefferson & French Revolution2.T’s presentationKey words and expressions:A.New words and old wordsB.Chinese and English phrasesC.Study on Key Words and Phrases1. independencea) (n.) freedom from the control of othersE.g. American people impress on their children the value of independence.b) depend (vi.) rely on ; be decided byE.g. The city depends considerably on its tourist trade.Our success depends on weather.c). dependent ( a.)E.g. Promotion in this company is dependent on consistent hard work.d) independent : (a.) needing no help or support from othersE.g. He will never be independent of his mother.2. source :n. a) place where a river startsE.g. Let's follow the river to discover its source.b) thing or place from which sth. comes or sth. is obtainedE.g. Nobody there could find the source of the engine trouble.3. origin :n. a) the thing from which anything comes or risesE.g. The doctors are studying the origin of the disease.b) birth, ancestryE.g. He is an American of Chinese Origin.4. appoint :vt. a) name for an office or positionE.g. George's father was named ( to be ) / ( as ) / director of the factory.b) decide onE.g. We named the railway station as the place for the meeting.c) <derivative> appointment (n.)E.g. I have an appointment to see the manager at two.5. threat :n. a). a statement of what will be done to hurt or punish sb.E.g. The boys stopped playing ball in the classroom because of the monitor's threat to report it to the headmaster.b) a sign or source of possible evil or harmE.g. Those black clouds are a threat of rain.c) <derivative> threaten : (v.) to make a threat against ; be a sign or source of possible evil or harmE.g. The boss threatened the lazy employee with dismissal.6. reject :vt. a) refuse to take, believe, use or considerE.g. He tried to join the army but was rejected because of his poor health.b) throw away as useless or unsatisfactoryE.g. Reject all the waste paper.7. hesitate :vi. hold back in doubt or indecisiona) <set phrases> hesitate to do ( be reluctant to do sth.) ;hesitate about / over doing ( feel doubtful about)E.g. Don't hesitate about / over taking this job, this might be your onlyopportunity.I hesitate to phone him at this late hour.b) <derivative> hesitation ( n.)E.g. He felt some hesitation in joining us.8. prefer :(vt.) like better, choose rather thana) <set phrase> prefer doing / rather than doingprefer N. / to do / doing / that-clauseprefer to do rather than (to) doE.g. I prefer to read rather than sit idle.Would you prefer that I (should) come on Monday instead of Tuesday.9. influencea) (n.) power to produce an effect, a person, fact etc. that has this powerE.g. Earthquakes have influence on the weather.b) (v.) have an influence onE.g. They tried not to be influenced by what he said.10. owe :v. a) will have to return / pay (money) back to (sb.)E.g. I owe him 1000 dollars.b) have or cherish (a certain feeling) toward ( a person)E.g. I am sure I owe him no thanks. He was less than helpful.c) admit thankfully ( sb. / sth.) as the cause of (sth.)E.g. She owes her success to hard work.11. humble :a. a) low in positionE.g. Napoleon's humble origin did not stop his political ambition.b) having a modest opinion of oneselfE.g. I was surprised to find Einstein to be such a humble person.12. go out of one's way (to do sth):take particular trouble, make a special effortE.g. Both China and Britain went out of their way to reach the agreement.13. act on :take as a result of, behave according toE.g. The police are acting in information received.14. leave behinda) remain after one leave a placeE.g. His death left behind a long train of problems and difficulties.b) forget to takeE.g. He was already on his way to the air[ort when he realized he had left his suitcase behind.15. above all :most important of allE.g. Children need many things, but above all they need attention.D. Synonym Discrimination1. get obtainget : ordinary word, to receive or have by any meansobtain : to receive or have by spending time or energyE.g. This is what I want to get.Knowledge is obtained through study.3.source origin :the beginning of something or a starting point or placesource : the metaphorical to the fountainhead of a riverorigin : a remote beginning in time or placeE.g. We'll have to find a new source of income.The origin of the custom is unknown.4.appoint name :put (sb.) in or choose (sb.) for a positionappoint : the selection is made by someone officially charged with this dutyname : less formal, tells little about the chooser or the method of choice involvedE.g. The President appoint4d a new cabinet member.He was named captain of the team.5.reject refuse decline :to be willing to accept, receive or take into considerationrefuse : stronger than decline, suggesting firmnessdecline : to refuse politelyreject : more emphatic than refuse, implying an unmistakable denial E.g. I wonder why he refused to discuss the problem at the meeting.She rejected his marriage proposal.I declined her invitation to the party because I had a prior appointment.6. error mistakeerror : sth. done wrongmistake : wrong opinion, act or ideasE.g. We all make mistakes in our life.I find several spelling errors in my composition.Ⅱ. While-reading Activities1. Warm-up Questions(1) Who was Thomas Jefferson?(2) What lessons were left by him? Are those ideas out of date?2. Introductory Remarks---Thomas Jefferson, the well-known statesman, contributed to human progress by leaving a rich legacy of thought , which is still meaningfultoday. Let's study the text carefully and think about his lessons.3.Ss have the silent reading on the text (10 mins)4.T explains the text in detail.Lines 1--131. Questions for Discussion(1) What are they famous for, Washington, Lincoln and Jefferson?---Washington is Well-known for his leadership in the American Independence War. Lincoln is well-known for his role in abolishing slavery in the United States. Jefferson is well-known for his written of the Declaration of Independence.(2) What does the sentence "Many of his ideas are especially interesting to modern youth" mean?---His ideas are not out of date.Lines 14--201. Questions for Discussion(1) What are the sources of knowledge?---Reading, information, investigate, observation, experiment, etc. (2) What are the advantages and disadvantages of personal investigation?---Advantages : to get first-hand material, not to have to rely on false information or situations which have changed, ability to ask and answer your own questions.---Disadvantages : limitation in time and ability to travel, lace of money, no expertise on the subject.(3) Did he do the investigation single-handed? How do you know?---Yes. He went in a small boat, called a canoe.(4) What is the meaning of this lesson in modern society?---Getting first-hand knowledge is as important as ever.Lines 21--281. Language PointsBy birth and by education Jefferson belonged to the highest social class. = Judging by his family and educational background, Jefferson was a member of the group with top social statue.Yet, in a day when few noble ever spoke to those of …except to give an order, Jefferson went out of the his way to talk with……a) those of humble origin : those born into families of low rank or stationb) "When few noble…give an order" is attributive clause, modifying "day".c) except : (prep.) butE.g. He had no choice except / but to take the job.He does nothing but sleep.d) <set phrases> speak to sb. : say hello to sb. in few wordstalk to / with sb. : have a conversation with sb.E.g. He is so proud that he is never speak to his neighbors.He never talks with me; at most speaks to me.2. Questions for Discussion(1) Who were "those of humble origin"?(2) Why didn't noble persons speak to those of humble origins except to give an order?---The noble persons thought they were superior and looked down upon the people of humble origins, but sometimes they had to, because they had to order those people to do things for them.(3) Why would going into the people's homes help understand the French Revolution?---If one looked at the miserable life they lived, he would understand why the people were dissatisfied and rebellious.(4) What is the meaning this lesson in modern society?---If you want to know about life, pay attention to the people, whatever their birth and occupation.Lines 29--371. Language PointsNeither believe nor reject anything…because any other person has rejected or believe it. = Do not accept blindly other people's likes or dislikes without a careful independent thought.Were it left to me to …I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter. = If it were left to me to decide…I should choose the latterpromptly for sure.2. Questions for Discussion(1) Why should a person make his own judgement?(2) What is a government without newspaper?---A society in which the government dictates what is right or wrong with no allowance for public reaction.(3) What is newspaper without a government?---A society in which newspaper provide people with information and the people make the judgement and decision.(4) What's the modern meaning of the lesson?---In a modern society, independent thinking is most important.Lines 38--441. Language Points…for many years the object of strong criticism…a) object : (n.) goal, targetE.g. In the meeting I became the object of being criticized.b) (n.) purposeE.g. Their object is to investigate the matter thoroughly.c) (v.) be againstE.g. I objected that the statement was misleading.I objected to the plan.2. Questions for Discussion(1) What is a free country in this context?---A country where people have freedom of speech and thought.(2) Why did Jefferson never answer his critics?---He accepted the conflict. He respected their freedom to think their own thoughts.(3) What is "philosophy" here?---His overall viewpoint about life.(4) What do you understand his philosophy?---It's difficult to satisfy both sides, it's natural that there are two sides to every question.(5) What is the meaning of this lesson in modern society?---Think and act on your own thoughts and don't be afraid of criticism. Lines 45--511. Language PointsHow much pain has been caused by evils which have never happened. = A great deal of pain and suffering has been caused by worrying about bad things which never came to pass.2. Questions for Discussion(1) What are customs which have lost their usefulness? Give an example. ---Customs which no long have meaning today. Foe example, women have to stay at home and should not have their own career. Children should not interrupt while parents are speaking. Students should notargue with their teachers.(2) Why cannot a society make a perpetual constitution or a perpetual law?---Society changes and people's ideas change, too. What's good today is not necessarily good tomorrow.(3) What's the modern meaning of this lesson?---Be optimistic, keep up with the times.Lines 52--691. Language Points…be superior to any other in existence. = be better than any other that is existing.a) be superior to : be better thanE.g. The new machine is superior to the old ones in that it consumes less fuel.American education owes a great deal debt to Thomas Jefferson. =Jefferson is well-known for his great contribution to the development of education in America.2. Questions for Discussion(1) What are "the tasks of ordinary life"?---Routine work we have to do in our daily life.(2) Why have so many people thrilled to his words?---Because his words have touched his people and reflected what theywanted to say.(3) Who are his country men?---The Americans.(4) What is a nation of educated people/---A country whose people are well educated.5.T asks Ss to come out the main idea, structure of the text (10 mins)6.T summarizes the main idea and structure of the text (5 mins)Ⅲ. Summary Questions and Concluding Remarks1. Summary Questions(1) Can you conclude what kind of person Jefferson was and give your reasons?---A well-known statesman : president of the United NationsA thinker: philosophical instructions, ideasA writer: The Declaration of Independence, complete works of 50 volumesAn educator: education reform, university founder,An architect: influential figureAn expert in agriculture: crop rotation, plow, soil conservationAn inventor: devices for daily uses, etc.(2) Which of the Jefferson's lessons do you think is the most interesting? Give your reasons.2. Concluding Remarks---Although he lived more than 200 years ago, Thomas Jefferson showed us many good examples and his ideas are not only interesting to modern youth, but also practical in the modern world.Ⅳ. Post-reading Activities1.Let the students do the exercises in the textbook which arc related to the new words.2.Ss hand in the summary of the text.3.Ss discuss the questions on the topic related to the text.4.Let Ss do the exercises in the text book which are mainly related to the new words and topic.。